After a summer of much speculation surrounding their star players, and the very existence of their club, the fans of the Badgers were just pleased to have a team to support as their heroes took to the pitch. 1/3 Manager Josh Staniforth, in his first press conference of the season, confirmed that the club had come close to going into administration, but that at the last minute, a Saudi sheikh had bought a controlling stake in the club and was currently bankrolling a recovery on the pitch.
Proof of this new investment was evident by the new look line up that the Badgers' squad took. Joe Panteli was officially unveiled to the fans minutes before kick off, resigning with the team for a reported £250,000-a-week. Panteli, nevertheless, claimed that he was not here for the money, as his personal team of masseurs attended his every need. Other new signings were paraded, including (and limited to) Will Downs, a player once described by Sir Alex Ferguson as "Who?", Cameron Stuart, part of the successful Accrington Stanley Youth team ("Who are they?"), and Artem Jankovskij, a top Lithuanina international.
The impact these new signings had on the Badgers' style of play was, at best, noticable. Quickly. the Badgers set about badgering their opponents for posession, with good play allowing in-form striker Ben Wheatland to perform a comedy air-kick instead of connecting with the ball, drawing hate from all sections of the crowd and team. Jankovskij's international pedigree was evident, with his Workrate (20), Teamwork (20), and Determination (20) all praised by the fans. However, he was unable to impose his influence on the game, as his team mates (and by this, I mean Wheatland) was playing like a dead horse. Jankovskij vented his frustration at Wheatland in his native language, and this dressing down was enough to force Wheatland off the pitch to mentally recover, allowing Stuart to make his Badgers' debut.
More and more chances were spurned by the Badgers', who were playing the kind of football that makes Arsene Wenger disappear for 5 minutes to a quiet room with some tissues. Hamberger took a long range effort that was deflected wide, Stuart and Breslin both fired straight at the keeper, Will Downs mae some sublime jinking runs, and Jankovskij continued to run himself into the ground for the team, something that was appreciated greatly by the fans. Wheatland, on again for Panteli, contrived to miss another golden opportunity just before the end of the half, tapping tamely wide when the goal was at his mercy. To prevent another bollocking from his team-mates, Wheatland called time on the first half.
But not before the other team scored. In the 4th minute.
The rousing half-time team talks, given on different subjects but at the same time, by the Holy Management Trio, left the Badgers in fighting spirit. They began the second half in dominant fashion, with the majority of the play in their opponents half. This culminated in Wheatland's hat-trick of misses, as he pounced on a defensive mix up to fire high and wide from 3 feet out. The fans, however, love Wheatland, and his and the teams persistence with closing their opponents down was a sight to behold. More chances were spurned by the Badgers, as both Breslin and Staniforth went close.
Then the other team scored two flukey goals in a row.
As the Badgers' confidence drained, World-class 'keeper Matt Clark pulled off a truly stunning save to preserve Badgery faith in the world around them. This save spurred the team onto bigger and better things, with so many chances created that one would have been forgiven if you assumed Arsenal was playing. I say Arsenal, because, like the Gunners, the Badgers failed to actively trouble the opposition goalie. Both Panteli and Jankovskij mis-hit shots off target, Hamberger hit the post and Staniforth and Breslin fired wide. The best chance undoubtably fell to Downs, who, in a show of unecessary unselfishness,, squared to Hamberger when he could have easily fired home himself.
As the match ended, the Badgers were left to reflect on what could have been (if that retarded striker Ben Wheatland stopped insisting on playing himself)
Nevertheless, the signs from this game were encouraging, and it was easily the best match any Reservoir Badgers team had played for nearly a year.
Things are looking up!
