Round 5 began with Whiteley FC and RC Lens. If you were a betting man you might consider putting your entire account on an away win. We had a team with four defeats from four games against a team with four wins out of four and looking in formidable form.

If you had bet your mortgage on an away win you may have been sweating a bit at half-time as the two teams reached the break all level at 0-0. Whiteley FC had reserved their best performance until last. RC Lens admittedly had already, in effect, won Group B already and maybe they had lost a bit of focus or killer instinct but they did find the opening goal in the second half as Tommy Twelves found the back of the net.

In the end, 1-0 was enough to earn all three points and ensure that RC Lens would complete Group B with a 100% record. They looked like the team to beat if you wanted to finish the day as 2015 Algarve Open champions.

Whiteley FC knew they would be competing in the Wooden Spoon play-off when the knock-out phase kicked off.

Futeboladas entered the penultimate fixture of Group B knowing a draw would be good enough to secure 2nd place in the table. Win or draw they could finish no higher than 2nd. However, a defeat could potentially be very damaging as both Mavericks and The Badgers could join them on 9 points and they could conceivably finish 4th on goal difference and get relegated to the Plate.

For Mavericks they knew a win could see them finish 4th and qualify for the Plate with 9 points but equally they could lose and if The Badgers lost they could finish 3rd and be one of the best 3rd place finishers and go to the Cup. These were strange times.

What Mavericks needed to do was get the win and hope other results would go their way. They had started superbly with two opening wins but back-to-back defeats was a sign of them maybe running out of steam. They needed to summon up one last burst of energy to finish Group B in style.

Futeboladas seemed to have more in the tank though and although they lost their last game to RC Lens it didn't seem to derail them. There was a goal in each half for Alex Hostel and Jose Miguel as the Portuguese team won 2-0.

Into Game 15 of Group B and there was still Depo Legends versus The Badgers to decide how the table would look in the annals of history. The Badgers had most to play for as they were on the cusp of Cup/Plate qualification. A point would see them finish in third position and, as Lacey Green had already finished in 3rd position on 6 points in Group A, would be sufficient to see them qualify for the Cup as one of the two best third placed teams.

For Depo Legends this game was a free hit. They could potentially finish on 6 points with a win but unless that win was by double figures it would not improve their goal difference enough to make the Cup. Instead, a place in the Plate was already assured. They had just picked up their first win and a second here would give them great momentum going into the afternoon knock-out phase.

A second successive win looked a distinct possibility as we reached half-time with the Depo Legends 1-0 up. John Shine, scorer of the goal in their win over Whiteley FC, was the man on target again. Could it be another match-winning goal? In short, no. Stuart Taggart's third goal of the tournament restored parity for The Badgers. Another goal would see them make it 3 wins on the bounce but it was not to be as we finished at 1-1.

The Badgers had done enough though to qualify for the Cup, Depo Legends would be playing Plate football this afternoon.