Super Mario Bros Smash Napier

Edinburgh University Men’s Football 2s team started off their BUCs campaign with a hard fought victory against newcomers to the league Napier 1s at Peffermill. Edinburgh were undefeated throughout the whole of their university matches last year, winning the league and the cup, denied promotion only by a technicality that only 1st teams can play in the top league. Yet, based on results, this is something that clearly needs to be rectified.
However, Edinburgh was fielding a much changed side from the team that started the good run last October, with only four players remaining in the starting 11. But this did not affect the result as Edinburgh, in the end, gained a comprehensive 5-1 victory over their local rivals.
The match itself was scrappy throughout, by passing Edinburgh’s two talented central midfielders, Alex Maxwell and David Meehan, in what can only be described as an exhibition of route one football. Yet, with 21 minutes on the clock the deadlock was broken when Calum Erskine hit a free kick which swung past the stranded keeper, due mainly to the huge deflection off a player in the wall, putting Edinburgh 1-0 up.
This was how the game remained until half time, with both sides cancelling out any threat with strong defensive displays. Kyle O’Neill was brought on to replace the injured forward Stevie Galloway, who had a suspected dead leg. However, the change by stand-in managers Erskine and Darren Leslie proved to be a good call when O’Neill harassed the Napier keeper into a mistake which led to an easy tap in for the striker.
This appeared to be game, set and match as Edinburgh goalie Tom Agnew had had little to do. However, Napier was given a lifeline when a ball ricocheted unkindly off the ground straight into the arm of Leslie. Despite there being no Napier player around and the handball clearly not being deliberate, a penalty was awarded to the away side. Agnew had saved a penalty in one of his previous two games this season so hope was not all lost, however, Chris MacIntyre, who was probably Napier’s best player, stepped up confidently and powered the ball into the goal, making it 2-1.
Yet, the comeback never materialised, instead Erskine and Leslie brought on Jamie Sime for Steve Kenny and with his first touch of the game, Sime put the home side two goals clear again. Jordan Roberts took a Rory Delap style throw in, Maxwell flicked it on and Sime, with his back to goal, hooked the ball into the bottom right hand corner.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, things got worse for Napier, the defence once again failed in their ability to deal with Agnew’s gigantic kicking. The ball found itself straight from the goal keeper’s boot, in the opposing penalty area at the feet of Tom Archer, who calmly placed the ball past the on-coming keeper to put the victory beyond doubt.
Erskine and Leslie then made their final change, bringing Mario Velez, a commercial law post-grad from Seattle, into his first BUCs game. The striker wasted no time in getting his name onto the score sheet, when a quick break from Burgh put O’Neill away down the right wing, where he placed a good cross into the feet of Valez, who slotted the ball into the net, giving Edinburgh a comfortable 5-1 victory.
The score line probably does not do Napier justice, however, Edinburgh was clinical with their finishing and the defence was strong against a poor attack. And with managerial debuts for Erskine and Leslie, in a match where all three substitutes scored, there was much to celebrate for the 2s team. As for the undefeated status, it looks like it will remain unchanged for a while.