So near so far for Scims

After a long hard season, we saw our play-off ambitions of appearing at the Coventry SkyDome next weekend extinguished over two legs by the Slough Jets. In doing so, Slough gained themselves some respect back after we had done them home and away the weekend previous.  It certainly has been a season that was never dull as ditchwater; we had players that made great strides and others that didn’t fulfil the expectations.

 

I didn’t do the first leg in Buckinghamshire to be honest.  I was busy sorting a few things out for my football team’s end of season tour to Germany in a few weeks; which is also the reason why I won’t be in Coventry as well. Those finalised, I settled down to receive updates from my regular score update source who was there.  It has to be said that the highlight was to be Slami’s goal which tied it up at 1-1 and that was about as good as it got.  The Jets physical play came into take control and we ended up on the wrong end of a 5-1 scoreline.

 

Another thing my source was saying was that the refereeing performance by Joy Tottman was not that great.  Twice she could have possibly called match penalties for accidental high sticks by a Jet, but twice the call never came.  Some said it was down to the honesty of our players who were on the receiving end, but surely if there was any sign of a bit blood then it should be called.  The fact that Lewis Bell received a match penalty in the final home game of the season when it was argued that Joe Greener took “one for the team” by biting his lip so much that it bled with Bell just unfortunate to be in the vicinity when it happened.

 

We knew we had to score early in the second leg to give ourselves a bit of a fighting chance and a more than reasonable crowd of 517 flocked to Ice Sheffield to watch it.  The atmosphere was noisy, from both sets of fans it has to be said, and anyone would think it was the actual play-off final.  It had that bit of special game night feeling about it.  Neither side wanted to lose, but with a 5-1 advantage in their favour it was the Jets who were in the box seat to speak.

 

Alas we didn’t get that early which we were so wishing for.  The period ended scoreless and I resigned myself to the fact that perhaps at even at this early stage of the second leg, we were out in all but confirmation. Yet when Polijacek’s shot agonisingly trickled home despite Bownsy getting a glove to it, it was definitely tie as good as over.  I think even every Scims supporter knew it was. “The Glass Man” aka my mate Arran Strawson rekindled the faint hope at 34:24, but it was 2-1 at the end of the second to Jets when Ciaran Long scored from a Koulikov assist on 37:06.  7-2 on aggregate and definitely Jets going to Coventry.

 

We couldn’t do anything productive and the Jets comfortably saw the match out.  The fact we only produced 23 shots on Rockman in 60 minutes said it all, we were always behind the eight ball and that’s the thing that hurts the most.  So it’s the Buckinghamshire based side that will feature in the Coventry weekend alongside usual suspects Guildford and Manchester; and surprise package Swindon Wildcats who knocked out EPL Champions Milton Keynes after a see-saw second leg in MK.

 

So who will I want to win it now we are no longer a part of it?  As you know I have friends who support the Flames and the Phoenix.  Think I will become a Flame (sorry Tambo) in all but spirit as I will probably be at the GB international against the Netherlands at Ice Sheffield due to financial reasons; at least it keeps my hockey fix going that bit longer.  I’ve also shaved off my play-off beard this morning, took me 15 minutes to get rid of it.  At least my Mam will be happy now I am clean shaven….

 

Time to prepare for Wednesday’s End of Season Presentation Night for the Scims now (paying up my beer bet to the afore mentioned Mr Strawson as well); I’ll be back next week with my end of season awards…also known as “The Markies”! Good luck to all four EPL play-off finalists, but especially to the Flames where my support is on loan for the forthcoming weekend.  Enjoy it whichever team you support, wish I had the money to be there for a second successive season….

 

Mark

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