In a world consumed by league success, the manager of Demon Angels is bucking that trend and focussing on Cup glory this season. Much to the cup sponsors chagrin, many managers treat the cup as a breeding ground for young talent, but not Wheatley who insists that Cup success is as important as league position.
Addressing the media ahead of his side’s visit to the Xpert Arena to play division 5 hopefuls, Skärplinge IK, manager Wheatley made his unconventional claim.
“In the first round, the youngsters will get a game, but after that, we are all business. We always respect our opposition, especially strong teams with talented managers such as Skärplinge’s AndreasEkman87, as they are looking for a scalp from the higher divisions. We will field our strongest side.”
As the sides lined up for the match, it was evident that Wheatley hadn’t been playing mind games with Andreas, naming his strongest starting eleven, minus the injured Salvador Olin & Camilo Teixeira who had just returned from injury. The Demon Angels also played an attacking formation, looking to take the game to Skärplinge from the off. On their part, a more conservative approach was adopted, hoping to bypass the Demon’s powerful midfield with a 3 up from 4-3-3 formation.
On paper, this looked life a turkey shoot, but it was the hunter who took the first hit.
Within 3 minutes, the division 5 side were ahead, courtesy of a dubious penalty awarded by the notoriously unreliable Justin Thyme. Despite getting a fingertip to the ball, the Demon’s record signing goalkeeper to not prevent Ovist’s penalty from hitting the back of the net.
Game on!!!
Ranting like a lunatic from the sidelines, boss Wheatley urged his side on, determined to break down what was proving to be a stubborn, and efficient defensive unit. On the quarter hour mark, Demons were back in the game as man-of-the-match Rask, slotted home to restore parity.
On the stroke of half time, Rana beat the offside trap to hand the advantage to Demons, and deflate the dogged Skärplinge players.
The second half didn’t fare any better for the division 5 side as the Demons made their superiority count, preventing their opponents from a single shot on goal, and scoring another 3, including a hatrick for midfielder Rana.
After the match, hatrick hero Rana said, “Man that took some winning. When they took they lead, it really put the wind up us. The thought of having to face the boss at half time spurred us on to get back in the tie. Once we went in front though, we knew we could close out the match.”
Next up for the Cup hopefuls are division 4 outfit, Nizorianska BK.
“They’ll be a tough nut to crack.” Mused boss Wheatley, “But …. If we want Cup glory, we’ll need to be at our best and prepared to match any opposition.”
Good luck to them, and lets hope their league form doesn’t suffer due to their manager’s cup obsession.
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