WHITE CITY 8-8 F.C. SE7EN - 24.09.20

WE DIDN'T LOSE!......Okay we didn't win. But we didn't lose.......can I say that again?

The result was momentous for us. People say that footy is a results-based game but the way you play it, is probably of more importance when it comes to the small-sided game.

With that I come on to "that" player. Today's game it was "Smarzbar", we've all seen it before. You get the usual characters in footy. The guy who never wants to go in goal, the dude who never passes......and then there's the try-hard. The guy who turns a friendly game of footy into a dour rule based kickaround which crosses the line between becoming over-officious rather than fun.

I have probably over-exaggerated to be honest, but he still deserves a Sujyo slap down. At 1 point I thought he was gonna call on VAR or get his measuring tape out. Then on the other hand, he recklessly shoved Frodo in the back causing him to trip over and go face first into the side boards. And didn't even have the dignity to admit his error. I won't even go into how he kept score. He was shit anyway, and his actions say a lot about him as a person than it does for us.

Back to the game. For me, in particular, the fitness curve is becoming steep but this is natural, we have Billybobz carrying us, so no problemo. But I'm making improvements, losing weight and enjoying it. I look forward to footy every week now and we are relentless in getting the numbers up. Earlier in the day, it had rained too, the pitch had a little dampness. I could see that Frodo and SeanAA's TF trainers had a little less grip than say, boots, so their usual silky skills were hard to pull off. Useful sub-plot, that's two games I've seen that TF trainers haven't cut the mustard and pickle.....so take note if you're in the market for a new set of boots. Remember to have a thorough read of our guide on boots too:

https://footballclubse7en.wixsite.com/fcse7en/post/inside-the-boot-room-the-ultimate-guide-to-football-boots

Another thing I noticed, and I think most agree, is that our shooting sucks. REALLY SUCKS!

"We had the lady nekkid in the bed, but we did not know what to do!" - A good, if slightly tubby Mauritian friend of mine once famously said at college.

I'm no psychologist but it's like our players are used to playing 11-a-side and haven't quite scaled down their shooting boots for the smaller, wider 5-a-side onion bags.

On that note, it's important to say that PlayFootball: White City, is a lovely venue. It's more compact and social than say Powerleague Shoreditch and I personally found the pitch substantially better.

I found the 4G surface at Shoreditch a little bobbly. Granted I was wearing trainers, which caused a bit of ankle pain. I switched up to AG Boots at White City, and felt a massive improvement.

The goals at White City need to be sorted though. Wayyyyyyy too wide. It made keeping very difficult. I've noticed a lot of customers complain about these on the pitch reviews section of Footy Addicts, so hopefully they will take note and change that.

A small note on wearing the right kit too. I wore AG Boots as mentioned before, and tried out a pair of TruSox......yep the £35 traction socks that EPL players like to wear.

The footwear really did make a difference. TF trainers are wearable on 3G surfaces, but as the tech gets better, I could really see that wearing specifically made boots for 3G were a huge improvement. Both in terms of comfort, my touch and support for my ankles and legs in general.

The jury's still out on TruSox. I think they helped, but felt the boots only added an extra 50% to my game. I can't quite justify wearing a pair of £30+ socks. But I will continue to give them a proper trial, so I will come back to their review in time. It makes you realise, that footy is fine margins. I've seen players wearing normal trainers, and only 3 games in, I've realised that wearing the right equipment can increase your comfort and performance in huge ways. Like 100% in some case man!

Tonight's match was a close encounter, we had a 3 goal lead on more than 1 occasion but our opponents annoyingly fought back into the game each time. It showcased some naivety on our part.

A draw was a fair result, all being said and done. I still have guilt that the other lads are carrying me due to my fitness levels but it's al work in progress and we all encourage each other, it's the FC7 Way. Remember, Jumbo was on holibobz in Rhodes, Tey and BillyBobz were otherwise engaged, so numbers were down. But we still got a team on the pitch, in the old days we prob would of cancelled, so more positive take homes.

......Worth mentioning we had 2 x new se7enistas making their deboooos. SeanAA and Ash. SeanAA used to work at our company so it's heartening to see that we're attracting people who have moved on to new challenges. Ash is primarily a B-baller, so again, it was good to attract someone from another sport to our weekly game. He does it for fitness, after slacking during lockdown. This is what it is about end of the day. Getting fit, having fun and playing footy.

Reminds me, why we are doing this. I do have to supply Luca's widow with an update on our footy exploits. His parents and Alessandra, asked us to create a legacy. It's been a long and tough journey, but we're slowly getting some where to cementing that. I'm sure he'd be proud of us......

Bring it on "Latimer Road Rovers" they await us next at Westway Sports Centre, Hammersmith. Slightly larger game and pitch, 6-a-side. But footy is so much fun let's revel in it.

Who knows.....our first Win could be just around the corner!

GAME ON!