Day 1

On arrival in Nimes we were transported by our hosts to the stadium where the tournament was to take place. This gave the lads the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the surroundings and have lunch and a kickabout on the main two pitches which were in extremely good condition. These two pitches were in front of a stand holding a few hundred spectators and there were two further pitches at the back although they were not in as good a condition. The adults were pleasantly surprised with the offer of free beer for a couple of hours particularly the three musketeers (more on them later) who thought they had arrived in heaven.
Following lunch we moved on to the accommodation which was alarmingly changed as late as the day before travel. Our concerns were unfounded and the site was perfectly adequate although we soon found out that the two bars would be closed for the duration of our stay! In addition we were informed by the swimming pool commandant that for 'health and safety' reasons we were not permitted to wear swimming shorts in the pool and that only speedo style trunks were allowed - picture the dads in them if you are brave enough! Fortunately the rule was relaxed for the lads for the afternoon.

We were picked up at 8.30am and transported to the stadium for registration and the lads got down to the real purpose of the trip. The first two matches were in the morning on the two main pitches in front of the stand. Diamonds started well enough and were controlling the match but the opponents scored on a breakaway completely against the run of play. The matches were just 15 minutes long on the first day and the team that conceded the first goal were invariably left chasing the match. Unfortunately despite dominating possession the lads were unable to get back on level terms and lost the match 1-0. We had received prior warning about the quality of refereeing and the first couple of matches gave us a good idea of the standard we could expect but it was disappointing that the rules appeared to be interpreted differently for some teams - not inferring in any way that the home teams were being favoured!
The second match was played against a quality team who went on to reach, and should have won, the final. Diamonds lost by a 1-0 scoreline again but on this occasion the opponents had been the better team. Losing the first two matches was a disastrous start, although Diamonds had been unlucky in the first, and the management team were disappointed to the extent that some of the parents had Kingy on suicide watch!!
There was a two hour break for lunch each day but because of the timing of their matches the lads would have in excess of a three hour break before their third match and the remaining two matches of the day would be on the pitches at the back away from the stand.
Diamonds performed much better in the third match but despite their dominance they were unable to score the crucial first goal. Towards the end of the match there was an almighty scramble on the opponents goal line and Diamonds had at least three attempts to force the ball over the line. The ball had apparently crossed the line but in view of previous decisions which had gone against Diamonds it was expected that the ball would have to hit the back of the net for a goal to be given. Fortunately the referee adjudged that the ball had crossed the line and awarded the goal and the lads went on to win 1-0 with their first goal of the tournament being scored by Sam McDonough. Could this be a turning point?
With confidence restored the lads went on to win their final match of the day by a comfortable 3-0 scoreline. Dominic Burke, from a new position on the left of midfield, scored two with the other coming from a spectacular overhead kick from Joe Harvey. After a poor start the lads had recovered well to ensure their place in the final sixteen on the last day.

On the shopping front there was an Aldi supermarket right next to the stadium and with the shops now being open we were all able to purchase essential supplies ie toilet paper, beer etc. In between the lads matches the three musketeers ventured out again into the local community in search of premiership football (Boro v Man U) and located a few bars and were even thrown out of one for taking their own supplies in! They would make ideal sniffer dogs for their fantastic ability to locate beer within, at least, a three mile radius!!

Bull Fight  After the football we went back to the accommodation and the lads took the opportunity to have a quick relaxing dip in the pool. The commandant was busy playing boules so the speedo rule was not enforced! We then returned to the stadium for a 'show' and dinner and it turned out to be an entertaining night. The 'show' took place in a bull ring and involved a bull chasing the locals around an inner ring. There was a small outer ring which was protected by a fence around the perimeter of the inner ring and then a larger fence around the perimeter of the stand holding spectators. The locals showed great skill and athleticism in evading the bull, catapulting onto the inner fence and then vaulting onto the outer fence at great speed. Anyone without their expertise would certainly have done some damage to themselves on the outer perimeter fence. On arrival Kingy was invited to join the participants in the outer ring thinking that he had been asked in his capacity as the group leader. He had in fact been nominated by members of the group as we were being ferried around by our hosts. At this stage we were not aware that the bull could jump over the inner fence to the outer ring and when it did Kingy moved more quickly than anyone had seen before and his black trousers turned a different colour!! When the locals had finished a young bull was brought into the ring and all hands, including some of our 11 year old lads, joined the fray. Imagine taking a photo of your lad going into the ring with a bull, with the potential for something to go horribly wrong, and then explaining the situation to your partner on your return home!! Probably not the best decision ever made but all of us, especially the lads, had a great laugh.

The final 16 segment of the tournament was similar to a knockout competition although the loser would have additional matches to establish their overall placing and the games would be over 20 minutes instead of the previous 15. Winning the first match would qualify the team for a competition for 1st to 8th place while losing would give the team a position between 9th and 16th. Diamonds first match was on one of the back pitches today and the lads started in fine style with a resounding 4-0 win with the goals being scored by Fraser Hanlon, Dominic Burke, Alistair Clark and Joe Harvey (not necessarily in that order). The lads were now full of confidence and having seen their next opponents in a previous match we anticipated that if Diamonds performed well they would progress to the semi final although nothing was being taken for granted.

In the quarter final against Forques OL Diamonds played the better football and the only threat from the opposition came from long range shots and set pieces. Unfortunately the referee in this match was very poor. We were given some indication early on when an opponent cleared the ball directly into touch and the subsequent throw in was given to them. Diamonds were unable to translate their superiority into goals and the situation was made worse when the lads were denied a blatant penalty when Alistair Clark was brought down. The match finished goalless and moved on to a sudden death penalty shootout. Forques missed the first penalty but Diamonds followed suit. Fourques scored their second and went through to the semi when Diamonds missed again. Diamonds have generally fared poorly in the lottery of a penalty shootout, although they have won them occasionally, but there will never be any recriminations against lads who have had the character to step up and accept the responsibilty of taking one. It was disappointing to miss out on the opportunity to finish in the top four particularly in view of the poor refereeing performance and as Diamonds had been the better team. Unfortunately it wasn't to be our day.
It was now the lunch break but because of timing of their matches Diamonds would be back in action in less than the usual two hours. As this was Sunday the shops were closed again so anyone who had not bought sufficient provisions the day before was struggling again. In between Diamonds matches the three musketeers, and one or two others, were searching once again for premiership coverage (Liverpool v Newcastle & Sunderland v Everton) in the local bars - it's a tough life!
Diamonds were now battling for 5th place at best and they returned to the back pitches for their next match. In my opinion this was their most disappointing performance as they had taken control of the match early on and Kyle Davies put them in the lead. An equaliser came out of the blue and a match which they should have won convincingly finished in a 1-1 draw. The subsequent penalty shootout was a nail biting affair with both teams scoring their spot kicks but with the opponents starting proceedings Diamonds always needed to score to stay in the tie until they eventually ran out winners by a 6-5 scoreline.
The lads final match was played to decide 5th or 6th place and returned to one of the main pitches. Diamonds started off really well against FC Lyon with Joe Harvey scoring another spectacular goal to give them the lead. This time it was a scissor kick and his left foot volley speared into the roof of the net. The lads had been playing well and were in control but their opponents were coming more into the game. One mistake could have resulted in the lottery of another penalty shootout but, as nerves where starting to get the better of the parents, James Wolfe latched onto a clearance from the opposition and thumped a long range shot into the bottom corner for a deserved 2-0 win and the overall finishing position of 5th.