REVIEW - 3rd January 2025

With 2024 in the rear-view mirror and 2025 now in the driver's seat, it's a great time to take stock of how things a looking across the various Alfalfa Competitions.
After 9 rounds of the Golden Boot competition, we have a couple of frontrunners going by the names of *Chris V* (46 goals) and *Robert* (45) pretty much a 50% strike rate! Superb work fellas! Chris is well in contention to become the first manager in Alfalfa history to win back-to-back Golden Boot titles while Robert is aiming to make the podium for the first time in his long Alfalfa career. Sitting in join third place on 43 goals are *Craig*, who has bounced back very well from relegation from the A's by recruiting some decent attacking stocks and *Steve Merc* who is already proving he is no one season wonder after a stellar debut year last time out.

Just one goal and one place behind on 42 goals are *Toby*, who has taking last years form to yet another level, and newcomer *Matthew A* who has taken to this competition like a duck to water, let's see if this continues into 2025.
Rounding out the top seven, we see *Steve Mirf* who like Toby and Steve Merc, has continued his rich debut season form to be nicely placed at this moment in time.
A quick look at the bottom sees the Mason's brothers *Louis* and *Zac* (a.k.a. The Brothers Grimm) in big trouble on just 12 and 8 goals respectively. As Yazz once said, 'the only way is up!'

REVIEW - 3rd January 2025

With 9 games gone, it is safe to say that the A-League has been very competitive so far this year, on their day, anyone team can beat any other. That said, there are 3 sides who have stuck their necks out in front in the early stages of the campaign. In what is a surprise to absolutely no one, defending Champions Klopp of the Pops are leading the way yet again, picking up 21 points from a possible 27 and are currently making a mockery of the old 'Champions Curse' that has plagued so many of their predecessors. Could they become the first club EVER to win back-to-back A-League titles?

Two sides who appear best placed to scupper that dream are 2020-21 Champions Pistol Knights FC (19 pts) and White Line Fever (17 pts). Both sides are currently undefeated in their opening 9 games and have done so by being the two highest scoring sides in the league, Knights with 40 and Fever with 39. If they can continue this level of accuracy in front of goal, they will be right in the mixer come season's end.

Invincible Eleven finish 2024 sitting in 4th place on 14 points, with a nice little two-point lead over the rest of the pack. While they are still a fair way behind the leaders, they have suffered just one defeat and if they can turn some of their draws into victories, it won't be longer before that gap begins to close. Rounding out the top six are PetrolHead Town and Sparky United who are both on 12 points and both have an even steven 3 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses to their name. Town even have a zero Goal Difference, making them the most Zen team in the entire competition!

Looking further down the table, it is much more congested as just two points separate Max Power (11 pts) in 7th place from reigning B-League Champs Beercelona Citeh (9 pts) in 11th place. Sandwiched in between are fellow promoted sides Melchester Rovers and FC Reality (both 11 pts) and The Yahoos (10 pts). Overall, an OK start for these sides but they will all be looking to register more victories moving forward.

Taking a look at the relegation zone, there is already a small gap to the rest of the league. InThain FC (7 pts), NFI United (7 pts) and Middleton Academicals (6 pts) are the sides currently occupying these places. All 3 are in the bottom 5 in terms of goals scored, while NFI and the Accies have the worst defensive record in the league. With only one win each, it is clear to see that they need to turn their fortunes around quickly in 2025.

REVIEW - 3rd January 2025

The first thing that leaps off the page when looking at the current B-League table is the very fact that the top 3 sides, Canucks United (20 pts), Tobs FC (20 pts) and Koan United FC (17 pts) were the very same 3 sides that achieved promotion from the C-League last campaign in dominant fashion. And by the looks of it they are using whatever magic formula they concocted and using it once again in the Bs. Should all 3 achieve promotion this season, it would certainly be the first time that has occurred in Alfalfa history, however there have been a number of individual clubs who have achieved back-to-back promotions over the years such as The Yahoos (08 and 09), City Young Boys (09 and 10), Avg Kennies (09 and 10), Edwardstown Thistle (10 and 11), Shinboners (10 and 11), Molineux Mixers (13 and 14), Four For Two FC (14 and 15), InThain FC (15 and 16), Sparky United (17 and 18), Candy Crush Champions (19 and 20), Klopp of the Pops (21 and 22), Tartan Soup Thistle (22 and 23) and Melchester Rovers (23 and 24).

The main side looking to spoil this party are Edwardstown Thistle who after battling relegation the last few years have started this year in great nick, they sit in 4th on 16 points, just one behind the top three. Rounding out the top 6 are West Boinging Albion and Meniscus Kickers. Albion have recovered well after receiving a relegation reprieve and are looking to finally get back to the big time after too many heartbreaks to mention! Kickers are another side that have been on the cusp of the A-League a number of times and look well poised to kick on in 2025, pun intended!

There is a logjam in the middle of the league with 7th to 10th all locked on 11 points. Those sides, Father-in-Law FC, Tartan Soup Thistle, Citydale United and Winterfell FC all have identical win, draw, loss records as well! Just one point behind in 11th place are Beaza Boys.

Like in the A-League, there is already a bit of a gap between the bottom three clubs and the rest of the comp. Currently, SWeeP, Molineux Mixers and Burra Boys are all looking worse for wear as they sit collectively on 7 points each, three away from safety. A big 2025 is needed for these teams if they wish to resurrect their fortunes.

REVIEW - 3rd January 2025

After the opening 9 rounds, Rads FC have emerged as the clear frontrunner in the C-League with 8 wins from 9 games, an astonishing start to life as a new club! Even more impressive is the fact that Rads have qualified for the Quarter Finals of the Alfalfa Cup, they are going to take some beating it seems.

Sitting in 2nd place are Long Jackets FC. Borne out of sister club Short Skirts FC, the rename has been a breath of fresh air that has seen them pick up 19 points from a possible 27. Coupled with a Semi-Final berth in the Champions League to look forward to, 2025 could be a breakthrough year for this team.
A few points back in 3rd place are The BigOnion FC. The club returned to the Alfalfa fold this season after a long hiatus and quickly picked up where they left off. While results in recent weeks haven't been quite as good, theyaEUR(TM)d be happy with the start TBO 2.0 have had.

Joining TBO in the playoff places are the trio of FC FC, FC Metal and Hockeroos, all sitting nicely on 15 points from their opening 9 games. FC Metal and Hockeroos have flattered to deceive in previous seasons, no doubt their long-suffering fans would love at least a playoff berth this campaign. For new boys FC FC, they started like a house on fire with 5 wins in a row, but a recent run of 4 defeats in succession has brought them back down to reality. They'll be aiming to return to winning ways asap in 2025.

In the middle of the pack, Hat Bitt United, AEK and Haven't Jota Clue all sit on 13 points, one clear of Full of Ham FC while Backstreet Moyes sit one further place and point adrift in 11th place, with 11 points. They are all well clear of the bottom 3 sides Konnerloby FC, Hawk 1+1 (both 5 pts) and Freakbob (1 pt) who all appear to have thrown in the towel before the season had even really gotten going. Will the new year awaken some kind sleeping giant from within? We can only hope. Of course, unless you happen to be playing them soon, then you are more than happy for the freebie.

Round Two of the Cup saw some incredible contests take place, and many goals scored which is of course what we wanna see. Looking at the ties that were decided in Regulation Time, how about Molineux Mixers, InThain FC and Rads FC who both bagged 6 goals each in their respective games. Rads edged out a plucky FC Metal 6-5 at Greenhill Arena, while Mixers shocked The Yahoos 6-4 at Yahoo Arena. At Tennents Park, InThain finally found their groove after a slow start, defeating Tartan Soup Thistle 6-5, TST seem to be everyone's punching bags so far this year, they have the leakiest defence by far!

There were 3 ties that ended 5-4. Melchester Rovers, Edwardstown Thistle and White Line Fever were on the right side of those 9 goal thrillers, knocking out Beaza Boys, Canucks United and Pistol Knights FC in the process. Klopp of the Pops also advanced by scoring 5 goals, a 5-3 win over Konnerloby FC did the trick for them, into the hat they go! NFI United also got the job done in regulation time, a tight 4-3 victory over Hat Bitt United in the end saw them through at Crock Park.

There were also some very one sided contests. A number of sides are clearly focusing on the league this year as Citydale United, Winterfell FC, Beercelona Citeh, Invincible Eleven and Tobs FC sauntered into Round Three at a canter with their opponents offering no resistance.

Three contests required at least Extra Time to determine a winner, with one of them going to penalties. Perhaps the match of the round saw defending Champs Max Power edge out Middleton Academicals 7-6 at Academic Arena, an incredible game that had it all. But wait! There is an identical contender for the match of the round crown as FC Reality and Burra Boys also played out a 13 goal thriller, this time it was the hosts Reality who emerged victorious from this clash at The Bolshoi.

At Physio's Waiting Room, an absolute calamity ensued as both Meniscus Kickers and AEK produced a stalemate of epic proportions... for all the wrong reasons. Both sides seem to be putting the League campaign first and after a reluctant 120 minutes where neither side mustered an attempt on goal, it was AEK who went through to Round 3 in the shootout, a mammoth 7-6 score after 10 penalties each.

Keep an eye out for the Round 3 draw.

QUARTER FINALS REVIEW

And then there were four. The Alfalfa Champions League Quarter Finals were played out over two enthralling legs in early December and the neutrals were not disappointed.

The biggest news comes in the form of C-League side Long Jackets FC who prevailed over B-League side Beaza Boys on penalties as their tie ended 8 goals apiece after extra time in the 2nd leg. Beaza had taken the advantage in the 1st leg with a 2-1 win at The Undercarriage, however Jackets flipped the script at Ellandfield Road to win the 2nd leg 4-3 at the end of normal time, resulting in a 6-all tie. Extra time ensued and the goal fest continued. No winner could be determined and so Penalties were required in which Jackets held their nerve to win 3-2 and advance to the semis in January.

The 3 other games did not require extra time or penalties to determine the winners. The resurgence of B-League Edwardstown Thistle took another step as they sideswiped Koan United FC by 8 goals to 4 on aggregate. Thistle securing two lots of 4-2 victories to seal their spot in the final four.

The two remaining spots were claimed by A-League sides. The Yahoos' class proved too much for a plucky FC Metal, eventually winning by 8 goals to 6 on aggregate. With the first leg ending 3-3 the threat of an upset was very real, but the Yahoos stepped up when it really mattered.

Joining them are White Line Fever who dominated a very disappointing Melchester Rovers in the only all A-League tie. Fever edged the first leg 2-1 at Hindmost Stadium, however in the return leg at Camp Nooo, the visitors demolished the hosts 5-0 to prevail 7-1 on aggregate.

The Semi Final Draw sees Long Jackets FC take on Edwardstown Thistle and White Line Fever facing off against The Yahoos. Meaning that we guaranteed one non-A-League team in the Final.

The shots have been added to the website for this competition and competitors are firing away. The final task is to generate and upload the Alfalfa fixtures for this competition, we'll let you know when it's done! However in terms of top goalscorers so far, Game 1 (Gameweek 101) saw both West Boinging Albion and Tobs FC score a very impressive 8 goals each (from 10 shots), for their sake, I hope that when the fixtures get generated the don't end up having played against each other!

While in Game 2 (Gameweek 102) the scoring wasn't quite as high, however White Line Fever and Short Skirts FC still grabbed a handy 6 goals each. And just last weekend in Game 3 (Gameweek 301) it was West Boinging Albion once more setting the example alongside Beaza Boys who both grabbed a very handy 7 goals each.

Let's see what Game 4 (Gameweek 4) has in store this weekend.

Congratulations to 2024 Cup Winners Max Power who defeated 2024 A-League double Championship and Premiership winners Klopp of the Pops 8 goals to 7 in the Community Shield season curtain raiser.

With both sides locked together at 5-5 after regulation time, Extra Time was needed to determine a winner and it was the Cup specialists who prevailed