Rusty Plough 4:1 Juventus

Rusty Plough v Juventus – January 25, 2026

As the rest of the nation was being battered by an epic winter storm, the Rusty Plough gathered at Gilman South in relatively balmy weather. It was the first game of 2026 for the Rusties and they faced bottom of the table Juventus. Despite being the home team, they selected the black kits with the yellow Trumer Pils logo to ensure that Steve Weinstein would be able to tell the difference between friend and foe.

By this point in the season, manager Welch had given up any hope that the Rusties could learn new things and so he sent the squad out in the traditional 4-4-2 formation. The Plough appeared confident as the game began.

Despite the fact that Juventus had but two wins, they started the game on the front foot. Early in the game, their speedy number 76 made an angled run right through the Rusty back line onto a perfectly played pass. Cope, floating on the high of Man U beating Arsenal, had stepped forward while Hudson, wrapped in 15 pounds of support braces, had no chance of catching the runner. Keeper James recognized the situation early and came out to challenge 76. He was surprised to see PJ so far off his line and failed to have himself properly organized. He attempted a shot, but there was no angle and James blocked the shot with his hand and pushed it wide. The first of many key saves.

The near disaster brought the Rusties to life and they grew into the game. They began moving the ball calmly and confidently (with the exception of two or three questionable back passes from Hudson that, fortunately for the Rusties, did not result in calamity.)¹ They began to control the match and mostly kept the ball in the Juve half. The strikers, Waranoff and Sadwith, warmed up the Juve goalie with several shots straight to his midsection.

Midway through the first half the first pre-planned substitution occurred and long-suffering Jeremy Giovannetti rejoined the Plough squad having (mostly) recovered from the effects of a concussion. His introduction paid off almost immediately as he played a perfectly weighted ball through the Juve defense where it was collected by Sadwith and slotted low and hard past the keeper.

The Plough kept plenty of pressure on Juventus, but could not put another one past their solid keeper. They enjoyed the halftime oranges provided by Logan with a 1-0 lead.

As the second half started, the Rusties picked up where they left off. The passing was, mostly, excellent, Adam, James, and Jeremy held down the mid-field and controlled the tempo of the match. Outside backs Hennesy, Weinstein and Wekwerth kept their opponents in check. Michael Fitzgerald deserves a special mention for being the only player with the ability to outrun his own misplayed pass or poor touch and turn it into offense.

The outside mids, Welch, Faucette, Jak, and Ugarte provided reliable passing options and chased back as needed on defense. To be honest, the team looked good.

About 5 minutes into the second half, Sadwith charged down a Juve defender who tried to pass the ball back to his keeper, Tyler was too quick and got a toe to the ball before the keeper could corral it. The ball rolled across the face of the net, where 2025 Golden Boot winner, Andy Waranoff, was waiting. He calmly passed the ball into the net to double the Rusty lead.

Juve seemed a bit down, and soon relinquished possession to the Plough. Jeremy passed the ball wide to Weinstein, who moved it centrally to Hudson, who found Jak open on the right. Jak dribbled down the sideline and noticed Waranoff running towards the box. Jak unleashed an absolutely perfect cross into the box. Andy rose to meet the ball with his ample forehead and buried it deep in the back of the net. A goal of the season candidate and a three-goal cushion.

Perhaps the Rusties relaxed too early, because, almost immediately after, Juve struck back. Their gray-haired, super annoying player was fast off the line and caught the Rusties relaxing. He put in a quick cross that was neatly finished. The Rusties needed to refocus. And they did.

Once again, they took control of the field with excellent passing and moving that kept Juve on the back foot. Gaston was dispossessed at midfield and then, to everyone’s surprise, sprinted back to regain control. He made one turn (around Logan) and then passed to James, who sent it out to Logan, who moved it back to Ben, who played it back to Gaston, who tipped it forward to Jeff, who passed it up to Tyler. Tyler then took several strides forward and sent another perfect cross into the box. Once again, Waranoff was on the spot and he expertly volleyed the ball into the back of the net. Detailed analysis confirms that both of his feet were off the ground when contact was made. Another goal of the season?

Juve tried to make it a game and had one good chance towards the end. As the ball floated across the goal, PJ started to make the “woooaaahh” sound, but then stopped and, instead, swung a fist at the ball. He may not have made contact, but he put off the Juve player and preserved the three-goal lead.

The win took the Rusty Plough to 15 points where they remain at the top of the lower half of the table.