Saturday the 22nd of September 2018 – the much-anticipated date of the first cup game of the season for Old Tiffinian 1st XI’s. Now that a tough pre-season was out the way and the squad had successfully run off their  ‘summer bods’, it was time for the goal-thirsty Tiffs to progress their way through the (one of many) cups.

Barn Elms Sport Centre was the setting of choice for the duel between Clissold Park Rangers and the Ts. The rain also played a heavy part in setting the scene for this prime-time KO as there was lots of it, hence the pun on heavy.

The first competitive game of the season was the first for the newly promoted captain, Dicky Bostelmann, so many eyes were upon his tactical choices, training routines and squad selection. Following a very intense 10-minute training session, the 1s kicked off and looked sharp in the first half. A lot of intricate passing took place and Seb made a noticeable return to OTFC with some fine long balls and high pitched shouting. Despite controlling the game and some ‘tekkers’ from Matt BP, the 1s went 1-0 down before halftime.

Following some strong words from the Captain, the 1s proceeded to the pitch to regain the lead of this game. They then went on to go 2-0 down within a few minutes of the second half but this was due to the weather, not the back 4’s defensive capabilities. Despite some solid efforts on goal from the captain, Matt H, Rory and Matt BP, the 1s could on rescue a 2-1 defeat thanks to a superb assist from Jordan through to Matt BP for a perfectly placed strike. The game finished but the team’s heads were held high as it was a great team performance that should be a strong foundation to work from this season. Jordan and Matt H did not have a shower though.