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LIGA 11-a-side Week 15 Update

  • 11/03/14
  • By Daniel Corlett
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Week 15 LIGA Team Of The Week Teenage Mutant Ninja Skrtels

Summary of the action from Week 15 in the LIGA 11-a-side competitions

Week 15 brought about twists and turns in each of the three LIGA's, as the seven games played brought 40 goals and the awarding of the first of the five LIGA titles up for grabs this season.

In LIGA A the day started with just five points covering separating first placed ACS FC and fifth place BSOC Bulldogz. Bulldogz went into their game with History Society knowing that failure to win would see any faint remaining hopes of a title challenge disappear, whilst History needed the win to move themselves back into the mid table battle. It was History who took an early lead and looked good value for it going in to the second half, especially after injury reduced Bulldogz to ten men. However, Bulldogz have shown a redoubtable team spirit throughout the season and dragged themselves back into the match with two quick-fire goals that saw them have to battle out a nervy final quarter of the game but ultimately pick up the win they dearly needed.

A win was also the order of the day for both BSOC All Stars and Kings Of Leon Osman, who started the day level on points and within touching distance of the top of the league table. Though the game was competitive throughout KOLO ultimately edged the encounter, as the LIGA A's top goalscorer Sean Hackett scored his sixth penalty in four games before M.V.P. elect George Rawlings added a second to secure their win.

Both of these games finished prior to the much anticipated game between table toppers ACS and their closest rivals Bassetts All Sorts, who went into the game just two points behind ACS. The first half was characterised by two catastrophic errors by the ACS defence that allowed Bassetts to twice take the league either side of Marvellous Entiriwaa's sublime scissor volley that briefly levelled the game. Starting the second half Bassetts were braced for the inevitable ACS attacking onslaught, but seemed to be weather the storm well as they approached the final fifteen minutes of the game. It is this period though where ACS have been at their most potent all season and an unfortunate mistake by player-manager and stand in goalkeeper Oli Bassett saw the ball rebound off his chest straight to an ACS player who tucked the ball away. ACS were clearly buoyed by this and went for the winner and seemed to have got it with five minutes remaining, with the goal resulting in scenes of jubilation from their players. However, Bassetts weren't dead and buried and showed the reason why they started the day in second place. With just two minutes remaining their leading scorer James Stubbs found space at the back post to expertly place a header from a corner into the ACS net, sparking a mass celebration of involving not just the Bassetts team and their supporters, but also the Kings Of Leon Osman players as well! As the dust settled on a truly fantastic day of football in LIGA A the league had closed up even more, with just four points covering the top five with all having just three games to play.

LIGA B also produced drama, though this was concentrated into the mid-table battle and the race for promotion to LIGA A. Goldsmiths inability to field a team saw them hand Pub Sports three points that moved them right back into the promotion hunt. Teenage Mutant Ninja Skrtels then put in their own performance of the season against Puyol Pants Down. Trailing 2-0 at half time, they scored five second half goals to eventually take the win 5-4 and move themselves up to third, level on points with Bayer Lexerkusen. They were able to go level with Lex after Chaps Society beat them 6-2, a result which not only meant that just two points separates second and sixth, but also secured the LIGA B title for Chaps with two games remaining.

In LIGA C the top of the table remains as tight as ever with four points seperating the top four. FC Banterlona moved to the top of the table with a 5-0 victory against the ever improving Ajaxonometric. They were joined at the top by Red Stripe Belgrade who got the upset result of the day as they inflicted a 6-1 defeat on the understrength Chamakh My Pitch Up, leaving Chamakh now only able to hold faint hopes of the title.

The Week 15 Team Of The Week award could easily have been given to a number of teams due to the comeback perfomance sof BSOC Bulldogz and Bassetts All Sorts, the title winning exploits of Chaps Society and the upset win achieved by Red Stripe Belgrade. However the award ultimately goes to Teenage Mutant Ninja Skrtels for their upset and comeback 5-4 victory against Puyol Pants Down that moved them into the promotion spots in LIGA B.

Week 16 brings action in all three leagues and also the knockout rounds of both the LIGA Plate. LIGA A brings a full fixture schedule of three games. At Victoria Embankment top two teams ACS FC and Kings Of Leon Osman both play opposition from the bottom of the table in History Society and FC Futsal respectively. The big game of the day though is the renewal of the longest running rivalry in LIGA history as BSOC All Stars play BSOC Bulldogz in the latest instalment of a fixture stretching back to November 2012. In light of this the oldest league fixture in existance will also become the first ever competitive match to be held on the new 3G Pitch on Clifton Campus.

LIGA B only produces two games, but they are ones which hold great importance in the promotion race. Cypriot Society will be hoping that Chaps will be taking their foot off the gas now the title is sown up, whist Bayer Lexerkusen and Puyol Pants Down meet with both sides looking to bounce back from disappointing defeats in Week 15.

LIGA C brings just a single game with Blenheim, who didn't play in Week 15, looking to retake top spot with a win against Ajaxonometric.

The reduced games in LIGA C is due to two of their sides being in Quarter-Final action in the LIGA Plate. FC Banterlona face a stern test in the guise of LIGA A title challengers Bassetts All Sorts, whilst Chamakh My Pitch Up face the enigma that is Goldsmiths FC.