Christmas cracker as Star youngsters play legends
Having not played a game in six weeks, Red Star 2004s faced a difficult challenge on Thursday December 27 in a charity game against a local nae hair/grey hair select.
In a playful match, the youngsters of 2004s were against their greatest competition: parents.
An entertaining game ensued which resembled the great Real Madrid v Eintracht Frankfurt European cup final... only in that it too was played on grass.
The nae hair/grey hair select were looking to use their experience with the defence having a combined age greater than the whole 2004 team.
To counteract this, the 2004s included coaches Brown, Caskie and West to double the age – and probably the weight – of their team.
The select started well spraying passes about the park, though to be fair they were mainly bus passes. The 2004s took the lead when a toe poke heading for a throwin was deflected past the select keeper.
The select were spurred on and started to dominate the central midfield area, moving and turning with the speed and agility of a pair of welloiled road rollers and forcing the youngsters wider and wider.
It was no surprise to anyone, apart from the goal scorer, when an equaliser soon followed. Both teams traded further goals to leave the game finely balanced at 2-2 at half time.
The select started strongly in the second half, moving through the gears like a fleet of racing mobility scooters, but it was the 2004s that took the lead again.
Whilst the oldies did equalise with a goal that looked 30 years offside, the youngsters eventually put them out of their misery with a couple of late goals to give the result a gloss like the shiny sweaty foreheads of the opposition.
A thoroughly entertaining game ended with man of the match being awarded to the referee’s guide dog.
A total of £200 was collected for charity to be split between the Beatson Cancer Charity and a go-fund-me page in memory of Regan Murray, a player for the Busby 2004 team who play in the same league as the boys and who sadly died earlier in December. Finally, thanks to players from both teams, the referee, everyone who made a donation and Argyll and Bute Council for allowing free use of the pitch for the charity event.