Football Crazy

It’s getting to that time of year – the time when all the football leagues are coming to a dramatic climax.  But I’m not talking FA Cup, European Championships and the like, I’m talking about the Under 10’s local league, and the match I watched today certainly had more tension than a cup final, at least as far as I was concerned.

My youngest son’s team has been neck and neck on the leader board with one other team, and are currently at the top.  The top two teams from each division will compete in the semi-final next week, with the final taking place the following week at Chester Stadium.

Today, after much postponement, they played the team they have been in competition with all season.  Tensions were running high even before the match kicked off, but it was so evenly matched, with each team desperate to prove themselves, that each touch on the ball, each tackle had our hearts in our mouths. 

But especially me.  As my son plays in goal, I sometimes have to remind myself to breathe when the ball is in the goal area.  Today, luckily, he was on top form.  He made some absolutely brilliant saves, some which he literally hurled himself at. 

I have no idea where he gets his bravery from (or is it lunacy?) because I certainly wouldn’t be able to do what he does. 

In the event it was a nil-nil draw, which was a pretty good result.  Both teams played so hard that neither deserved to loose, and it was down to both goalies that nothing went into the net.

Next week the tension will be even higher.  The team have worked hard all year that it will be devastating to be knocked out at the final hurdle.  But then, if they get through will it be even worse.

My eldest son played in the final at Chester when he was the same age.  I remember it as one of the proudest, yet scariest moments of my life.  But then he wasn’t playing in goal, so if they do make it, I think I might just need a defibrillator on hand.

Oh what it is to be a football Mum!