Old Meads Are The Champions

Amateur Football Combination Premier Division: Old Meadonians 4 Old Parmiterians 2

A healthy and hearty crowd of two hundred plus came to Riverside Lands to witness the anointment of Old Meadonians as Champions of the Amateur Football Combination Premier Division on Saturday. The hosts had to draw one of their two final games to clinch the title and did it in one and in style by putting one of the big beasts of the division and, incidentally, their own particular ‘Bete Noire’, Old Parmiterians firmly in their place if not quite to the sword.

Ten minutes after half-time Meads had this game all but sewn up at 4-nil and only conceded two totally undeserved consolation goals in the last ten minutes to give the visitors a semblance of respectability when the hosts took their foot off the accelerator. This was due to be Meads’ chance to exact retribution legally for Parms’ unruly behaviour -the last time these sides met in a cup quarter final won by the Chiswick side 3-0, but in the last minute of which, Meads’ keeper, Gary Robinson was so badly fouled that he had to go to hospital and was on crutches for two months and twenty days.

In the event the hosts set about their task immediately when after only two minutes Charlie Cain’s in-swinging corner was stabbed in by centre-back Aidan Chapman. Meads’ dream start was extended five minutes later by Ed Glover out-jumping the defence to glance a high ball over the keeper. By this time with Jack Costello bolstering their defence and Glover up front, both off the injured list, Meads were soon climbing all over the shell-shocked visitors.

By the fifteenth minute it was three as again Glover rose above his markers to glance the ball on and this time Ryan Bright popped up unexpectedly and craned to head it into the top corner. On twenty five minutes Meads’ keeper, Simon Greening twisted his ankle after hitting the goal post while ushering a floater over the bar. Despite the physios patching him up, he soldiered on but had to come off at half time for Glover to take over and become the sixth keeper to stand between the sticks for Meads this season.

Despite this it took just ten minutes for the contest to be over: left back Daniel Donovan combining with Cain and putting in a deep cross which Simon Richardson netted with a diving header. From then on Meads did allow the visitors to have the ball more often without being in much danger and they put two past Glover neither of which could be said to be his fault especially as he’d dealt comfortably with anything thrown at him including producing a good reflex save from a deflected shot.

The crowd let out their biggest reaction when, with five minutes to go, sub Craig Jones cut in from the right and unleashed a cracker from a narrow angle, only for the Parms’ keeper to arch and turn the ball round the post with a strong hand. He was then robbed of his glory by the ref who gave a goal kick. The instant the final whistle went the air was filled with a jubilant and tuneful rendition of, “CHAMPIONES, CHAMPIONES, ARE WE ARE WE ARE WE!”

Squad: Greening (Richardson), Chapman (c), Pointer, Donovan, Shea, Gowers, Bright, Cain, Wilson (C. Jones), Glover.

May 12, 2017