Lacklustre performance nets Old Meads a lucky result

Amateur Football Combination Premier Division - Old Meadonians 1 Old Aloysians 0

Old Meadonians’ coach Paul Rumley kept his players in the changing rooms for a good twenty minutes extra after Saturday’s league match at Riverside Lands in which three points were scraped with a goal in the last twenty minutes.

He made no effort to conceal his displeasure at a lethargic performance which indicated that players seemed to think that all they had to do to succeed was to pull on their shirts. He was in no mood to compromise as, despite having drawn five league games, Meads are still unbeaten, are in the latter stages of three senior cups and need to regain their hunger for success with the important part of the season looming.

Before the match Meads had to cope with the bitter sweet news that seventeen year old striker, Albert Adomah, having scored twice in mid-week for Harrow Borough reserves, had been called into the Borough first team squad for Saturday’s game.

Coupled with an injury list, which has not been less than six all season, Meads had the added misfortune of having midfielder Chris Peacock carried off on ten minutes with further damage to a crusciate ligament that kept him out for the whole of last season. Visitors, Aloysians, are struggling just above the relegation zone but took the game to Meads for the whole of the first half.

The home side were a good half yard off the pace, with Aloysians’ striker, Dave Wallace, giving their defence a torrid time. A commanding performance from visitors’ Tony Smith in midfield meant that the hosts were kept on the back foot for most of the first period and it took three excellent saves from keeper Kris Sayers to keep them in the game.

Meads came out with more purpose on the restart but still found it difficult to make the final telling pass. Their blushes were saved for the second week running by central defender, Alastair McCombe, who stretched out a toe to end the deadlock with twenty minutes to go. When Meads’ striker Colin Hawkins eventually manufactured space in the last ten, his fierce cross shot was well saved by Aloysians’ keeper, Lee Halligan. Five minutes later Hawkins’ close volley produced a reflex save of the first order from Halligan to keep the result in doubt to the end. The Man of the Match award went to keeper Kris Sayers.

Team: Sayers, Hanley, McCombe, Butler, Bond, Kearney, Peacock, (Quinn), Fox, (Lovell), Rhone, Hawkins, Glover.

February 10, 2006