Page 30 - QARANC Vol 17 No 2 2019
P. 30
28 The Gazette QARANC Association
Army Medical Services Men’s Football Tour to New York
After coming third in the league and finishing the season with a record high number of points, 18 players under the management of Major Nige Bamford and Captain Andy Hiley set off on a tour looking to conquer New York City. Seeking to exploit the success of the 2018-19 season, this year’s tour to the New York City provided the AMS men’s team with everything they set out to achieve and more. Three wins out of three, enhanced team cohesion, top class training sessions and a rare opportunity to experience one of the most famous cities in the world made NYC 19 a tour the men’s AMS football team will never forget.
Following a smooth journey from Manchester to JFK Airport, the AMS wasted no time settling into their new surroundings and began day one with a training session in Brooklyn which gave everyone the perfect chance to blow out any cobwebs and sharpen up for the first fixture later that day against the New Jersey Police Department. Crisp passing, smooth control and the Manhattan skyline behind the pitches left the management team purring and with a number of selection dilemmas for the game later that day. After an afternoon of rest and a tactics lesson from Major Nige ‘the tinkerman’ Bamford, the AMS travelled to Kean University Stadium for the eagerly anticipated first fixture. Boasting fantastic facilities, a 4G pitch, floodlights and a capacity to hold 2000 spectators, the AMS stepped up with ease to teach the NJPD how
AMS Football Team 2018-2019
football should be played. Controlling possession and dictating the tempo of the game, the AMS never left first gear and swept aside their American counterparts finishing the match 2-0 winners. Glimpses of brilliance from Zimmerman, the poaching instinct of George Ray and the work rate of Clark the enforcer gave the management team an insight into what was to come for remainder of the tour.
Because of the impressive performances shown against the NJPD, the AMS squad were given day two off to rest and explore the famous culture of NYC. The amazing views of the Empire State Building overlooking Manhattan, the sobering experience of the Twin Tower Memorial, the mayhem
of Times Square and the impressive boat tour to the Statue of Liberty were just a handful of the landmarks the AMS squad managed to cram in to one day. At the end of the day the entire squad travelled together to the Citified Stadium, home of the New York Mets. The support and chanting from the AMS clearly had a positive impact on the baseball players, with the Mets putting an end to a five match losing streak and winning the game with the last pitch of the day.
Having explored much of New York City, the AMS woke up feeling fresh and ready to face their next opposition; the New York Police Department. The NJPD at the end of the previous game had already warned us that NYPD
The team proving they went to New York!
The ‘special relationship’ continues!