Drama at IMS playoffs

On Sunday night, the winners of the Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday IMS Leagues came together for a series of playoff matches on the 3G pitch.

The stakes couldn’t have been higher, as the prize for the winning team was an all-expenses-paid trip to Malaysia for the UoN Tri-Campus Games.

The three teams battling it out for this amazing opportunity were Wednesday League Champions Derby Hall, Saturday winners History FC and Sunday’s table-topping Cypriot Soc.

In an unprecedented move for IMS football, the Intra-Mural organisation even brought in two referees for the games. They even moved beyond the centre circle.

The first match saw History take on Derby in what was undoubtedly the game of the day. After a cagey and intense first half, the Historians stormed into a 2-0 lead with just 12 minutes remaining.

Derby fought back, though, and a controversial penalty was followed by an outrageous overhead kick as they levelled the scores. They had all the momentum and with History’s backs against the wall, it seemed inevitable that the freshers would complete the comeback. They did so with just one minute remaining, as a stunning left-footed volley crashed past History’s helpless keeper.

The Derby boys love their IMS reports

Defeat meant that History were relying upon a Cypriot win in their clash with the buoyant Derby if they were to remain in the competition. It was not to be, however, as another last-gasp Derby goal meant that the game ended at 1-1.

The Cypriots knew that they couldn’t afford to lose and tensions were running high, culminating in a red-card for one of their defenders. They were fuming, and the footage below is just one example of the aggression which punctuated a fiery second half.

Tempers flamed as it nearly kicked off again, calmed down only by some incessant blowing of the referee’s whistle. The Guardiola look-a-like was not happy with the challenge…

As a result of that late equaliser, CypriotSoc had to beat the eliminated History if they were to stay in contention for that coveted trip to Malaysia.

After falling behind to a goal from a corner, it looked like they weren’t going to make it but two excellent finishes from rapid counter-attacks meant that they won the game 2-1 and finished the evening level on points with Derby.

With these teams tied, there will be a ‘sudden death match’ between them to decide who gets to book their seat on the Malaysia plane. Unless, that is, CypriotSoc receive added punishment for their indiscipline and constant hounding of the referee.

As ever, you can find out what happens through the Tab: the Sports Team will continue to be your first and only source for all the big IMS stories. Keep an eye out for the IMS season-review coming this week.