Round 3 started with Drunken DisAudley FC taking on AFC Shooters B. The teams had similar form thus far starting off with victory but then slipping to defeat. In such a tight group they would want to return to winning ways as soon as possible to get their tournament challenge back on track.

If we wanted a yardstick to try and judge the outcome of this then both teams had played Skidmarks and Drunken DisAudley had won 1-0 and AFC Shooters B had lost 1-0. Both games were very tight affairs and when games are so close they can be won/lost on fine margins so maybe we shouldn't read too much into this. If anything, the tightness of the group and the scores had suggested most teams in Group C could beat any of their opponents “on their day”.

It was Drunken DisAudley who struck the opening blow in this bout as Gareth Thomas fired his team ahead in the opening half. It was a lead that the team from Witney would take into the break. In the second period the teams exchanged a goal each as Alex Cooke (Drunken DisAudley) and Mike Tawn (AFC Shooters) both found the net. At 2-1 it was still Drunken DisAudley in command and that's how it finished.

The win put Drunken DisAudley joint top with the Algarve Stars with a crucial 3 points. All was not lost for AFC Shooters B with two games to go to decide their own fate.

Skidmarks and Algarve Stars was the next big kick-off on Pitch C. Skidmarks had just secured their first points of the day and would now look to build on that as they aimed to win their 4th Group phase in 6 attempts. To achieve this a win would be vital and make it a 3-way tie at the top of the table. Were they to lose they would be 6 points adrift of their opponents with just two games to go.

Algarve Stars would have sole custody of the Group C lead with just a point from this game and a draw may not be the worst result in the world against one of their main challengers. A win however would put them firmly in the box seat and could potentially lead to the elimination of one of their main rivals for the overall tournament. There was much to play for.

A win for Algarve Stars looked on the cards after the early exchanges as Roberto Silva scored his second of the tournament. It was a goal that was good enough to give them a 1-0 lead at the start of the second half. In 4 previous years Skidmarks had lost just once in 23 group games. They were now staring down the barrel of 2 defeats in 3 here in Portugal – something that was unthinkable before kick-off. They showed admirable fighting qualities though and they hit back to win a penalty. The pressure was on Ashley Britten as he stepped up but he was outwardly calmness personified as he fired home for 1-1.

Group C was getting tighter and tighter as the fixtures progressed and this fixture helped prove that case. The teams could not be split at full-time as the game ended 1-1. Only time would tell how valuable this point would be for the two teams.

At this stage of the day we were running a little behind the original schedule with some delays so we had to play with the schedule a bit to try and catch-up and utilize empty pitches as Pitches A, B, C and D ran out of sync. We therefore brought forward the Depo Originals versus Drunken DisAudley fixture.

Drunken DisAudley had already played in Round 3 and this was a real opportunity for them to put some scoreboard pressure on the other teams in Group C. Depo Originals were looking for their first goals and points of the day and were finding it hard work under the Portuguese sun.

This game followed the pattern most onlookers would have expected with a buoyant Drunken DisAudley relishing the opportunity to regain top spot after Algarve Stars draw in the game above. Gareth Thomas gave them the first half lead.

After the interval Gareth Thomas and Alex Cooke scored their third and second goals of the tournament respectively to finish the job, 3-0. They lead the way in Group C but their challengers did have a game in hand.