The season was winding up, and the end was in sight. I was excited, and there had been a real buzz about this week's training. They had, in the words of a wise old rugby league coach (Jack Gibson), "done good, played hard." There was a sense that real improvement had occurred and the team were beginning to show understanding of positioning, passing and tactics.
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As the coach addressed the team before the game, I had a good feeling. We were sounding like a real soccer team. This could be a moment to experience. And as our little team kicked off (and finally for the first time all season, on side for a kick off), they were spread gorgeously across the whole field.
But, alas, all this counted for nought as the opposition promptly dispossessed us of the ball and then never gave it back. For that first kick off, we looked and felt like a real team. But it was an illusion. The opposition were, in fact, the real team. They knew how to play. They played a high press, attacking game and spent all of the time hammering our goal square, hard.
How do you coach and prepare a team for a 12-0 whitewashing? Can you really say things at half-time that will make it bearable? And the volunteering for goalkeeper dried up very quickly. At least they bravely took the field for the thumping in the second half they were about to receive. But, I'm sure it's a life lesson that may stay with them. We all have to learn to cope with adversity; at least this one ended after 40 minutes and the only damage was to the soccer net, after it kept collecting opposition goals.
