Old Parmiterians 0 Old Meadonians 3

Horror tackle doesn't detract from excellent Meads victory

Amateur Football Combination Premier Division

In the days of what was known as ‘The Amateur Game’ the mantra of our youth and also the prime rule (not law) by which we played was ‘We’ve all got to go to work on Monday’. This meant that no one recklessly went into a tackle in a manner likely to injure an opponent so as to render him incapable of going to work on the following Monday.

This can be partly attributed to ‘The Common Duty of Care’ and the same rule applies today in the ‘Pay to Play’ sector. However, it has not held good for Old Meadonians’ versatile defender Luke Graham who languishes at home nursing a six inch gash to his shin caused when, twenty minutes after the break, an opponent’s studs penetrated his shin-pad. Graham had only just come on as Misha Mantel had limped off following a previous doubtful encounter.

Even so, neither of these illegalities was deemed punishable by the referee. In the post match briefing coach Paul Rumley was resignedly taciturn but forthright, ‘Terrible!’, he said. Fellow coach Rory Vermeulen only just contained his feelings since he had received a wigging from the ref for daring to point out the extent of Graham’s injury and had been ordered back to his technical area.

However, neither allowed the circumstances to detract from their praise of the team’s performance calling it the best of the season. They’d scored four against a poor Salvatorians to open the campaign but, on Saturday their hosts, no lame ducks, being just two points behind them in the league with games in hand, hadn’t been given a sniff. It boiled down to the fact that Parms had attacked with pace but couldn’t unlock their visitors’ back four, superbly marshalled by Ali McCombe.

The key to this performance was the return to full match fitness and form of Ed Glover who has been brought on slowly since coming back from the long term injury which kept him out most of last season, making sparingly few starts. In the past, although really a striker, Glover has been used as a utility mid-fielder where his pace on the periphery is an enviable asset. On Saturday he was at his flashing best up front where his ability to win the ball in the air was crucial and he immediately hit it off with partner Craig Jones whose selfless running and relentless harrying of defenders was also commendable.

Glover opened the scoring after fifteen minutes, pouncing when Jack Costello’s driven corner had caused chaos and left the ball loose. His second came twenty minutes later from another Costello ‘exocet’ corner. This time Glover didn’t wait for the pin-ball effect but met the ball just inside the near post and, with an acrobatic flying volley, swept it into the roof of the net. Before half time McCombe was unlucky with a header from Nick Jones’ free-kick and the home keeper saved from Craig Jones after he’d combined well with Costello to create a half chance.

In the opening ten minutes of the second half Glover was soon marauding again and just off target with two more half chances. He was to put a header just past the post before, in the last minute, Craig Jones reaped the benefit of his terrier-like hounding of Parms’ defence, robbing his marker and slipping the ball under the keeper. Ed Glover was named MoM.

Team: Robinson, Shea, McCombe, Pointer, Mantel, (Grahame), (Tull), Costello, (Quinn), Gerrish, N. Jones, Eguae, C. Jones, Glover.

November 2, 2011