Amateur Football Combination Premier Division

Parkfield 1 Old Meadonians 1

In the thirty years your correspondent has known Old Meadonians’ joint coach Paul Rumley he has never seen him angrier than last night. He was incandescent. This morning in more measured terms he said Meads could kiss the league title good-bye but they could win either of the finals they’re in. The reason for this setback: that, in an evening match at the Harrow home of Old Millhillians R.F.C., Meads had two points snatched from them but not by hosts, lowly Parkfield, languishing one above the relegation places, they would not have scored of their own volition in a month of Sundays.

Parkfield fought well but failed to put the slightest dent in Meads’ armour plated defence which has been given a reassuring injection of confidence by a sparkling spell of form from keeper Gary Robinson who, in return for his total command of his domain, was relieved of the need to make even a memorable save.

With their defence in such trim it’s a pity that the visitors’ attack couldn’t convert more of the eight or so chances they created which would have put the game to bed well before the end, even with interference from Parkfield’s goalie who made three show stopping saves. In the end the hosts had to have the aid of the referee and one of his assistants to get their undeserved point, the first occasion was midway through the first half when the ball crossed the home goal-line, in the words of a home spectator, ‘It was well over’, only for the referee’s assistant to be lagging five yards from the line from where he could not possibly see down the line.

The second intervention came from the referee in time added on at the end of the match, after Meads’ playmaker Jack Costello had given the visitors a deserved lead with a crisp left foot volley from the edge of the area, during a frenzied power-play in which they won a stream of corners. This time it was Parkfield’s turn to win a solitary corner. After the mayhem in the hosts’ penalty area for the preceding period it was totally calm in Meads’ area for this event but even in the absence of the slightest appeal from the Parkfield players the referee managed to conjure a penalty which was dispatched into the corner with Robinson’s dive within inches of reaching the ball.

Squad: Robinson, Shea, McCombe, Pointer, Quinn, Costello, Chapman, Gerrish, Mantel, Jones, Glover, Bright, Mace, Brennan.

April 3, 2013