Meads Show Resilience : Amateur Football Combination Premier Division

Old Meadonians 2 Old Suttonians 0

The visit of league leaders Old Suttonians to Riverside Lands on Saturday was destined to be a test of Sutts’ leadership rights and also of Meads’ resilience and ability to bring an iffy-ish start to the season under control after early exits from all three cups and dropping eight points in the league.

In the event it was the hosts who showed themselves in the best light, steadying the ship admirably and coming out worthy winners of a close and hard fought game to trim the visitors’ wick and put Meads three points behind them with two games in hand. Meads’ first came fifteen minutes in when left-back Charlie Cain caught the visitors’ keeper off his line and from fully thirty yards out lifted the ball effortlessly into the far top corner.

Continuing pressure saw the hosts’ cushion come ten minutes later when their thorn in the side midfielder, Ryan Bright who had been causing the visitors endless problems with his mazy dribbling, was off on another tantalising display of close ball control. However, this time, having been blocked from his direct line to goal, he was actually about to exit the area when he was up-ended. He got up and dispatched the penalty with aplomb.

The second half gave Meads the chance to demonstrate the strength of their defence which benefitted from being virtually unchanged. However, with centre back Aidan Chapman laid low overnight with a bug, Matt Britner stepped into his boots to plug the gap so ably that, although Sutts dominated possession, they huffed and puffed in vain. In fact Meads’ keeper Garry Robinson had only one save of note to make, a brilliant reflex dive to his left in reply to a point blank volley, with Will Gerrish completing the clearance. In his post match briefing manger Luke Graham praised the squad’s total effort but challenged them to maintain this for the rest of the season.

Squad: Robinson, Costello, Gerrish, Britner, Cain, Gowers, N. Jones, Bright, C. Jones (Mace), Wilson, Richardson (Glover), sub not used, Goode.

January 25, 2016