UoN Boys Play To The Samba Beat

UoN have triumphed in yet another Varsity clash with Trent. On Sunday, the second leg of the first ever futsal Varsity game between Notts and NTU saw the Uni lads battle to a 3-3 draw, resulting in a 13-11 win on aggregate.

It was a fast-paced, intense and predictably fiery game between the two great rivals, and the highlights of both the first and second legs can be seen right here on The Tab.

First leg:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL6JN6mckX0&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Second leg:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVnY9kImJ7g[/youtube]

The Tab Sports Team was unsure of what to expect when we turned up at the Sports Centre to see the two teams emerging into the large hall to the sound of some atmospheric, Champions League-esque music blaring through the speakers.

We grew even more sceptical when we noticed that one of the Trent players looked no older than 12, while another sported a barnet so shocking that we thought Carlos Valderrama had decided to get a degree.

Receiving some late instructions from coach Martyn Ware

Once the game kicked off, though, it was clear to see that these boys have got some seriously silky skills. There were plenty of moments of individual brilliance and the ball was zipped about faster than chubby kids running to the Ocean toilets when the Baywatch song comes on.

Libyan born Moe Maghrbi was particularly excellent for Notts, and it was his goal which gave UoN the lead after a cagey opening few minutes. Trent fought back though, and their Brazilian-looking-but-possibly-not-Brazilian striker was causing a few problems with his strength and speed.

Notts have got their own Brazilian, however, and the number 10, Mattheus, was consistently running at the Trent defence, his legs wobblier than Ian Holloway after a playoff win.

Neither side were able to dominate the game and, in the end, Trent never looked likely to take the 3-goal lead which they needed.

Their task was made particularly difficult by UoN keeper Joe Boyland, who had an excellent game in goal and kept releasing his attackers with some swift, long throws out of his area.

After the game, The Tab caught up with defender James Moore (who moonlights as a marauding, non-goalscoring right-back for IMS side History FC) to see what he thought of the game:

“I thought it was a fitting end to a competitive first season for the club.” Moore said. “It was amazing to see how far we’ve come in such a short space of time, and that we can match up to a team who have been around a full year longer than us.”

“We have played better for sure, but they stepped up their game a lot and in the end a draw was probably the right result.”

“The crowd were brilliant, and although it was weird at first we grew into the match and it spurred us on in the second half to do some last ditch defending whilst springing fast paced attacks.”

“Trent were really up for it today and we were a bit nervous at the beginning which helped them gain the momentum early on, something we didn’t let them do in the first leg.”