Oh we do like to be beside the seaside!

Our annual trip to the seaside at Skegness began promisingly.
Most people were on time for the early meet, and it appeared we had more than 11 players. One of them was even our esteemed champion goal-scorer, Rich ‘Lazarus’ Lloyd, returning from a(nother) ‘season-ending’ mechanical malfunction.

Given recent history, and the age of some of our squad, having more than 11 is a necessity (though not always a reality) for a 2nd XI match these days. We had cunningly entrapped youngster Ben, and Big Matt H, into coming to Alford rather than a nice comfortable home fixture for the 3s, by not spelling out to them where Alford actually is. Since unless you had played them away before you really wouldn’t have a clue would you?
When the penny dropped for Ben on Friday night he furiously tried to persuade Mum to negotiate a release. No chance, sorry Ben – we need you!
On the down side, this cunning ploy meant Matthew (who is never much of a punctual character at the best of times) didn’t correlate a 2pm match game with a 9.45 meet, and was still in bed as we set off (Ed. This might not have actually been true, but he certainly wasn’t anywhere near the meet point).
However, happily we have contingency for such occurrences. We set off VERY early, but stop for a lovely team-bonding brunch en-route, at the half way point, near Spalding. I say lovely. But quite how lovely you find a rammed McDonalds by a busy roundabout on the A16 is up to you.
So after a brunch of champions, which allowed Big Matt to catch us up, plus several ‘old-man’s bladder’ breaks (Tim was on a 3-stop strategy), we headed full-of-confidence across the Lincolnshire landscape to our seaside rendezvous with old foes Alford.
To be fair to them, they have to do the same trip in reverse at least 3 times in the season. Hats off to them – it is a long day. But on the last day in February on a sunny but decidedly breezy day, it was a pleasant drive. And, unusually for a Nomads team, we were all there by about an hour before the scheduled start. This shows a stunning level of organisation and commitment, characteristics you don’t normally associate with a Nomads team.

Once we completed our usual warm-up, the realisation dawned that we still had at least half-an hour before push-back. This lead to an inordinate amount of stretching, the likes of which we have never seen before. But surely that would bode well for the longevity of our aging carcasses?
The youngsters simply looked on bemused, trying to work out exactly why they had agreed to this ridiculous escapade.
However, the wisdom of all this soon became apparent as we started an away game, in Alford, quite brightly – with plenty of early possession in a decent paced game. This is unusual. It wasn’t 1-way traffic through, and Alford troubled us a few times by getting in behind our high-defensive line (I think that’s what they call it). A few chances came and went with both goalkeepers being called into action. Then an interception and fast series of passes through Rick, Lazarus, and Mad-Mel, ended with a very neat volleyed finish around the Alford keeper from Mel, and a just-about-deserved lead.

The score remained the same at half-time. Nomads perhaps could have scored straight from the (Alford) re-start, as Paul intercepted the pass and put Lloydy in on their D. But for once the ball did not end up in the onion bag. The game remained competitive. Of course - this is Alford. Nomads had the better chances and only a couple of miraculous, remarkable goal-line clearances from lifted shots from Mel and Paul by an Alford defender, kept them in them game.
The Alford breaks were getting fewer and further between as the half wore on as Nomads started to dominate possession. By this time (Club Pres) Tim had succumbed to his hamstring (despite all that stretching), and Ellis had taken the opportunity to show his mettle as a centre back. Down to a bare 11, as predicted. With one of them being Lazarus, there was now no further leeway for mechanical failure.

With Matty V and Ellis commanding at the back, Arthur mopping up the left, and young Ben marauding increasingly high, down the right, we felt in control. But at only 1-0 up the opposition is always in the game.

Then what should happen, but that once in a blue-moon moment of a Rick Mort goal! Deposed of his stopping duties at short corners, he sniffed an opportunity to poach around the keepers pads. And sure enough, thanks to a blocked Paul strike and an unselfish pass from Matty V, Rick found himself with the ball in front of goal, to gloriously fire an unstoppable shot into the roof of the Alford net. Or something like that. Truly remarkable. After stopping to educate his forwards on the art of goal-scoring, he returned to the half-way line taking the plaudits of the massed ranks of supporters. Possibly the most important goal of the season thus put Nomads in a very strong position.

From here-on Nomads did a most unlike-Nomads thing, and proceeded to keep the ball by passing to each other and not the opposition. With angry-man Matty urging us on from the back to play keep-ball, we started to find a rhythm of passing. The new midfield duo of Jude and Matt H were now getting a lot of ball and using it astutely. Ben was playing like a right winger and Alford heads were starting to drop as brief passages of Alford play were expertly snuffed out.
In the midst of this general Nomads-excellence a 3rd goal eventuated, resulting from a slick move out of defence on the left, up to Lloydy who drew 2 players and fed Rick running in towards the top of the D. Paul, being Paul, lead high towards the left post and from Rick’s fired in pass he deflected nonchalantly past the keeper for a rather satisfying, flowing, ‘team’ goal to finish the game as a contest.
So, other than a second burger of the day, that just left the long drive home in the dying embers of a sunny seaside day-out. Not that we saw the sea. Where is it? Not Alford clearly.

In the rush to get home before the pubs closed we never did get to vote on the man of the match or DoD. But mentions were made of Ellis for the former (excellent throughout and about time he got to win a game), and Big Matthew (H) for the latter, for his general unawareness of where we were playing hockey and how long it would take to get there/back. And there is always a reason to propose Mad-Mel for that category. This week it was for his lack of shin pads, and excellent innovation in working around said oversight.
But we must always heartily congratulate a Nomads team who gets more than 11 people to an Alford away game, and returns with 3-points. Trust me, this is unusual, so well done to all of you! It was the best Leap Day for years.