Old Mead's revive their league campaign Amateur Football Combination Premier Division - Old Bealonians 0 Old Meadonians 4
Old Meadonians took another step towards reviving their league campaign by beating fourth placed Old Bealonians at Ilford on Saturday. With striker Ed Glover on the bench carrying an injury, Meads chose to start with seventeen year old Albert Adomah alongside top gun Colin Hawkins up front with Kevin Quinn in close support. It was the pace of this combination, yielding a first half hat trick for Hawkins, which put the result beyond doubt. A stiff breeze in their face gave Meads the chance to show the discipline which has left them unbeaten in open play this season. Their superior work rate and the nagging persistence of their strikers wore the hosts down, leading to virtual capitulation before the first half was out. Hawkins first goal came on twenty minutes when a Quinn cross was parried by the home keeper. Pete Lovell won the rebound, and with the path to goal blocked, he cleverly laid the ball back for Hawkins to lob from the edge of the area. On the half hour Quinn won the ball forty yards out and played Hawkins in to round the keeper for his. Two minutes later Adomah showed how far he has progressed by holding off several strong challenges on the way to the edge of the area. He then released Hawkins, who was tripped but got up to bury the penalty. The second half was a trifle flat as Meads took a breather, allowing Bealonians to come at them. The hosts merited a goal and might well have had it if it weren’t for two excellent saves in the first ten minutes from Meads’ apprentice keeper Lee Coneybear, making only his second start. Five minutes later the lid was put on things when Adomah’s pace took him clear to lift the ball over the advancing keeper. Meads still have an outside chance of taking the title if they win their remaining seven games including one against league leaders Old Hamptonians. However this monumental task will have to be achieved without the services of keeper Kris Sayers and midfielder Chris Peacock, out for the remainder of the season and with doubts hanging over the return from injury of skipper Jack Costello. Team: Coneybear, Salanson, (Butler), McCombe, Hanley, Russell, (Glover), Lovell, Bond, Quinn, Rhone, Hawkins, Adomah.
April 11, 2006 |