Racing Bats: Racing Bats week 1 13/10/08

Wandsworth new boys off to shaky start

Racing Bats Vs Sabretooth - Bats win due to no-show

Racing Bats 1 Wandsworth Stanley 2

A NIGHT of mixed emotions saw Racing Bats get off to a shaky start in their first ever season in the Wandsworth First Division on Monday.

The newly formed club, managed by James Hepburn, took a respectable three points from its first two games at the Wandsworth Arena - but fans are asking whether that would have been the case had first opponents, Sabretooth, actually turned up.

After being gifted three points, Bats went into the second game against Wandsworth Stanley with high hopes after showing class in a pre-season friendly against rivals Spartak Mojo, but no sooner had they relaxed into their stride when a lack of communication at the back saw them concede their first goal of the season.

A quickly taken and misdirected free kick from James Hepburn left Andy Hepburn baffled and apparently in such a state of shock that he was unable to chase back to prevent the arriving Stanley striker from slotting past temporary keeper Duncan Hepburn.

It wasn’t long before a beautiful passing move saw Bats back on level terms when Andy Hep found Hodge Jnr who neatly slotted to Ukrainian import Dima to calmly rifle into the bottom right-hand corner with his weaker right foot.

Bats dominated much of the game with solid defending from Samsonite, Felgate and James Hep, until a failure to track back by Bat’s front men saw them back to a one goal deficit when an opposition striker found himself one-on-one and side-footed home.

Bats had a number of chances to get back in the game and a rifled long-range shot from Felgate, which was destined for the top corner, was deflected wide by a defender. Minutes later Hodge Jnr slotted through the keeper’s legs only to see his effort graze the post. James Hep had the best of the late opportunities to tie up the game after a textbook one-two with Hodge Jnr left him with only the keeper to beat but an off-balance shot on his favoured left foot saw the ball bobble into the side netting.

Although Racing Bats first ever match will go down in the history books as an unfair defeat there were a lot of positives to be taken from the performance and an exiting future lies ahead for the club.

At a post-match press conference the manager was in high spirits and said: “It could have been a better start but there were some bright performances out there from a group of drinkers who have never played together before.

“We’ll all get together for a few pints and go over the tactics for next week when we’ll be looking to take six points.”