FC Oranje Bonus Weeks
Benidorm, Sunday 16 September 2007;
By Lawrence Mentesh
The 2007/8 season of the Benidorm 11-A-SideFootball League
is now underway and this year the League has been increased
from 22 teams to 24.
One of the new teams, FC Oranje Bonus Weeks Breaks of Alfaz,
is the first all English team in the League, and although
they have been formed only recently they aim to mould their
talented squad of players into a disciplined and organised
team capable of finishing high up the League Table at the
end of the season in May.
Their campaign started on Sunday the 16th of September, a
real baptism of fire in a very tough away game against Lope
de Vega, last years League and Cup Champions.
Still very much learning their best formation and tactics,
FC Oranje Bonus Weeks competed well for most of the first
half against a very experienced and organised Lope de Vega,
and it was no shame to go into the break 4-0 down, all 4
goals from Lope being well worked and clinically finished.
The second half also started well, and despite now trailing
5-0 FC Oranje Bonus Weeks crafted their first goal of their
season, Alan Belshaw curling a beautiful free kick into the
box where it found the head of Rich Billam who sent it back
across the face of goal for Robbie Decsei to bury a
side-foot volley into the roof of the net.
However, the superior fitness and organisation of Lope began
to tell and a penalty and another well taken goal later they
were 7-1 ahead, at this point FC Oranje Bonus Weeks sent on
some of their fringe players for a taste of the big time and
eventually Lope ran out 10-1 winners.
Despite the final score, FC Oranje Bonus Weeks remained
optimistic, especially considering that some of the more
established teams lost by similar margins to Lope during
last season.
The second time around
Albir ArenA, Sunday 23 September 2007;
By Lawrence Mentesh
The second game for FC Oranje Bonus Weeks was on Sunday the
23rd , at home to Cafeteria Galera. Galera were 4-2 winners
in their first game so they would be no pushover.
However, FC Oranje Bonus Weeks were given the worst possible
start when a booted ball over the top of their defence found
2 Galera players that were so far off-side they were
practically standing in the street behind the goal. The
referee must have dropped his whistle at the time as
astonishingly no off-side was given and the 2 Galera players
were left to do a Fred Astaire and Bob Hope dance routine
past a bemused goalkeeper for the first goal of the game.
Galera then went 2-0 up when they won a penalty but Fc
Oranje Bonus Weeks who were playing some great football and
enjoying most of the possession soon pulled it back to 2-1
when Mark Dooley delivered a glorious corner from the left
where it was met by a powerful header into the top of the
net by Centre Back Adam Tauber.
A fortuitous cross which squirmed through the hands of the
keeper put Galera 3-1 up, but then Mark Dooley who had a
tremendous game on the left drilled in number 2 for FC
Oranje Bonus Weeks.
FC Oranje Bonus Weeks should then have made the most of
their better play to win the game, but an unfortunate second
yellow and a straight red for pushing an opponent saw FC
Oranje Bonus Weeks reduced to 9 men for the last 20 minutes
of the game. With 2 men down, the game ran away from FC
Oranje Bonus Weeks and Galera ended up 5-2 winners.
With the Spanish game a lot loss physical than the English
one, Bonus Weeks Team will have to work hard to overcome the
issues of discipline and the incredulous decisions of the
referees, but as they are only 2 games into their very first
season they have a lot of positives to take forward, and
with over 30 games left to play there is no reason why they
cannot reap the rewards that their football deserves.
If you would like to come and support the FC Oranje Bonus
Weeks team they play at the Albir ArenA (FC Orange pitch in
Albir next to Mercadona ). To find out when and where they
are due to play next and to follow their progress please
check out the official FC Oranje website at :
www.fcoranje.com
Trainer/
Coach