London Old Boys Senior Cup

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London Old Boys Senior Cup

Old Meadonians 7 Old Thorntonians 2

Following their stuttering start to the season this was the game that, ostensibly anyway, Old Meadonians needed, to give new-boys the chance to accustom themselves and for Meads to kick start their goal-scoring machine.

However, it produced the bonus of enabling an expansive sharpening of claws as lack-lustre visitors to Riverside Lands, Old Thorntonians from the division below Meads, were worn down and then mown down like lambs to the slaughter.

The added ingredient that boosted an all round team effort was undoubtedly the appearance for the first time this season of speed-men, Peter Eguae and Ed Glover, whose raw and rangy pace kept the visitors at full stretch and eventually tore great holes in a defence continuously run ragged.

The principal beneficiary of what was often a blitzkrieg was striker Craig Jones, whose puck-like acceleration onto the ball fitted him perfectly to exploit this role and brought him a record five goals, albeit two from the spot, but even after he’d notched his fifth with ten minutes to go he had two more disallowed, for off-side, by a disbelieving referee. However, there could have been goals from other sources, when, on twenty minutes left back Kevin Quinn surged into the area, was bundled over just as he was about to pull the trigger and Jones administered justice.

Ten minutes later Quinn again got to within ten yards of goal and was once more upended for Jones to score the second and sandwiched between these two from the spot Jones put a third too near the keeper after a hand had denied yet another attempt on goal. Before halftime Thorns had pulled one back to show they had a point to prove but, within minutes of the restart, mid-fielder Will Gerrish restored Meads’ lead, bravely and successfully contesting a far post header from Jack Costello’s cross, getting laid out for his pains.

Traffic still wasn’t all one way as Thorns got their second via a circuitous route of deflections from a long throw-in but again Jones stepped up to find the top corner from Jordan Mace’s through ball and to be presented with a tap in by Eguae after the latter’s searing forty yard sprint left challengers trailing. Number six came when centre-back Lawrie Pointer, not content with starting a move from half-way, steamed forward to tap in after Matt Allen’s shot had cannoned off both posts and, finally, Jones, put through the middle popped the last into the bottom corner .

Squad: Robinson, Grahame, Pointer, Thompson, Quinn, Costello, Gerrish, N. Jones, Mace, Eguae, C. Jones, Glover, Allen, Brown.

 

 

October 10, 2012