Injury – noun

            1: hurt, damage or loss sustained to a person’s body

            2: damage to a person’s feelings

There can be a number of turning points in a game of football; sometimes it’s a piece of skill that changes the game, more often than not it’s an individual error and in the worst scenario it’s an injury to a key player.

Searching for their first points of the season, a slight tweak to their traditional 4-4-2 saw OTFC try to pack their midfield a little and actually get their foot on the ball.  As is often the case, the change in formation caused Tiffs to get off to a slow start and they found themselves a goal down from a well struck shot from outside the box not long into the game.  However, the hard work from the new look three man midfield soon started to show as Tiffs worked their way into the game.  Neither team were able to settle on the ball and the game turned into a scrappy affair in midfield.  Tiffs pushed forward in hope of an equaliser, putting pressure on Thorntonians from a series of corners before falling to a simple ball over the top to fall 2-0 down.  Undeterred, Tiffs rallied themselves again, finally making a corner count after a number of shots, blocks, half clearances and wild swings saw D. Depeza sweep home on his debut.  At 2-1 the game was in the balance, but lady luck turned her scornful gaze on Tiffs and in the space of 10 minutes a series of injuries turned the game against them.  Two hamstrings and a dodgy ankle later saw Tiffs lose a striker and two of their three man midfield.  A quick re-shuffle got the team to half time but with no further subs any second half tactical (or fitness related) changes were a distant memory.  Tiffs were left cursing the Chairman for provided the new first aid kit this week – surely the jinx that set this all off.

Not satisfied with three players injured on the sideline, shortly into the second half another Tiff succumbed to injury leading to a few more adjustments and the “least” injured of the quartet getting the nod for the next 15 minutes – a rotation that continued to the end.

Thorntonians took full advantage of the chaos in the Tiffs ranks and ran up the score – a few defensive errors included for free – to end as comfortable 7-1 winners.

Man of the Match brought to you by Banquet Records with Johnny Cash’s melancholy Hurt

Al Cunningham