Not because we found the mysterious family with two right shoes, but because the store called us (yes, we are good clients) with unexpected news. Although the boots had been sitting in their box for more than two years, they graciously offered us a full refund.

It may not be the fairy-tale ending where two families unite their mismatched footwear, but it’s a happy ending nonetheless. We can now buy a new pair of boots for Alan, allowing him to finally become the star on the pitch as originally planned. As for us, we’ve gained a valuable life lesson: always check whether a shoebox contains one left shoe and one right shoe before storing it away for two years.

That time had finally arrived. It was time to take the boots out of the box and let Alan shine on the pitch. Alan eagerly opened the box and… Huh, what’s this? A small mistake: the box contained two left boots. After two years, returning them isn’t exactly easy, but we decided to give it a try anyway.

At the store, they were still able to find the receipt from two years ago, but the boots had long since been discontinued and the warranty/return period had expired quite some time ago. The easiest solution I can think of is to hope there’s another family out there with a similar problem. A family that also bought football boots a couple of years ago for a child to grow into and, just like us, only recently discovered that the box contained two of the same shoe. Except in their case, not two left boots, but two right boots.

If that family exists, let us know! We’d be happy to trade one of our shoes for one of yours.

Two years ago (in 2024) I ran the 10k in a nice three quarters of an hour. A year later (in 2025) it already took me a bit longer, namely 49 minutes. This year, who knows. I hope I’ve found my old form again, but it could just as easily go the other way.

Due to a small misunderstanding, I received two numbers this year. Instead of simply throwing one away, I came up with a clever way to give myself some extra motivation during the race. The route is 10 km, but it actually consists of two laps of 5 km. After about 1.5 km I pass my house, and again after 6.5 km. That gave me the following idea:

• Preparation: Starting in May I go for practice runs with Alex every weekend.
• Match
  • I run from the start.
  • Alex gets the second number.
  • During the second lap, around 6.5 km, Alex waits near our house. As soon as he sees me, he starts running with me.
  • He is of course still completely fresh, and 3.5 km is easy for him. This way he acts as my personal pacer and helps me keep up the pace.
  • The result: I run the full 10 km but with an extra motivation during the toughest part.

My time/result: 0:50:31
Alex’ time/result: 0:49:54 (faster thanks to his final sprint)

Today was the day, and the start was immediately bad. In the very first minute we conceded a goal. 0-1. Ah well, I thought, Alan is starting on the bench, so we’ll see how it goes.

But then something unexpected happened: the equaliser! 1-1. Nobody saw that coming, and the whole game shifted. Slowly the match became more physical, but we held our ground. The goals kept coming: 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, 4-2, 4-3, 5-3, 5-4, and finally 6-4.

Alan also scored a beautiful goal. From midfield, high into the corner. Unstoppable. The crowd was completely caught up in the tension, and emotions were running high. The coaches and the referee even had to calm down some of the parents and family members. Well… that’s how it goes sometimes.

We won again! A nice game with lots of goals. We can clearly see the teams are much more equal now, and that makes for much better games to watch.

Yes!, last Sunday Batan Alevín B achieved a convincing 6 – 2 victory. A welcome improvement compared to the previous phase. It was an enjoyable match that was finally rewarded with a splendid win.
The aftermatch: As you can clearly see in the photo taken after the match the players themselves were also in the mood for celebration.

The second type is a team where results matter. Here, you’re expected to show up for every match and perform well. If you don’t stand out as a player, you’re asked to go elsewhere. These teams are meant for top talent, and that’s not what we’re looking for with Alan. Today, Alan is playing against one of those professional teams.

The third type is the neighborhood team that could just as well be a wrestling club. Alan played against one of those last week. There’s little discipline and lots of pushing, pulling, and kicking.

The other team played like an oiled machine, and they won with 17 goals, but still, we had some chances and it was an enjoyable game.

Results

The next phase will start in a couple of weeks. This time the teams will be better aligned to their respective levels, and that will hopefully give us a couple of more interesting matches, with some options to win and boost moral.

The next match is against one of the strongest clubs, so we don’t have high expectations for that one. But after that, we’ll be in a group that’s more at our level, so it’ll be more fun again and hopefully with plenty of chances to win.

Results