Month: May 2016

Awards Day

It was a cracking day down at the Hood.

The day started with some inter club footy with 4 teams playing a mini tournament. 4 teams of 11 playing a knock out competition. Thanks to Dave Laughton for reffing this and Kieran and Sherbs for keeping goal for the duration.

That was followed by the first ever club penalty shoot out to determine the best penalty taker in the club. After surprisingly long elimination rounds it was Darren Avey who survived beating all rivals. Ricardo and Dom Plumbridge were there till the final bout. We employed a whole barrage of keepers for this who seemed to dive out of the way for Darren. No he did it them with the eyes.

Then it was showers and into the bar for a good drink and the Cup Final. Sherbs had arranged some excellent Fish and chips, alternative Sausage and chips and one sausage in batter and chips for the  discerning diner. All from Whistlestop (Raynes Park) to be delivered at Half Time. £5 a time and terrific value. Should that be one of the highlights of the season???

After the Cup Final we doled out the money to the winners of First Goalscorer and Time of first goal.

Kenzo and Matt Haswell

Then on to Awards – And here is the List of this seasons honours

Club Person of The Year – Clive Corrigan. Terrific work running the 5s in what could have been a difficult season but not for him and got his team supporting the bar and the club.

Club Player of the year – Neal Davison who played his part for not only the 3s but every other team too as another real club man.

Clubs leading goalscorer – Denys  Zhurbiy  (On a countback with Tom Benham) showing how successful the season was for the 3s.

Golden Gloves (GK) – Sherbs won the low scoring competition for the third time in four years. All teams conceded far too many goals.

First Team

Player of the year – Alex Gladkow His final season with the club before he is off to the US was a cracker.

Top Goalscorer – Shared Tom Rowe and Tills.

Reserves (2s)

Player of the year – Connor Murphy a cracking season and a strong performance every game.

Top Goalscorer – Dave Quainton despite missing half the season

3s

Player of the year – Tom Benham

Top Goalscorer – Tom and Denys Shared

4s

Player of the year – Dom Plummridge.

Top Goalscorer –  Dulanie Richards Mark Gibbs

5s

Player Of the Year – Clive Corrigan the man himself

Top Goalscorer – Mark Gibbs

6s

Player of the Year – Swanny the indomitable Keeper

Top Goalscorer – Peter Obeng- Adu  recovered from being hospitalised for and out of the game but so nearly won the clubs TGS.

There were several other important thank yous

All the Captains – Clapps/Wilgo/Lofty/Ed/Clive/Kevin and all their helpers

All the Committee but especially Len (Accounts) Peter and Jasper Kemp for their sterling work behind the bar and in the kitchen and of course Steve and Kenzo for their drive in the Youth section on Sundays but helping us all along on Saturday

Dave Laughton for reffing, discipline and part time bar man.

Also the Vice Presidents and in particular the Dodge (Roger Asling) who helps organise them and the certificates with which they were all presented. Thanks for their sponsorship of the awards for players to Keep. (Vice Presidents- Dodge/Dixie/Pat Jim and Fergus Murphy/  Coombes/ Steve Philpot/Martin Quinlan.)

It was also announced that after 40+ years Terry Baker was standing down as our president. He was thanked for all his work particularly recently on the Morden Park Community Trust which holds the prospect of a new ground and state of the art facilities. We will mark this service at our AGM. It was timely to note that we need more helpers in the club and we need to pursue our most important objectives Recruitment of players and helpers and improvement of our facilities,

Finally Thanks were due to Clappers/Sherbs/Mark for organising this most successful event.

That is the Merton Way (and Incidentally we need someone to step forward and edit that – A Volunteer please)

[Show slideshow]

1 2 3 ►

With the adult season finished it is all action with the Youth section down at the Hood on Sundays. There is training and, registration and a lot of new faces to join this club. But a lot of hard work for Steve and the team of coaches. Thanks to Clowesy for helping out with the U15s. Well done. The council have done some reseeding of the pitches as well!!!!!!

The 1s lost their final game of a rather disappointing season at T&M last night going down 3-2 to Lloyds Warren. It was 1-1 at HT with a Matt Bosher goal getting us back on level terms. But the second half started badly with Tom Rowe having to go to A&E with a nasty cut above his eye and ended in a narrow defeat. Charlie got our second equaliser. But they got the winner.

2.30PM – FRIENDLY FOOTBALL MATCH
4.00PM – BAR OPEN
5.00PM – FA CUP FINAL LIVE (first goalscorer etc)
6.00PM – FISH & CHIPS (Or sausage) deal with local restaurant
7.30PM – CLUB AWARDS

The boars signed off what Mustard describes as “one of his top-4 most enjoyable Merton seasons” in blistering sunshine on a parched Hood pitch which offered plenty of uneven bounce and an abrasive surface that looked like it would shred a few knees. Irrespective of pitch, knee trouble is surely on the horizon for the 3 veterans who lined up at the back: Merton legends Mustard, Lofty and Walshy, with a cumulative age of just 128. Relative scamps Neal Davison and Ricardo supported at wing back with Dave Scott playing third wheel to Denys and Tom Benham up top, both in the hunt for club golden boot at kick off.

Merton started sharply, and almost scored straight from the kick-off as PJ fed Tom who skinned his man but dragged his shot between the far post and Denys arriving square. The hotly anticipated tackle-off in central midfield (not to be confused with the event of the same name in the showers afterwards) saw Pete Jennings and Ryan Gresty adopt differing tactics. The former went for quantity – racking up roughly one foul per minute until he was finally booked; while the latter went for quality – ending the game for Parks’ tricky striker 5 minutes in with a trademark cruncher on the edge of the box. Gresty 1, Parks Nil. More importantly, it was Merton 1, Parks Nil soon after, as Dave Scott neatly played Tom in behind who stood up a cross at the back stick which Denys met with a diving bullet header to draw level in the golden boot race.

After last week’s record number of spectators at the Hood, normal service was resumed with just Max and the odd dog-walker checking in on proceedings. Perhaps a reflection on the quality of fare dished up last week. But even Gresty Sr on the other side of London tells me he heard Welchy shout “PAULS!!” as Parks knocked a ball into the box following PJ’s umpteenth foul of the half. Up went Paul… down came Paul… and the ball was headed into the Merton net past a helpless, somewhat bemused Frankie. Questions were asked about who was marking the Parks goalscorer, but let’s not dwell on that…

A wobble ensued, and almost immediately from the kick off Frankie had to bravely block at the feet of the striker, earning a bang on the noggin for his troubles and ignoring the UEFA concussion protocol to return between the sticks. That said, Merton had the better of the first half and should have had a pen when PJ bustled into the box and was kicked in the face (“anywhere else on the pitch, that’s a foul” was predictably uttered). More so, Merton were competing hard and getting under the skin of the whinging opposition who laughably suggested we should be taking it easy because it was the last game of the season and they needed to win to be in with a shot at the title.

With requests for mercy politely rebuffed, Merton started the second half by gifting Parks a free kick on the edge of the box. The otherwise faultless Lofty culpable this time. The kick glanced off Neal’s arm on the end of a strangely located wall and into the net. 2-1 Parks, but plenty of time for Merton to get something from the game. On came Chris Pap, nodding just wide at the near post with his first touch, blaming a failure of eyewear/depth perception for getting his angles wrong. Then Dave Scott got the ball on the edge of the box following good work on the left from Nick Pap. 4 defenders were in close proximity, so Dave tried the old Pro Evo trick of dribbling around in the box waiting for someone to foul him. Alas no foul came and Dave eventually shot wide.

In between Merton attacks Parks had plenty coming the other way, even if they didn’t really trouble Frankie again. Mustard was having a relatively quiet game at the back so, keen to be more involved, pushed on into midfield where he won a commanding header 20 yards backwards. Wing back Neal was also having a lonely time of it, starved of the ball for the most part. But on the other wing, Ricky wasn’t going to let trivial matters like the absence of the ball get in the way of a good kick, as he picked up a card for a clumsy hack at an opposition midriff. Walking a tightrope, he then put it the slide tackle of the day on The Riddler, who must be asking some serious questions of himself having been “solved” by Walshy (late handbags notwithstanding) before a mangling at the hands of the shortest man on the pitch.

Merton huffed and puffed but without sufficient composure and the game ended in a slightly harsh 2-1 defeat. Indiscipline throughout the 90 offered Parks too many opportunities to put the ball in the box, which ultimately cost us the game. What was not in question was effort and commitment, as has been the case all season and was typified by Ricardo’s energetic MOM performance. And by avoiding a 6-goal reverse we secured third position in the final league standings. Add to that having both the club’s top goalscorers in our ranks, incredible availability north and south of the river all year and even the odd good tune from Mustard’s iPod and it’s been a fine season for the boars.

MOM: Ricardo
DOTM: Walshy

Frankie
Mike Reed
Simon White
Paul Welch
Neal Davison
Ricardo Inglesias
Ryan Gresty
Pete Jennings
Tom Benham
Denys Zhurbiy
Dave Scott
Nick Papanastasiou
Chris Papanastasiou

Players needed for the 2016/17 season for our U9s, U11s, U13s, U14S, U15s teams.

Pre-season training  will be every Sunday starting from 8th May 10am till 12pm.

For more info contact Steve Dewsbury on 07875275663 or email mertonfcyouthsecretary@gmail.com

Todays Results.

1s lose 4-2 away at Old Parks. A bit unlucky and a good performance!! At the Hood two really good games 3s lost 2-1 to Old Parks 3s but a bit unlucky not to get a point. Good game well reffed and Old Parks finish Runners up in the division on Goal diff. 6s lose 2-0 to Alleyns OB. could not handle the aerial power see pic. But good in the bar as always.