Two Points Rashly Given Away by Old Meads

Amateur Football Combination Premier Division - Clapham Old Xaverians 1 Old Meadonians 1

This was two points rashly given away by Old Meadonians’ on their first visit to Clapham’s new home in the swish surroundings of leafy suburbia at New Beckenham on Saturday with the visitors lacking the subtlety to find a way through the hosts’ last ditch death or glory defence.

Until the powers of football that be find a method of rewarding attacking pressure akin to hockey’s points for corners, such as shots on target, Meads are going to have to rely on their previously well tried and, one might add, at least at present, the only method of signalling supremacy, of simply finding the net. In the second half league stragglers Clapham left a single bulky but clever striker up field to alleviate the constant siege they were placed under and Meads for all their territorial advantage achieved a poor return for their dozen or so shots on target.

Mid fielder Peter Eguae was unluckiest in this respect as three times he worked his way through the madding crowd for his blistering shots to hit a virtual brick wall. On two of the several occasions shots were cleared off the line it was with superbly athletic bicycle kicks and, it is difficult in the circumstances to begrudge Clapham the point which takes them off the bottom of the pile especially as, in the first half, not only did they show themselves capable of playing neat supportive football to give their guests a thorough going test but had earned their goal lead at the interval.

The bar intervened in favour of the hosts on one occasion and even when a defender handled the ball in the area the usually clinical Colin Hawkins hit the post. Eventually with ten minutes to go Clapham’s goal line defence failed them to allow a swerving Jack Costello corner in to save Meads’ blushes.

Team: Greening, Costello, Pointer, Thompson, Rhone, Thomkins, (Graham), Jones, (Palmer), Gerrish, Eguae, (Quinn), Glover, Hawkins.

October 13, 2009