It is embarrassing to watch a game in which
one of the teams is totally outplayed by a much better side and
that was the case for me at the Jewel, where Southfield beat
Royal Life 10-1 in the top division of the Edinburgh Districts
Sunday Amateur (Fair Play) League.
I knew many of the players in the Southfield
squad and I must say I was not surprised the way the game
developed. Royal Life looked totally outclassed and they looked
to be neither fit nor organised enough to take on a team of the
stature of Southfield. It was not pleasant to watch and, indeed,
the final scoreline could have been doubled, such was the
dominance of the visiting team.
The score was 6-0 at the halfway stage with
goals coming at regular intervals from John Robertson, David
Aitchison, Robertson (again) . . . and again, Jordan Mein and a
brilliant effort from Mark Restorick, who floated a great ball
over the out-coming Royal Life goalkeeper, Martin Forbes in to
the empty net to make it 6-0.
After the restart, Southfield survived a
scare when Steve Crawford headed a great effort just over the
bar. But play soon switched to the other end and Robertson
continued his goal-scoring quest when he added another goal to
take the margin to 7-0 in favour of Southfield. It was all too
easy for them as they gave the tiring opposition the run-a-round
in a one-side game(?).
Southfield AFC
A brilliant passing move ended with Dale
Miller scoring the eighth goal for Southfield, or was it Jordan
Mein? I was virtually past caring at this stage. Then Robertson
used his skill to the utmost to completely deceive the Royal
Life defence to take the score to 9-0. Robertson then provided
the cross from the left for Thomas Crease to head home the tenth
goal of the game. The, to my complete astonishment, Royal Life
made it 10-1 with a goal from Darren Sutherland. Even the
players in the visiting side ironically celebrated that goal for
the home outfit.
The final goal of the game was the best of
all, an absolute classic encounter that I always see as a
'footballer's goal'! Ian Crease sent over a cross from the left
and Robertson ran on to it and smashed a wonderful volley in to
the back of the Royal Life net. It was the kind of goal that
always gives me a tremendous thrill to see executed in such
brilliant fashion. By that time, however, Royal Life were well
and truly, 'dead and buried'!
