2018-19 Isle of Sodor PL feature match previews and recaps Archives - Page 2 of 3

Isle of Sodor Premier League – matchday 34 (5/4) Preview

Isle of Sodor Premier League – IN REVIEW – matchday 33 (4/27-28): title race tightens, Relegation moves

Isle of Sodor Premier League – matchday 33 (4/27-28) Preview

Isle of Sodor Premier League – IN REVIEW – matchday 32 (4/13-14): Away teams reign, title race shifts

Isle of Sodor Premier League – matchday 32 (4/13-14) – Feature Match: #2 Peel Godred hosts #3 Knapford Town

Isle of Sodor Premier League – matchday 31 (4/6-7) – In Review: the title race tightens

Isle of Sodor Premier League – matchday 31 (4/6-7) – Sun., #1 Dryaw hosts the Bad Boys of East Coast Diesel

Isle of Sodor Premier League – matchday 31 (4/6-7) – Sat., #17 tries to stay above the Drop Zone, hosting #3 trying to stay in the title race

Matchday 30 – Isle of Sodor Premier League in review (wknd 3/23-24) – Can #1 Dryaw keep dream alive against the FA Cup champs?

Isle of Sodor Premier League – matchday 30 (3/23-24) – Sun. #1 take on the FA Cup winners

Hello from Knapford! #2 KTFC is only a point behind league-leaders Dryaw FC. They host #4 Kirk Ronan today. The visitors are nine points back of 1st, title chances looking grim. Your Saturday Feature Match gets previewed further down.

Ah, does it feel good to be back back on the Isle, covering the league up close and personal after a Matchday spent stateside. The house sale is back on track there now. Noob will set up shop permanently on Sodor soon, hopefully in time for the summer’s second ever IoS FA Cup.

Sat., 5/4
T16 Ffarquhar vs. #5 Crovan’s Gate
#19 Arlesburgh Utd. vs. #20 Tidmouth City
#13 Vicarstown vs. #7 Wellsworth
#2 Knapford Town vs. #4 Kirk Ronan
T14 Brendam Harbor vs. T14 Castle Rolf

Sun., 5/5
T17 Ulfstead vs. #6 Junction & Sheds
#8 E.C.D. vs. #12 Marron
#1 Dryaw vs. #10 Suddery
#3 Peel Godred vs. #9 Glennock
T16 Ulfstead vs. #11 Lakeside

Image result for Knapford Town FC After weeks of title contenders not being able to string much success together, Knapford may have found their stride. 2-2-0 in their last four. They’re winning close, they’re winning in low and high-scoring affairs. That 2-3 road win over now-#3 Peel Godred was their match of the season.

Still, 3-2 home win over bottom-half Castle Rolf last week wasn’t exactly inspiring. Fans are telling themselves that was a trap game and that getting three points any which way was awesome. Perhaps they’re right….

Kirk Ronan, how are you still within double-digits of the table’s top? 2-2 in the last four isn’t awful at a glance. But that stretch started with a quirky back-to-back split against #19 Arlesburgh Utd. Last week’s 2-3 road win at top-half Glennock was admirable, but Noob doubts it washed away the bitter taste of an 0-7 loss to Marron right before the Easter break.

Noob’s call: Maybe Noob’s drinking the local Kool-Aid, to misuse the reference most folk do unknowingly, but I’m believing the trap game talk.

Image result for drinking the kool aid funny

Knapford Town got a win last week sandwiched between matches against top five clubs. No team is utterly dominating the league in its inaugural season. So that’s getting it done. With a shot at the top rung today, the team has looked hungry at practices, going at it with an edge all week.

Kirk Ronan have faded in the season’s final third. This is too tough a match for them on the road today. Knapford Town 5-2

Nothing changed in the table’s top ten this weekend (except for a tie for 8th being broken).

Yet EVERYTHING changed in the table’s top ten this weekend. Here’s a smexy link to the updated table, which is also always available under the “More Noobishness” Pages on this site.

Sat., 4/27
#3 Peel Godred 6 vs. 2 #19 Arlesburgh Utd.
#1 Dryaw 1 vs. 6 #11 Lakeside
#7 Wellsworth 14 vs. 10 #16 Brendam Utd.
#6 Junction & Sheds 1 vs. 5 #8 E.C.D.
#17 Ulfstead 1 vs. 0 #4 Crovan’s Gate

Sun., 4/28
#9 Glennock 2 vs. 3 #5 Kirk Ronan
#2 Knapford Town 3 vs. 2 #12 Castle Rolf
#14 Brendam Harbor 3 vs. 7 #14 Marron
#20 Tidmouth City 5 vs. 6 #15 Vicarstown
#10 Suddery 2 vs. 7 T17 Ffarquhar

Review Highlights

 * #1 Dryaw FC - minus freakily injured star striker Christopher Wilbertson  - lose again to Lakeside A.F.C. 

* #B Knapford Town and #3 Peel Godred each win, now trail Dryaw by just one and two points in the table, respectively. 

* Ulfstead and Ffarquhar both win, dropping Brendam United into the Relegation Zone.

Image result for Lakeside FC crest The key match of the weekend turned out to be Dryaw’s home loss to Lakeside A.F.C. The league leaders were missing star striker Christopher Wilbertson. Was it the difference? Hard to say. Sodor’s “L.A.F.C” held them to just one goal in their other match this season, too.

So what happened? Dryaw kept their injury news on the D-L. Not hard, considering Noob – your exclusive source for all things IoS PL – returned stateside for Easter.) It was holiday disaster for Wilbertson.

The club held an Easter egg hunt on the stadium grounds a week ago Saturday. Wilbertson won. And he celebrated as he celebrates everything, once again trying to perfectly re-create the famous Klinsmann Dive. His luck finally ran out, as he whiplashed his neck to the point of needing over a week off.

Image result for Klinsmann dive sodor Does Noob keep recycling the same photo for this guy, post after post?

Maybe Wilbertson just always does this exactly the same way.

Image result for soccer easter egg hunt

(But at least call the kids got participation prizes!)

Wilbertson is expected to return next week for Dryaw’s home match versus #6 Junction & Sheds. Noob will have updates as warranted as I am returning to the Isle midweek.

IoS PL was off last weekend, of course, for the Easter holiday. When there are no massive piles of coin on the line like with so many European leagues, time can be taken off for the other important things in life.

Noob returned stateside, as an offer was made on my house! There’s been a minor hiccup, so I have not returned to Sodor for this weekend. No big shakes. By FA Cup time, I expect to be residing full-time on the Isle.

Instead of a single Feature Match for the weekend one one for each day, this is a good time to just take a broad look at the schedule:

Sat., 4/27
#3 Peel Godred vs. #19 Arlesburgh Utd.
#1 Dryaw vs. #11 Lakeside
#7 Wellsworth vs. #16 Brendam Utd.
#6 Junction & Sheds vs. #8 E.C.D.
#17 Ulfstead vs. #14 Marron

Sun., 4/28
#9 Glennock vs. #5 Kirk Ronan
#2 Knapford Town vs. #12 Castle Rolf
#14 Brendam Harbor vs. #4 Crovan’s Gate
#20 Tidmouth City vs. #15 Vicarstown
#10 Suddery vs. T17 Ffarquhar

All top three teams have home matches that – on paper – they should win.

Saturday — #3 Peel Godred only managed an 0-1 win at Arlesburgh earlier this season. And #1 Dryaw fell asleep at Lakside A.F.C., losing 5-1. These should go the way of the home sides, but anything is possible and the title race is tight. A shakeup is possible, if not probable.

Also of note is the Relegation battle. Ulfstead and Ffarquhar are tied at 17th, right on the Cutline. Marron scored a tied-for-league record 14 goals hosting Ulfstead. Home field changes much, yet perhaps Marron are just an atrocious matchup for them.

Sunday — The other club that managed 14 this year was #14 Castle Rolf. They did it at home against #2 Knapford Town, who they now visit. Since they’re tied for the first Drop Zone slot, Ffarquhar visiting Suddery will be the other match to key in on today.

And remember, Goal Differential is not a tiebreaker on Sodor. Any clubs tied on points for the title or for 17th/18th place will have playoff at the national stadium in Suddery.

Here’s a smexy link to the league table. Enjoy the footsportsball weekend, Noobites!

Sat., 4/13 [The Featured Match, which was previewed, is in bold]
#7 E.C D. 1 vs. 6 #8 Wellsworth
#19 Tidmouth City 4 vs. 13 #10 Suddery
#11 Lakeside 1 vs. 5 #1 Dryaw
#5 Kirk Ronan 0 vs. 7 T14 Marron
T16 Ffarquhar 0 vs. 4 T14 Brendam Harbor

Sun., 4/14
#4 Crovan’s Gate 3 vs. 5 #20 Arlesburgh Utd.
T16 Ulfstead 1 vs. 2 #9 Glennock
#18 Brendam Utd. 6 vs. 5 #13 Vicarstown
#6 Junction & Sheds 7 vs. 2 #12 Castle Rolf
#2 Peel Godred 7 vs. 8 #3 Knapford Town

[The updated table is under the “More Noobishness” Pages. Smexy link. ]

Review Highlights:  

*  Knapford Town moves into 2nd, dropping Peel Godred to 3rd

*  Dryaw wins again, remains four points clear of #2

*  New last place team!

*  A tie for 16th forces IoS FA to announce how they will handle possible end-of-season tie in the table

What a crazy weekend on the Isle. In addition to the highlights above, seven away teams won. Suddery blasted sad sacks Tidmouth City for 13 goals. And Brendam United climbed out of the Relegation Zone, leaving two teams tied on the Cutline. This last forced FA prez Abban Clague to release a long-awaited statement regarding possible ties in the table at season’s end:

Should two or more teams tie for 1st, they’ll have a Playoff at the national stadium in Suddery. The same will be true if there is a tie surrounding the Relegation Line. No other form of tiebreaker will be used. This includes Goal Differential, despite pressure from our cousins in the English FA to follow their model.

Why? For our new international audience: On the Isle, when a team is down in a match, it is considered poor form to stop trying to score, to shut the game down to keep the final margin small. That’s not fun.

So we start our new era of nationally organized soccer by honoring this tradition. Victory will be rewarded, but not the margins. And if our cousins across the Walney don’t like it, they can mizzle for all of me! *mike drop*

Why Mr. Clague thought a mike drop worked in writing is beyond Noob. Sodor is a strange place ofttimes.

Oh yeah, and that Feature Match between Peel Godred and Knapford Town? All 15 goals were scored in the first half. Over the second half, 11 shots found woodwork. Twice, shots hit the crossbar and a post before plinking away from net. It was odd beyond belief. By game’s end, everyone was creeped out and quiet. Noob’s just not ready to talk about it. I miss drinking in Dryaw with my friends.

Image result for sobriety sucks

Yes, just one Feature Match this weekend. Anything involving #1 Dryaw FC is, of course, big, so their Sat. result will get added here that night.

Sat., 4/13
#7 E.C.D. vs. #8 Wellsworth
#19 Tidmouth City vs. #10 Suddery
#11 Lakeside vs. #1 Dryaw
#5 Kirk Ronan vs. #14 Marron
T16 Ffarquhar vs. T14 Brendam Harbor

Sun., 4/14
#4 Crovan’s Gate vs. #20 Arlesburgh Utd.
T16 Ulfstead vs. #9 Glennock
#18 Brendam Utd. vs. #13 Vicarstown
#6 Junction & Sheds vs. #12 Castle Rolf

But really, there’s only one great match this weekend– a potentially season-defining one. #2 Peel Godred hosts their rematch with #3 Knapford Town on Sunday.

Since Peel Godred club and town have been Featured several times recently, this was the perfect week for Noob to get back Stateside. I’m selling my residential property there, looking to make Sodor my permanent home! A few weeks off after the IoS PL season is all before their second-ever FA Cup begins. Soccer here is year-round, and so will be Noob’s exclusive coverage.

Image result for 2517 Langstane Lane, Lexington, KY for sale

3BR, 2.5 bath, 1825 sq.’

For the low, low price of $189,900, own this beauthy and help Noob’s dream of relocation to Sodor come true

This is the complete table, but here’s the need-to-know: Peel were the only team of the top three – the legit title contenders – to pick up three points last week. Dryaw only managed a home draw against the bullies of E.C.D. and KTFC also only got a single point as the drew against the reigning FA Cup winners of Brendam Harbor. Dryaw lead Peel by two and Knapford by four.

Image result for Knapford Town FC KTFC won the first, early-season match between these two at home, handily, 5-1. That result, however, has not been the rule for Knapford. Much of the season since, they’ve owned lesser teams. But when they face stronger clubs, they’ve typically lost. That those losses tend to be incredibly close speaks well of their abilities. Still, Noob wonders if they have the mettle to close a tough one out and make a sincere title push.

Image result for Peel Godred FC Peel we’ve come to know and love as a club who don’t play in the typically Sudric fashion. Instead of just throwing everyone forward, they actually play defense. Unlike East Coast Diesel, they don’t do it with aggression. Instead, they’re the one club here who actually play more recognizable formations from the rest of the world. In particular, they’ve succeeded with the defensively-oriented 5-2-2-1, only pushing really hard on counters.

Noob calls it: This may be one of the great matches of the season!

Knapford showed in their first match that they can handle Peel’s non-traditional (for Sodor) style. But the evidence since then says they can’t keep good teams from scoring late. They’re 1-2-1 their last four, with the lone win coming against a Relegation candidate.

Meanwhile, Peel are 3-0-1 over that stretch, have won high and low-scoring affairs both. In truth, they’ve struggled against top clubs as well, feasting on the rest. But ‘old mo” is on their side right now and they’re at home. Peel 6-5 is the prediction.

6-5 ?   Your skills of football divination are dodgy as best, as always.   Yes, it's me, your old prognostication sensation pal Noobstradamus, back with his own call.   Noob, consulted the forces of nature.  I watched birds fly west off the Isle in a W formation, not a V.   Leaving home.   I am forced to surmise the home-siders will not prevail this day.  Knapford Town 2-4 is what WILL be.   

Also, I willed those birds to crap all over your rental Mini Cooper while you've been back in the U.S. this week.

Welcome back, Noobstradamus. I think.

Sat., 4/6 [Featured Matches, which were previewed, are in bold]
#17 Brendam Utd. 5 vs. 8 #3 Peel Godred
#18 Ffarquhar 4 vs. 1 #11 Lakeside
#6 Junction & Sheds 6 vs. 1 #8 Wellsworth
#12 Castle Rolf 6 vs. 8 #19 Tidmouth City
#2 Knapford Town 4 vs. 4 #14 Brendam Harbor

Sun., 4/7
#9 Glennock 4 vs. 4 #16 Ulfstead
#4 Crovan’s Gate 2 vs. 3 #10 Suddery
#5 Kirk Ronan 6 vs. 4 #20 Arlesburgh Utd.
#13 Marron 3 vs. 7 T14 Vicarstown
#1 Dryaw 3 vs. 3 T7 East Coast Diesel

[The updated table is under the “More Noobishness” Pages. Smexy link. ]

Image result for PGFC crest Noob predicted Saturday’s feature match would go 1-6 in favor of Peel Godred. Welp! Got the winner right, anyway. Brendam Utd. actually managed five in a respectable losing effort, and not just a bunch at the end of a blow out.

Image result for Boleyn fc crest Ultimately, United couldn’t keep up with Peel’s strange use of what are pretty standard formations anywhere else. PGFC earned a 2-4 staying mostly in a 4-3-3. But once PG extended their lead a little in the second, they then switched to a 4-5-1. Remember: On Sodor, it’s all hyper-offense, all the time for most clubs. That second formation bamboozled United something fierce.

So heading into Sunday’s feature match, #1 Dryaw FC’s lead was down to a single point in the table. Could they re-extend their cushion?

Image result for east coast diesel crest Visiting East Coast Diesel reclaimed their identity as the league’s Bad Boys, reinstalling their incredibly physical defensive style their last two matches. But the FA had seen enough (10 yellow cards in a half last week!), and actually equipped refs for this match with red cards for the first time in anyone’s memory. Previously, had the need arisen, someone would’ve just had to bleed on a yellow or something.

Still, Diesel had gotten word and adjusted, only upending Dryaw’s front line players when scoring chances appeared to be forming. But Dryaw’s whole team appeared to be playing on their heels just the same, knowing E.C.D. had been in the habit late of just mauling everyone, anytime. It all led to the low-scoring affair Diesel wanted. They led 2-3 with match nearly done.

That’s when there was magic. Dryaw star striker Christopher Wilbertson was streaking across the middle of the box when he got sneakily backtripped. He was in full Superman form when the otherwise-slightly errant pass was there for the perfect header and score. Your final! 3-3

Funny, it looks just like the Klinsmann Dive he keeps trying to recreate every week. What a guy.

So figured in with Knapford Town’s draw, the title chase is Dryaw at 69, Peel alone now in 2nd with 67, and KTFC with 65.

Huzza.

Matchday 31 (Sun., 4/7) preview (Sat.’s match previews precede this post)

#9 Glennock vs. #16 Ulfstead
#4 Crovan’s Gate vs. #10 Suddery
#5 Kirk Ronan vs. #20 Arlesburgh Utd. (5-0 AU)
#13 Marron vs. T14 Vicarstown (8-6 M)

plus the Sunday feature match #1 Dryaw vs. T7 East Coast Diesel

Season-long followers of IoS PL coverage might assume Noob simply camped out in Dryaw for yet another week. It was tempting, this being a little Paris of sorts, an idyllic haven for writers and intellectuals and all sorts of unscrupulous rabble. Image result for Doug Barr But my best friends American author Daniel J. Heck and Doug Barr (1980’s TV “The Fall Guy”, screenwriter and vintner) both hopped back across the pond. Saturday’s feature match was in Brendam, and so there I b&b’ed for the week.

But now Noob’s back, baybeeeeeee. And the mood in town Noob sensed Saturday night was surely odd. Naturally, everyone’s riding a wave of elation that Dryaw’s been leading the league for weeks upon weeks. And they now lead by four – not a huge cushion, but a little margin for error’s been managed.

Yet there’s no mistaking an air of worry here. Two matchdays weekends ago, E.C.D. Image result for east coast diesel crest stormed back from a 2-6 deficit to earn a draw in the Walney Channel Derby. This team that had muddled through just an ok season went back to their pre-Premier League identity, as one that plays seriously rough defense. Remember: even moderately hard defense has always been considered uncouth historically.

Yes, Dryaw supporters are scared. Worried about the result, sure. But terrified of their players getting mauled. In the second half of that derby two weeks ago, Diesels earned 10 yellow cards in as many minutes. They then cruised the following matchday to a 4-2 road win over Marron that was not as close as the score indicates. They even retook their official 2018-19 team photo. They look haunted and angry.

Image result for mean amateur soccer team photo

So since reclaiming their identity, they’re 1-1-0 and have outscored opponents 8-2 over the last three halves. Dryaw, meanwhile, are 2-2 in their last four. They’ve been more offensively-minded over this stretch, but who knows how many easy chances they’ll be able to muster today now that the Bad Boys are back.

Noob calls it: I think E.C.D. are going to control the pace. That said, the FA folks seem none too pleased with Diesels’ re-finding of their brutally physical style.

Noob’s not suggesting they’ve given explicit marching orders to the refs to keep the game Sudric-clean, but some sort of message has gone out. They’d like to see their unique brand of football take hold and get a little international attention as time goes on. The call: 2-2

The title race stays scalding hot.

Having no major landmass to the near west of it, Sodor catches the brunt of truly severe storms. Last weekend, the Isle got gobsmacked by one, so all games were postponed and the remaining season’s schedule simply shifted back a week.

Matchday 31 (Sat., 4/6) Preview (Sunday preview to follow tomorrow)

#18 Ffarquhar vs. #11 Lakeside
#6 Junction & Sheds vs. #8 Wellsworth
#12 Castle Rolf vs. #19 Tidmouth City
#2 Knapford Town vs. #14 Brendam Harbor

plus the Saturday Feature Match #17 Brendam Utd. vs. #3 Peel Godred

This should be one dandy of a match, full of desperate energy. United are just one slot in the table and one point ahead of #18 Ffarquhar – the Relegation line. PGFC are tied for 2nd, but four points behind league-leading Dryaw FC. [Click here for the current table.] Neither can afford to drop any points in pursuit of their respective goals with just a couple months of season remaining.

Image result for Boleyn fc crest United were featured in the Brendam Derby back in February and that brought them no good fortune whatsoever. There got utterly trucked, 7-0, by intracity rivals Brendam Harbor. Their trajectory, their problems have remained the same. They absolutely cannot score. On Sodor, where defense is typically an afterthought, that’s confusing and unmanageable. They’ve scored all of two goals in their last four matches, going 0-1-3, are in real danger of the Drop.

Noob had the sense coming into this inaugural Premier League season that B-Utd. were going to be competitive, maybe even title-chasers. Brendam’s one of the big, main towns on the Isle. They’ve always done well in the friendlies, tourneys and small regional leagues that have popped up up for brief times here over history. But I failed to realize that much more recently, the power had shifted to Harbor.

“United” was named such for the traditional reason. They are an amalgamation of former, much smaller teams from just inland. They do draw from Brendam Town, but more and more Harbor has been becoming the “city’s team”. B-Utd. has had to become mostly a provincial team, drawing much more heavily from the countryside population for players. That area of this southern peninsula is not populous, even by Sudric standards.

United want to become rivals to Harbor once again. For that to happen though, they’ll need to remake inroads into Brendam proper, expand the player pool from which they draw. Until then, they will likely continue to struggle mightily.

Image result for PGFC crest Peel Godred were featured just last matchday, so Noob will abbreviate. [Click here for that PGFC match feature article.] They’re 2-0-2 in their last four. And they need to string together wins in back to back matches for the first time in a while if they want to become the #1 contender to Dryaw.

Noob calls it: Peel Godred 1-6 Peel’s style is unique on Sodor, and so more recognizable to the rest of the world. They actually play some standard formations instead of throwing everyone forward all the time. That gives teams here fits, and has been particularly disastrous for teams in the table’s lower half. Noob’s generous to write United might score at all.

Sat., 3/23
#20 Arlesburgh Utd. 5 vs. 0 #5 Kirk Ronan
#19 Tidmouth City 0 vs. 3 T7 Junction & Sheds
#3 Peel Godred 4 vs. 1 #17 Ffarquhar
#16 Brendam Utd. 1 vs. 4 #12 Lakeside
#10 Suddery 0 vs. 4 #9 Glennock

Sun., 3/24
#2 Knapford Town 4 vs. 4 #15 Vicarstown
#4 Crovan’s Gate 2 vs. 0 #11 Castle Rolf
#1 Dryaw 6 vs. 5 #14 Brendam Harbor
#13 Marron 2 vs. 4 T7 E.C.D.
#6 Wellsworth 6 vs. 7 #18 Ulfstead

[The updated table is under the “More Noobishness” Pages. Smexy link. ]

Image result for PGFC crest Feature matches from the weekend preview entries are in bold. Saturday‘s saw #3 Peel Godred get a workmanlike win over #17 Ffarquhar. The Double F couldn’t contend with Peel’s 5-2-2-1. They had about half the possession, but couldn’t create chances on goal. PG got four goals on counters. This was Noob’s best prediction job yet. So where will this leave them in the table?

The answer largely hinges on Dryaw’s home match with FA Cup champs (but #14) Brendam Harbor. It looked like it would be a smooth, workmanlike win for Dryaw, who lead 5-1 at the half. Brendam Harbor’s historic, pre-FA success was based in their aggressive (by Sudric standards) defense. But with the advent of this Premier League, they’ve seemingly decided to try and shed some of their baddish-boy image and it hasn’t worked out.

Image result for BHFC crest The second half was a different story altogether! It took the majority of the season, but they found the balance for which they’d been searching. Slide tackles, in-your-chest D –but only when Dryaw were on the edge of creating chances in their offensive third or counters. The Harbormen became more selective in those efforts, enabling them to concentrate on pushing the ball and creating themselves. At the end of 90’+, it was 5-5.

Dryaw’s star – wingman and all-around nutjob Christopher Wilbertson – wasted no time keeping his team’s title chances of taking a major dent. Just two minutes into extra time, the whirling dervish took a quick pass midfield. He twisted past one defender, nutmegged a second, and beat the goalkeeper low to his right with a rocket. Your final: Dryaw 6-5

Will Wilbertson be available next week will be the interesting sidenote though. Just like two weeks ago, he celebrated by trying to recreate the famous Klinsmann Dive. This time, the wacko strained his neck pretty badly.

So now Dryaw lead both Knapford and Peel by four in the table. With just eight matches to go, nothing is certain between these three. Brendam Harbor are now in the thick of the Relegation Zone fight. They’re now in 17th, one position and one point ahead of Ffarquhar.

League Champions

Knapford Town

Peel Godred

Kirk Ronan

Matchday 30 (Sun., 3/24) Preview

#2 Knapford Town vs. #15 Vicarstown
#4 Crovan’s Gate vs. #11 Castle Rolf
#13 Marron vs. T7 E.C.D.
#6 Wellsworth vs. #18 Ulfstead

Plus the Sunday Feature Match: #1 Dryaw hosts #14 Brendam Harbor

Hello from village Dryaw! Noob usually attends both the weekend’s Feature Matches. But no way I was going to interrupt my stay in Dryaw this week. The preview’s a’comin’, but first, indulge Noob’s small peek into my long-term, part-time life here.

For those newer to all things Sodor, Dryaw’s a sizable village in the west central part of the Isle. West and south along the coast are three of the large towns, all easy gets for finer dining. Just east – estates, B&B’s, wine country. And so, it’s become a haven for writers, whether for short vacation, extended stays, or even permanent residence.

Noob’s been hanging and imbibing with his usual pair o’ pals. American novelist Dan Heck (Google up his books, or even his new blog-archive of all things championships of all kinds) came for the week. Image result for Doug Barr So did Douglas Barr, costar of 1980’s TV’s “The Fall Guy”. Actor, writer, director, vintner – we’re all becoming best friends, it’s true. He brought some of his newly available 2002 “2480 ” cab sav from his Hollywood and Vine Cellars. Behhhst frehhhhnds. So, Noob’s got more than a bit of a katzenjammer working as he writes tomorrow’s preview.

Sportsball! Ok. Dryaw still lead Knapford by two in the table and Peel Godred by four (Peel’s Sat. result pending). This, despite being just 1-1-2 their last month. The road loss last week in the capital against midtable Suddery was a surprise. Will they re-find their offense again today? They’ve proven they can win high-and low-scoring affairs alike, but one goal is rarely going to get you any points on the Isle.

Image result for BHFC crest Brendam Harbor won the inaugural FA Cup this past summer, but surprisingly have not followed that up with a strong first PL season. They’re just 14th in the table. Being from one of the “main towns” on the Isle, they were certainly considered a league fave even before winning the Cup.

They’re one of the few teams on Sodor that play a reasonable semblance of defense. They’ve certainly had their share of strong games on that regard, but when teams score much at all against them, the Harbormen have rarely shown they can compete in a shootout. Motivation may start to become a question. They’re safe from Relegation, yet have little hope of competing for a top-half table finish.

Noob calls it: Dryaw 5-1 Dryaw’s been excellent at home, for the most part. And they’ll be plenty motivated. They know Knapford and Peel Godred also have home dates this weekend, matches against bottom half teams.