
The Zagreb Hawks football club travelled to London for this years preseason trip to take part in a friendly game against the West London Wildcats. The two clubs met previously in Split during the 2007 season when the Wildcats travelled to Croatia for their preseason preparations, so this was an excellent opportunity to see some old friends and to play against arguably the best footy club on the old continent. The Zagreb Hawks, after training hard during the off season and with a squad of eighteen fit players arranged to play the clubs first ever proper 18 a side footy match in London to give the boys a feel for what the real game is all about. Coming from a background of 9 a side footy, the Hawks were up for an uphill battle from the very start while also sporting a side with some new local recruits playing their first ever football match altogether. Nevertheless the Hawks were off to a great start by scoring the first point of the game but unfortunately this wasn't a game of soccer and there was plenty more to play for after the celebrations wound down from the loud and eager Zagreb supporters. What we witnessed next was a flawless performance by the London Wildcats who out ran, out jumped and out played the young Hawks side in every segment of the game showing their class, experience and all the skill you would expect to see from the English champions. To Zagreb's defence, the team had no substitutes to help out and give some tired players a well deserved rest and running around such a large oval all afternoon was something the team was not used to, which did not help the tactical plans the captain had in mind in any way. At the final whistle the Wildcats ran away with the win outscoring Zagreb by a massive 114 points with the final scores standing: Wildcats 117 : Hawks 3








The preseason trip was a great experience for our young players and there are many things the team will take away from this loss which will surely pay dividends in the future.
The club would like to thank everyone involved with the organisation of the trip, all the supporters who came along with the team and the West London Wildcats for their hospitality, the highlight being the Easter Sunday church party which was something else!
By Kreso
By Kreso