Yet again it wasn't the day of the individual, rather the whole team clicking in greasy-smooth unison as they fought and battled to a well-earned point against an opposition in the upper echelons of the league. With the overall display being somewhat more disjointed in the second half due to an array of injuries and enforced positional switches, it was the outstanding performer of the first half which won the vote for the Adecco BEFC Man of the Match. Captain Ben Palmer seemingly transformed into a human wall the minute he stepped onto the pitch, albeit a wall with pace, something you don't see too often when you think about it. Balls over the top, through balls, dribbles.....some pretty decent attacking players were on display for Syu Syu, and they must have wondered how they would ever break through. But break through they did eventually, and it says something about the spirit of the team when there was an overwhelming feeling of dejection upon conceding their first goal in 5 matches. Still, it was a great record while it lasted, and with Big Ben at the back, it's certainly something that can be matched again througout the season. 

Elsewhere other players garnered praise, such as Ben's defensive partner Rafa, the ever consistent Shun Ishihara, and Kaz Fushimi, who scored 1 and could have had more, particularly when he hammered the crossbar when 1 on 1 with the goalkeeper. He can be very pleased with his overall efforts though, and on numerous occasions took up dangerous positions. Tetsuro hassled up front, and Go was a menace and offered great encouragement to his team mates. A top class save by the steady Inaki in goal must also be mentioned. We all expected to be making our way back to the half way line for a dejected kick off, but Inaki had other ideas. Rich Sciver deserves a mention for dragging a number of members to the pub even though they really wanted to go home to watch the Manchester derby. Fair play, Rich. Fair play.

5 games, 3 wins, 2 draws and 0 defeats.....when's the next game again?