Andrews Sykes' English employees take on European co-workers in annual football match

<![CDATA[On Saturday 14^th May, an Andrews Sykes “European” team descended upon The Valley where they faced their British colleagues in what has become a traditional footballing encounter between members of staff.

The visitors’ squad comprised of Dutch, Italian and French participants while players for the hosts were flown in from as far afield as Glasgow! Boasting a former professional among their ranks, the home side were confident of a victory that has frustratingly eluded them ever since the first encounter took place in 2013.

But a catastrophic first fifteen minutes saw the UK XI trail by four goals to one – a scoreline that seemed likely to only get worse as the game wore on. A slight reshuffle at this point enabled the team to establish some semblance of shape, notching once more before half-time to leave it 4-2 at the break.

The second period was more evenly matched, with both sides looking to exploit the various fatigue-induced gaps that were developing all over the pitch.

With a minute remaining and the score 4-5, the ball was launched into the visitors’ penalty in a desperate attempt to salvage an equaliser. However, the resulting clearance was picked up by the opposition forward who ran 50 yards unattended before sealing victory for the travelling employees.

A somewhat unusual 4-6 result reflected what had been an exciting and – in the end – fairly evenly contested affair, but unfortunately the commemorative trophy will remain on the continent for another year at least!

The two groups then congregated in the bar for a few beers afterwards, with discussions regarding another rematch next year quickly in fully swing. It was an excellent opportunity for people in the company to meet peers from other countries and engage in some light-hearted socialising away from the formalities of the working environment.]]>