Amateur Football Combination vs The Champions (Old Meadonians) 2005

Amateur Football Combination 2 The Champions (Old Meadonians) 2

Wednesday 28th September 2005 at Hanwell Town F.C.

Match Report  (from Dave Stanners).

For the fifth time in succession Old Meadonians faced the League Select at Hanwell Town on Wednesday. The turnout of support was a bit sparse but it was good to have our genial President Robin Gibbs there until half-time when he succumbed to that bane of spectators, the leak in the system and the need for a plumber’s foreman! 

The league team, replete in their new strip of dark blue shirts with red trim and silver numbers and boasting one or two turncoats, seemed eager to dent a few reputations. From the whistle Meads’ vaunted mid-field, missing guiding light and skipper Jack Costello, was swept aside and the chances fell like manna. By the quarter hour Select had spurned no less than four although Meads’ keeper Kris Sayers had saved two of these. By the end of an exciting skilful and fast game, although the score suggested parity, the Select had shown themselves to be marginally the better side. On twenty minutes The League got just reward when a short free kick thirty yards out caught Meads napping and Accies’ Rick Hirst put a magnificent rising shot into the corner from twenty yards. Five minutes later Meads striking duo Ed Glover and Colin Hawkins, who generally throughout the game were well held and up to now had been less than effective, conjured a goal from nowhere. Glover escaped on the far left wormed his way in and fed Hawkins for a tap in. 

The interval saw no let up and although Meads had more of the game they came under increasing pressure until fifteen minutes in when following a Select raid on the right James Concannon was brought down for a penalty. Ben Fox’s first effort was well saved by Kris Sayers but a mass encroachment gave him a second chance, which he duly converted. Meads still wouldn’t come quietly and five minutes later were level again as Glover cut through traffic to equalise. There was to be no further score but debutant Leon Smith hit the post for the League to have the semi-final say but the final say went to the League’s ‘Hitchcockian’ Team Manager who put in his ‘cameo’ appearance. 

A fine array of ‘cold collations’ greeted teams and spectators alike in the bar and in the absence of the League Team’s sponsor, Howard Minors, away on business Team Manager Stuart Minors welcomed all and commended the teams for a keenly and fairly contested game and the referees for silencing a usually vociferous section of the crowd with an impeccable display. Referee Stanley Rosenthal and assistants Mick Osborn and John Costelloe were presented their awards first, then Ben Fox the trophy then Man of the Matches Chris Thomas for The Select and Alastair McCombe for Meads.

AFC: Mark Meeger (Enfield Old Grammarians), Dave Butler, Alex Hugh Jones, Ben Fox, Rupert Cope (Old Meadonians), Paul Tumelty (Shene Old Grammarians), Kevin Smith, Chris Thomas (Old Aloysians), Rick Hirst (U.C.L. Academicals), James Concannon (Albanian),  Lee Summers (Old Danes). Subs:- Marco Tolani (Albanian), Garry Waller, Leon Smith, Stewart Minors, Ben Madden (Old Meadonians).

Officials: Stan Rosenthal (Referee), Mick Osborn, John Costelloe (Assistants).