Easter 2007

Those of you who have relatives under the age of 12 (who could have translated) will be delighted to know that our drive to move our club records (from which I was looking forward to compiling these programme notes, for once before the deadline) have been ever so slightly hampered by a Turkish hacker who wiped out two years of players banter that had been logged on our very own forum. The destruction @ www.waterloo-gsob.co.uk was clearly a sad loss to literature equivalent to the burning of the library at Alexandria in Ancient Greece but obviously not particularly a great loss to spelling! According to the earliest sources of information, the pseudepigraphic Letter of Aristeas, the Library was initially organized by Demetrius of Phaleron…

(That's quite enough' pseudo' scholarship this is a football review!! – Ed)

So onward and away from the vagaries of internet/text and over to the usual load of twaddle that comprises the Waterloo programme notes and yearly review.

Once again we have chosen to send out four sides to do 'battle' in the local leagues with our veterans still in the Zingari Combination and three sides, following promotion, entering in the 2nd, 3rd and 5th divisions of the Liverpool Old Boys league respectively. This year our veterans, have for the first time, stepped down from being the clubs premier side to having their own set up (i.e. the 4th team!) and still calling themselves the veterans first XI (Don't they know that just like in Highlander there can be only one!) Typical, it's taken me 20 years to get into the first team and then they aren't!! Skipper for the season has been the legendary Graham Sweeney who in a valiant effort to gain three points told one of his players to use his mobile while driving!

For much of the season there has been, passion, commitment, passing a plenty, action at both ends, fine individual skills creating a perfect synergy with superb link play resulting in a fantastic team performance with shot after shot on goal... But that's enough about the 'kick in' the games haven't been too bad either! Indeed last week our second team progressed to a league cup final despite rain sweeping in horizontal sheets with a force ten gale blowing the sporadic golf ball sized hail stones and ice sharp sleet particles across a barren field which was knee deep in slime infested mud. Luckily this was a field somewhere else and a fine late spring sun saw them run out as 2 – 0 winners.

Our three Old Boys teams have been run this year by Mike 'Paulo Maldini' Mawdsley, Terry Royle and Rob Halpin and have all had a fantastic season following the great success of the veterans trophy win at last years festival. (Oh alright… the 30 or so youngsters we used in the first game may have clinched it!) The seconds are on course for another league and cup double and the first and thirds are both well placed but unfortunately with a congested end of season fixture list co inciding with the festival we are going to have to turn out the usual gang of old reprobates. (Well at least I get a game!)

This years Friday/Saturday squad of veteran Gormley like statues all replete with their own motorised zimmers will be chosen from Jimmy Maddocks, Chris ' regular fixture' Irvine, Paul 'on fire' Craig, Ged 'Webmeister' Kinsella, Chris 'tough tackling' Carey, Steve 'the Man' Connolly, Steve 'lost in translation' Maine, Colin Watkinson, Andy Mc Kenzie and the tireless (someone had robbed them off his car!) Simon Mummery, John Jessop, Steve Rudd, Dave XXXXX (never did find out his real name) and last but by no means least the skipper Graham Sweeney and Phil Seddon who along with fellow puppeteer Mark Williams masterminded last years 30 a side win..

While we would like to think this valiant few could compete for at least a full half hour we may be forced to make more ch.. ch.. ch.. Changes than an early 70's Bowie song and throw in the likes of youngster Paul Jackson, Brian Cowley, Ed Jones, Joe Lundon, Kev Riozzi, Steve Mather, Chris Dennett and Lol Sinclair. While we are at it maybe our team does have more 'divers than a North Sea Oil rig!' but none of them are as good as 'entertainment' brothers Chris and Ritchie Cain who along with Joycey, Griffin, Woodsey, The legendary starring for one night only Neil Jones, Bob Ball, The Kennedy brothers, The proclaim Jumpers, Ian 'Mine (that's how deep his tackle is)'Cooper, Rob Tighe, Davie Smith and Paul ' four goals a game and still he did not think it to many' Freeman ,Hewo, Mr Rimmer, Dave Hilton, Foote, Corko , Sando, Ohnoidonthinksio, Phil Dixon, Phil Worby , Graham Iverson, Rumplestiltskin, Neil Jones (must be the second night), John 'he's off again' English, Terry Royle Junior, Uncle Tom Cobley, aaand his good buddy Weiser (get on with it.. this is as bad as reading the periodic tables! – Ed) really are young enough to be Waterloo 'the next generation'.

And finally with St Mary's once again returning to the festival new meaning has been given to a song long ago composed by a young Andrew Duncalf which goes something like this…

Dick Thompson said to Ted Toby
Have you heard of St Mary's COB
Ted said No! I don't think so
But I've heard of the Waterloo Old Boys
Na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na
We are the Waterloo Old Boys

So from one famous poet to another there is no better way to end than to say

For when the One Great Scorer comes
To write against your name,
He marks-not that you won or lost-
But how you played the game.

Grantland Rice, "Alumunus Football," Only the Brave and Other Poems (1941)

Geoff Mc Keating - Waterloo GSOB

Scorer of last years winning goal and just about ready to hang the old boots up!

(In that case they will go 'up' with the other seven pairs still decorating nearby trees and anyway it was the ten your first team scored what won it, keep smiling and.. cont. Page 94 – Ed)


For a full overview of previous tournaments please see our forum