East Coast Diesel Archives

Isle of Sodor Premier – early evening Matchday 37 results are in … and a champion is crowned!

updated 11:50 PM ET, 5/23

The celebration is on at Dryaw FC! With just Matchday 38 to play (Sun., 5/26), they now lead Peel Godred FC by four. Here’s a smexy link to the updated table.

Dryaw may not have gotten the full three points, but coupled with PGFC‘s loss, it was enough! The Isle of Sodor has its first ever champion of their new FA era. Noob’s not crying. You’re crying.

Dryaw‘s match-tying E.T. goal deprived Ffarquhar of a season-defining win. Still, the point earned was just enough was to stake FFC a four-point lead over #18 Ulfstead. The last Relegation slot in the table is now a battle just between Ulfstead and #17 Brendam United, who lead them by two.

**The weekend’s “Feature Match” recap is now below the results.**

Here are all the results from Wednesday’s historic day:

Wednesday, 5/22 – 6:00 PM UTC

#1 Dryaw 3 vs. 3 #17 Ffarquhar
#6 Junction & Sheds 4 vs. 2 #15 Brendam Harbor
#20 Arlesburgh Utd. 2 vs. 4 #12 Lakeside
#4 Kirk Ronan 4 vs. 2 T9 Glennock
#13 Vicarstown 4 vs. 3 #2 Peel Godred

Wed., 5/22 – 8:00 PM (UTC)
#19 Tidmouth City 2 vs. 1 #14 Castle Rolf
#17 Brendam Utd. 4 vs. 2 #3 Knapford Town
#5 Crovan’s Gate 4 vs. 8 #11 Marron
#18 Ulfstead 5 vs. 2 #7 E.C.D.
T9 Suddery 6 vs. 6 #8 Wellsworth

Feature Match in Review: Marron stays red hot with SIXTH straight win!

Image result for MFC crest A double brace (six goals) by Marron striker Finlay Creamer led his club to a resounding 4-8 win at then-#5 Crovan’s Gate Wednesday night. The win is Marron‘s straight! They remain in 11th, but are now in position to possibly overtake 10th place on the final Matchday for a top-half finish. CGFC drops to 6th.

The Scottish national and scoring wizard danced through Crovan Gate‘s defense early and often, beginning in the 9’. Creamer had two goals and the team four before CGFC finally broke through for one, just before the half.

Crovan’s Gate improved after the break. In the first half, they simply couldn’t maintain enough possession to employ their trademark whiplash-quick changes of offensive formation. For the second 45, Marron relaxed just a little and the hosts were able to put some things together, pulling as close as 3-5.

But Creamer & Co. were able to push through three more in the last several minutes. CGFC had to bring everyone forward late, which allowed the rout.

Creamer was in a class of his own, scoring in open space from distance with a rocket leg as well from up close. He even notched an assist on a well-lofted corner kick. Marron already knows they need to lock him up. Home calls, and Scottish League Two club Albion Rovers (Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire) have expressed interest in acquiring him. (Hey, when you second-to-last in Scotland’s semi-professional fourth tier of football, you look anywhere.)

The 28 year-old’s masterful performance puts him at 51 goals on the season. (A lot by any stretch, but remember that Sudric football doesn’t focus much in defense. At all.)

"It was something special. I took the ball and then I tried to move forward. In the box it was hard for the defense, since no one likes to touch each other," Creamer told Noob after the match, in what I can only describe as an awkward turn of phrase on his part.

Next up for for Marron is their final match of the season – at #1 Dryaw FC. It’s hard to say how Dryaw will come out, given that they’ve now wrapped up the league title, leaving this one a coronation match of sorts. Marron trail Glennock and Suddery by just a point as they aim for a top-half league finish.

Gate travels to #14 Castle Rolf for their last outing on Sunday. They could retake 5th place from East Coast Diesel, cannot finish lower than 6th where they stand now.

Isle of Sodor Premier League – matchday 36 (5/18-19) In Review – tie for 1st is broken, derbies decided

In the wake of winning the most important match of the season, the scene at the local Joseph Tidy’s in village Dryaw was perhaps the most raucous anyone could remember, ’twas said.

Image result for Doug Barr A dramatic win for their beloved home team. Noob drinking partner, actor/ producer/ vintner Doug Barr of 1980’s TV series “The Fall Guy” leading the patrons in celebratory song, buying shots of Vicarstown raspberry vermouth. Image result for Hollywood and Vine Cellars Everyone excited as he shook hands with Dryaw FC‘s club president over the league’s first-ever stadium naming sponsorship deal, naming the local stadium after his Los Angeles area “Hollywood and Vine Cellars” business starting next season. Nary a dry eye was to be found. I was blessed just to be there.

Full weekend results:

Sat., 5/18
#10 Suddery 2 vs. 1 #5 Crovan’s Gate
#19 Tidmouth City 4 vs. 4 #20 Arlesburgh Utd.
#18 Ulfstead 0 vs. 8 #13 Lakeside
#1 Dryaw 4 vs. 2 #3 Knapford Town
#16 Ffarquhar 4 vs. 1 #7 Wellsworth

Sun., 5/19
#11 Marron 4 vs. 3 #9 Glennock
#15 Brendam Harbor 6 vs. 2 #17 Brendam Utd.
#8 E.C.D. 4 vs. 3 #12 Vicarstown
#14 Castle Rolf 6 vs. 2 #2 Peel Godred
#6 Junction & Sheds 4 vs. 3 #4 Kirk Ronan

Here’s a smexy link to the updated Table.

In Review highlights

* With a 4-2 win – and coupled with Peel Godred's loss – Dryaw FC reclaim the #1 spot, leading by three points with just two Matchdays remaining.

* In the Brendam Derby II, Brendam Harbor wins 6-2, avenging their 0-7 loss to B-Utd. in the season's first edition.

* In the Walney Channel Derby II, East Coast Diesel wins a tense, sensational affair 4-3 over Vicarstown. Their match earlier this season ended in a 6-6 draw.

* Ffarquhar's win Saturday guarantees they can do no worse than tie for 18th, the last spot in the Relegation Zone. (Should there be a tie, a relegation playoff match will happen in Suddery.)

Feature Match in Review: Dryaw FC back alone in 1st

The fairy tale season for Dryaw is alive and well after a shiny 4-2 win over #3 Knapford Town!

As merely a larger village team, Dryaw were picked to finish well in the table’s bottom half. Yet with two matches to play, they now lead Peel Godred (matchday 36 upset victims) by three in the table. More, KTFC – while still 3rd – trail the leaders by five. This inaugural IoS PL season is now a two-horse race.

Image result for Knapford Town FC Knapford Town took advantage early (8′) for an 0-1 lead thanks to sloppy defensive play from Dryaw. A lazy pass from the center back was picked off midfield, flicked to an open man just outside the box and absolutely rocketed home. Dryaw‘s backstop had no shot at that top corner score!

Play ping ponged all over the pitch for nearly the rest of the first half, Knapford Town creating several more chances to just two for Dryaw. The halftime momentum looked to be all KTFC‘s when Dryaw‘s hero stemmed the tide! Picking on a shorter defender, Christopher Wilbertson took what was a mediocre lofted ball in the box and smashed home a header at 44′. Halftime: 1-1

All the second half, Dryaw pushed harder than ever, but could only trade single goals with the more offensively-balanced visitors. But just as it appeared things would go beyond 90′, disaster struck for the guests. Even with two defenders hard on Wilbertson, a third allowed himself to be lulled toward the star striker as he broke just a bit free. The pass went to the quickly-covered POTY candidate, who then himself had only to make a simple push pass to an open winger for a wide open gimme. 3-2 (89′!)

Dryaw would add one more on a corner set piece at 93′ to make the final 4-2. (Noob predicted a 4-3 Dryaw result — not bad!)

Image result for BHFC crest Congrats are due today to Brendam Harbor on being their city’s unofficial champs with their Brendam derby win today over United. Image result for east coast diesel crest E.C.D.’s win over Vicarstown had to feel good in the Walney Channel derby, even if not quite big enough by margin to overcome the 0-7 butt-kicking they’d taken earlier this season.

Check in every day for IoS FA news! And remember, Matchday 37 is -Wednesday, 5/22!

Isle of Sodor Premier League – Featured game for matchday 26 – A “Clasico” of their own

“El Clasico” is known to every football fan in the world. Here on Sodor, Image result for Sodor map there are big rivalries as well, and they tend to be intracity. Welcome to Knapford, where things will get nasty on Sunday (2/15). (Well, as nasty as things get on Isle. Might see a slide tackle or two attempted! Remember: hard defense is considered here to be more than uncouth.)

For this year, they’ve settled on calling this the Yards-Sheds Classic. Junction & Sheds have never been known as anything but. Knapford Town changed from Knapford Yards FC when the FA came into being a year ago, wanting to differentiate themselves from the more purely blue-collar branding of J&S.

Knapford Town have had the better of things in league this season, just moved into 2nd place, five behind surprising league leaders Dryaw FC. Junction & Sheds are in a tie for 8th. Getting more than a couple positions higher will be hard for them, as the top few have some space in the table between them and the pack now.

How do the teams play? Their League campaigns have pretty much reflected their FA Cup runs from this summer.

Image result for KTFC crest During the inaugural FA Cup of summer 2018, Knapford Town tended to win but lose close. They made the Round of 16 before falling in the penalty shootout to E.C.D. (East Coast Diesel) of Vicarstown.

Junction & Sheds (#1 supporter Alexi Lalas) advanced just as far. They suffered the same fate in losing to eventual champion Brendam Harbor, going down at the shootout. They scored tied for second in Group Stage scoring at 17 goals over the three matches, with just tiny shocker Cabalnoo getting more (18).

Image result for Junction FC crest Win lose or draw, J&S work hard to score and that’s about it. (They conceded 14 in that Group Stage. No team plays the classic Sudric 5-5-good luck back there! formation quite as religiously as Sheds.

Their first meeting this year ended in a 5-5 draw. Rumor has it that J&S will pull the goalie at select times and play a 6-5-void formation. When it comes to offensive-mindedness, good luck outdoing the Sudrics generally. KTFC can keep up with a lot of teams in a game like that, but probably not against J&S and they know it. They’ll look to play things comparatively closer to the vest most of the match, then try running wild if it’s tied or close late.