Page 11 - Eagle Eye Autumn 2022

they carried on with enthusiasm and by the end of the tournament had become quite friendly with Wyton FC. In fact, when they found themselves short of players on the second day due to injury, Sgt Steve Davidson, Cpl Martin Coates and AS1 Drew Johnson stepped up and changed nationality for 40 minutes and helped the Norwegians to a well-earned victory.
Wyton’s second game was against Altherran Mieders and despite the tournament being a friendly celebration of football it got a little heated in parts. However, Wyton were able to rise above the confrontation and ran out 3-0 winners. In their final game against Olympique MTS, Wyton were rampant scoring six and only conceding one. This result cemented a place in the quarter-final and meant Wyton finished day one as the top ranked team and with a target on their back. For now, attention turned to an evening cruise down the Vltava River where players
could take in the sights and sounds of a city’s nightlife bustling into life.
The second day was in complete contrast to the first. To begin with, the heavens had opened with torrential rain crashing down leading to both a required change in tactics and playing surface. Instead of grass, some of the matches would now be played on AstroTurf which had to be shared with the local youth team, who were training on one half of the pitch. This, much to Wyton’s misfortune, meant some games were played on a pitch much smaller and unsuited for a 7-a-side game. The draw for the quarterfinal was made the night previously during the river cruise and matched Wyton against group rivals Altherran Mieders on one of the new, minuscule football pitches. Like the contrast in weather, the second day also saw a stark contrast in performance. What on paper seemed like a straightforward win based on the previous day’s performance, Wyton’s first game of the day was anything but. A rocky start saw the Austrian team take an early lead leaving Wyton on the backfoot for most of the game. However, the score was tied at two a piece with a few minutes left, meaning Wyton were still on for a win and progression to the next round. The team sensed a late goal and increased the pressure on their opponents but crucially left themselves exposed at the back which the Austrians took full advantage of in the last-minute.
The loss meant that Wyton faced the prospect of playing two games which in the end had no consequence on the tournament. The passion still remained though and in their next game against Bat Yam Municipality from Israel, the Wyton players went out onto the pitch with the sole intention of having fun which they did, despite a 5-3 loss (the opposition on the other hand had a coach either side of the pitch and repeatedly argued with themselves after conceding – it was reported that they were the finalists in the previous tournament and so probably had something to prove). The tournament was eventually won by CD Compact Records who were almost certainly a semi-professional team from Portugal that turned up with a squad of 23, a home and
away kit, a full coaching staff, a physio and no doubt a ‘real’ reporter and not a player like the one currently writing this article. In fairness, they were an excellent team who fully deserved to be crowned tournament winners. Although by the time of the final everyone had already crowned the Norwegians as the people’s champions.
The closing ceremony gave all teams a chance to get up on stage and be presented with a trophy for finishing in their respective positions. Wyton FC finished 7th overall but unfortunately someone misplaced the trophy on a wall in Prague city centre almost certainly in attempt to ensure they are on next year’s tourtoretrievewhattheyhave“lost”.Thelast two days of the tour brought glorious sunshine and presented an opportunity for players to further explore the history and culture of Prague with the tradition of sitting down by the river with an ice-cold Pilsner Urquell, a popular choice. Some decided to take the readily available electric scooters and travel to the Letná Stadium, home of Sparta Prague and occasional host of the Czech National Team. Regardless of how people enjoyed the last two days in Prague, each person all took time to reflect on the incredible opportunity and experience this tour had presented. As part of the tournament package all food and drink whilst at the football grounds, hotel and evening socials was included in the price. With a host assigned to each team you were never left stuck with things to do, no fear of getting lost and ultimately had a unique, interesting experience. With flights included, the total price for the entire five days amounted to £450 per person. However, with the support of Sports Lottery and other smaller funding the cost per person was dramatically reduced. For those with one sports lottery ticket the price dropped down to about £350. If you were to have the full six sports lottery tickets, you were looking at a total expense of no more than £200. Wyton FC have already started preparing for next year’s tournament and in an ideal world this tour will become an annual event giving as many service personnel as possible this amazing opportunity.
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