By Bengt Ljung
Memory aide: Gerry Cain
Photos and captions: Tony Reynolds

Team First Half:

Turner
Thomas	Martiniello	Mullholland (c)	Lees
Haddad	Dixson	Bajraktari	Swartjes
McInnes		Cain
Subs: Reilly (Bajraktari) and Ljung (Thomas)

Team Second Half:

Turner
Lees	Ljung	Mullholland (c)	Martiniello
Haddad	Dixson	McInnes	Swartjes
Reilly		Cain

Scorers: Cain 5, Haddad 2, McInnes 2, Swartjes 2, Bajraktari 1 and Dixson 1.

MOM: Cain and Haddad 9 votes each.

MELSBROEK, Belgium -- Poor Ramblers didn't stand a chance. They were crushed by the First Vets steamroller. Top of the league against bottom of the league said it all. The two teams showed up to the game with goal differences of +85 vs. -101.

Willy's heading the ball NOT with his forehead, and with his eyes closed!

Still, in the changing room, ever-cautious skipper Gerry Mulholland warned against complacency. "They're tightening up their defence. They only lost 2-0 against Avia last Saturday," he said through clenched teeth.

5-goal Gerry Cain fighting the uneven elements.

He didn't need to worry. The concentration was there. BUFC took the first few minutes to come to grips with the miniature-sized football pitch, where the penalty box almost reached the sidelines. "It's far too easy the dribble my way into the box," Willy Swartjes complained, always looking for a challenge.

Aerial attacks proved to be effective. The first goal came when Dave Lees crossed the ball from left to right, where Fady Haddad met with a perfect volley: 1-0.

On a corner, Swartjes loudly promised the ball to Gerald McInness, who unmarked ran onto the header at the second post. 2-0. Then Gerry Cain scored three goals in rapid succession to put the outcome of the match beyond doubt even for the most diehard Ramblers fan: A header via the goalpost from Haddad's cross, a left-footed flick-on from Swartjes' cross and a solo breakaway down the middle, beating the keeper with a shot. 5-0, and the sunny afternoon was still young.

The match had only one story to tell. So the monologue continued. BUFC midfielders were in complete control. The opposition's rare attacks were, well, rambling efforts, if not to say non-existent. They were easily disarmed by the sure-footed First Vets' defence.

McInnes makes a break for goal.

BUFC continued to be first and second on the ball. Mergim Bajraktari beat two team mates to a corner to head in 6-0. And First Vets also rang up 7-0 after a lightening counter attack when McInnes outran his defender down the right-hand side and then served the ball on a silver plate for Cain at the penalty spot. (Four goals in only one half.)

Half-time meant chalking up the biggest first-half lead of the season. Captain Mulholland made his two substitutions, letting Mark Reilly relieve Bajraktari and Bengt Ljung replace Fran Thomas.

Cain's hot streak continued when second half began. Beating the offside trap, he sped away to goal, shooting to the side of the goalkeeper. 8-0. (5th of the game and 33d of the season.)

Subs are getting impatient.

At 9-0, Haddad scored again on a cross from Swartjes. He redeemed himself from last week, showing he can score with his head after all. ("I forced him to practice headers all week," William Haddad, his personal trainer, revealed after the game.)

Then Jess Dixson demonstrated a textbook example of how a midfielder should run through the defence to beat the offside trap. He placed the shot with ice-cold precision in the far bottom corner. 10-0. McInnes got his second goal from close range when he half-volleyed in a cross that Cain knocked back. 11-0. (15th goal of the season.)

By now it was perfectly clear that the greatest opponent of the First Vets was the uneven pitch. Bobbling balls made more than a half-dozen BUFC shots sail over the crossbar. (No space to mention them here because of all the goals.) And Ramblers' only real chance came when Ljung miss kicked the ball while Dave Turner was out sightseeing. Thankfully, the surprised Rambler striker also miss kicked.

The police was watching the huge crowd.

Right before the end, Swartjes hurried to notch up two goals at the end of two of his patented runs down the left wing: 13-0. (17th goal of the season.)

As the ref blew his whistle, a mighty roar soared from the audience. (Or maybe it was an airplane taking off.) Ramblers players should be complimented on their sporting attitude despite what must have been an unpleasant afternoon. Among the many, many great BUFC achievements of the day was also Turner's fifth clean sheet (besides a new high score on his Game Boy).

Two-gun Jessie.

Fady shows he actually knows how to score with a header. (An earlier effort of BUFC strikers is seen to the far right, outside the fence.)

Still, the dazzling effort left its scars. Marco Martiniello was rushed off to hospital with a hand injury and Mulholland limped off with a bruised thigh, mumbling only true whisky could ease his pain.

But the job is not finished for First Vets. There's one game to go of the season and one more opponent not to underestimate. It will take one more game to win the league. One more game to crown this record-breaking year.

Fady shows he actually knows how to score with a header. (An earlier effort of BUFC strikers is seen to the far right, outside the fence.)