The CHASERS are born...
...at 7.30pm on Wednesday 27th April 2022
...in The Cherry Tree pub in Wood Lane, Dagenham, RM8 3LJ
What is it about CHASERS?
All around the UK and Ireland, folks gather in their clubs to enjoy time together flicking little bits of plastic around on a miniature football pitch.
...and since April 2022, so do the CHASERS. Gary Gladwell set about starting up a club, one of several that were set up at lockdown eased, which reflected an unanticipated renewed interest in Subbuteo Table Football. With participants from Chadwell Heath, Romford and South Essex, the CHRSE was nearly born, until some bright spark suggested putting 'and South Essex' in the middle! ??
Chadwell Heath and South Essex, Romford Subbuteo Club
...there is a certain essence that CHASERS bring. The name starts it off. Not one CHASER cares that it's a clumsy anagram. All they care about is that they are a CHASER, and together they are CHASERS!
So what are they chasing?
After finishing bottom of division 2 for the 2nd time in 2 attempts, when there are just 2 divisions, some would say everybody and everything! A little more insight would indicate they might be chasing a dream...
CHASERS in team formation
So what is this dream?
No-one really knows, in fact it appears that no-one really cares. The standard CHASER is just happy to be here!
What happens in this dream?
Anyone who fancies getting involved, gets involved. No question about the standard of play they might be offering.
What is achieved in this dream?
Folks feel accepted, encouraged to play and improve if they want to. A safe place to play a game for enjoyment.
Notable things that have happened
By May 2023, Sam 'The Chasette' Levy had let in 183 goals and lost 77 games, with a constant grace and a smile on her face. ?
In November 2023 Steven Jackson scored his first ever goal. All games stopped immediately, as every player applauded and cheered! ?
Also, in November 2023, Sam won her first game, winning the player of the week award (and not for the first time!). ?
Solent came to play for a inter-club friendly. There's a certain unique kindred spirit between CHASERS and Solent. ?
CHASERS regularly host open WASPA tournaments, where everyone else wins the trophies! ?
CHASERS Westy and Steve buck the trend and accidentally win trophies at the October 2023 WASPA open .?
Sergeant Major Gladwell developed a special knack of getting everyone's attention when communicating the next round of games, with his trademark "SHUT UP!" ?
The rest of the CHASERS have a dawning realisation that are in fact, the rest of the cast from 'It Aint 'Alf Hot Mum!' ? ?"The folks to entertain yooouu!"?
Adz shows admirable sufferance about being mistaken as the CHASERS mascot by all the rest of the CHASERS.... which is a tad ironic as he is currently top of the CHASERS league! ?
The traditional Christmas gathering for 2023, involved many CHASERS, with a few other guests creating an event with a round dozen participating.
The 12 players were put into two groups of 6, Group A or Group B, with each playing 5 games with the other players.
One player from Group A was paired with a player from Group B, to make up 6 Christmas teams. The teams and players are shown below...
The traditional Christmas pitches were set up for this event, featuring...
The Ibiza pitch was lit by a UV light, and used figures painted with UV paint.
The final pitch for the event was one built by Cayne Matthews, a sturdy normal pitch that could be used by anyone needing a break from the themed pitches that haven't got sturdy barriers to hold onto.
...with an unexpected festive romantic encounter!
Check out rule 7.1 of the FingerFox rules, which states: “Players will try not to do dodgy flicks and won’t really be too bothered if their opponent does one every now and then… if the other player sees a finger foul, they should have a stern word with themselves for actually noticing and not being sufficiently absorbed by the game!”
In fact, this principle also needs to be applied to offsides, and the FingerFox rules will be updated to reflect this. Essentially: "If a player notices their opponent has a figure in an offside position, they will either flag this beforehand, or ignore it!"
Anyone who has experienced playing in the Stadium of Fingers will acknowledge that free-flowing play can be tricky, and this incident is a perfect example of the philosophy of play triumphing over the limitations of competition.
Three days before the tournament we learned of the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
It was right therefore to consider the status of the tournament and reflect on whether it should go ahead. The situation appeared more poignant as several of the pitches used in the tournament feature Her Majesty as a 00-scale figure. Back in 1973, Subbuteo had designed HRH, as part of the VIP Presentation Set (C135), and this figure had inspired many creations in and around the Stadium of Fingers.
She can be seen presenting the FA Cup in the Stadium, standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in the Anglo-Italian Pitch, serving sandwiches in pitchside kiosks in Old Subbuteo Town and the Seaside Pitch and doing Crouch’s robot dance in Ken Corner. She also stands next to the Duke of Edinburgh to celebrate the many years they were together.
Her Majesty is featured in a piece of stained glass in the window of the Cathedral of Fingers, holding the FA Cup.
In addition, a team of HRH figures had been adapted to fit into some LW bases, to form the team known as Queen’s Park Palace.
So, the decision was made to hold the tournament out of respect, and out of celebration and remembrance for a life lived full of loyal service.
It was also agreed that Queen’s Park Palace would take part in the tournament, to be represented by several of the players.
Before the games kicked-off, the 22 players stood silently in the back garden, with nothing to be heard save the occasional chirp from a songbird. This peaceful and respectful silence was concluded with a hearty round of applause for our former Monarch - with us in spirit and in miniature, for the sixth Southend-on-Sea Old Subbuteo tournament.
With 22 players turning up to take part in this year's event, the residents of the Mews had made some extra space available, with David hosting the Ewok Arena at Number 4, and Alex opening up her lounge to host the Subbuteo and the Beast pitch at Number 1. For the first time in SOS OSC history, four households had pooled their resources to welcome the Olds! ?
So it was game on, with all players starting their meandering journey towards one or other of the trophies or medals.
Westy got off to a creditable start by keeping The Cat goalless on the Anglo-Italian Pitch.
Plenty of action in any game involving Rocket, saw him joining The Cat and Westy in the Stadium of Fingers Cup. Off Target joined Howzat Dave and Cobra Kai Kicks in the Scoundrels Cup.
Closely contested with all players getting at least a couple of results. PIM played out a bunch of goalless draws, and the goal he did score was controversial! ? (Check the clip below!)
He joined Donald Crowhurst (recovering from an early defeat to top the group) and Braveheart in the Stadium of Fingers Cup. Malts found his true calling in the Scoundrels Cup, where he was joined by JohnClu48 and The Badger.
The Iceman and Bishop FPV progressed philosophically through the group, and then met each other in the final match in the Stadium of Fingers. Here they each won their first point! ??
Snake70, Len Shackelton Jr and Neilberto Sparkos took points from each other and all qualified for the Stadium of Fingers Cup.
A hotly contested group for the top spot, with Ghigliotti09 taking the honours. This was fitting as Marco offered to play against himself using Queens Park Palace, resulting in the likely loss of a point! The Hawk came out on top with our indefatigable Youbbuteo! They both head to the Scoundrels Cup! ?
Her Majesties then played their debut in the Stadium of Fingers, with HP Lovecraft providing the opposition. The match was characterised by HP Lovecraft politely shooting wide of the target and Her Majesties not quite understanding that a blocking flick doesn’t allow one to play the ball!
The next game was with Youbutteo in the fog. The first half saw a defensive error from The Lady in Waiting (Kicking Keeper), and Youbutteo was left with an open goal. Showing no concern that he might be about to enter a 'not-so-open' gaol, he slotted it home. The second half was a different matter entirely, with a Royal Hat-Trick in 4 minutes and 32 seconds!
The Hawk was the next player to risk being locked in the Tower when he scored a goal with 'Lady in Waiting' out. To be fair though it was a nice finish so he promptly received a Royal Pardon. The regular royal comeback then ensued with Her Majesties sending themselves victorious! ?
After getting knocked out by Queens Park Palace, Braveheart played with them in the semi-final with Rocket.
The recording got corrupted, so an attempt was made to record the recording using a phone. The coverage below is the result...
The Melee was first played in the 2019 event, when became clear that something else was needed to complement the 4 Finals, for the Olds that had the misfortune to get knocked out in the various cups, to play one last game.
This time it was a 6-a-side Melee, with all players slotting smoothly into their respective roles, albeit after a brief period of general bewilderment.
Player 1 – Attacker if the ball is in the attacking half
Player 2 – Attacker if the ball is in the defending half
Player 3 – Blocking if the ball is in the attacking half
Player 4 – Blocking if the ball is in the defending half
Player 5 – Goalkeeper, kicking goalie and goal-kicks
Player 6 – Special Teams (Free-kicks, throw-ins, corner-kicks and positional flicks)
The teams were chosen with little controversy. It was easy to do as half were stood on one side of the table and the other half were stood on the other side. ?
The controversy was with the figures each team was given to play with.
Apparently, if you're life-long die-hard supporter of Plymouth Argyle, it is not OK to be asked to play against them!
Westy sums the situation up well in this clip. If you are averse to seeing PAFC tattoos, look away now! ?
Some glorious reactions to what would ordinarily be standard Subbuteo flicks.
First Neilbertos Sparkos does a quality curling block. Then Braveheart does a nice midfield curl followed by a clumsy flick. These are probably the most enthusiastic reactions to midfield play in a game of Subbuteo, since it first appeared in the Boys Own Magazine in 1946! ?
THE BEGINNING
Chapter 1
"In the beginning, the world was without table football, and void and darkness reigned.
Then William L. Keeling did create New Footy in 1929.
And the Spirit of William L. Keeling moved upon the surface of the table, and figures were formed upon curved bases.
And there was Table Football…
And Peter Adolph saw the New Footy, and saw that it was good: And Peter Adolph did invent Subbuteo.
And Peter Adolph said, Let there be a green cloth for which to play Subbuteo upon: and it was so.
And Peter Adolph said, Let Subbuteo bring forth the Flat figure, to curl upon the green cloth: and it was so. And Peter Adolph saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
And there was evening and the morning.
Lo, in 1969, Peter Adolph sold the rights of Subbuteo to Waddingtons. Waddingtons, begat Hasbro, and in 2005, Hasbro did create flat photorealistic card-style figures.
A few years earlier, God did create Adam Lundy and Adam Kilgallon. Adam and Adam did play a game using the Photoreal figures. The game was without goals, and the evening and the morning saw both Adams crowned as the "Disputed Photoreal Subbuteo Champions of the World."
This is the story of the oft despised and downtrodden Photoreal Subbuteo figures.
When they were produced, according to Subbuteo guru, Peter Upton the figures received a lot of criticism from the table soccer community, most notably from existing players - moaning chiefly about playability. They fail to aid shooting and chipping, and cannot be used for long accurate glides, and lack the softer touch when reaching the ball. Comments have also been made about how cheap the product looks.
These comments were borne out when Table Football Monthly reviewed the figures. After a forlorn session, an exasperated Keith Littler explains: "The playing figures are total rubbish!... if you want to play it, particularly if you want to play against somebody, I'm afraid it is misery on a table - It's joyless!"
So, this is the story of the misunderstood underdog, loved by no-one and left in a box with the lid on for so long...too long!
The Friends of Old Subbuteo committed to trying the Photoreal Figures out, in practice, in friendly games in the Old Sods OldSubbuteo Club and the Rochford and Southend Casual Subbuteo Club, where they faired creditably, with a mix of inspired success and dismal failure.
They were also given a run-out in the more competitive TSPA circuit, where the 13th place out of 13 entries was not to be unexpected. However, even in this reputable company, the Photoreal figures were not without promise. It became clear that while the figure were challenging to play with, they have special gifts, and with love and care, they can uplift the soul!
The clips below show some of the unique moves they can make (some legal and others less so!)
Since Subbuteo released the Photoreal figures back in 2005, no doubt there have been countless games in the living rooms of the world. To our knowledge none of the results have ever been recorded, and no official event has ever been staged.
Therefore, it is unlikely that there is a Photoreal Subbuteo World Champion. To rectify this travesty, a trophy has been made, with the help of 'Jaguar Design and Print' who made a giant figure, which sits on a Subbuteo lamp base, and trophy base from 'Trophiesr4us'.
The legitimacy of this trophy in indisputable, and it will hopefully be a zenith for Subbuteo players everywhere!
Chronicles - April 2022
c2010: Adam 'Puffin' Lundy drew a game with Adam Kilgallon. Each with one hand on the trophy.
April 2022: Fingers beat Puffin, Adam K drew with Fingers. Fingers replaces Puffin with one hand on the trophy. Adam K keeps his hand on it...
April 2022: Fingers drew with Ute, Rocket, JohnClu48, Spudksi. These 4 'Old Sods' all have a finger on the trophy...
Numbers - June 2022
June 2022: Adam draws 1-1 with Ute, and gets a tenuous finger back on the trophy, courtesy of Ute's 'trophied finger' from his draw with Fingers back in April...
Puffin's 1-0 victory replacing Finger's hand on the trophy for a Puffin wing! ?
Fingers owned by Ute, Rocket, Spudski, & JohnClu48 were prised off, as they were only there vicariously, through their draw with former disputed champion, Fingers!
Surely a showdown beckons between the 2 Adams, to become the Undisputed Old Sod, crowned the Disputed Photoreal Subbuteo World Champion!
The first regular trophy won by the Photoreals!
This was the monthly WASPA event run by Chasers Subbuteo Club (Chadwell Heath & South Essex, Romford Subbuteo)
After a creditable 1-1 draw with Gary Gladwell, with a last-minute curled shot, the chaps went from strength to strength to finish unbeaten, and astoundingly, top of the table! ?
Here they are with their trophy!
2023 - Leviticus
At the February TSPA event, the Photoreal Subbuteo Club High Priest, Adam 'Puffin' Lundy, played once more with Steve 'Fingers' Moreton. This time Puffin lost his wing on the trophy as Fingers' fingers once again grasped it with relish!
April saw a newcomer to the Photoreal Subbuteo Club - Kyle 'Cobra Kai Kicks' Jamieson! Having never played with these figures before, he gamely agreed to a match with Fingers, after they had both got knocked out of the Chasers Spring Open.
During the game Kyle made some spectacular saves. both posts and the crossbar were also involved, and on occasion his keeper saved without any assistance!
For such a spirited first effort, Kyle deserved all the luck, and the game finished 0-0. This means he has a finger on the trophy, with a genuine bona fide legitimate claim to be the Disputed Photoreal Subbuteo World Champion! ?
Brian asked the Friends of Old Subbuteo if they would run a demonstration Subbuteo session at Admiral Court Care Home in Leigh-on-Sea.
The Friends of Old Subbuteo said "Yeesssss!", and it was game on! ?
Lee turned up after 3 hours kip from doing his night shift at the home ? kitted out in his England 1982 Admiral shirt to match the team he was playing with.
England were playing against Plymouth Argyle...!
The event drew a bit of a crowd, with many residents popping in to watch some of the action.
Steve (Plymouth Argyle) and Lee (England 1982) played out two halves, and at 2-2 after about an hour, the classic 'next goal wins' principle, from 'the-sun-is-going-down-and-it's-dinnertime' rulebook was enacted! ?
Lee's defence stood firm, ably supported by a 00-scale Mick Mills and Kenny Sansom, and after length of the pitch breakaway move, Paul Mariner scored the winning goal.
Some of the residents got involved in the game with Martin starring at the England goalie (Ray Clemence), and Lena making some quality offside decisions - once by raising her mince pie and once by raising her glass of wine. Both great decisions - no need for VAR!
A return to Admirals Court after the winter lockdown, saw Shadnam playing a 'special teams' role, taking the throw-ins and corner kicks.
Truth be said - she came to Lee's rescue! Lee was playing Mansfield and was 2-0 down to Steve's Plymouth at halftime. The second half saw a spirited fightback, with Plymouth being pegged back to 2-2!
Steve and Lee then played an England (Lee) v Scotland (Steve) game, where the tartan army threatened to run amok!
The final score was England 0 Scotland 3!
A few interested spectators wandered through, and there was also a bit of air-hockey happening, that afternoon, with Brian showing some quality skills with the puck.
Westcliff SVP was created in 2000, and has been involved in supporting homeless people through the Winter Night Shelter and many vulnerable people within the community who need a hand with bills, food parcels, necessities, emotional / spiritual support and other services
In the Summer of 2021, as lockdown restrictions were eased, the Friends of Old Subbuteo were asked to hold a Subbuteo event at their Community Support Hub. The Friends of Old Subbuteo don't need a second invite to arrange a local Subbuteo event, so it was game on!
This was either the first time anyone had played Subbuteo, or the first time for at least a couple of decades!
With two tables set up, there was a chance for anyone to have a go, and with a barbecue being prepared and served by our host and event organiser Daniel, there was a relaxed atmosphere for folks to eat, chat and play, as they wished.
In the end, 5 games were played, some lasting around 20 minutes with others played for nearly an hour! For some (especially Lee), once the playing got started, it wasn't very easy to stop! ? The game with Elliot was a bit of a marathon, and eventually needed settling with an epic shootout.
Lee 2 v 2 Steve (Lee won 1-0 on shots)
Chris 1 v 0 Alex
Steve 1 v 0 Jimmy
Lee 0 v 0 Elliot (Lee won 4-2 on shots)
Graham ? v ? Russell
The result of the game between Graham and Russell is unrecorded. It might go down as a mythical Subbuteo incident - a mystery never to be solved(!) ? ...or, it might be we find this out at the next event!
Next event is planned for October 2021... watch this space! ?
The second event at Westcliff SVP saw several closely contested games, which adopted a variety of formats. Singles, doubles and games purely consisting of shoot-outs were held, to give all a chance to get involved in a way that suited them.
Also, Russell was there, which gave the opportunity to explore what happened in that mythical unrecorded match in the Summer. Apparently both he and Graham had played Subbuteo as teenagers, but with the decades since had forgotten the rules and most of the skills(!). This didn't deter them from playing a game where the rules were agreed on as the game progressed. Russell magnanimously admitted to winning the tight affair 1-0, attributing the victory to a healthy slice of good fortune.
Steve 1 v 1 Chris
Russell 2 v 2 Steve
Catherine 1 v 0 Steve (Shots)
Russell 0 v 3 Nate (Shots)
Nate 4 - 3 Russell (Shots)
Nate 2 - 1 Chris
Nate/Steve 1 - 0 Chris/Russell
A relaxed affair saw a mixture of activity, with some singles and doubles matches mixed with some penalty shoot-outs.
The shootouts are proving to be a great way for folks to get involved - not needing to commit to a full match, and still able to have a flick-to-kick experience! ?
Peter, Alex, Chris and Steve shared a few games, then Jamie and Catherine joined in with some penalty shoot-out action...
Catherine kept up her 100% goal-scoring feats. To date, every shot she has ever taken in her life has finished up in the back of the net! ? (2 out of 2!)
Steve 1 v 0 Peter
Chris 1 - 1 Alex
Steve/Chris 1 - 1 Alex/Peter
Shootout goals...
Jamie wins with 2, Alex, Catherine, Steve and Chris manage to net 1, Peter was foiled by the keeper and then hit the post!
On the eve of the 2019 SoS OSC tournament, the Old Sods check out the Stadium of Fingers, which is set up for some end of summer Subbuteo Cricket.
Ever open to inspiration and unable to avoid the temptation to play a 00-scale test match between England and Australia, the inaugural Old Sods Subbuteo cricket match commences...
This clip shows the first ever piece of footage of the event, featuring Spudski bowling to Ute Ubo, watched on by Puffin, JohnClu48 and Donald 'Fabio' Crowhurst'...
One close-up video clip was taken for a hat-trick ball...
Ute, was having a purple patch with the ball and had already dispatched two fine Old Sods back to the pavilion...First Puffin, and then Fabio...
The hat-trick ball was fended off by an Older and Wiser Sod (Rocket), playing a solid forward defensive shot.
Even so, the ball nearly found a way through...
Fingers, tries to nullify the devastating Ute Ubo bodyline bowling, by taking a long stride down the pitch.
The tactic fails miserably and Australia are all out, beaten by an innings and 25 runs!
The Old Sods then strolled back to the pavilion to watch highlights of their game.
Suffice to say there was some plentiful sledging of the umpire with some suggested visits to the opticians...
This is the story of the unfinished season...
One day in 1976, three brothers decided to play a Subbuteo league - the youngest not yet 10 years old...
They had 12 teams between them, who competed for the league championship and the FA Cup...
Southampton, Chelsea, QPR, Man Utd, Watford, Norwich City, West Ham, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Spurs and Man City.
Then more teams appeared, so in 1977 a 2nd division was needed. The top 6 teams formed the new first division (apart from Watford, who seemed to be lost for a few years!? ?), where they were joined by Everton, Hibs and Plymouth.
Leeds Utd were added to the second division. This belonged to the three brothers' Dad, who decided it was time to join in...
The seasons continued until 1983, but this season remains unfinished - just 4 games were left needing to be played...
Subbuteo produced a limited range of trophies. This one is the rare intact 3-handled League Cup. One of the holy grail accessories for 21st century collectors. In mint condition it could be worth up to £200. "The rarist by far of all Subbuteo trophies" (Subbuteo Emporium) "The League Cup is now the most sought-after trophy on the planet." (Subbuteo Online).
As this one was used for the Division 3 Cup and has tippex on the base, it is devalued by approximately £199... ?
The foul rule played in these games, was if a figures hits another figure before hitting the ball it was judged a foul. Obviously a foul because the player smacked into an opponent before playing the ball - a clear foul!
Apparently, this is a 'back' in Subbuteo rules, but these three brothers and the Dad didn't know this rule at the time. They played the foul rule as it clearly should be played if the figures were real people. I mean can you imagine if a football player runs up to an opponent and kicks his legs away, and then the referee says "go back to where you were" and then waves play-on??? ?
So, using this (more realistic) foul rule, there were plenty of fouls. If a player committed two fouls in a game they were booked, and a third foul meant they got sent off
The dirtiest player of the season? The 8th Southend's number 11 - Pete Osborne...
That was my thought as well Vik!! ?
However, the old 3-tier stadium does make for interesting incidents. I was playing my brother on Wednesday evening. We are still trying to finish off our 1983 seasons and we were playing a third division match between Cork Hibs and West Brom (my brother was West Brom, who were already relegated).
Cork Hibs were also playing their 9th and last game of the seasons and were destined for mid-table mediocrity, win lose or draw. So the game was played more for inspiration than points, and for the first time for probably 15 years we had reached half time 0-0 – not easy to do when you play 20 mins each way. There were loads of chances and close-shaves, but it seemed like the goals and goalkeepers were having a charmed existence.
For example, I was trying to pass back to my goalie from the edge of the defensive area, and because it’s too much hassle to walk round the table and lean over the 3 tiers, I leaned over from behind the goal turning my hand 180 degrees to play the ball back with my left hand holding the goalie’s rod.
This body position apart from looking ungainly and feeling uncomfortable, also lends itself to a certain lack of subtlety that such a delicate flick demands. Essentially, I ended up blasting the ball back to my goalie who promptly punched the ball straight into the west stand for a thrown-in! ?
Later I was attacking with the ball by the corner flag with my lone attacker on the goal line with 2 flicks left. My brother was tying me down with defensive flicks, but to do these flicks he had to let go of his goalie in order to play them. As there really wasn’t anything on I went for the old ‘flick the player along the goal-line whilst just glancing the ball, and then fire in a 'Hail-Mary' shot from 2 inches from the corner flag before my brother could take his defensive flick’ option.
I was astounded when this actually came off, but even more astounded when my brother’s unattended goalie pushed the shot round the post!! ??
The match carried on in this general chaotic vein until my brother scored what we thought at the time was the winner, in the 38th minute. It was one of those impossible to read shots where the player is 6 inches outside the shooting area and the ball 2 inches inside it. He was just able to lean over the 3 tiers to get right behind the player and caught the ball just right, slotting it inside my left-hand post.
He then played 9-0-1 for the last 2 minutes and 50 seconds! ?This tactic appeared to have worked with 7 seconds to go. He had just taken a goal kick that ricocheted off one of my players, and the ball had ended up right in my defending left hand corner arc. We both applauded the realism of such quality time-wasting tactics and we mentally prepared to play out the game by faffing around the corner flag. ?
My left back then played a blinder. First he curled 25 yards (00-scale!) and just touched the ball with his head (the ball was still nearer the touchline than the player). Then he did one of those ‘180-degree-tight-curl-right-around-the-ball’ type of flicks ? and ended up in the corner right next to the ball, with only one option of passing to the goalie. He kicked it hard to make sure it reached, forcing the standing goalie to boot the ball up the pitch whilst it was on the move. At this point my brother’s spidey-sense made him turn and head for his goalie.
A midfield player played the ball on through a tight gap and the ball ended up in the shooting area, with his players all around it. My only player with sight of the ball was 5 inches from the half-way line and slightly on the other side of the pitch to where I was flicking. So, on the tippiest of my left toes and with my right foot in the air, I had to lean as far over the 3 tiers and across the pitch as I could. My finger just reached, but it was total guesswork in aiming for the ball. From where I was leaning over the West Stand I had a great side view of this player catching the ball perfectly and seeing the ball blast inside my brother’s hapless keeper inside his right-hand post. He was initially stunned, and then when the full-time whistle went one second later, he just fell to the ground in a state of dejected hysteria!! ?
I love the effect this stadium can have on what is otherwise an orderly pastime! ?
So, 39 years after the season started, the First Division title decider was played, when a couple of the brothers caught up in March 2022!
The temptation to play a game for old times sake proved to be too much, and finally, Southampton and Chelsea took the field to play the final game of the first division, with Saints just needing a draw to end on top...
The rules were played as back then. 20 minutes each way, with no defending flicks allowed until the team in possession crossed the half-way line. This rule needs more consideration. It takes the incessant pace out of the game and creates a more relaxed atmosphere. A chance to step away from the table and enjoy the defensive action, or take a sip or two of a glass of Mackerson...
Oddly, no goals for the first half an hour, until with 10 minutes to go , when Hollins fired Chelsea ahead!
But then with a minute to go, after some intense Saints pressure Osgood fouled in his own penalty area (what was he doing there??)...and he got booked! ?
Channon slotted in the winner, and the Saints have finally marched back in!
Flick O’Rooney scores goal of the championship!
A fun-filled start to the fAABI Euro 2016 was had by Jon, Erica and Steve, with the moment of the evening being a sublime chip over the keeper from close range by the famous Northern Irish Subbuteo figure Flick O’Rooney. Erica (playing for Northern Ireland) was facing an impossible situation with the Ukrainian keeper (played by Jon) bearing down on her star striker who then fashioned remarkable chip over the despairing goalie, who was heard to mutter “Я не вірю в це!”. (“I don’t believe it!”)
All matches were hard fought, and yet humorous affairs, full of much mirth and some skill. Two potentially career-ending injuries were suffered by the players, with an over-enthusiastic shot by Jon resulting in the ball flying into Erica’s front teeth, whilst Jon suffered a groin injury as a Welsh player was flicked with a little too much vigour and hurtled off the table.
Romania (Erica) 0 – 0 Albania (Jon)
[Albania win 3-2 on penalties]
Slovakia (Jon) 0 – 0 Wales (Erica)
Ukraine (Jon) 1 – 1 Northern Ireland (Erica)
[Ukraine win 4-1 on penalties]
Many thanks for those who turned up to take part in the final week of the Euro 2016 Subbuteo event.
We saw Wales reaching the final, where they finally succumbed to Germany 3-2 on penalties!
Also many congrats to Erica for topping the players’ table (by quite some margin!)
We hope to flick again to celebrate the World Cup in 2018…!
In 2013, a few casual conversations around shared hobbies and interests resulted in the Friends of Attend Acquired Brain Injury (FAABI) exploring the idea of holding some Subbuteo events for its community of beneficiaries and carers.
A demo event was held with the ABI Job Club clients, and their thoughts were invited on whether a series of Subbuteo evenings would be welcomed by ABI survivors. The overall impression they offered was that it would be worth promoting as a pilot.
FAABI then approached Paul Lamond Games (distributors of Subbuteo in the UK), who kindly donated teams, goals and balls for the pilot sessions. The refreshments were covered by a donation by ITV, for the use of the Stadium of Fingers in the creation of their FA Cup video, shown on ITV before the FA Cup Final between Man City and Wigan.
The Subbuteo evenings are an opportunity for participants to spend some relaxed time with fellow table football enthusiasts, playing a few games and sharing a drink and nibbles. The evenings are open to all – those who have never played Subbuteo table football and want to ‘give it a go’, and those who used to play the game when they were younger. Standard of play is irrelevant, but a cheerful disposition is mandatory!
Six consecutive Tuesday evenings, between 6.30pm and 8.30pm between 9th July 2013 to 13 Aug 1013.
"Before my accident, I was 18 and I had just qualified as a horse riding instructor. Two weeks after receiving my qualification, I was in a car accident and suffered a serious head injury.
I stayed in hospital and rehabilitation for nine months. I remember feeling absolutely devastated but I just knew I had to rebuild my life.
With lots of support I eventually got work in an office and then started to look for ways that I could socialise again.
I heard about Friends of Attend ABI (FAABI) and decided to give it a go, first by joining their discussion group. Then recently I came to FAABI’s Subbuteo evenings.
I had never played Subbuteo before, however having been to FAABI before I knew that it would be nothing but fun.
Initially I simply saw it as a social thing where I would just come in and chat to other people about the games. However, I started playing a few matches myself and found that I really got into it. I’ve always been a competitive person and Subbuteo bought that side right out of me! In the end, I ended up winning the entire competition and was very happy about this!
Overall, I think FAABI is fantastic. Because of FAABI, my confidence has grown and it has given me something to look forward to every week. My life now is very different to the life I had before but the most important thing is that I feel like I am living."
