“Brimming with confidence after a big win against Skritzers Squeelers, the Red Star Strikers were in high spirits as they arrived for their Round Six match. Their opponents, the Watchmen, seemed clearly outmatched on paper having had a terrible run with injury during the season. The odds, however, were soon evened as a paddy wagon rolled up to the side of the arena to collect Striker's Troll Slayer Leonid Brezhnev. Brezhnev had not occupied his spare time well during his recent injury layoff, smashing up a local tavern and some of its patrons to boot! Then the two Blitzers, Ho Chi Minh and Vladimir Lenin, got into a heated dispute and refused to take the field together. As a result, the Strikers started with ten men against the Watchmen and looked decidedly less arrogant.

The Reds won the toss and received. Without Friedrich Engels, the Red Star all time Casualty inflictor who sadly passed away last game, for the first time ever the Strikers seemed to lack some punch. Lenin's decision to sit out made the attack altogether impotent. As a result, Sally Jupiter was able to smash the ball free of Vyacheslav Molotov and run away with it. It was only because of some good fortune that Molotov was able to recover and run down Jupiter. With the Strikers finally starting to knock over a few Watchmen in the middle, Molotov broke free from the angry Jupiter and launched a pass to Ho Chi Minh in traffic. The Blitzer was able to hold on to complete the Strikers' first ever pass in the SWL. After blitzing through Hollis Mason, a blitz which prevented Mason taking any further part in the game, Uncle Ho was away with Klaus Fuchs covering his tail. With the Strikers finally looking like they could do some damage, a magnificent hit by Deng Xiaoping sent the star Blitzer Night Owl to join Mason, giving the Reds a numerical advantage for the first time in the match. Ho ran in the touchdown to ensure the Red Star side led 1-0 with halftime not far away.

The Strikers' kickoff to start the second half went straight to Jupiter. Jupiter then handed to Doctor Manhattan who looked for the deep pass but, in a fit of incompetence, fumbled the ball! Ho was able to beat the good Doctor out of the way as Molotov claimed possession. Dollar Bill was then able to knock Molotov down, but Jupiter was unable to pick up the crumbs. Eventually, after some pushing and shoving, Jupiter was able to gain possession and break free of the pack. This freedom was shortlived, however, as the irrepressible Ho chased Jupiter down and knocked the pill clear. Molotov was able to grab the ball again whilst Marx knocked Silhouette mk2 onto the long term injured list behind the play. Once again Jupiter knocked down Molotov and got the ball in what was becoming a repetitive series of events. Deng Xiaping, however, was eliminating passing options downfield and seriousy injured Ozymandias. When Klaus Fuchs failed to knock Jupiter down, stunning himself in the process, it looked as if Sally may finally break away for good. With one eye over her shoulder on the pursuing Dwarves, Jupiter tripped of a tuft of grass and tripped, sending the ball flying. As Lavrenti Beria broke the Comedian's jaw, Karl Marx charged after the ball. The longbeard was perhaps so surprised that he picked the ball up without fumbling, that he promptly failed when trying to pass down the field. Jupiter tried vainly to move Big Karl, but despite this managed to pick up the ball. Unfortunately her attempt to dodge free of Karl was unsuccessful. Ho Chi Minh, who had been in everything, attempted to pass long to Molotov, but the inaccuracy instead gave Dollar Bill the chance to go long to Jupiter who was, once again, nailed by Ho. With the seconds ticking down, Doctor Manhattan made a last ditch effort to secure the ball but tripped and fell. Keen to show Vladimir Lenin in particular that he is the dominant player on the Strikers' roster, Ho Chi Minh then scooped up the ball and made a long pass to Molotov, who beat the clock to score.

Despite injuring many Watchmen, many observers thought the Strikers got lucky. Molotov had to make an excellent blitz to deny Jupiter in the opening stages, whilst his touchdown was regarded by many as a fluke. Despite the flattering 2-0 scoreline, the match was very even. One interesting note was the two completions. Up until Round Six, the Red Star side had not completed one! It is difficult to recall an occasion where they even tried. Are we seeing some new tactics for the Big Red Machine?

Twahnlow Votes
3 - Sally Jupiter

Easily the Watchmen's best. Nearly scored easily and constantly won possesion.

2 - Dollar Bill

Two completions and some nice blitzing by the Thrower.

1 - Doctor Manhattan

A lot didn't go his way, but he seemed to be having a lot more of a crack than some of his teammates.”