Old Meads scrape through semi's

A.F.A. Middlesex & Essex Senior Cup Result - Southgate County 2   Old Meadonians 6

Old Meadonians scraped through to the semi-finals of the Middlesex and Essex Senior Cup with a last gasp winner after being given a nasty fright by hosts, Southgate County, aspirants from the division below.

On a heavy surface Meads undoubtedly paid the price of losing their natural instinct for the kill and not putting the finishing touches on a first half performance which saw them dominate to go in two goals up.

With Meads’ experienced strikers Colin Hawkins and Ed Glover both carrying injuries there was a distinct lack their usual menacing and explosive pace and it was as well that goals came from other sources.

Centre back Alastair McCombe volleyed the first from ten yards as he met Kevin Quinn’s inswinging free-kick from the right on twenty minutes and after a period of pressure Quinn emerged from a ruck to notch the deserved second from close in. Southgate’s main threat came from their pacy striker Peter Eguae who made light of the conditions to give the visitors a taste of what they were about to receive in the second period.

The hosts came at Meads with a vengeance on the restart and on ten minutes were rewarded when a low cross was putt in by a diving header. Ten minutes later and mid-fielder Dwayne Rhone had cleared of the line twice and Meads’ bar had been struck.

It was no surprise when Southgate equalised with a shot from the edge of the area to set up a tense finish. Even after Quinn’s inswinging flag kick had eluded everyone to creep in to the far corner of the net, Danny Bond’s acrobatic scissor kick clearance off the line in the dying seconds was needed to save Meads’ unbeaten record.

Team: Sayers, Hanley, McCombe, Hugh Jones, Kearney, Bond, Peacock, Quinn, Rhone, Hawkins, (Butler), Glover, (Adomah).

January 30, 2006