Streatham looks clucking good

STREATHAM, UK – Despite grasping no points from the opening two fixtures, there is a mood of cautious optimism to mix with the enduring aroma of fried chicken in the air around Streatham.

In fact the multitude of fried chicken restaurants in Streatham probably outnumbered the amount of players we had when I went to my first training session with the Redskins in the summer. We still had Dixy, Mississippi, Dallas and Tennessee but alas Kentucky was gone. The Colonel had jumped ship to Invicta and taken his secret herbs and spices with him, leaving the Redskins kitchen desperately needing a new chef and more than a few cooks. Step forward Barry Spours, a former goalie turned grizzly veteran local player, volunteering to don the big white hat and check trousers. Struggling to find enough ingredients to put together a menu for the opening game against Invicta Dynamos, there was speculation that the Redskins would not even open for business but Spours persisted. Keeping his ingredients secret, the Dynamos arrived expecting an easy win but found Streatham to be a challenging meal. Prime legs came in the form of speedy Louis Lockwood and Dan Botting. Juicy thighs of Roman Culik and Josh Allam at the back worked hard. The wings of Peter Molnar and Jay Richards up front gave the Dynamos something to think about and Spours even provided salt and vinegar in the familiar form of Ed Koral and Fred Carnegy. Will Sanderson was also solid as a rib between the pipes. As for the local customers, they were just happy to see the restaurant still open for business. No chef is happy without evolution and Spours is no different. He added fries to the team for the visit of Wightlink Raiders in the form of Liam Rasmussen, James Tanner and Richard Hardy and although the team were defeated, the customers could see the gradual improvement. Next week the Redskins travel to North London to face Haringey  Greyhounds in what promises to be a tense battle between two struggling teams. Spours is cautiously optimistic: ‘The team spirit right now is something I have not seen in a Redskins changing room for a considerable time, and each week we seem to go from strength to strength. I honestly believe that on current performance we are due our first win of the season when we face Haringey, but we must maintain our focus’ Spours doesn’t need a new colonel, although one would be nice. What he does need though are ingredients and with a few more rumoured to be added, there still could be a banquet for Streatham fans this season.    Thanks for reading and stay safe Carrsy Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com