As the crisp afternoon air settled over Meadowmill Sports Centre, Fidra Lions took to the field with high hopes, questionable fitness levels, and an average age of about 32—compared to Western Wildcats' sprightly squad, who were probably still enjoying the metabolism of a 23-year-old. The 1:30 PM start time meant everyone had just about shaken off their pre-match lethargy (except maybe Matt, but we’ll get to that).

Things started promisingly enough, with Fidra looking composed on the ball. But defensive generosity soon reared its head as one of the Wildcats’ strikers casually strolled through, barely breaking a sweat, before elegantly lifting the ball over Matt—who, caught between diving, standing, or perhaps contemplating his life choices, could only flounder helplessly as the net rippled.

Fortunately, Fidra had a response, and it came from a well-worked short corner. Gary Wright’s effort slid into the bottom corner, and while the equalizer was pleasing, the true highlight was the Wildcats' goalkeeper’s new and rather unorthodox positioning during subsequent short corners—perhaps reconsidering his career choices in real time.

The game then settled into a proper end-to-end battle, with both sides attacking well and defending resolutely (mostly). At halftime, it stood at 1-1—eerily familiar to our last encounter with the Wildcats, as if history was determined to repeat itself.

The second half kicked off in much the same way, although Western Wildcats upped the intensity, leaning into their youthful energy. Eventually, their persistence paid off with a short corner routine that left Fidra’s defender helpless on the line, as a well-directed, powerful drag flick whizzed past.

From that point on, fitness—or rather, the distinct lack of it on Fidra’s part—became increasingly apparent. Wildcats kept pressing, and near the end, they added a third goal. This came courtesy of Fidra’s right post defender, who, in a moment of tactical enthusiasm, vacated his position at precisely the wrong time, allowing the ball to be slotted effortlessly into his former residence.

The final whistle blew at 3-1, a respectable showing against a team from a division above. While the result sees Fidra drop into the plate competition, there’s no shame in losing to a side with fresher legs (and presumably fewer aching backs on Monday morning). Best of luck to Western Wildcats in the next round!