Royals Edge Raiders in Important Clash

The Royals took the field out at St. Paul High School knowing that they faced a formidable opponent in the Carleton Raiders. The Raiders had given the Royals a serious game last year, and that was with an injury-diminshed squad. The Royals may have been forgiven for being a bit on edge as their Friday game vs. the Spitfires had been cancelled by a refereeing no-show. Three of the OT4 were lucky enough to have had a game on the adjacent field with the OT2 squad, but that had left its mark as star forward Marwan Kassis aggravated a hamstring pull while doing so and was out for this Sunday game.

Coach Harry Van Dyk welcomed back Richard Gravel from several weeks of absence and immediately slotted him in at left back, to go along with the usual suspects Paul Dickins, Jeff McNamee and Mike Fournier. Fergus MacDonald, who has had a fine summer at left back, would spell off Fournier and Gravel throughout the game. The midfield was graced by the return of Nigel Parker, who formed a sort of old boys network with Mario Arnone and Graham Cathcart. These three did a very good job of running the show in the first 15 minutes, and despite the opposition, the Royals had a significant edge in play.

The ex-OT3 forward line that Van Dyk put out of Andy Steele, Ken Slemko and himself succeeded in advancing the ball upfield, but were not yet able to break down the solid Carleton defense. The introduction of Brian Harcombe in attack did not have the desired result, and at about this time, the Raiders midfield began to take ascendancy. They were able to fashion a few chances, and keeper Larry Everett had to be sharp, making three good stops, and being helped by the woodwork on one occasion. The Royals struck back, putting pressure via Slemko and Cathcart, but never really got a good shot off.

The Raiders took over progressively, with their number 15 leading the attack, and several other skilled players creating danger in spite of the good defensive plays by Parker, McNamee and Dickins. MacDonald starred in winning several one-on-one battles for the ball as the half drew to a close. But a key moment in the game arrived at 40' when the referee awarded a free kick against the Royals which left a few of them bemused. Dickins trotted over and asked the ref what the call was and was rewarded with a yellow card for his troubles. Van Dyk quickly made the tactical decision to protect Dickins from any possible further cards and withdrew him from the game.

Arnone slipped back into defense and Doug Green came into midfield. The Royals held till halftime with no trouble after that, but there were a few furrowed brows as life without Dickins on the park was not a pleasant thought. Not that life with him on it necessarily is...

The Royals regrouped at halftime and were much improved in the second half, despite the handicap. If part of the reason for this was their experience and mental strength, another big part was the arrival at the park of July signing Konah Reynes. Konah may have shown up late, but when he did show up, he made a big impact. His combination of ball control and speed settled the Royals play and scared the hell out of the Raiders. Within 10 minutes they had decided he needed to be marked by two men. And the Royals had the better of the play. Reynes, Steele, Cathcart and Harcombe combined well, and Honey Fournier was his usual force, with several chances created off his long throw-ins.

If at times in the first half, it seemed the Royals had 10 men on the pitch, at times in the second, it seemed like they had the extra man. Old man Barker (sorry, that's Barkley) of the Raiders tried a little verbal jousting in an attempt to throw Konah off, yelling that he wanted to see Reynes' card after the game. Nice guy that he is, Konah was on his way to get it when the referee correctly stopped him and politely suggested to Barker that he file that idea in a very dark spot. That is not to say that the game became one-sided. The defense was tested often, with McNamee, in particular, shining, and in net, Larry must have wished he were still on vacation at times, but his return was very much appreciated, as he made several very important - and tough - saves.

If the contribution of youthful Konah was telling in this very even game, it was experience and personal history that would decide it. During more than one tense moment, the communication built up by years of playing together by Arnone, Cathcart and Parker saw the Royals to safety. And it was an old, old Royals connection that won the game for them. With 15 minutes to go, a throw-in on the right, maybe 10 yards from the Raiders goal line. Unusually, Steele took it instead of Fournier. He had a play in mind, and as the formal, er, sorry, not that but former, I mean, how formal could a Partick Thistle supporter be, Royals' junior coach would later tell anyone who would listen, two of his former charges knew what to do. An intelligent short throw to the by-line, and Cathcart, quick as if he still had hair, was on to it. A quick turn, a telling centre to the six yard box, and Parker, bereft of any marking, easily put it into the far side. Coach VanDyk would like to officially deny the scurrilous rumour that the reason he subbed off Nigel immediately after his goal was a concern that Parker might catch up to him in the goal scoring race. Not true! It was a tactical substitution!

Barkley would later remind the Royals that he had gone off just prior to the goal, and that the man who replaced him should have been marking Nigel, but no he shouldn't, he had been marking Cathcart, these are the marks. That was, alas, the Raiders' loss. They would not come back, in spite of some good chances and a spell of intense pressure towards the end, when the Royals' attitude was to just hang on. There was a crossbar in there, and the follow up play required the combined efforts of MacDonald, Green and Cathcart, and the referee (who said it hit the upright rugby post above the crossbar, and therefore bounced down, huh?), to clear. Two good chances fell to the Raiders number 14, but he showed a greater propensity for his post-game drink than for the net and shot wide both times.

When the final whistle blew, the feeling among the Royals was more one of relief than of joy. With this win, and Chelsea's 0-0 tie out in Fitzroy, the Royals now have a lifeline, albeit a slim one, in their hopes to repeat as OT4 champs.

Kudos for this win goes out to the defense: Fournier, McNamee, Gravel, MacDonald and even Kenny Slemko for a bit, and to Larry in nets. And, to the old Royals junior network of Cathcart, Arnone and Parker, and their coach who I'm told had a shock of white hair even then, Andy Steele. Good work, boys!

We had a small crowd for this unusual Sunday game, as Brian's son Jordan, Fergus' two sons and Andy's daughter Elaine showed up to cheer us on. Our thanks to them, and a special hello to Cathi Fournier, whom we miss, and to Laura, who will be bummed that she missed Nigel's game winner.

Not that it needs repeating, but the Raiders were a really good, solid opponent, and we look forward to seeing them in a year end tournament. Their number 15, one of the most skilled players in OT4, was gentlemanly enough to compliment Fergus on his excellent performance. When last seen, MacDonald's two sons were still trying to stuff his bloated head into the minivan. But it must be said that the Raiders sure are a noisy lot. Their keeper outdid himself from last year, Barkley lived up to his name, and even the number 15 has an impressive set of lungs. You'd think they were a bunch of ex-Royals or something...