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by Robert "Pennywise" Gray

All the calculated risks, all the rotations Insmouth made in previous games to preserve players from suspensions, all the fight to keep the winning streak against less competitive teams - all of this was building up to one crucial match near the end of the season.

The buildup was over. This fixture finally arrived in Round 34: The Rockets came to Derry Sewers. It was an excellent chance for Insmouth to do the unimaginable and register a win against each of the other three top clubs in Campeonato Série A after defeating both Red Onions and Peregrinos earlier.

However we had to remember the club we were about to meet had a much richer history and experience in the top flight. It seemed easy to focus on champions Red Onions and forget that manager RocketmanGav_2nd lead The Rockets to three consecutive titles in the very first three seasons of competitive football in Brazil - a feat Red Onions were merely looking to match by claiming their third title this campaign. They also had one Brazilian Cup in their trophy cabinet which was won precisely against Insmouth in a dramatic final back in season 4. The Rockets had tremendous international experience as well after becoming runners up in the top level of the Inter Cup - the Platinum Cup, losing out to Newcastle United (1) in last season's final.

Experience was the key characteristic ot The Rockets team. They were often criticized for their extremely high squad age but those were top players at the very top of their careers.

The Rockets didn't arrive just to measure strength with Insmouth. They boasted ambitions of their own - reigning champions Red Onions were just two points above Insmouth but The Rockets were just three under us and were still pretty much in the title race.

At the same time Red Onions were scheduled to play an early match simultaneously - their visit to King of the North, home of Astonian FC (156). Fans both home and away prepared to keep an ear to how the score was going over there.

There was a small incident with software malfunction that caused unrest amongst Insmouth fans before the game began. It lead to artificially inflated ticket prices and more than a thousand revoked their purchases. Sadly only 8,906 seats were taken at Derry Sewers for this crucial match.

Either way the two teams left the dressing rooms to enter the pitch and all the noise and turmoil at the stands stepped aside to make room for nervous anticipation.

There weren't any big surprises in the starting teams. Both managers threw the best at their disposal in the fire. Insmouth relied on the tried and tested 4-5-1 formation with Leo Furtado (70) leading the attack. The Rockets fielded a 5-4-1 and put their own star man Fabio Venâncio (67) up front. Some pundits expected the match to turn into a personal duel between the two supertalented strikers and they were certainly under the spotlight to score the goals.

It was worth noting The Rockets fielded a starting eleven with an average age of 30.8 years. Another focal point of pundit analyzis before the match was whether they would be able to maintain a high tempo over 90 minutes against a more energetic Insmouth team - for comparison Cheetahs fielded a starting eleven with an average age of 24.6 years.

Those points often become irrelevant in high profile derbies but this time they had a significant impact. After a cautious start from both teams Insmouth quickly stamped their mark on possession and dictated play. The visitors were unable to match our energy levels and instead opted to stay deep and lean on their experience.

That was a dangerous approach for The Rockets. With the quality in our midfield so much possession quickly started leading to threatening shots. Away keeper Jamie Goldstein (70) had a lot of work in the opening 20 minutes and had to intervene several times to save a cannonade of shots from Furtado and our CM Atílio Silveira (56).

At the same time ripples of excitement went through the fans in both the home and away sector. There was a goal at King Of The North - Astonian FC rather surprisingly took the lead against Red Onions with a penalty kick.

This only densed the air of anticipation at Derry Sewers. Both Insmouth and The Rockets knew the importance of the points today and the pressure took its toll. Neither team was able to create anything significant and the score at half time was still a goalless draw.

Whatever the managers said during the interval it worked. The nerves were calmed and both sides started showing the quality they possessed. Insmouth continued to hold the ball extremely well but The Rockets stood firm and varied the occassional counter with long balls aimed at their striker.

It must be noted the match was tense but also very sportsmanlike. There were barely any fouls committed and the level of positioning and cooperation from the players allowed them to defend without resorting to breaking the rules.

This was why it came as a shock when The Rockets DM Thiago Prado (47) went studs-up on Silveira in the 52nd minute. It was virtually the first serious offense in the match and Insmouth fans roared urging the ref to show the red card. The referee however decided not to spoil the match and stayed on the safe side with a yellow. To his credit we must admit the sportsman nature of the game to this point probably made Prado's tackle to look worse than it really was.

Emotions got high over the next few minutes and threatened to get the better of the players. Most of the fouls in the entire match were committed in the space of five minutes after Prado's tackle. For some reason the referee refused to book more players and it started to look like the game was getting out of his hands.

It probably would have if all the negative energy wasn't channeled by the right reasons shortly after. Insmouth left midfielder Kikugoro Sugahara (56) cut inside with explosive dribble and managed to exploit the space between The Rockets RB and RCB. He was getting in a dangerous position and that forced the CB to drop covering Furtado in order to move in and block a possible shot. Sugahara brilliantly used the split second when Furtado was unmarked to slide a smart pass to him and our forward got himself in an excellent position to shoot.

His thunderous shot bounced off the bar and in the back of the net leaving Goldstein on the spot and Derry Sewers erupted - Insmouth took the lead in the 59th minute!

The stands were still buzzing when public enemy number one Prado rushed forward immediately after The Rockets renewed play. Insmouth midfield was hungover after the celebrations and reacted too slow to close him down. Prado advanced and played a simple through ball to The Rockets striker Venâncio. For reasons unclear our defenders was unable to back each other despite the numerical advantage and the forward was left one on one with CB Shane Pybus (67). Venâncio didn't attempt to dribble past the more agile defender but instead took a first touch shot through his legs. The tiniest of deflections changed the trajectory and tricked Insmouth keeper Frank Rosewarns (69). To the dismay and horror of the home fans the ball slided in the back of the net - The Rockets equalized less than a minute after falling behind!

While everybody feared momentum had suddently swung in favor of the visitors Insmouth reacted well. We returned to precise passing and dynamic movement off the ball to pin the away team firmly on the back foot. Furtado started getting more balls and tried his luck a couple of times but Goldstein pulled comfortable saves.

Venâncio continued to be a threat in our box though. He singlehandedly controlled a long ball and fired a spectacular volley just over the bar.

The Rockets made the first and only sub in the match in the 71st minute. Keeper Goldstein was replaced by reserve goalie Douglas Ávalos (67). It was a peculiar sub considering the away team could have used some fresh legs in the final twenty minutes.

And indeed the visitors looked tired shortly after went Sugahara went on another run down the left. This time our midfielder hugged the touchline and definitively outpaced RB Fabio Vaz (69) to pull a great cross in the box. Furtado towered over his markers and headed it past Ávalos - then ran over to the stands to greet Insmouth fans. It was minute 75 and Cheetahs took the lead again!

The Rockets simply didn't have enough strength left in the legs to put us under pressure after. The final fifteen minutes became a masterclass of precise passing from Insmouth midfield while tired away team players sporadically made inefficient effort to close down and press.

As it became evident The Rockets couldn't react and push for a late equalized, attention turned to smartphones, tablets and even old fashioned radios for updates of the events on King Of The North where Astonian FC were still heroically holding on to a fragile 1-0 lead.

With three minutes to go waves of disappointment struck the crowd - Red Onions clawed an equalizer with plenty of time to look for a winner. Reports claimed Astonian were fighting for their lives as the champions pinned them in their own box.

The 22 on the pitch must have thought the referee was awarding a penalty when they heard the massive roar from the stands in the first minute of added time. But it was the home fans reacting to news that Astonian had taken the lead again with a quick counter!

Emotions were swinging faster than a modern footballer changes haircuts. Seconds later news broke out Red Onions pulled level again. However added time of that match was only two minutes and there was none left for another - the match at King Of The North was officially over after massive drama and three late goals to seal a shocking 2-2 draw!

Insmouth and The Rockets played one more minute of added time under the buzzing crowd celebrating the impossible becoming reality. As soon as the referee blew the final whistle Derry Sewers literally exploded - Insmouth had done the impossible and with little help from Lady Luck overcame a ten point difference to knock off Red Onions from the top spot in Campeonato Série A!

Final score: Insmouth Cheetahs (5) - The Rockets (17) 2-1 (Leo Furtado 59, 75; Fabio Venâncio 59)
Man of the Match: Leo Furtado (Insmouth Cheetahs)

In the late games Peregrinos had no trouble against Acadiana at home and secured a 2-0 win which gets them in touching distance with The Rockets in what now looks like a fierce fight for third position and Platinum Cup qualification:

1. Insmouth 86 +53
2. Red Onions 86 +49
3. The Rockets 80 +42
4. Peregrinos 79 +41
5. Alexandra 73 +36

Stay tuned as the heavyweight matches involving Insmouth continue with the IAG Cup Round 6 dreadful away trip to Stallions of Rock (8.) - Stable Ground saw us knocked out from tournaments twice in recent seasons. Can Insmouth avoid a third consecutive heartbreak there? Stay with us to find out!