Amateur Football Combination Premier Division

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Amateur Football Alliance Senior Cup

Economicals 0 Old Meadonians 4

Economicals F.C., originally associated with L.S.E., a thrusting side from mid-table of the division below Old Meadonians, were calmly and purposefully swept aside as Meads marched imperiously into the third round of the coveted A.F.A. Senior Cup to land a visit by Merton from the Southern Amateur League.

True to their promise to blood youngsters, Meads’ management duo, Paul Rumley and Rory Vermeulen, included Matt Allen, Jake Gowers and Aidan Chapman from the reserves and introduced eighteen year old Ryan Bright, a new signing from Wulfrinians (Wolverhampton), with telling results: Not only did two of this quartet score but they all added to the passing powers of the squad in what Rumley enthusiastically described as a supreme all-round team effort.

As of yore, Meads laid the foundations for this triumph with possession football and constant and penetrative probing, designed to wear the opposition down and, although they might have three before the interval, they settled for one on twenty minutes, from the boot of striker Craig Jones from just outside the area. The same period of the second half elapsed, accompanied once more by a trio of missed chances, before Meads got their dividend. At this point a distinct upping of the tempo brought the visitors’ second, with centre back Ali McCombe crashing a header into the roof of the net from Jack Costello’s corner.

Ten minutes later Allen was weaving in on goal when he was illegally thwarted but got up to administer justice from the spot. Finally, with ten minutes to go, Meads brought on Bright and Misha Mantel, returning from injury. Mantel immediately skimmed the bar from twenty yards as his shot was brilliantly tipped over by the home keeper, but Bright went one better, taking a pass from Aidan Chapman, side-stepping his marker and scoring from just inside the area. Ali McCombe was named MoM.

Squad: Robinson, Shea, McCombe, Chapman, Gowers, Costello, Mace, Gerrish, Allen, Glover, C. Jones, Bright, Mantel.

 

November 14, 2012