Gloucester Sunday League Div. 1 - Sunday March 4th
FC Seymour 1 - 4 Stanley Sharks
The conditions were a bit bleak on Sunday as the Stanley Sharks met to travel to Tuffley.  The cold and rain detered a couple of wimps but Sarge still managed to get 13 players to Mcdonalds for breakfast wraps and hash brown meals.  The game started at a high tempo and it was clear from the outset that Seymour were a much better team than their league position suggests.  Both teams tried to play the right sort of football and at times the standard was very high.  It was Stanley who had the first breakthrough- a corner was scrambled aroud the Seymour box and fell to Captain Hudd who smashed it past the helpless keeper.  Stanleys hard running midfield partnership of H.P.and Parker covered a record amount of yards while Simon and Andy were keeping their opposing full backs busy on the wings.  Measures was brought down on the edge of the area and the free kick specialist stepped up.  As the wall shouted 'UNLUCKY', he casually showed his luck by curling the ball into the top left corner.  The back four had a very solid game throughout with Bessy the main man calling the line, veteran Ken, Captain Hudd and Versaci who had his best game of the season.   In the second half Stanley began to dominate with some flowing passing moves.  During one such move, Parker surged forward (Gerrard style) into the box and calmly lifted the ball over the keeper with his left foot.  Although Seymour got back into the game with a fine strike from long range the Sharks were not to be outdone.  Rees came off the bench to supply the free kick specailist with an inch perfect throughball from which he beat the keeper in a one on one.  Versaci was rewarded for his good performance by being given ten mins up top and was unfortunate that his spectacular overhead kick hit his own arm for a foul.  Dangling had run over to Gloucester having woken up late and his only memorable involvement was nearly getting booked for his first touch foul (again).  There was drama at the final whistle as Sarge and Meas made more Gloucester mates but it all ended in hand shakes.  Sarge said: 'It was a great performance from the lads today and I have lots of selection problems for the final now because so many players are proving their worth'.  

Gloucester Sunday League Div. 1 - Sunday January 29
F C Wanderers 2 - 1 Stanley Sharks
A very poor performance from the Sharks on Sunday has more or less handed Hempsted the league title.  Individual errors and negativity throughout the side cost the team dear as they lost to a team they would expect to comfortably beat.  Vinny Rees having to be subbed early on through injury did not help the Sharks chances.  Glimpses of the quality passing game that the Sharks can play were few and far between with the two young dangermen more intent on arguing with each other than working for the team.  The defence were solid in the first half with Versaci and Thomas playing well at full backs backed up by Hudd and Parker.  Sarge had a moment he will want to forget as he let a long shot through that seemed to be hit straight at him.  The Sharks dominated possesion but continually wasted good goal scoring opportunities.  Simon showed how much he has improved this year with a quality game in midfield which he capped with a fine headed goal to level the tie.  It seemed at this moment that the Sharks would go on to win the match but the Wanderers had different ideas.  Hudd lost his man from a corner and Piers found himself helpless in no mans land as the striker cooly lobbed him.  Measures struck two good chances with power across the keeper but unfortunately both flashed past the far post.  You could tell it was not the Sharks day when Griffins shot beat the keeper and lookied to be heading in when it flicked the cross bar and somehow did not cross the goal line.  Sarge said: 'We have to put in much more effort than today, people need to listen to my instructions and follow them rather than doing whatever they feel like.'  Home to Wincanton next week.