Year: 2015
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Youth Results and some pics from the Hood.
U10s lost to Raynes Park Vale 4-0 in a game that looked a lot closer than that.
U11s had a good win beating Kew Park Rangers 8 – 1, winning their first trophy.
but U12s lost in the Cup 9 – 0 to a very strong Claygate Royals team.
U13s beat Doverhouse 8 – 0 to get through to last 8 of the League cup
but U14s lost in the league only having 10 lads 9 – 0.
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The 6th XI took their unbeaten league record to an away day in Hayes and came back victorious with another strong team display.
The 1st half ebbed and flowed, errors abound by both sides as they got to grips with the conditions, but it was clear Merton were more willing to put bodies on the line – many last ditch tackles and strong play in midfield/defence kept Wilsons at bay, and at the other end first Dan Plaistow, then Peter and finally Matt all should have done better and at least tested the keeper – before a good interchange between Matt and Peter put the latter in and he finished well. As much as we deserved.
At half time the elements went against us and suddenly it was blowing a gale in our faces, with Wilsons going slightly down hill we knew it was going to be a tough test. Early on in the half however we got the 2nd goal that proved crucial, Matt Haswell playing a superb ball down the line to Matt Paxton who crossed accurately to Kyle Smith who finished well.
From this point on it was pretty one way traffic, Merton struggling to get out of our half in the conditions but managing to repel all of Wilsons attacks. The back 4 played superbly again, and with John “the Beast” Katandika and Ty providing a shield in front we never looked in danger of conceding… there was more chance of us coming down with pneumonia. . When we did concede there was a touch of misfortune, the Wilsons cross looping over Martin off the skiddy turf and straight to the head of the wilsons midfielder.
Another game when any number of the squad could have a shout at man of the match. Mentions go to Matt Paxton who led the line well in his first game (two assists) and to John, who was told by the ref when conceding a foul for what looked like a perfectly good tackle that he ‘too hard’ .. but MOM for me goes to Kev ‘Smithy’ Locke – who made a number of excellent tackles and one goal saving header.
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Well done to the 6s Cracking result.
Victorious 6s celebrate in the warmth of the bar after a 2-1 win at Old Wilsonians and now sit top of the league.
1s lost 3-0 at Poly great battling performance but good oppo who deserved to win but not by that much. Photos from 1s game. Really proud of the 1s effort and ability and Clappers organisation.
2s lose 2 – 0 against Carshalton
3s lose 2 – 1 against Nottsborough
4s lose 4 – 0 against Actonians .
5s lose 8 – 0 .
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Match Report –07/11/2015 vs Bank of England HOME
A rare home game for the Mighty Merton Sixes on a soggy Hood outfield for a game against top of the league Bank of England.
The players arrived and got changed in the dark as the lights wasn’t working in the lovely Hood changing rooms, although electricity wasn’t issue in the first team dressing judging from the noise of the crap music being pumped out – although I think it was to rub it in!
Once the team was changed, it was down to the now infamous 5 minute quick stretch and warm up routine, this time led by Matty.
Starting line-up was as follows: Merton’s new number 1, Dazza in goal, centre half pairing of Kev (Gaffer) and Chappell, full backs of George and Quinlan. Holding midfielder was John and Ty with Matty at the top of the diamond. Ram and Mario were on the wings with Pete up top. Impact subs were Kyle, Dan and new boy Mo (no not Simon!).
Smithy gave the team talk and outlined the well thought out pre-match plans to the troops and off we went.
So now to the game, the first ten minutes was a cagey affair, with both teams trying to suss out the opposition (although to be fair, we were under the cosh!). Merton defended well without causing too much attacking threat, although we looked dangerous for set pieces (more to come later!).
Unfortunately, John made a clumsy tackle on the edge of the area and the ref gave a penalty, it was tight but I think it was the right call. Up stepped Banks player to score and we were 1-0 down.
Merton struggled to get anything going, and Bank was causing problems with their midfield runners, although they were limited to half chances the Merton defence stood tall!
Eventually the pressure told and Bank scored a powerful 30 yard screamer through a crowd of players, which Darren let through his hands (sorry Darren), although no blame was attached to the stand in keeper Merton pulled there socks up and got on with it!
Then a small miracle occurred, as I said Merton looked dangerous from set pieces, a corner was floated in and John failed to connect to a header, the ball was powerfully poked home from Smithy from a yard out. The ball just crept over the line and with goal line technology and a beep of the refs watch the goal was awarded. It was a worldy of a goal and only left Smithy with another 9 to get to overturn a drunken bet made with Steve.
Half time came and went and the second half started, with a few changes. On came Mo and Kyle for Mario and Ram.
Merton started well with a few tough challenges being made and started to pass the ball well, we felt the tide was turning in the game. Unfortunately with roughly 20 mins to go Bank scored again with another long range effort from the right back and we were staring defeat in the face.
With the minutes ticking by, however the new Merton sixes kept their heads up and kept on going, which is becoming a great regular occurrence! With 10 mins left and after sustained pressure from great deliveries in the box, Chappell pocked home from a scramble and made it 3-2 – GAME ON!!
Merton looked the better team and kept pushing and every player giving 100%, which was great to see! With a couple of minutes left Merton had another corner and a great delivery found the head/body of Quinlan at the near post and the ball crept in! 3-3 amazing scenes and Merton fans went wild!
With the opposition now shell shocked, Merton even had time to create another couple of chances which went so close from Kyle and could have won the game.
Full time blew and the final score was 3-3, a great come back! It was nice to see the heads not dropping and everyone put a shift in!
Special mention to the ref, Razor Ruddock who was very good, I thought.
MVP:
George had a great game and played his best game in a Merton shirt and grew in confidence.
The three defenders getting on the score sheet and showing the strikers how its done was pleasing!
This week, though I am going to give it to Mr Merton – Martin Quinlan. He had a great game and was on the scoresheet for the equaliser and left everything on the pitch! Well played!
Next week, away to our bogey side Old Wilsonians 8 let’s hope we can keep the undefeated league run going!
Written by SMITHY
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Economicals 4s vs. Merton 4s
AFA Minor Cup, First Round Round
Saturday 7th November 2015
by Mike Tod
Courtesy of their sole victory of the season, Merton were through to the first round proper of the AFA Cup, and Saturday’s assignment was to make that count against the New Malden-based Economicals.
Yet the venue of this away fixture had been very much up in the air owing to poor weather in the week, and on Friday it was decided the game would be played on a 3G pitch at the Kings Sports Ground in Chiswick. Just for some added irony, the pitch was literally next door to the scene of the previous week’s surrender of a three-goal lead.
It was also the scene of some great football prior to that though, and the men from the Hood were hoping to draw from it. Insider information hinted that the Economicals were going to be a tough proposition, but having seen the efforts of Salford City in the FA Cup the night before, anything was possible.
A strong starting line-up had Dulanie and Dom upfront, with the midfield loaded up with Mike Elgar and Jake in the middle, along with Chris’s Outred and Dodd on either side. The back four was made up of Glen, Saffer Mike, gaffer Ed and the returning John Gridley.
A strong XI, but not as strong as the element a lost coin toss pitted them against – wind. After a minute’s silence, the game was underway, and it immediately became clear what a slog it would be with such a potent headwind. Clearances were coming back like boomerangs, passes were coming to a standstill, and the Economicals, well – they simply swarmed the Yellows.
But Merton are a determined bunch, and for all the intense pressure they faced, they kept a lid on things for the first 10 minutes. In fact, the first real chance of the game was carved out by Dom, whose thunderous shot from just outside the box looked in for all money, before being tipped onto the bar.
But that was when the tide really turned, and, my goodness, was it grisly. Around 15 minutes in, an innocuous through ball from the left caused a bit of miscommunication in defence, and the Economicals striker was clean through. His finish was clinical and they had the breakthrough.
1-0.
Close your eyes for a minute. Open them. 3-0. That was how it felt for a hapless Merton, although the two goals that followed were of the highest order. One, a left-footed curler nestling in the top corner, and the other a bullet from outside the box.
Merton were shattered, but the encouragement levels went up. They knew they’d have the wind at their backs for the second period, but they couldn’t let this slip anymore. The tackles flew in, the passes were kept along the deck, and, for a brief passage of play, they looked a better side.
But still, they just couldn’t escape their half of the field in the face of both the relentless breeze and the relentless opponents, and the fourth carried an air of inevitability about it. And it came to pass too, a speculative shot catching Sam out of position. Then, a minute later, came the fifth – the result of a poor back pass by Saffer Mike. And then came the sixth – again, a sublime finish.
It was the stuff of horrors, and there were still 10 minutes to go until the break. Luckily, Merton held out without further damage, but 6-0 meant it was a quiet half time chat.
A couple of changes were made, but the most significant of all was a change in strategy. It was decided that a high line would be the best approach for the second half, and almost straight away, it was vindicated as the Economicals speedy number seven was caught offside looking to make a break for it.
It was actually to be the theme for much of the second period. An increasingly confident Merton defence squeezed up as one, and time after time the referee obliged, with the home side seemingly unable to adapt the timing of their runs. It was brilliant to watch, and had the added advantage of minimising the gap between the Yellow defensive line and the midfield.
Yet even with this new disciplined shape, there was to be little on attack. It wasn’t anything like the backs-to-the-wall stuff in the first half, but, despite the change in sides, there was still only one team who looked like scoring. Glen cleared one off the line, as did Chris Outred, and there were a couple of good tackles in the box.
Most notably though, Sam was absolutely superb. Not only was he making inspired saves, but his work as a sweeper was excellent, as he commandingly came off his line to claim any nagging through balls. All in all, it was a collective exhibition by the defence, and the greatest compliment that could be paid was that a team who were 6-0 up had become genuinely frustrated.
It was thus a bit harsh on them when the seventh goal eventually did go in; a well-worked move which was nicely finished off. But for the remaining 10 minutes Merton were solid once again, and at the other end substitute Alex did ever so well to create a chance for himself which just snuck past the right-hand post.
It was a spiriting end to what had had the potential to be a crushing afternoon. By the time the final whistle blew, Merton were actually in the ascendancy, and thus marched off the pitch with their heads held high. Yes, it had been a mauling. But once again, there were genuine positives to be taken, and with the league now the only order of business remaining, the belief will be there that these can be translated into points.
FINAL SCORE: Economicals 4s 7 – 0 Merton 4s SCORERS: None MOTM: Chris Outred
STARTING LINE-UP: Sam Singer-Ripley(GK), John Gridley, Mike Todt, Glen Porter, Edward Plaistow, Michael Elgar (Alex Carver), Chris Dodd, Jake Hewitt, Chris Outred, Dom Plumridge, Dulanie Richards.
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Youth Section Results – U13s lost 4-2 to Corinthian Casuals in the County Cup. U12s lost unluckily 4-3 to Epsom town to a goal in the last seconds of extra time. U10s and U11s no game. U14s lost 2 – 5, being 2 – 0 up just after half time.
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With torrential rain hammering down all morning, late withdrawals, and a planned pitch inspection at 12 (rather annoyingly after many of the team had to leave for North London to make it for kick-off), there was considerable uncertainty as to whether the game would be on and what the squad would be. However, with no news re: cancellation combined with DQ and Ryan joining the squad after the 2’s were called off (big thanks to those boys), we all arrived more or less on time and with a strong squad of 13.
The pitch had been used for the first team gave immediately before ours, and the centre of the pitch was more or less underwater, with hints of grass still showing on the wings. “Get the ball wide” was the obvious cliché bingo call to look out for and was duly covered in our pre match team talk as Merton lined up 4-3-3 in an attempt to take the game to the opposition. Arturs was made captain for the day, and immediately started playing mind games with the oppo – entering into a debate with the team as to which end we should pick despite losing the toss and the oppo choosing to stay as they were. Crafty stuff, and their confusion carried into the first half as Merton dominated.
With the advantage of the wind and an actual warm up, Merton dominated from the outset without really doing themselves justice when it came to finishing and the final ball. Dave Scott flicked over from the near post after good work from Lofty, DQ tested the keeper from distance after a run from fullback, Lofty slightly miskicked when well set and perhaps had more time (although the miskick was almost a perfect cross for Denys). At the back, the back four of DQ, Vin, Mike and Mustard were looking comfortable, well shielded in particular by Neil who patrolled the lake that was CM very effectively. DQ in particular was proving to be an effective out-ball and was linking up play nicely.
As the half continued, Dan forced a good save from the keeper after a nice one-two with Denys, and Tom had a couple of chances to pick out the strikers from the right, only for the final cross to just be above, or behind the attacking players. All very frustrating, and it feel to Mike Reed, the Merton boar personified, to be the one to change the game. Receiving the ball at left back, Mike burst down the line, forcing his way through two opposition tackles and indeed players to reach the byline. His cross was partly deflected, but still had enough to allow Denys to turn the ball home from 6 yards, using his strength impressively to beat both centreback and goal-keeper to the loose ball. 1-0.
Merton hoped this would be the catalyst for more goals, but the remaining 10 minutes of the half failed to yield further reward, the best chance falling to Denys who fired over after Lofty, Dan and DQ all combined in the box. 1-0 at half time.
Lofty’s half time team talk was frank as he highlighted that we had failed to use the wind and pitch as well as we might have. He also warned that the oppo had played that half very well tactically and urged us to learn from that as we played into the wind. But, with Merton having enjoyed almost all the chances, and the bulk of possession, we were confident we would press on and put the match to bed.
The second half was a totally different proposition. Merton started very flat, with none of the intensity of the first half, and whilst the opposition now enjoyed much more of the ball, the game was drifting a little aimlessly when a defensive mix-up saw Vin step out of defence to win the ball, only to slip, and then collide with Mustard whilst attempting to recover in the slippery conditions. Unfortunately this left the opposition striker clean through. He finished well, dribbling around Arturs and slotting into the net to destroy any hopes of a clean sheet for Arturs in his final game. 1-1. Worse was to follow for Merton.
After being denied a possible penalty when Denys was clipped (it did look accidental but nonetheless it did trip Denys up when clean through), Merton found themselves behind in somewhat unfortunate circumstances. A swift break from St James saw a dangerous cross driven into the box, which Mustard did well to clear to the opposing wing. However, this served only to allow a second, higher, cross to be floated in, which Mustard acrobatically cut out at the near post, diverting the ball instead into the top corner of the net past a despairing Arturs. 1-2.
Lofty reacted, bringing back on DQ and Dan, and sacrificing the hardworking Seb (who had covered the difficult swamp of a CM well) and also himself from midfield in a selfless act of managerial responsibility. Merton changed to 4-4-2 with Denys and DQ now leading the line. Merton began to get back into the game, Tom Benham doing well down the right to put in three or crosses, which couldn’t quite fall to the right man in the right place, with a Dave Scott piledriver over the bar from 25 yards the best chance from these centres. However, with 15 minutes to go, the breakthrough came, and once again it was Mike “The Boar” Reed (aka Mustard) that proved the catalyst. Perhaps he was fired up by the own goal, or possibly from the embarrassment of having harassed the ref all game about foul throws before committing one of the worse foul throws ever seen on a football pitch and being pinged for it. Either way, it did the trick!
The goal was almost a carbon copy of the first, Mike surging down the line from his own half, breaking through tackles to reach the byline. Again, the cross came in, this time via a couple of half blocks and deflections, and helped on by Merton players, but a goal was certain as the ball was squared for Tom 2 yards out near the back post to slot home. Certain, except for the massive puddle in the six yard box which stopped the ball dead just short of reaching Tom. The keeper, thanking his lucky stars, dived for the ball, but Tom was able to react to stab the ball back across goal and DQ gleefully smashed it home. Part 1 of Lofty’s tactically masterclass complete.
At 2-2, Merton felt the game was there for the taking. But so did St James, and as the game entered the last 10 minutes, it was the home side that were on top and creating the best chances. The best of these saw some smart interplay put their striker clean through on goal, with the game surely there for the taking. Arturs had other ideas, forcing the striker into a wild blaze over the crossbar and taking a knock from the team in the process. Obviously aware of Arturs toughness, the team resolutely ignored his limping to stand 50 yards from him just in the opposition half for the resulting goal kick, in full faith his kicking ability would be fine (it was).
This worked brilliantly, as the newly defensively minded DQ led a counter attack in injury time, held the ball up in the area and played in Tom to stab a deserved goal past the keeper from 10 yards for a 4-2 win.
So, a great, late comeback on a difficult surface that really showed the character in the team and took us to 3rd in the league and saw Arturs off with a win. We will miss him, and wish him all the very best. Next week, a home game with leaders Nottsborough that will be a real test of where we stand this season.
One final point that needs to be made – the sportsmanship and hospitality of St James. Both for the moment at 2-2 when Ryan suddenly stopped with something in his eye, and the opposition striker immediately stopped the game rather than run through on goal, and also for the sharing of their own food back at the pub when they saw we had more players than them. Both actions really appreciated and great to see a new club join the SAL.
MOTM: Mike Reed for 2 outstanding assists
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Saturday 31st October had a sombre start to our football as we had one minutes silence to show our respect to Ken Hoad, a Merton stalwart who had just died. He is well remembered as first team captain in the 50s/60s and Dodge says that he was a first class captain and a first class bloke. He had left the area when I got involved with the club but he kept in touch and sent messages of encouragement and commiseration and came up to see us a few times and for the centenary, I enjoyed receiving those messages. We have sent our condolences and Dodge and Dixie went to the wake to pay their and our respects to a Merton legend.
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Merton FC Stats End of Season
