Results

MENS MASTERS XI - 30/10/2022 VS O50S VS CITY OF PETERBOROUGH (A) 
 
TEAM: Mens Masters XI 
DATE: 30/10/2022 
FIXTURE: Mens Masters XI VS 30/10/2022 
HEADLINE: Penalty pain powers Peterborough progress 
EHA O50 Cup 
VENUE: Peterborough 
RESULT: City 2-2 Peterborough (Peterborough win 6-5 on penalties) 
 
REPORT: 
Dynamism, pace, skill and thrills were aplenty in a tumultuous double header between Peterborough and City. First, the warm up act – a tense fast paced encounter between top of the table Peterborough and third placed City in the National League encounter that ended 1-1 thanks to a very late equalizer for the home side that thwarted a brilliant City performance. 
The crowd, having been duly warmed up, were then treated to a sublime main course, the EHA O50 cup. In the warm up act there had been greyhounds and leads into space, in the main event there were grey hairs (aplenty) and ‘there’s no way I’m catching that’ if the ball isn’t played to my stick! 
Having set the scene, the cup encounter was every bit as entertaining as the National League encounter (in slo mo). In these cup games City’s creativity largely comes from Captain Pies’ imaginative and thoughtful positioning of players (who knew Mark Bailey, Pies and Simon Black were a midfield combination?) Anyway, the game really did start and maintained a very fast pace with both keepers pressed into action very early on. Bov, for City, making a couple of excellent saves and top of the D clearances before Peterborough broke the deadlock with a clinical shot into the roof of the net. 
City continued to play the ball intelligently round the back (Frosty, Geoff, Phil Nunn and the swash buckling Ali Cargill) and through midfield for the intelligent and dynamic runs of Charlie (I’ve never played a home game) Lankfer and David Broadway up front and were unfortunate not to level the scores when Lankfer, Black and ‘postman’ Mark Bailey narrowly missed opportunities. Peterborough then broke to make it 2-0 before Bailey, showing footwork good enough to grace the ‘Strictly come dancing stage’, forced the ball in from 3 inches to make it 2-1 at half time. 
Somehow City upped their already herculean efforts in the second half and largely nullified Peterborough’s attacks via a combination of guile, grit, and sliding tackles (Cargill). Pies then levelled the scores with an individual moment of magic. 
The remainder of the half ebbed and flowed with half-chances at both ends, coupled with determined defending and hard graft in midfield. Lankfer was unfortunate to be given a green card towards the end when his was the last of a series of ‘little’ fouls on Peterborough’s play maker, Drake. Cargill on the other hand, and much to the amusement of all the other players, somehow avoided a card in the dying seconds – must be that irrepressible smile of his!! 
Full time 2-2. So on to penalties. 4-4 after the first 5 penalties (top flicks by Pies, Lankfer, Pallister and Spencer) so on to sudden death. Pies clinically scored to make it 5-5. Drake then made it 6-5 for the home side before Black’s pinpoint effort was saved and destined City to the plate competition. 
A great game played in an excellent spirit with enough moments of true quality to show how great those on show might have been in their younger years. 
Massive thanks to the crowd for cheering to the end – it made a huge difference to all of those on the pitch.