Category: Match Reports 4s

Merton 0-3 Old Wilsonians

 

 

There were a couple of absentees, with Mike pulling out due to a ‘back’ problem, while Kieran Lee’s non arrival was almost half expected, given his birthday celebrations the night before. But all in all, a pretty strong squad took to the field, and they began the game well, despite being into the sun and up the slope. Aaron, as ever, was very incisive on the wing, while Will Harrison did what he does best in midfield – the ideal screen for any defence.

 

Unfortunately, the breakthrough came at the other end, and somewhat against the run of play. Merton might have done better to clear their lines, which allowed the Wilsonians left winger time and space. He got in behind the defence, and ended up one on one with stand-in keeper Chris Outred. His finish was clinical, and with that, the hosts led 1-0.

 

It knocked the wind out of Merton’s sails, and they were fairly poor the next 15 minutes. Wilsonians’ second was deserved, albeit a worldie from 30 yards out.

 

At 2-0 down, Merton came back into the contest though, with the wings bearing fruit. The flashpoint came a few minutes later, as Frankie was played in. He took the ball well, beating one defender in the box, before being savagely smashed in the face. It was a blatant penalty and a red, but that was almost beside the point. Frankie was writhing in agony, and somehow the ref waved play on! Wilsonians nearly scored at the other end before sanity eventually prevailed and play was halted.

 

Frankie gingerly made his way off the pitch, and in some pain too. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

 

It was all Merton at this point, but with five minutes to go until half time, another worldie from outside the box made it 3-0. Chris had no chance, as their little forward turned into space and shot in a flash from 25 yards. Incredible goal, but at 3-0 down, it was now a long way back.

 

Credit to Merton, they put in an excellent second half display, pretty much in keeping with the performance against Carshalton. But, like the week before, the Yellows were guilty of flagrance in front of goal, and they spurned a number of golden opportunities to haul themselves back into the game.

 

They gave as good as they got right to the end, but were unable to get on the scoresheet. A real shame, and the final result all but condemns them to a second relegation in succession. But this is a team starting to play some good football, and there is now a great opportunity for them to string some results together and build the confidence that’s just lacking a bit. This team will be back, you can bet your bottom dollar on that.

 

Merton 1-2 Carshalton

For a somewhat beleaguered 4s outfit, who’d won just once in their last 6 games, the prospect of table-topping Carshalton seemed a grim one – particularly after last week’s poor defeat to relegation rivals Old Wilsonians.

Nevertheless, a strong-looking squad diligently did their warm ups, waiting patiently for the men in green to arrive. And they waited. And they waited some more. Eventually they sauntered up the King George’s ‘turf’ 20 minutes late, protesting that they’d been sent the wrong venue by Merton’s fixtures secretary. Apparently the ref had seen evidence of this misleading email too. Merton were dubious (justifiably so in the end, as Mark Chappell later confirmed in the clubhouse). But it meant, at the time, that the Yellows had to let things be, and start the game at Carshalton’s leisure.

Perhaps that added extra inspiration though, because Merton started the game with a bang. With the sun and the wind at their backs, the hosts were simply all over the oppo. On a pretty poor surface, they were playing it on the deck, using the wings and barely letting Carshalton get a kick. Will’s return was hugely notable, and his impact was profound. And upfront, Mike Vogt was simply excellent, making incisive runs and putting in plenty of delightful through balls.

The breakthrough was fortunate, but no more than Merton deserved. A tame ball appeared to have been safely gathered by their keeper. But with barely anyone watching – other than a prowling Sonny – he coughed it up out of nowhere. A gleeful Sonny pounced, and slammed it home into an empty net. 1-0, delight for Merton.

The next 20 minutes were a contrast of high quality and frustration. Merton didn’t just carve out chances. They carved out great chances. Sonny later found himself one on one with the keeper on the edge of the box, but blazed over. Frankie, in a similar position, then forced an incredible save from their keeper. And then later Frankie found himself with a free header at the far post, but unfortunately steered it wide from point blank.

There were some other decent chances too, and on another day, Merton would have been out of sight. But failing to take your chances often can come back to haunt you, and it did so here just before the break – albeit in desperately unfortunate circumstances. An incoming ball was missed by both attacker and defender. Kieran, who initially took a knock, bravely got up and hacked away what seemed like a decent clearance. Sadly, it struck Will in the mid section, and ricocheted into the path of the Carshalton striker, handing them an equaliser on a silver platter. Outrageously unjust, no one to blame, but whichever way you cut it, the score was 1-1.

A disbelieving Merton trundled off for the half time interval, incandescent that their best performance in recent memory had yielded so little fruit. But now was the time to make it count. With the wind now in their faces, could they do it?

From the get go, the intensity never dropped. Yes, Carshalton grew into the game, began to enjoy the lion’s share of possession and spent the greater amount of time in the Merton half. But so solid was Merton’s shape, and so relentless was their work rate, that this scribe barely remembers Kieran having a save to make.

Yes, he had some good interventions with the occasional parry here and there, came off his line well; while Carshalton also skewed a few long range shots. But the best chance of all actually came at the other end.

Merton won a free kick. The delivery caused havoc in the area, with Mike eventually flicking it on to Dan Gridley, who was just a few yards out. Unfortunately with the rising ball on the bounce, his shot just cleared the cross bar, and it stayed 1-1.

And with about 10 minutes to go, the sucker punch came. A throw in was flicked on to a Carshalton player, but it seemed fairly harmless with the lad a good few yards outside the area. Alas, he lashed it home into the bottom left corner, leaving Kieran no chance at all. 2-1 Carshalton, and absolutely cruel on Merton.

But in keeping with their performance, they never gave up. With 5 minutes to go, a stricken Dom came on for Mike, as they threw everyone forward. And in the dying seconds, a through ball scuttled it’s way through to Sonny. He carried it forward into the box and was one on one with the keeper. Surely….

No. It just wasn’t to be. Sonny did everything by the book, sending it low and to the keeper’s right. But somehow, with perhaps the power of some Deity looking down, the keeper thwarted it.

And that was it. The final seconds ticked by, the final whistle went, and Merton had to leave the field digesting one of the most unjust defeats you’ll probably ever see. But they also did so with their heads held high. It dawned on them that they’d just outplayed a team who are running away with the league. This is how the Merton 4s know they can play. So can they do it in the rematch against Wilsonians next week? If they do, then three points will almost be guaranteed.

 

Merton 2 – 4 Old Wilsonians

The first game of 2017 for the 4s finally came to pass, albeit with a bit of pitch shuffling required. Ambitiously scheduled to play at the Hood, the fixture against fellow relegation rivals Old Wilsonians was then moved to the delightful Wimbledon Common Extensions. However, upon arrival, the designated pitch was truly awful. Fortunately, there were an array to choose from, and after various inspections, play was declared possible on the furthest one, which was bathed in sunlight.

Onto the game then, and the Merton squad looked a good one, with only a couple of notable absentees. The formation was a sort of 4-5-1, albeit with a few nuances to it. Anyway, with the sun at their backs, sporting an AC Milan-style kit (with very ‘snug’ shorts), Merton faced the kick off in a confident mood, and immediately had the ascendancy in the game. Despite the poor surface, there was some good passing on the deck, and Aaron and Mike Vogt were providing excellent outlets on either side.

Chances and half chances came thick and fast, and Merton deservedly took the lead about 15 minutes in, with some good buildup in the midfield, and then a fine through ball sending Mike Vogt on his way. He still had plenty to do, but his finish in the top right corner of the net was pinpoint. 1-0 to Merton, and no more than they deserved.

The lads continued to work hard, but a cruel blow was struck soon after. Wilsonians hit a ball down the left-hand touchline which went out by a good few yards, before curling back in. Merton understandably stopped, in expectation of the throw. But the ref, who hadn’t seen it, waved play on. A brief shambles in the box ensued, before a blocked clearance landed at the feet of the fortuitous Wilsonians striker, and he swept it home from point blank.

1-1. An entirely underserved equaliser, but unfortunately it changed the flow of the game. The visitors were suddenly dominant, and Merton, sans an injured Miley Elgar, were under the cosh. There was an air of inevitability about the second, although, credit to Wilsonians, it was an excellent team goal, finished off clinically between their two strikers, who shared an impressive exchange of passes.

2-1, and the worry was that the floodgates may open. But with a little over five minutes to go in the half, Merton were handed a lifeline out of nowhere. Having been under a lot of pressure, they produced an excellent team move, and after a series of Barcelona-esque passes, Aaron was put through on goal, and dabbed home in clinical fashion. 2-2; a fine goal to boot, and it gave Merton a wave of confidence as they finished the half strongly.

The chat was positive at half time – something that wasn’t necessarily the case during the game itself – and there was genuine belief that this game was there for the taking. Rightly so, because once play got underway, Merton made a number of chances for themselves: Ed with a good run down the byline put in a dangerous ball, but no one could finish. Frankie put a powerful header just over the bar. And while Aaron’s deliveries were superb, it was an attempted direct free kick which nearly found its way in at the near post.

But for all their chances, Merton weren’t necessarily dominant, and Wilsonians were very much in the game too. And unfortunately it was they who made it count, as, midway through the half, Merton were unable to clear their lines after an oppo counter attack, and Wilsonians lashed home a resultant shot that bounded into the net, despite Kieran getting a good hand on it.

3-2 it was, and it’s fair to say the heads dropped somewhat. That said, Merton kept going, and a couple of good chances, and many more half chances, continued to accrue. Merton gave as good as they got. With a little under 10 minutes to go, the hosts then had little choice but to go for broke, eventually going with three at the back. Initially, it gave them good forward thrust, but it left them open at the back, and the killer blow arrived a few minutes later. With a massive overlap, the Merton defenders initially did well to close their opponents down. But the interception fell kindly to a Wilsonians players, and he put it away into the bottom corner.

4-2, and that’s how things stayed, with the game petering out, and no clear cut opportunities thereafter. As the final whistle went, there was a clear sense of disappointment in the ranks. This was a relegation 6 pointer, and Merton had come off on the wrong end of it. More than that, it was a day where, despite a woeful pitch, they had actually played some decent football at times. Thus all the more frustrating to not get a result. Hopefully though, the good things get taken into next week. They’ll need to, because Carshalton lie in wait!

 

News had been flying in from everywhere of games being cancelled, with the 7s game at the Hood also being called off. However, after a wet morning, the rain relented, and the 4s were given the green light.

Bank of England 2 – 1 Merton

 

 

The game got underway, but almost immediately, there was a setback. Joe, who’d been in superb form in his new position of centre back, pulled up injured. It was a big blow, and although Danny Gridley was a more than capable replacement, it meant his enormous influence was lost in midfield.

 

And it showed. Bank of England were making all the early running. Although clear-cut chances weren’t necessarily coming thick and fast, Merton simply didn’t seem to be at the races; barely winning any first or second balls.

 

But about midway through the first half, that all changed on a dime. With one of their first attacks of the game, Merton unlocked the defence with some excellent build up play, and a fine series of passing put Dom through. Their defender realised the game was up; put in a lot-ditch tackle, mistimed it, and over Dom went. Stonewall penalty, and even the ref obliged by pointing to the spot.

 

Dom duly stepped up, and rolled it in with consummate ease. 1-0. Barely deserved, but Merton weren’t complaining.

 

But the goal gave Merton a massive lift, and they then took control of things from there. Down the right, Frankie did a superb job in both defence and attack. Ryan Burchell was right on his game in behind him, thus not allowing Bank of England a sniff. Things were equally solid down the left, and, best of all, Kieran was commanding his box with aplomb – coming off his line and confidently claiming any and every through ball on a skinny surface.

 

At the other end, chances and half chances were plentiful. Numerous free kicks were won in good positions with Dom causing havoc upfront, while sustained pressure in their box just didn’t quite see the ball go to feet when needed. The best chance fell to Mike. A great cross from Chris was met with a well-struck header. However, their defender cleared it off the line to prevent the two-goal cushion.

 

Nevertheless, 1-0 up at the break, Merton had every reason to feel like three points were in the offing. They had control, but the key would be to score another, and make the game safe.

 

The second half got going, and for the first 15 minutes of it, the two sides roughly cancelled each other out. There wasn’t much in the way of goalmouth activity, but Merton were still looking rock solid at the back.

 

Then Frankie suffered an unfortunate muscle strain, and had to leave the field. And it marked a notable change in momentum of the game. Perhaps the central midfield ran out of legs a bit too, but suddenly Merton retreated and invited wave after wave of attacks from the oppo. It wasn’t even counter-attack football: Merton simply weren’t able to get out of their half, and Dom cut an isolated figure upfront. The ref certainly didn’t help matters; ostensibly with an axe to grind against Merton, and the decisions blatantly all started going one way.

 

Yet for all of the barrage of pressure, Merton were standing tall. Everyone to a man was working their socks off, and, bar a free header from a corner, Bank of England actually failed to carve out any real chances. Certainly not from inside the box anyway. It just felt like one of those games the Yellows were going to see out.

 

But with about eight minutes to go, calamity struck. Merton just about dealt with a long throw in, but the oppo retrieved the ball and swarmed the Yellows’ box. Under immense pressure, Chris hustled their striker and just about stuck a foot out. Of course, there was no contact whatsoever, but it was enough for the opponent to spring himself into the air with a dive straight out of Hollywood.

 

Never a pen, but at the same time, with the referee having by now very clearly set out his stall, there was an air of inevitability about which way the decision would go. The spot was pointed to, another one of their strikers stepped up, and the ball was buried in the right corner of the net. Nothing Kieran could do. 1-1.

 

It was a devastating blow, but, heartbreakingly, worse was to come. About three minutes later, Bank of England were on the attack again, and their winger sent in a devilish cross. As he had done all game, Kieran called it loud and clear, and looked set to claim it. Unfortunately, the ball skidded awkwardly, and, after initially having it in his grasp, he fumbled, snatched, and then knocked it over his head. The ball nestled in the net. 2-1.

 

It was cruel on Kieran, who’d had a tremendous game until then. It was crueller still on Merton, who had put everything into defending their lead, and looked on course for a deserved victory. But with just minutes left on the clock, they now looked beaten, and weren’t able to conjure up a response. The final whistle went shortly after, and the dejected lads departed the field.

 

There were some initial inquests after the game, with the manager correctly pointing out that we’d gone on the defensive far too early, and not strung any passes together in the second half. But that was quickly followed up with the many positives which could be taken from this heartbreaking result. The lads had given it everything, and, for 80 minutes, had the measure of a team which would have thrashed them just four weeks ago.

 

Two unfortunate late goals – one of them highly dubious – didn’t change that. This is a team very much on the up, and increasingly difficult to beat. Now it’s time to convert that into consistent results.

 

Team: Kieran Lee (GK), Ed Plaistow, Mike Todt, Joe Plumridge, Will Harrison, Frankie Kaligorou, Chris Outred, Dan Gridley, Ryan Burchell, Jake Hewett, Dom Plumridge

Subs: Noor Emad, Chris Dodd

Goals: Dom Plumridge (pen)

MOTM: Ryan Burchell

DOTD: Chris – very unfortunate

It was a sombre week for Merton Football Club, with the tragic passing of Nick Papanastasiou. All teams wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence before their matches as a mark of respect. It certainly put many things into perspective.