Heartening Display by Old Meads in Pre-season Friendly

Football Result: C.B. Hounslow F.C. 3 Old Meadonians 0

Old Meadonians set off up the short and sharp cline towards rebuilding their ravaged squad, with which ‘anno domini’ and work commitment has finally caught up, with a mid-week preseason friendly against thrusting Combined Counties and Ryman aspirants C.B. Hounslow at Osterley last week.

With co-manager Jack Costello away on a scouting trip it was Ed Glover who was in charge of a Meads’ squad which showed that there is ample opportunity for thrusting youngsters to make their mark.

However, it has to be said that this can be achieved only if they show the kind of determination that has been the dominating factor in Meads’ recent success. It was prophetic that the hosts’ ambitious manager, former Meads’ star Roy Wright should set the tone by letting it be known that his squad had been training for six weeks and that this should be a bench mark for the visitors, for it was a distinct difference in fitness between the sides that told in the end.

This was not before Meads had matched Hounslow in the early exchanges and it might have been another story if headed efforts after ten and twenty minutes from Glover and Leon Smith respectively had not found the bar instead of the net and Ryan Conn’s fierce volley from close hadn’t hit the keeper.

It was against the run of play and a body blow from which Meads were not to recover from, when, on the half hour, Mark Peters scored a fine team goal for Hounslow to turn the tide. Just before half-time C.B’s big summer signing from Carshalton, Anthony Bridgeman, soared above Meads’ defence to score a towering header from a corner to make it two at the interval.

The second half saw the hosts tightening their grip on the game as Meads relied on break-aways against the flow of play. Both managers made changes to the full, Glover giving fourth choice keeper, Tim Lee, the chance to show his shot stopping flare to keep the score down and both managers blooding ‘wanabes’ from within the clubs.

It was to be the hosts’ promotee Andrew Stirling who finished the scoring, however, with a fine header after a long throw had been headed on.

For Meads there were heartening displays throughout especially from former first teamer Ryan Rusell and a promising debut from ex-Norwich City schoolboy and former Norwich United player Luke Graham.

Finally both managers expressed themselves as extremely happy with the match as a good prelude to the season agreeing to make it an annual fixture.

Squad: Toyne, Rhone, Handley, Pointer, Graham, Russell, Reynolds, Conn, Jacobs, Glover, L. Smith, Lee, Salanson, McGuinness, Jones

August 5, 2008