The Physics Department six aside team called “Supernova” showed great promise in their challenge for the annual University Staff Six Aside Competition. Two leagues of teams from different departments took part with the top four out of each league progressing to the quarter final stages. Supernova managed three wins and a draw to end up in third position in their league, their most notable victory being the 6-0 thrashing of team Disco.

The team went into the quarter final game against Sports Tech full of confidence, with team manager and Head of Department Professor Feo Kusmartsev bullish on the team’s chances of winning through to the Semis. The game started with Sports Tech well on top, closing down Supernova quickly in all areas of the pitch, never giving them time to settle on the ball. This, together with some robust tackling, put Supernova on the back foot. Kusmartsev was on the receiving end of some tough tackles but played on through the pain. It was no surprise when Sports Tech took the lead and then doubled it half way through the first half. Supernova were not out though and pulled one back when Doug Green made a strong run down the left and hammered a thunderous shot against the bar. The ball rebounded back to the area in front of the goal, where a scramble ensued and Green fired in the ball when it dropped to his feet. Supernova were much more confident now with Tom Hewitt working like a Trojan to win possession for the team. Substitutes rolled on and off to give players a rest due to the frenetic pace of the match. Just before half time the fleet-footed Ato Stephens outpaced the Sports Tech defence to slot home for the equaliser.

The second half was a close affair with both teams striving to get the upper hand, Toby Maw and Richard Wilson both making a contribution to the game. But it was Sports Tech who regained the lead when they broke away down the pitch and scored with a well struck shot. Supernova did not give up and applied lots of pressure on an ever increasingly nervous opposition: several goal mouth scrambles ensued at the Sports Tech end and they, with some robust defending, stopped Supernova equalising the scores. Feo Kusmartsev was very disappointed for the team, and thought they had done enough to clinch the tie.

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