Like Me? Follow Me.
The electricity in the stadium was palpable
You could hear the shrieks of delight as far away as the Manchester Apollo.
It's 18:37 at the Ardwick Powerleague pitches and Liam Ahern has just smashed a sumptuous volley into the top right-hand corner of Richard Crilly's goal.
As the players celebrate - and reflect on - this moment of individual brilliance, what is most striking is that it was not an isolated moment of inspiration. No. This inaugural weekly I-COM kickabout was as big a nod to the ideals of the so-called 'beautiful game' as anyone could have hoped for.
Not that it was unexpected, of course. Pundits have long been licking their lips at the prospect of these athletes taking to the pitch together: Bhalla, Browne, Walsh, Gibson, Stott... the list goes on. The line-up reads like a teenager's fantasy football team.
As Ben Gross, unfortunately cup-tied for the match, said breathlessly in the run-up: "It's going to be a football masterclass."
And it didn't disappoint. From the outset we were treated to a delightful mixture of skill, ambition, movement and determination - a determination which saw an ever-industrious Phil Stott net the opening goal within seconds of kick off. His endeavours inevitably caught up with him, though, leaving him lying on the floor struggling for air two minutes later.
Karho Lee dazzled with his pace and trickery (as well as his bright pink boots), brilliantly complementing the pass-and-move ethic implemented by the gracious Ahern and talented Keir Gibson. At the back, the imperious pairing of Ravi Bhalla and Darryl Browne didn't miss a trick - or a tackle.
On the opposing side, David Walsh was typically all-action, completing tackle after tackle, pass after pass, shot after shot. Stott caused chaos in the final third. Ashraf Vali's movement rendered him ubiquitous and near impossible to pick up by the defence. Crilly was like a cat between the sticks and even showed his versatility by putting in a good shift in the centre of the park when others were knackered and wanted to go in. And Allchurch ... well ... frankly there are too few superlatives in the English vocabulary that do justice to this majestic player.
But the tie couldn't go on forever, and, after a thrilling 60 minutes, that was that.
Final whistle blown, witnesses were left wondering whether they'd ever see such a sporting spectacle again.
Yet the answer to that is an emphatic 'yes'. Next week. And the week after that. And the week after that, if we can get the numbers.
Final Score: Unknown
