What a strange night to be playing football. Before we even got to the pitch, the skies had put on their own show, with the Moon passing across the Sun and more than 90% of it disappearing from view. It was the UK's most dramatic solar eclipse for almost 30 years, with people all over the country stopping what they were doing to look up at the sky. For a few moments the evening light seemed to change, giving everything an almost surreal feel. We didn't get the total eclipse that parts of Spain and Iceland experienced, but seeing the Sun reduced to a thin crescent above Ellesmere Port was still pretty incredible. A once-in-a-generation eclipse, and then there was the small matter of the Captains Cup...

Neil had first pick, thanks to Tom, and I found myself starting the game in goal. I lasted around 20 minutes before switching with Paul taking over between the sticks. Unfortunately for Paul, he appeared to have arrived wearing the ghost of Dave Graney's boots - for those who don't know, apparently he was responsible for letting a very slow back pass roll straight underneath his foot.

I'll be honest, my memory of the football tonight is somewhat selective. I think that's probably for the best.

The Whites had some decent early exchanges and looked like they might create something, but the Yellows had the first real scare when Stevie hit the post. The opening goal came from a Whites corner. A sloppy pass back towards our defence put us immediately on the back foot and, unable to get out, we were punished. Gary Parker reacted quickly with a throw-in, finding Tom (guest) who volleyed into the corner to give the Yellows the lead.

The Whites had to chase the game from there. Reuben did brilliantly to press, linking up with Dave in a neat one-two and finding himself through on goal, only to drag his effort wide. The Yellows continued to look dangerous on the counter, but Jonny seemed to be putting his body in front of absolutely everything.

Naturally, we couldn't get through another week without some controversy. There was another debate over whether the ball had actually gone out for a goal kick or not. Thankfully, no goal came from it this time, so there was no need to call in VAR.

Another excellent opportunity fell to the Whites when Cush did all the hard work himself, beating two players before unfortunately being unable to get his shot on target. Tom then added his second of the night in slightly more fortunate circumstances. Paul attempted a De Gea-style foot block to deal with what looked like a slow, scuffed effort, only for the ball to catch his outstretched foot and deflect over him.

Both teams gave everything on the night and, by the end, a genuine hydration break probably wouldn't have gone amiss. It was another competitive evening, but ultimately Neil's Yellows came out on top.

MOTM was a close call between Tom, who held the ball up brilliantly and scored both goals, and Jonny, who I thought was outstanding defensively and seemed determined to block everything that came his way.
But there could only be one winner... 
MOTM - Jonny

Congratulations Neil, and good luck in the final.
As for me... I'll probably remember the eclipse much more fondly than the football.