Meads held to an honourable score draw

Amateur Football Combination Premier Division -

Old Meadonians 2  Honourable Artillery Company 2

Back on the league trail Old Meadonians, although unbeaten as yet, are finding their struggle to catch up on dropped points hampered by the loss to injury of ace strikers Colin Hawkins and Ed Glover. The latter attempted to come back too early from the bench on Saturday and limped off after one minute but the real drama occurred in Meads’ dressing room an hour before kick off when keeper Kris Sayers was ruled out with a viral infection.

With no other goalie available at short notice centre back Dan Salanson bravely deputised and acquitted himself well, having no chance with either goal. The visitors, league leaders Honourable Artillery Company, must have thought it was their birthday as, despite having the lion’s share of the ball in the first half, their hosts compounded their injury problems by spurning the half chances that fell to them and missed a penalty into the bargain.

Meads’ striker Albert Adomah had already had a good shout for a penalty turned down when, on twenty-five minutes, the dose was repeated on skipper Jack Costello in front off the referee only for Meads’ skipper to put the ball over from the spot. Salt was duly rubbed in ten minutes later when a sloppy clearance from a corner was fed back into the area for HAC’s opportunist striker Rob Imlah to notch the first of his brace. Meads started the second half in the same vein only to spoil things with another piece of generosity.

Twenty minutes in it was the visitors’ turn to defend poorly at a corner. However, instead of pumping the ball back, Meads gave it away, playing to one of HAC’s strengths, the ability to counter attack with speed. The ball was fed out to the left and once more Imlah took advantage by glancing the cross into the net. With twenty to go Meads at last woke up to their plight and began to play with some urgency. They pinned the visitors back and ten minutes to the whistle Ryman veteran Kevin Quinn beat the off-side trap to slot past the keeper. Meads’ one stroke of luck came as the ref was looking at his watch. He glanced up to catch Quinn being manhandled in the area and this time centre-back Alastair McCombe stepped up to make no mistake to give Meads just parity.

Team: Salanson, Hanley, Hanley, Hugh Jones, Rhone, Bond, Costello, Lovell, Cope, (Glover), (Wapshott), Adomah, Quinn.

David Stanners

December 15, 2005