Very strange night at fustal last night. I'm not one to often get into arguments over playing a game, but last night it so happened that i got very irritated, and ended up making an enemy in the process.

This was in the mixed competition I play every week with Despina, and we ended up losing the game 3-2, me scoring both our goals. I generally played pretty well, often running circles around the opposition team. Obviously this young guy on the opposing team didn't really like that.

In the second half, as I broke free, once again bearing down on goal to shoot, this guy who was metres away from me yelled 'shoot!' just as I was going to hit the ball in order to throw me off, which is just such poor football and sportsmanship. The ball went wide (not really because of him), and running back together I said: 'That's not cool, man', to which he replied 'haha, no, that's very cool'. This irritated me thoroughly, but I'm not the type of person to start something on or off the field, i prefer to just outplay them cleanly, which most of the time makes them more pissed off because you're not reacting to them.

Later in the half as I kicked the ball away, he clipped me from behind on my thigh. I felt it, but it wasn't enough for me to go down, but it definitely was late and there was no way he was playing the ball: he was going for me. This really ticked me off, because of not only what he did, but that it was right in front of the ref, and she (who is not really a good ref in all the games I have played with her officiating) did not even call it! I had a verbal exchange with the ref, because I was genuinely more pissed of at her at that time because of her allowing this kind of play to happen.

As the game progressed, after a few pushes in the back from the same guy, a low sliding attempt from him at my legs, which really hurt my foot, finally earned us a free kick. I had to sub-off for a few minutes to recover from that blow, but eventually played out the game.

As the game finished, and the players went around shaking hands as we usually do, I shook all the other team's hands (all the rest of their players played a really good and fair game), but as the young guy came up to shake my hand with a very brass smile on his face, I put up both of my hands and said calmly to him: 'sorry, I don't shake hands with cheats'.

That really pissed him off: him saying 'you callin' me a cheat?!', to which I just walked away as he pushed me in the back as his entourage restrained him. As he walked passed us afterwards he was still going something alike: 'common let's take it to the carpark' to which i didn't respond. Very strangely his mum walked by afterwards apologising for her sons behaviour.

Driving home we had a discussion on the appropriateness of what I did, my line being mainly: i was totally non-violent and non-aggressive, and after his style of play, I was not going to have anything to do with him at all: and that included shaking his hand. I was not going to pretend that he played a good or fair game. Then it was brought up that if he did try to go at me that I would have defended my self, which I said: probably I wouldn't, citing 'turn the other cheek', and that really true Christians shouldn't retaliate under any circumstances. Anyway, that's a whole different kettle of fish.

After I eventually got home and took off my boots, I really started to feel pain in my right foot's big-toe, the same foot that my new friend attempted the low hack at. It swelled up really quickly, and I put ice on it before going to bed.

Woke up this morning with the toe still very swollen and even more painful. Not being able to walk on it, and even sitting it was throbbing like crazy, I decided i physically couldn't make it to work. Eventually went with mum to the Doctor's and went to get an x-ray (shown below) to see if it was broken.

(Click for full image)

Thankfully the toe isn't broken, but i'll need to stay off it. In regards to this whole situation, I really don't mind rough play (i've played soccer for more than 14 years) but when that becomes totally cheating, then i get a bit riled. I'm not one to react to that kind of play, and i really think that makes the opposition even more pissed off.

Sunday played indoor, where we played the team that we defeated in the final of last season to win the premiership. That was also a rough game, and for the most part, totally fair. We scored in the final second of the game to draw 4-4 with them.

Before soccer was the fund-raising lunch down the Gold Coast for Bribie Island. The all-fish menu didn't really impress me, but I wasn't there for the food. Me and Despina had to leave early to go to soccer, and apparently missed out on winning the lucky-door prize as we took our winning ticket with us.