Here is the current Thursday Night Plate League table.
It will automatically update as soon as the Southgate Hockey Centre input last night's results.
They hadn't done so the last time I looked, so for the time being I am guessing that Enfield Bears beat North London Rovers last night, but that it was unlikely to have been a scoreline where they will have caught up with ourselves and Locomotive Southgate's goal difference.
So...we therefore have three teams with 9 points and us in second place after last night's 4-2 defeat to Locomotive Southgate...or was it 5-2 ? I have a feeling I may have forgotten to write a goal down (when Jacko was having a go at one of their players for a late challenge and then saw a shot whizz past him into the top corner, or was that the goal where it was bundled in at the far post off someone's shoulder from a right-wing cross ?)
Anyway, in our final match next Thursday (1st September), we now have to beat bottom team North London Rovers by as many goals as we can, then hope Locomotive Southgate do not beat Enfield Bears by a margin of one (or two ?) less than that (or more). Hope that makes sense ?
The problem is that our match kicks-off at 8.00.p.m., but Locomotive Southgate v. Enfield Bears kicks-off at 9.00.p.m...which obviously gives them a big advantage as they will know what they have to do to win the League. As far as I know, those kick-off times cannot be changed so that they are played at the same time because teams have hired out the other half-pitch for training sessions. The Thursday Night Cup League finished last night...when McKenzie Rangers failed to turn up again ! That's why there was no match or training session on the other pitch.
So...let's say we beat North London Rovers by a reasonable score. We then have to stay at the venue afterwards until 10.00.p.m. so that we can be presented with our Plate League Trophy...if there is one ! It has been rumoured that they don't bother any more because teams just b*gger off home after their matches and don't stay for a drink !....which is probably not surprising when you have to wait 30 minutes to be served at that time on a Thursday night because the running club have just finished their session.
So there you have it. That's the situation at the moment.
We will announce the squad after this coming Sunday's match.
we now have to beat bottom team North London Rovers by as many goals as we can, then hope Locomotive Southgate do not beat Enfield Bears by a margin of one (or two ?) less than that (or more). Hope that makes sense ?
The results are now up, so a correction to that and just to clarify, if Locomotive Southgate beat Enfield Bears by one goal less than we beat North London Rovers, our goal difference will then be level, so it would go down to goals scored. We currently have a three-goal advantage in that respect.
Just looking at some of North London Rovers results though, although we beat them 8-1 last time, they certainly don't lose like that every week. They could well field a stronger side than normal, while Enfield Bears could turn up with a weak side against Locomotive Southgate because they have no real hope of catching us up on goal difference.
It is not going to be easy to win what would be our first trophy for six years !