New Players Welcome
10 Oct 2006

Anyone wishing to try out for the team, please contact the manager via email on safcsalondonfootball@hotmail.co.uk

APFSCIL League
10 Oct 2006

Sunderland AFC Supporters Association(London & Southern England)F.C League results and fixtures can be viewed on the Football.Mitoo web site. Log onto the UK map and select AFA London/Middlesex. A list of all the leagues will appear, click APFSCIL, and the season you wish to view i.e 2011/12.

Sunderland Win 5 -a-side APFSCIL Charity Tournament
28 Feb 2006

APFSCIL 5-a-side Tournament

Sunderland in “win” shock!!

On Tuesday 28th February 2006, some of London and the South East’s finest and fittest / fattest* (*delete as applicable) Sunderland supporters turned out for the ‘Association of Provincial Football Supporters Clubs in London’ inaugural 5-a-side tournament at Wembley – well, at Alperton which is sort of near to Wembley. Aside from having the least user friendly acronym since the Train Workers Association of Transport Secretaries the organisers had done well in managing to get five teams together at short notice for the rearranged competition, and Mark Hay, the team captain, manager and kit man, had done an equally sterling job in assembling a seven man strong squad. The team sheet read as follows:

1. Mark Hay (GK)
2. Mark Parkinson
3. Andrew Dodd
4. Danial Dimitrov
5. Jason Bowler
6. Adam Cordery
7. Mike McNally

Competition format dictated that a league system would be in operation, giving each team a total of four matches, playing each opponent once. At the conclusion of the league, the top two teams would play in the Final (this being a Cup competition and all) in a Super League style championship play off to determine the winners.

First game up was against Hearts, though their players dismissed rumours that club owner Vladimir Romanov had dictated the starting line up. Eight minutes each way was the match length, and first blood went to Sunderland with a goal from Bowler. The same player added a second just before the break to make it 2-0 and despite second half pressure from the Scots, Hay and his defence kept them at bay to register a victory.

Meanwhile, Hibs had recorded a 14-0 victory against Rotherham to put them top of the league early on, so it was a shell-shocked side of Merry Millers that Sunderland faced next. The outcome was never in doubt. Hay utilised a clever rotation policy and all the team got a run out and rewarded the boss with goals aplenty as they all made the score sheet in a 14-1 victory. For the record, Bowler hit 4, Cordery 3, Dodd 2, Parkinson 2, McNally 2, and the Bulgarian branch chairman Dimitrov also made his mark with a memorable strike. Only a bungling defensive error which lead to an unlikely Rotherham goal took any shine of a clinical performance.

Meanwhile elsewhere, Everton were making their mark on proceedings having opened up with an 8-2 thrashing of Hearts followed up by a 4-2 victory over their Edinburgh neighbours Hibs in the next match to join Sunderland at the top of the table. Hearts beat Rotherham 3-0 to gain their first points of the night, and next up on court was Sunderland v Everton.

Both teams knew a win would guarantee a place in the final and as such tensions were running high and the ref had plenty to do in a niggly first half. Chances were at a premium and at the interval the score was still 0-0. Early in the second half though, the scousers took the lead with a good finish, putting Sunderland behind for the first time in the competition. Their response was to launch a wave of attacks but they were unable to get the elusive equaliser as the Everton keeper pulled off a string of fine saves, and in the final minute were hit on the counter attack to make it 2-0. Bowler did score from the restart but it was too little too late and Everton clinched their final place with this 2-1 victory.

Elsewhere Hibs won their local derby with Hearts 4-1 to put them into second place and requiring just a draw in their final game with Sunderland to take second position and a place in the final.

So. It was winner takes all as Hibs and Sunderland lined up for their final league games. Sunderland were now beginning to gel as a team and took an early lead with a goal from Parkinson to give them the upper hand and they took that lead to half time. Hibs however, knowing a draw would be sufficient for them to qualify came out fighting (literally) at the start of a bruising second half, but Sunderland held their nerve, and when Bowler calmly finished to put them 2-0 ahead it was game over. A late strike from Hibs gave them brief hope but the ref blew for full time shortly after and it was the north-east’s finest who booked their place in the final. An abridged final game between Everton & Rotherham ended with a 1-0 win for the blues, maintaining their 100% record, and the final league table read as follows:

1.Everton W4 D0 L0 F15 A5 Pts 12
2.Sunderland W3 D0 L1 F19 A4 Pts 9
3.Hibernian W2 D0 L2 F21 A7 Pts 6
4.Hearts W1 D0 L3 F6 A14 Pts 3
5.RotherhamW0 D0 L4 F1 A32 Pts 0

Mark Hay delivered the inspirational team talk, Jason Bowler delivered the tactical plan and Sunderland took the pitch determined to take revenge for their earlier defeat against Everton. There was little to separate the sides and the tackling was fierce, with no love lost between the two teams. Everton’s playmaker was targeted with some rough (but fair) treatment, and midway through the first half Sunderland broke the deadlock as Bowler lashed home a fierce drive, giving the Everton keeper no chance. With the bit between their teeth Sunderland almost made it two shortly after and the blues were rattled. Just before the break it was two, as Bowler played in McNally who used all his experience as the ‘veteran’ of the team to slot home Sunderland’s second goal. The second half saw the mighty red & whites use all their nous to run down the clock and increasingly frustrate the Toffees who were unable to breach the strong defence, and even when they did, the boss Mark Hay was superior to anything they could throw at him. The final whistle went and Sunderland celebrated a well-deserved victory, hopefully a sign of things to come for the future!

The photo shoot in the bar afterwards was accompanied by many wisecracks from various opponents, with such original lines as “you don’t often see a Sunderland fan smiling”, or “it’s the only silverware your lot are ever likely to see” and other such gems. We reminded them of the fact they were all officially losers, and the celebrations continued long into the evening. Well, till at least 9.30….
Hopefully this will be the start of a domination of the game at this level of Chelski proportions!

Mike McNally