Injury hit Meads pass University Challenge

Amateur Football Combination - Old Meadonians 3 University College London Academicals 2

Injury stricken Old Meadonians dug deep to hold off a late revival by U.C.L. to win the first of the back-to-back confrontations with the league leaders, which will settle the title race this season at Riverside Lands on Saturday.

With defender Dan Salanson out for the rest of the season, keeper Kris Sayers struggling on despite a groin strain and strikers Colin Hawkins and Ed Glover nursing injuries, Meads were further reduced when centre back Brian Hanley pulled out in the morning with food poisoning. However even at reduced pace Hawkins and Glover were at times too hot for the visitors’ defence to handle and provided the spark needed to fuel a two goal half-time lead.

This was not before Accies had given the hosts’ defence a thorough twenty minutes searching out. Their lack of pace up front led them to try to capitalise on their height advantage, without success, as veteran Dermot Jordan and Ian Williamson held firm for Meads.

On the half hour Glover cut in from the right and crossed for Hawkins to mistake from fifteen yards. It was now Accies turn to go on the rack and to wilt under pressure. Following several doubtful challenges which lead to a booking, ten minutes after the interval, Glover was agriculturally reaped for Jack Costello to convert the penalty. Within five minutes Costello was called upon to administer justice again as Hawkins was treated similarly. Strangely the referee saw the issue of a penalty kick as sufficient reparation without recourse to his book.

Meads’ injury list was added to when with ten minutres to go Barry McGuinness limped of with a torn ham-string. U.C.L.’s mini-revival came with barely five minutes to go when a low cross bobbled into the net off a defender and then in injury time a long throw was prodded in after pinging around the area.

Meads: Sayers, Jordan, Williamson, Wapshsott, McGuinness, (Leiper), Kearney, Bond, Costello, Rhone, Hawkins, Glover, (Cope).

If you feel you would like to be a member of this progressive and friendly club why not visit their web site www.omfc.co.uk

David Stanners

April 29, 2005