Meads Back To Their Old Ruthless Selves

London Old Boys Senior Cup: Old Danes 1 Old Meadonians 4

Old Meadonians imperiously brushed aside a flimsy and sometimes clumsy challenge from Old Danes, at present sitting atop the table two divisions below, in the London Old Boys Senior Cup at North Acton on Saturday.

Meads were back to their old ruthless selves in all aspects of the game except one as they reduced their hosts to little more than an irritant for much of the game and well before the end had throttled almost all resistance from hapless Danes who suffered a reality check.

If, during the last twenty minutes, the visitors had harnessed their territorial dominance by converting half the chances they created they could have doubled their tally with no injustice to their opponents. From front to back Meads were superior.

At the back this season’s prized signing, Richard Pilcher looked all set for his initial league representative call up, marshalling his forces brilliantly and breaking up any foray that threatened his domain. In the centre of the midfield Will Gerrish was aggression personified and was complemented by Pete Lovell’s input which was level headed and pragmatic while the pace and pure athleticism of wing backs Peter Eguae and Ed Glover was akin to cavalry, carving jagged gaps in the Danes defence.

Up front young reserve striker Alex Jones seized his opportunity to mark his debut with a brace of goals and the experienced Leon Smith was on fire, finding space to use his dribbling skills and, late on, when Danes were forced to maintain a ten man defence, demonstrating his eel-like ability to slip the noose and worm his way through the congestion.

Eguae opened the scoring fifteen minutes in, bursting in from the left and beating the keeper at the near post from twenty-five yards. Five minutes later Gerrish won the ball forty yards out and his beautifully angled cross was met by Jones’ perfectly timed jump to deflect the ball in. Almost immediately Smith guided a cross between his legs and back into the corner but then Meads relaxed to allow Danes a distant sight of the rabbit with a consolation goal.

The second half saw Meads gradually increase their grip on the game without widening the gulf until Jones notched his second. For the last twenty minutes Danes were under constant siege with Smith and Eguae tightening the tourniquet and shots raining in from all angles.

Eguae almost repeating his first half effort from an acute angle and then pulling the ball back to the edge of the area from where Glover singed the top of the bar,. For the last ten we had the welcome sight of Jack Costello coming on to add his prompting on the right and having two raking shots charged down. The MoM award went to Peter Eguae.
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Team: Toyne, Graham, (Costello), Pilcher, Caran, Lloyd, Glover, P. Lovell, Gerrish, Eguae, Jones, L. Smith.

December 3, 2008