I achieved one of my long standing ambitions this evening by acting as a ball boy during the second half at Oak Tree Road. To be honest anyone who pays £3 to get into Marlow FC and doesn't sit in the stand volunteers for this job as the other vantage points are all directly around the pitch. Mostly though the crowd assembles underneath the Main Stand meaning that three sides of the ground are unmanned.
In the first half I had planned to go and stand behind the Wycombe goal to enjoy Liam Henderson and Marvin Sordell's attacking prowess against lower league opposition. However they were all over us in the first half and so eventually I went behind Jonathan 'Justin Lee Collins' North's goal where most of the action took place. Wycombe scored early, a fierce shot from the edge of the area following a cross easily beating our hairy keeper.
Even after this it was mostly one way traffic despite our side containing sweary Jordan Parkes, unseen new boy Jure Travner, the scary looking Eddie Oshodi and Matt Sadler who today was trying out a role in midfield.
Words must have been had in the dressing room as we came out in the second half looking much more determined and the game was more even. I moved to the opposite side from the Main Stand and managed to act as ball boy twice, although on both occasions it was for a Wycombe throw. I remember GT giving advice to a friend who was a ball boy at the Vic in the 80's that you always give the ball back slower if its an opposition throw so I made a bit of a meal of picking the ball up.
We equalised mid-way through the half. A shot that might have been a cross rattled the Wycombe bar and in the confusion it caused Henderson was able to head the ball home. We should have had a second when a free kick similarly hit the crossbar.
A draw was just about a fair result. Wycombe will probably feel more aggrieved than we will. I was just pleased to have fulfilled another of my footballing ambitions.
