Meads Preserve Unbeaten Record by Skin of Their Teeth
Amateur Football Combination Premier Division - Albanian 1 Old Meadonians 1
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter If you feel you would like to be a member of this progressive and friendly club contact OMFCSlipper@aol.com or visit their web site www.omfc.co.uk |
A much depleted Old Meadonians, missing seven from the winning squad of last week, preserved their unbeaten record by the skin of their teeth after a thorough going investigation of their defensive powers at Chase Farm on Saturday.
The two players most missed by Meads were experienced striker Colin Hawkins, away on family business and midfield speedster Peter Eguae who is likely to be out for three weeks with strained ankle ligaments obtained during an outing with the league team mid-week. Hosts, Albanian, fresh from giving a 6-1 hammering to champions Bealonians the previous game, gave at least as good as they got from visitors who only fired fitfully, and, despite having to take advantage of another phantom penalty to even things out, kept up pressure with a series of pinpoint corners which homed in under Meads’ keeper Simon Greening’s bar. Greening’s resolute form was absolutely paramount as the ball more often than not arrived in the company of one and sometimes two contestants for its possession.
It has to be said that Meads’ goal was also a donation twenty five minutes in as Will Gerrish’s cross-field pass was ushered out to Ed Glover on the right and he gratefully closed in rapidly to beat the keeper from fifteen yards. The second half saw the visitors under almost constant pressure and relying on intermittent breaks away for relief, with Meads’ back five, if you include Greening, under constant aerial threat.
With twenty minutes to go the equalising penalty intensified Albanian’s attacks and in quick succession Dwayne Rhone and Andy Thompson made match saving tackles and Greening brilliantly blocked a one on one. Almost the last act saw Rhone left high and dry following a Meads’ attack just inside the hosts’ penalty area as the defence ebbed too late to catch him offside, but his lob just scraped over the bar. Simon Greening and Andy Thompson shared the MoM award.
Team: Greening, Costello, Pointer, Thompson, Rhone, Pedro, Jones, Gerrish, Granvile, Martins, Glover. Sub not used, Best.
September 30, 2009