Charity 5-A-Side Update
After a morning of grey skies and heavy rain, we were relieved to arrive in Southampton just as the sun broke through and the ground began to dry.
Following some complimentary refreshments and meeting the teams from other companies, CCS headed to pitch number 2 to warm up for their first match.
Due to the short notice of the event, CCS quickly assembled six players, managing the afternoon’s competition with just one substitute.
James McWilliams, our organiser and captain, was joined by:
- Craig Stephens
- Lee Russell
- Cian O’Flathabhain
- Bradley Read
- Julius Quayson-Otoo
After a brief talk from one of the Business Fives staff about the rules and expected conduct, we kicked off our first game, securing a win with a late goal from Cian.
Correct Contract Services 2 - 1 TNG Consulting Engineers
This impressive start was soon overshadowed by two defeats, first to Dybles and then an identical result against Morgan Sindall.
Dybles 5 - 2 Correct Contract Services
Morgan Sindall 5 - 2 Correct Contract Services
Despite being in a tough group, our initial win was enough to secure 3rd place in the league and qualify for the next phase of the competition which was named, The Europa League.
The team welcomed a 15-minute break at this point. Many of the other teams had 2-3 substitutes, which would have been a luxury for us. We often stayed competitive until the final minutes when fatigue set in and opportunities were seized by the larger squads.
Our first Europa League game began, and after conceding an early goal, the team fought hard to eventually win.
Softcat 2 - 4 Correct Contract Services
Our next game in this group was another meeting with Morgan Sindall. It was a close game that slipped away in the last few minutes, but we took comfort in closing the gap from our first encounter.
Morgan Sindall 4 - 2 Correct Contract Services
With no rest between all three games at this stage of the competition, it was a big ask to go straight into the final game against Red Funnel Ferries. With some players already nursing injuries, our lack of substitutes became a real problem.
Despite the fatigue and injuries, the team pushed on into the final match of the group. A win would see us top the league and earn a semi-final spot in the league above.
Could they do it?
Red Funnel Ferries 3 - 5 Correct Contract Services
As the CCS photographer, I felt helpless behind the camera, offering nothing but calls of “Dig deep lads, let’s see this out.” Whether it encouraged or annoyed them, they saw it through, and a mighty 5-3 win saw us progress to the Champions League semi-final.
An exhausted group made their way to pitch 2, where it had all started two hours earlier. The semi-final was against Dybles, who we had met in our initial league group and lost to 5-2. We knew they were a quality young squad with several substitutes available. It turned out to be a step too far for CCS, who gave it their all but couldn’t prevent a heavy defeat.
Dybles 10 - 1 Correct Contract Services
Reaching the semi-final of the top league with very little time to prepare was a great achievement. There were teams that had clearly played together for a while and played a lot of football. With just two weeks’ notice before the start of this tournament, the lads did us proud and helped Business Fives raise money for charity in the process.
