Not A Special Start

The Sunburned Zebras got off to a losing start as they crashed to a 12-8 defeat against Amigos FC.

Only Vanhoino emerged with significant credit as he banged in six goals.

The Zebras were made to pay the price for the Special One's insistence that a six-man squad would be sufficient.

Their opponents fielded an eight-man unit and frequently rotated in substitutes and with Wardlisco sufferign from an ankle injury, the Zebras were left gasping for breath and overrun.

Things almost got off to a disastrous start as Vanhoino passed back fromt he kickoff and hit his own post before anyone else had touched the ball.

Despite that letoff the Zebras soon went 2-0 down. A flowing attacking move ripped the Zebras apart for the opener before Freemisco elected not to try and cut a through ball out on the grounds it was over hit. As it transpired it was a perfectly wighted pass for the opposition striker who made it 2-0.

The Zebras pulled back to 2-2 but slipped 5-2 behind at the break.

Things deteriorated further after halftime. Freemisco gave away two goals in the space of a minute with a combination of poor positional sense and a shocking pass, only to attempt to pass the blame on to Latinaldo. This led to a typically frank exchange of views. Ricadisco made a brilliant save but gave away a penalty in the process as the Zebras went 8-4 down.

However, Vanhoino inspired a brilliant comeback as the Zebras stormed back to make it 8-8. But there was to be no fairytale. Wardlisco's injury forced him to the sidelines and Freemisco was forced to remain on the pitch where he performed a reasonable impression of Stephen Hawking with his wheelchair stuck in reverse.

A ridiculous penalty award ensued after the referee decided that Ricadisco had the athletic flexibility of a 12-year old Romanian female gymnast. The Zebras chased the game but gaps inevitably appeared and a late flurry of goals condemned the Zebras to a 12-8 defeat.

Not the greatest start but the Zebras showed enough promise to suggest that better days lie ahead. The Special One is already taking steps to strengthen the squad for next week - he is rumoured to be searching for a replacement for himself - and it is hoped that there will be at least seven Zebras on hand next week.