November 4, 2015
With the new season on the horizon and with new leadership at the helm in the shape of Matt Stephenson and Dom Brady, the RICS football season came about after a full summer of pre-season summer tour and from all accounts not so much fitness training.
On arrival there as great excitement amongst the debutants from all manner of property sectors ranging from restaurants, retail and of course sheds, following the unveiling of a box-fresh RICS kit for 2015/16 with the blazing new club sponsors of Porterfield Public Relations on the Atheltico Madrid style kit.
With a good range of youth and experience among the already looking formidable RICS side the Bank of England pitches had been lightly hosed from a torrential downpour on the Tuesday night to provide a slick and excellent surface, the sort of thing you dream of when playing some football as part of some ‘networking’.
With a comprehensive warm up of 2 laps of the pitch and early pleasantries with the opposition John Rowan and Partners (JRP) the RICS took to the afield with controlled menace and looked to dictate play early on, carefully watched by the beady eye of Douglas Stevens applying the code of the law and ethics in what is always a competitive fixture.
The first attack by the RICS was rewarded with a well worked corner which was comfortably headed home by centre midfielder Brady, ably helped by superb pin-point delivery from fellow KLM representative Ben Clark.
With the RICS settling into the game JRP began to find their feet and despite some good possession they couldn’t break the defensive wall of Shipstone, Webb, Stephenson and Potter, the keeper Shaw watching on as a spectator as the RICS continued to take control of the game. Whilst the side continued to create chances and despite several incredible misses from Jamie Whitelaw, the score remained 1-0. With less than 10 minutes left of the first half skipper Stephenson who had been solid enough by his standards was turned inside out by the opposition striker with the goal at his mercy. To relief of everyone including keeper Tom Shaw and Stephenson the striker struck well wide and calm was restored by the ever present Michael Webb. The restaurant connoisseur steadied the ship until half time which included another glorious Whitelaw miss and 2 goals, one from Enda Fahy and the other from a Whitelaw cross/shot which skimmed off the turf and the RICS went into half time 3-0 to the good.
With good performances across the line from Matt Potter and Vincent Morris on the right to Fahy and Ollie Shipstone on the left the RICS were confident of securing that all important first season win. With Terry Buckrow making way to Freddie Holmes who had finally made the right train and Alex Davidson taking roles in the midfield the RICS began the second half with equal resilience as was shown in the first half. Despite the eye catching passing the RICS were unable to break down a more solid back line of JRP and continued to replicate the tikka takka of Barca and Bayern but with the threat of recent Arsenal front lines with Jamie Whitelaw persevering with his best Owen Farrell impression and blazed the ball repeatedly into the not so nearby tennis court.
The 4th was a matter of time and as Brady continued his transformation from fat Frank Lampard to a (fatter) fox in the box, nodded in to score and the RICS were 4 goals to the good.
There was time still in the game on an otherwise quiet day for Shaw to attempt unsuccessful showboating whilst also looking as nervous as Dracula under a cross the RICS held out for an excellent and convincing 4-0 win to start the season.
