BIS 0 - 1 BIS Alumni

Allow jumpers for goalposts, this was the first time in a while I've played in a proper competitive football match and I bloody loved it. It was such a good feeling to come back to my old school, the place I first learned to play football, and see some old footy mates. Even better to pull on a pair of shinpads and boots (both found nesting spiders at the back of our store cupboard at home), get given my old number 4 shirt to wear and warm up properly on the luscious patch of grass that is the BIS football pitch.

Playing again was great too. As expected, the Alumni all got freakin' knackered after half-time but we were solid and held out for a 1-0 win. We played some nice stuff until half-time but then huffed and puffed for the second half just trying to keep a clean sheet and hit them on the break. I was always taught to be calm and play the ball on the deck while I was at BIS but I had to throw that out the window as I got more tired and give it the old John Smith "have it!" boot every now and again.

I wasn't the only one reneging on my footballing roots. Al has grown his hair halfway down to his arse. I don't mind being asked to provide a spare pair of shinpads for him but there are issues with being asked for a hair band so that he could see while he plays. The man played well though and we have to thank him for getting this match started in the first place. My cousin Harris was centre-back for them but I never had to do anything with him because I was centre-back for ours. Thank God for that. He played football the proper way and passed the ball smartly and calmly out from the back.

It was a fun afternoon but I feel like such an old man. I'm only 21 but my legs are stiff and my knees are creaking. As well as that, I kept talking to Al and Santiago about Alumni from "our generation". I'm off to regain my youth with a bowl of Oreos cereal. You can't beat them marshmellows.