Old Meadonians Begin To Bare Their Teeth

London Old Boys Senior Cup - Old Meadonians 4 Mayfield Athletic 0

Ever the slow starters and, this year, further hindered by the lingering aftermath of last season’s injury carnage which, in the first third of this campaign, has seen their list of missing reluctant to diminish, Old Meadonians have at last begun to bare their teeth.

On Saturday luckless visitors to Riverside Lands, Mayfield Athletic, from two divisions below, were victims of a near savaging as Meads found their shooting boots to send a message to those who wish to take up the gauntlet, including their next week’s opponents in the A.F.A. Senior Cup, Old Garchonians from the vaunted Southern Amateur League.

In his post match briefing, manager Luke Graham was happy to report that the team had followed his pre-match instructions to the letter: hence, while they would be expected to win, there were to be no short cuts taken and the by-words would be patience, possession and professionalism.

What we witnessed was the hosts taking an early grip and gradually wearing down their opponents who were eventually run ragged by Meads’ triumvirate of front runners, Craig Jones, Nick Wilson and Simon Richardson. Meads’ first took half an hour to come when Nick Jones’ cross was headed in by Simon Richardson and, on the stroke of half time, the same player slapped a swerving volley in off the bar into the right hand corner from the nearside edge of the area.

Ten minutes after the restart came the classic third which had one member of the press corps recalling the days when Wolves and England wingers Jimmy Mullen and Johnny Hancocks would flash raking cross field passes to each other. On Saturday it was Wilson who put the ball from left to right to find overlapping right back John Shea and Craig Jones did a passable imitation of Jesse Pye to rifle a flying header into the net from ten yards. On the seventieth minute Wilson reaped his reward for industry, racing into the area on the right and putting the ball across the Mayfield keeper who had prevented Meads from doubling their score with his heroics. Charlie Cain was named MoM.

December 3, 2015