Football Chiswick W4 London

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Improved Hamptonians hold Old Meads to goalless draw

Old Hamptonians 0    Old Meadonians 0

Old Meadonians are beginning their fifth defence of the Premiership Title on a decidedly low key and are badly missing the cutting edge of last season’s top scorer, striker Colin Hawkins whose dislocated shoulder will keep him sidelined for three more weeks.

Meads’ plight is underlined by the fact that at this time last year Hawkins had scored one more than Meads’ have got in four league games this season. Also missing from their squad on Saturday were mid-fielders skipper Jack Costello and work-horse Danny Bond and injured central defender Brian Hanley.

Against an improved Old Hamptonians, the best Meads could muster were a one on one ten minutes into the second half when the home keeper James Holdsworth thwarted young striker Albert Adomah and ten minutes later a Kevin Quinn freekick which was touched to Dan Salanson whose dipping shot came back off the post and a late effort from Striker Ed Glover which just beat the far post.

Meanwhile Meads’ defence, even without Brian Hanley, is still managing to keep them buoyant and providing interim stability. Meads started a fast competitive game by camping in Hampton territory for the first fifteen minutes when an early goal could have opened the floodgates, but, although they created several half chances, the home defence was equal to the challenge. Up the other end Meads kept such a close check on Hampton’s league striker Matt Harrison throughout that his solo chance was a header deep into the second half which flashed over.

However on twenty minutes the hosts put the scarers on when mid-fielder Graeme Dornan cut in from the left and curled a right foot shot to the far post which was brilliantly clawed away by Meads’ goalie Kris Sayers. Hamptonians then began to demonstrate how to pass the ball around as they were to do spasmodically throughout the match depriving Meads of the initiative without doing real damage. One plus for the champions was the resurgence of mid-fielder Alex Hugh Jones out for last season with a niggling injury but showing his worth as the best player on display.

Meads: Sayers, Salanson, Williamson, McCombe, O’Brien, Hugh Jones, Kearney, Quinn, Cope, (Rhone), Adomah, Glover.

David Stanners

October 21, 2005