Let it begin
Another hot day dawned over Old Spa on the twelth of August. The tension around the new stadium could be cut with a knife. Today was the day. The day the real campaign kicked off.
As lunch time approached, one by one, the players arrived. Some drove themselves. Some arrived in cabs. But walking through the entrance to the club they all looked the same. Nervous. Excited. Ready.
The Manager had been there all morning. Constantly changing his mind over how to play the game. With Nick Bretherton still fifteen and therefore too young to play, a fact he had only learned the night before, he was left with only one player at right-back and no cover for either full back. Choosing a keeper was another hard decision. Both had performed well in the friendlies.
Centre backs was an easy choice. Beales and Doit had their names written down without a hesitant thought, so filling the back with them would be Doherty and Ben Goldthorpe. Bobby Cheshire took the first central mid spot with Murt Shepard filling the other. Junior and Taphouse took the wings which left captain Mike Carnie and fellow strike partner Luke Swindon at the front. The manager had always favoured an attacking 4-4-2 formation and today was no different.
Finally he decided to field the keeper who conceeded second, Ali Maxwell. Sitting back and clasping his hands together, the Manager had his squad picked. Now all was needed was for three o'clock to come around.
Walking into the changing rooms, the manager heard some wreching sounds coming from the toilets, chuckling to himself hoping that it was just nerves. A pale looking Maxwell came out and smiled weakly, "Just a little excited boss," he said, wipng his mouth on some loo roll.
"No worries kiddo," he said, patting him on the back, "just so long as you can tell me you can stick it between the stick."
"Easy boss."
The clock read two fourty-five. The players had just come in from their warm up. Adrenaline and testosterone were pumping now and the Manager could not be sure if they needed any more pumping up.
"Some might say you have all worked hard up until now boys. Your work rate during the pre-season has been exemplary. Well done."
The squad all called out their thanks and clapped each other on the back.
"But that was not the work boys. The work, starts today," he said, looking at each one in the eye, "Preparation is the foundation. Without a strong foundation, it will all come tumbling down. But what is a foundation, without the brickwork? And what is brickwork without doors and windows? I do not need to tell you what is needed. We could spend the season achieving our prediction of twelfth. But I know you boys do not want that. So you go out there, and get what you want!"
A thunderous cheer rose from the players as he finished his speech. Carnie opened the door and led his fellow players out. Time to start the season!
Tony Green, the referee called the two captains to the centre circle. Carnie shook the hand of both he and of Domenic Reece, the Redditch captain. Redditch won the toss and elected to play from right to left, leaving Droitwich to kick off. As the players lined up, Swindon placed the ball on the centre spot and looked to Carnie, "little short on support aren't we?"
"Yeah," Carnie agreed, "only five hundred or so... at least not so many to watch us if we mess up."
"Nah mate, we'll win this."
"What makes you so sure?"
"You'll bag a goal or five, and they will just fall apart."
"Yeah right. I doubt I'll be the first to score."
"So we will score. Sorted!"
Almost unexpectnatly, the whislte blew and the game was underway.
It only took a minute for the first attack to come. Maxwell kicked out a goal kick to Taphouse, who immedietely played it back to Maxwell, who seeing Carnie with some space, hoofed the ball in his general direction. The ball landed at his feet on the left wing. Carnie flicked the ball over into the box, with Cheshire steaming in seeing a chance, but Byrne, the Redditch keeper was equal to the cross and caught the ball in mid-air.
Byrne kicked the ball aiming for Francis, the Redditch striker, but Bealed gave him a beating to the ball who headed out towards Carnie, who flicked the ball back to Cheshire. Cheshire miscontrolled the ball and was dispossessed by Deakin towards Downes which was intercepted by Shepard. A pass back to Cheshire who first time layed the ball to Swindon who decided to switch the play and pass across field to Taphouse. Taphouse ran at Cully, the Redditch right-back attempting to play past him but Cully was equal to it and cleared the ball out towards Ben Goldthorpe. At this point Carnie had drew his marker away towards the corner of the box, leaving Swindon near the middle just in front of the box and in front of his marker. Goldthorpe upon seeing Swindon struck a lovely left footed pass which landed right on the line to the box, which Swindon controlled by playing it slightly in front of him leaving only the keeper to beat.with his marker at least four yards off the pace. Rushing to get there before the keeper rushed out to it, Swindon placed a shot aiming for the right post...
GOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A whole one minute and fourty-four seconds had passed into all of their Debut's and Swindon had netted the first ever league goal for Droitwich United. And what an assist from Goldthorpe!
"What was that about me netting five eh?" Carnie asked while congratulating Swindon.
"Still time left matey" came the curt reply.
"We will see!"
Droitwich United looked set to take this game with pace and speed. Cully passed from a free kick from just outside the centre circle searching out out Reece who passed back to Cully for a one-two. On recieving the ball again, Reece played the ball to Francis who was ball watching and Doit easily intercepted the pass. A half clearance come pass towards Swindon at the half way line saw the goal scorer ease into the redditch half with only he, Carnie and the four defenders in their half all up near the circle. Chesting the ball down, Swindon turned and ran at Rea, effectively cutting the defence in half. Clarke filling in at right back was off the pace of Carnie who started on a run up the left which Swindon sawand played the ball forwards. Rea was still at stand still when the ball was played which left Carnie clear and steaming up towards the left wing corner of the box. Everyone thought Carnie's pace had left him with an awkward angle meaning he woudl have to playt he ball back, but Carnie had other ideas. A full six yards into the box on its leftmost edge saw Carnie take a shot towards the poastage stamp....
GOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Two-nil and only just over five minutes had passed!
Redditch kicked off, almost dejected at having conceeded two goals so soon. It must have effected Walker's concentration because his pass went straight out for a throw. Doherty threw out to Cheshire who played the ball down the right flank towards Swindon who picked up the ball and carried on down the right flank. A beauty of a cross followed heading for Carnie. Headed for, that is, except for the fact Simon Rea was in the way and the ball cannoned off his body, straight into the path of Bobby Cheshire who had space. He had time. Matt Clarke had gone in for a challenge but Cheshire skinned him. Tooking to the goal you could almost see the grin on his face. He was going to shoot. It did not matter that Swindon was in oceans of space. All that mattered was that he wanted to shoot. GOAL!!!! He scored! Droitwich United are on the Runaway Express!
The manager called out for the players to ease back a little. The players were all obviously excited about how only six minutes had passed and they were already three-nil up. The last thing he wanted was for all of the players to decide they wanted a goal and get sloppy. The rest of the half passed by. Both Carnie and Swindon had a couple more efforts, but both failed to hit the target. The half time whistle went and the players joyfully went into the dressing room.
"All I can say is 'wow' boys," The manager said, smiling. You have not given them a look in. And you have maken the most of when you ahve had the ball. From the looks of things possession is fairly even. Just keep it up boys. And don't forget, just because we have three different scorers, it does nto mean that we need eleven. If you boys go the rest of the game without scoring any more, that is fine so long as we do not conceed any! But another goal or two would not hurt!"
The players went out a minute or two early. All over excited and also hoping to further weaken the resolve of their opponents.
Not long after kick off, Carnie had the ball up near the centre circle after a pass from Beales. Steaming fowards, Carnie charged at the Redditch defence, but came under some tight marking, so Carnie passed out right towards... Beales? Beales had kept up his run with Carnie and found himself with oceans of space... THWAK! Beales went down on the edge of the box after being shoved by a charging Deakin. Beales immedietely jumped up and merely stared at Deakin but took no further action as the ref blew his whistle for the foul.
Picking up the ball, Beales handed it to Carnie who placed the ball down. A six man wall lined up ahead of him. But to be honest, that did not matter. Screaming from just to the right of the D, Carnie's free kick curles around the left side of the wall and straight into the top left corner. GOAL!! No keeper in this division would have saved that. Possibly even no keeper in League Two either.
Another sloppy kick off left Droitwich with a throw from their own half on the right. Doherty threw the ball to Swindon who had come short who laid the ball over to Murt Shepard who played a clever ball towards Taphouse who played the ball towards Carnie in space who charged again through the left side of the box leaving him at a tight angle... Swindon in space in the middle, but no! Carnie shoots..... GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A Hat-trick on his debut! Less then two minutes after his second!
Kicking off again, Redditch were getting even sloppier. A mis-pass saw Cheshire come to intercept but Downes obstructed his path and an in-direct freekick was given in Droitwich's own half. Doit passed the free-kick towards Goldthorpe who fed the all up to Shepard who ran down the left. Shepard laid the ball down towards Carnie who centres the ball for Taphouse. Taphouse surely!! THWUMP! Downes with an excellent tackle dispossesses Taphouse and the ball rolls out for a corner. Taphouse is helped up by Downes and he immedietely grabs the ball and heads to the corner.
The corner floats in but Downes intercepts but sloppily miscontrols leaving Beales to pinch the ball off him just in front of the six yard box who struck the ball with venom.... Too much. The ball sailed over the crossbar to cheers of "WAyyyyyyy" from the crowd, what little of it there was.
The next chance fell in the fifty-eigth minute. Carnie went on yet another run at the defense in which Cully slid in to try and dispossess the hat-trick hero. But Carnie saw it coming and skipped past the challenge, but lost control in the box to Petty who cleared the ball out, but only as far as Junior... who took a shot... keeper gets his hands to it... BUt loses his grip... GOAL!!!
Six-nil and not even an hour had gone. Straight away the manager signalled for a change. Taphouse was looking a little more worn then the rest of the players, not surprising considering how far he had run. After Wonaldiho finished his warm up, he was brought on to replace Taphouse on the left wing.
Wonaldiho took a mazey run ten minutes later down the right, but gets brought down under a challenge near to the corner flag. Surprisingly no booking for the Redditch player but nonetheless Wonaldiho quickly took a free kick floating the ball into the box. Carnie outjumped his marker, heading for goal... FOUR GOALS!!! Maybe it would be five after all?
A corner this time followed in the eighty-fifth minute from the right which Wonaldiho took aiming for the penalty spot. Shepard had found an island of space and jumped to head the ball... BAM! GOAL!!! Eight-nil!!!
Two last minute substitutions followed with Swindon and Cheshire coming off for Hagan and Azeryk, to standing ovations! The manager called for an easy finish to the game and the final whistle blew!
A comprehensive victory for the salt pits, leaving them top of the table thanks to their impressive goals tally. Surely not every game could be this simple?
Droitwich United 8 - 0 Redditch Swindon (2), Carnie (6,49,51,70), Cheshire (7), Junior (58), Shepard (85) No DUFC bookings 
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