FINAL BOUND OVER MASTERS 55S
Murdoch University Melville Football Club advance to the Over 55s Masters cup final after a hard fought 3-1 victory over Joondalup City Football Club played at hallowed turf of Len Shearer Reserve.
Congratulations lads and now it is over to the Over 45s tonight who play in another Cup Semi Final against Forrestfield United Football Club
GAME REPORT: In a clever marketing ploy by Football West, the much touted ‘clash of the titans’ aka top of the North and top of the South League in a cup semifinal took place on a Tuesday night when other major leagues and codes usually have a quiet one. The mighty high flying Karak were short of a bunch of regular starters, strewn around the world and tuning in via direct and ever reliable WhatsAppCast. Up against the much fancied, sharp-looking and NOR league-spanking foe, this was always going to be worth coming down to our swanky new digs at the home of football at Len Shearer to watch it live. A healthy mid-week crowd obliged (maybe the promo on club’s Facebook page had something to do with it?) and the sideline gaggle got their free time’s worth of entertainment that is Masters football. With both teams winning their respective pre-game league warm ups 7-0, this was never going to end in a dour stalemate!
Once underway, Karak showed intent with some slick football very early on. Composed at the back and threating with Paul Ellis and Ezio Celenza running on to the multiple and delicious through balls, Joondalup must have thought ‘hang on, this is not what usually happens’. About 15 minutes in after Mark Hannaway being denied the opener by the welding of the post and crossbar, Ezio made the most of one of them over the top peaches and cooly slotted the opener. Not long after, one of Joondalup’s danger men thought his skill and flair make it OK to call the ref and our Justin a dirty ‘rhymes with hunt’ after getting a yellow card and he soon headed for an early shower. ‘Nobody calls ME dirty’ said Justin cooly in reply and we marched on with a goal up and man up. Alas, we breached them again, this time Paul doubling our lead with a tap in from his fellow spearhead Celenza. Once Joondalup saw this was no joke, they opened up and mounted a few threats but Ezio’s lighting fast feet were to much for their fullback, their keeper and his poor hammy and the crowd roared in approval as the ball trickled over the line after a three way tumble for 3-0. Nobody expected the Karak Inquisition! The machine was purring so well that we even got to forego the usual first half subs so complete was the performance in the first 45.
3-0 is a dangerous score if you don’t know what to do and we swore the first 10 minutes of the second half were crucial not to let them get a sniff of anything. Joondalup may have been a man down but with their backs to the wall, nothing to lose and ample ability to play football, we had to be careful not to concede in that period. Well, within minutes, the visitors pegged back a goal with a superb knuckleball that had more deviation than our WhatsApp chat. 3-1 with more than half an hour to play became a slog with chances at both ends but we held firm at the back, marshalled by the one and only Dave Kirby to the frustration of men in blue. We capably held a good team, probably the best we played against all season and who threw everything at us with sometimes reckless abandon, at bay. As the final whistle blew to end this honest tussle, Dave Long was furiously updating WhatsApp from the sidelines to elicit the long distance cheer from the absent lads. We happily went off to down a couple of cold ones with our visitors in the right and true Masters spirit and celebrate our cup final appearance.
Deserving winners on the night and keeping the double dream (league, cup) alive. Now pass that bucket with Voltaren, will you …?
