The Football Challenge: Match One, The Ron Goreham Memorial El Classico Cup Of The World Birthday Final

Football is the UK's National Sport, so surely it should be an easy sport for 'local hero' The Everyman Olympian to get involved in, right?....wrong!

I've tried all sorts of approaches and efforts to get a game, well 6 to be more precise; you see in order for me to complete The Football Challenge I need to play in six, 90 minute, 11-a-side matches, but I seem to be having a little difficulty.

Regardless of this particular quest, or even of The Everyman Olympics, when the opportunity to play in The Ron Goreham El Classico Cup Of The World Birthday Final I lept in with both feet like a decent long jumper into the sandpit*.

This match was the brainchild of my mate Josh Goreham, and a combination of a tribute to his wonderful father Ron Goreham and a celebration of his own birthday.

As you may have guessed from the title for the fixture, the competing squads would take on the persona's of Spain's greatest teams; the Galacticos of Real Madrid and the free flowing Magicians of Barcelona.

Barcelona wearing green, with Real Madrid in white (OK so the kits were different),
The Everyman Olympian is 3rd from Bottom Right

The first half got underway with Barcelona displaying all their trademark flair and invention, while us Galactico's focused on chasing the ball and the opposition in our own half.

The Everyman Olympian takes the near post as Real Madrid defend a Barcelona corner.

Goal! Jeff scored from a looping free kick from 35 yards out, it missed everyone (sadly including our keeper) and Barca went 1-0 up.

Josh, our Player/Manager/Jose Mourinho made a strategic switch: moving me from right midfield to right back and taking up an attacking wingers position himself - this almost payed off within seconds but his short range effort on goal missed by mere feet.

Then the 'Catalunian's' excellent goalie made a rare blunder, kicking straight out to the white's Bass, who made no mistake in levelling the tie to 1-1. The crowd went wild. Or more specifically, the crowd momentarily looked up from its morning papers and dothed its collective cap.

Bird launched a throw-in to Barca's star outfield player, Jeff - he turned the defender and drilled a shot into the bottom left corner of our net, 2-1 Barcelona.

Real were growing into the game but now in need of a goal before half time to give themselves a chance for victory. Jamie Grech launched a probing cross forward in another of our attacks, though no-one in a white shirt managed to get close enough to it, nor did the opposition - 2-2!

I started the second half as I had finished the first, on the sidelines; Coach Goreham (Josh) was being fantastic in ensuring all players had their turn on the pitch and in the break, as well as making a spurring speech to the boys, he made substitutional changes to give more chances to those that hadn't featured much.

Again, Barca's probing runs paid dividends: Dec set Nick up for an easy tap in, 3-2 Barcelona.

This time we didn't have to wait too long for yet another leveller, though perhaps we were becoming a little too reliant on lady luck - Ben scuffed a ball goal wards, Barcelona's tiring defence missed another speculative effort and the ball trickled over the line to joyous reaction from our team, 3-3.

Extra time reared it's ugly head, both teams pleading this was unwanted punishment but Josh 'Mourinho' Goreham insisted that this event would have an outright winner, and so after a short rest the official referee blew his whistle and the game was restarted.

The first half passed without major incident, a quick change of sides and we were off again - by now I was playing as striker and while making what I felt were some good runs, I was acting more as a decoy for my strike partner; who Real's midfield were more confident in passing to.

The clock ticked on and penalties looked imminent, but Barca's star man had other ideas - Jeff broke clear of our defence and unselfishly put teammate Steve in for simple finish past our beleaguered keeps; Madrid hearts were shattered in the final minute, Barcelona winning the game 4-3.

This was more than a win or a loss though, it was an ace way to celebrate Josh's birthday and more than that too, it was a fitting tribute to a great man, Ron Goreham.

Josh Goreham and The Everyman Olympian

One match down, I've 5 more to play to achieve The Football Challenge, if you can help me please email me at: theeverymanolympian@googlemail.com

The Everyman Olympian visits the real Olympics

On a day that started with my being completely shattered from my second Boxing training session at Southend Amateur Boxing Club, I popped to the paper shop to find myself involved in the national news and then topped it all off after work with a first visit to the actual Olympic Games!

Coach Daley set the Boxing session in motion with a 3 or so mile warm-up jog before we joined a busy gym for a full skipping session, which our Heavyweight coach also took. Then Gary (Daley) instructed the lads to glove up for a bag session; this involved a few minutes each pounding the variety of punch bags which are positioned around the walls, before a short break and a shuffle along to the next bag in line.

As well as being introduced to punchbags this time around, I was given instruction on punching combinations and technique by Coach Condon as he wore pads for me to hit. This came prior to the bag session, which itself was followed by the concluding floor work to the session.

The floor work hurt: ten gruling exercises which worked much like a mini circuit training session, though without the break for breathing and moving between stations - exercises from sit-ups to burpees to press-ups to squat thrusts are ALL performed back-to-back with Coach Daley driving through the process with ease himself whilst barking instructions for the group to follow at pace.

Hence my walk to the shop for breakfast supplies was left till the last available minute, but boy was it worth it...

I flicked eagerly through the paper while eating my muesli/honey/milk/blueberry combo, and then I nearly spat my breakfast cocktail out with joy - for there on page 24 of yesterday's Times was a write-up on The Everyman Olympics:

The Times, Page 24, 31st July 2012 edition

Humbled by the memories of the help I've received to make it to this point, a point which makes our collective efforts worth reading about, I inhaled the remainder of my cereal and popped the kettle on while I read the article once more.

It was now 5:45PM. To my right sat my brother, Mike, and all around us were complete strangers, yet fellow sharers in a spectacle that would see history made before our eyes, for we were all party to witnessing the world's best 4 men's foil fencers battle it out for Olympics 2012 honours.

In the first Semi-Final, Mike and I had opted to support Italian, Andrea Baldini, against World Number 9, China's Lei Sheng.

Baldini (Left) prepares to attack Lei

The second Semi-Final presented a no-brainer for our support; Egypt have never had a medalling fencer at the Olympic Games, so when we heard that Alaaeldin Abouelkassem (just 21) had beaten a Triple World Champion AND a Double World Champion on his route to the last four, so he had our full backing as he fought the somewhat spirited and more eagerly supported (by 5 or so very well organised countrymen - one man chanting with a group chorus reply) Byungchul Choi from South Korea.

In both instances the bigger of the men went through to the final, and our support produced mixed results: Baldini's all out attacking style failed against the composed, accurate sword of the chinaman, but our unpronounceably named Egyptian triumphed with a large degree of flare against the feisty Choi.

There was a short break, which we spent pointlessly joining a que to buy drinks which we never waited for and then returned to our seats in the rafters of the temporary 20,000 seater arena within the nationally famous Excel exhibition space. Next up was the battle for bronze, a match between the tiddlers which didn't disappoint; the clash was so close that the final was delayed as these two attacking foes took it the distance - Choi winning out 15-14 to tremendous celebrations from the South Korean contingent sat just yards away.

'Egypt, Egypt, Egypt' the crowd called in support, Aladin (near enough) was starting to make us feel like he'd been granted his three wishes by the genie - after an injury break in which our Egyptian protagonist received treatment for what looked like a mix between cramp and the attentions of Lei's sword, Abouelkassem had somehow scored to lead 13-12; he'd last lead at 2-1.

3 points later and it was all over, Lei coolly struck three in a row to become victorious, though in truth there two winners in the arena last night.