Category: Match Reports 5s

For those of you who regularly visit the flying fives’ reports to read about how much we’ve won by in the following week, look away now.
It had been 2 weeks since we had played as Polytechnic 9s unhelpfully called off last week. We played today like we had taken the two weeks off and gone to Ibiza, pulling an all-nighter before finally returning back to our home of Merton with puke down our shirt, blinded by the sunlight and still trying to find our friend named “Doug”. It was a performance that was reminiscent of last year, and one that we must be focused on reversing in the next game.
Their first goal saw the oppo player run onto a bouncing ball from just outside the 18 yard box. With Lenners committed, the player lobbed him from the left hand side to make it 1-0 after approximately 25 – 30 mins. Shortly after, they capitalised on a bit of luck. An attempted through ball hit our player and rebounded kindly to their player, who hit a lovely strike from 25 yards out that he won’t do again anytime soon. The third was also a happy blend of catastrophic & unlucky. A slide tackle to block the cross rebounded off our defender, hit their player and fell kindly in the box. A good cross ended up at the feet of their striker, who scuffed what should have been an easy tap in. As the ball painfully slowly approached the line, Steve Birchall got to the ball and went to clear. Unfortunately, the clearance hit Lenners on the back of the head and went in for Lenners’s second own goal of the season. Despite the luck attributed to goals 2 and 3, they deserved the 3-0 lead at half time.
The second half started a little better, with Merton calving out our first half chances of the day. The game was marred, however, by an incredibly unfortunate, serious looking injury afflicted to Tom who was having a very good game at an unfamiliar left back position at the time. We all wish him a speedy recovery, and he will be missed whilst away. The game petered out without much incident after, with both teams creating half chances, however the game ended 3 – 0.
In writing this report, I have realised how refreshing it is to be bitterly disappointed by a defeat where last season it almost felt like an expectation. We have performed incredibly well as a team throughout this season and next week provides us as a shot at retribution against a Poly 8s side that will prove to be tough opposition.

Another Saturday, another game.

Aaron Byrne here giving you the weekly match report due to Luke’s mysterious disappearance. I have been told he is waiting to be released from daycare… Lets hope order is soon restored.

The Clash –
Top of the table clash against Old Wilsonian’s. An away game with a lot at stake, could the magnificent 5’s actually top the table? With Merton 5’s on a roll, another day at the office, 4 from 4 was the mindset before the game.
“Can lighting strike four times?” was Dwayne Bedford’s motto before the game. Im sure the boy was itching to take another tumble 😉 Meanwhile Josh seemed intent on getting the match ball this week as he arrived with his game face on, maybe it was all the Zlatan comparisons that had him motivated. Our beloved Jayden Smith never fails to entertain and did himself no favours when he was quite frankly showing off his rear end to the lads during the stretches, lucky for him Lee Leenihan was not with us. If you’ve played for Merton 5’s before you should be familiar with Naked Lee Time by now.

The starting Line Up:
Sam was the man behind the sticks, Delman and Josh as our usual right and left back. Darren in centre back partnered with the experienced Steve Burchell. Ackers (Aaron) was our skipper, playing the holding mid role backed by Clive in midfield. I (Aaron Byrne) was as usual on the wings with Dwayne. Dulanje was up top, partnered with the return of the welsh assassin Rich who needs to get the ball rolling into the net.
Tom, Anam and Samurai Steve started on the bench.

First half-
Merton 5’s started the game on the back foot, allowing the home team to have more of the possession for the first 15/20 mins or so. We soaked up pressure the first 15 mins thanks to our marvellous De Gea in goal. Our amazing Sam did not seem to be affected by his birthday antics the night before, pulling off 4 fantastic saves in the first half! Both teams created a few decent chances, but the defence was solid.
Josh was reading everything at the back, not allowing his attacker a sniff of space. We even had Dwayne dropping back, with brilliantly timed sliding challenges, perhaps a potential change in position? Merton looked particularly deadly on the counter, bursting out from the wings, with good link up play with the two men up front. Ackers and Clive did a good job in holding the ball up in the centre of the park.

The goal –
The moment came around the 30th minute mark, Super Sam played a brilliant long ball from the goal kick,  that flew over the whole midfield, into the path of the centre backs, allowing the tricky Aaron Byrne to latch onto it. Noticing the keeper sleeping of his line, he casually hit a brilliant 30 yard lob timed to perfection which dinked over the keeper into the back of the net. Poor keeper was caught up daydreaming probably thinking about his next pint, to be fair he did try his best to make it back, i’m sure lots of calories were lost in that moment.

Second half –
Another good half by merton, in truth the first 30 mins of this half were a lot easier than the remainder. This game should of been dead and buried by the 60-70th mark..
Striker Dulanje had a handful of chances that could of been in the back of the net on another day, I should have also added to my tally with a miss in the box that led to a throw in to the opposition. We both blame the rain for not having a brace each. Even Delman got in on the misses almost defying the odds with a goal, after making a great run. Rich played a deeper role in the second half holding the ball up well bombing forward like a mighty white Yaya Toure.
Substitutes Anam, Tom Reid and Steve Harvey all filled in well to grind out the result in the end, playing positions they don’t usually play in for the benefit of the team. Well done lads.

The last 15 mins was a tight affair, with the team going into defence mode to grind out the result, although a few counter attacking chances missed could of made it 2-0.

Full time, another clean sheet. 1-0 victory. 3rd (only on goal difference). Come on!

Man of the match-
Let’s thanks ‘keeper Sam Ripley for showing up and not going missing on his birthday like something you’d see in a movie! On this occasion he takes the match ball. 6/7 great saves in the match that earned him a clean sheet. Vocal, brilliant handling, and excellent delivery from his goal kicks, Add in his assist for the winning goal.

I recently attended a Match Report Writers Association gathering, of which they all offered their condolences. “How do you remember all those missed chances?” they ask me, fully understanding that misses are harder to remember then goals. In truth, it is impossible – there are just so many! However, I will yet again try my best, but when you are sitting down for supper on a Saturday night, spare a thought for the poor match report writer, scratching his head with one hand and holding a pen in the other, struggling to recall the misses of the day and which ones to include in the report.

We started the match positively, opening the scoring within the first 3 or 4 minutes – a situation that we found ourselves at the tail end of last year far too many times. The ball was played to Dulanjie, who turned with it on the half way line and made like Usain & bolted. Breaking free of the defence, Dulanjie found himself 1 v 1, a situation that he has found himself a couple of times this season. This time, however, he confidently and firmly stroked the ball into the far corner of the net to put the mighty 5s 1 – 0 up. It must be pointed out that Dulanjie is now on a 3 in 3 record – a very commendable one for a striker. Could this be the day where we run away with a game? Could it be an easier match report to write? Of course not.

In truth, a sure-fire sign that this was going to be a strange game was when I found myself uncharacteristically with the ball at my feet in a 1 v 1 in the box. I had already wrote the glorious finish into the match report in my head by the time I realised I had gently passed the ball harmlessly out for a goal kick. As if this situation was not strange enough, a free kick flicked on by Clive found its way to Lenners in the 6 yard box. He took it down superbly and the first thought was “surely not”. Sensing that this couldn’t be happening, the referee blew for offside, however it is worth noting that the keeper pulled off a brilliant save anyway.

Then came the strong penalty shouts. Like a tiger, Dwayne pounced onto the loose ball in the area. Sensing the onrushing defender, Dwayne put his body in the way, enticing the rather foolish contact from the Actonian’s defender. Despite a slight tap, Dwayne ended up spread-eagled on the deck, ready to receive as if it were naked Lee time. Dwayne smashed the penalty down the middle, with the keeper kindly moving out the way to make it 2 – 0. Followed was an even stronger shout. Aaron Byrne beat the defender in the box and short of a metal chair to the face, this could have been a wrestling move. Aaron was wrestled to the floor when he would have been 1 on 1, but the shout was no penalty. The half ended with us 2 – 0 up.

A particular positive from the half, which would be continued in the second half, was how comfortable our defence was – not something that we could say often last year! The back 5 [keeper included] of Sam in goal, Josh, Darren, Lenners and Delman were equal to anything that they threw at us. Apart from one chance towards the end of the game where they missed a header from just a few yards out, they did not create many meaningful chances at all. This was to be the first time that I have seen the 5s hold out for a clean sheet – a marvellous defensive effort for the team.

It would be easy to be consumed by the misses at the other end of the pitch, however it is worth remembering that we are creating a lot of chances per game – it would not be an over exaggeration to say that we could easily have at least +15 goal difference from our first three games. If this goes on for much longer, however, Disney could probably make a film of our woes called Merton 5s and the Curse of the 2 Goals; such is our aversion to scoring more than 2 despite the chances that come our way. Latching on to through balls, Dulanjie manufactured more 1 on 1 situations, yet their goalkeeper made a few good saves. However the film would mainly be starring our Chuckle Brothers Aaron & Dwayne on this occasion; admittedly there was much more of the “to me” as the “to you”. Dwayne cut in beautifully from the left, attracting their full back on the far side over. A simple ball across would leave Aaron with an empty net, however on the stretch Dwayne hit the ball out the park for a home run. Aaron then returned the favour, cutting in from the right and attracting their defence over, leaving space for Dwayne on the far side. Aaron’s shot was powerful, but at the keeper. Both players aghast that the other didn’t pass, I think we’ll call it even on this occasion – but the way the chances were created is a very encouraging factor.

We threatened to open the floodgates, but then remembered that the pitches at Merton probably would be unlikely to hold, so left it at 2 – 0 for the remainder of the game. And we were not short of man of the match contenders this week. Dwayne scored his first for the season, Dulanjie increased his tally to 3 in 3, Aaron B tore their left back to shreds and Ackers deputised for Andy Bitmead in an attacking role expertly, using the ball well throughout the game. However it seemed inevitable that in our first clean sheet that the award would go to one of our defensive players. Delman and Josh were faster, wiser and stronger than their counterparts, not allowing anything to come down the wings. Lenners was strong in every tackle he went for and did not get sent off despite us having a ref partial to a red card for dissent [very much worth a mention]. However, the man of this match is Darren Avey, who was completely dominant at the back, winning everything in the air and alleviating so much pressure when they were throwing the kitchen sink at us. He was denied the taking of the penalty despite being the best taker at the club, but played a big part in our clean sheet and is a deserving winner.

It was a much changed team this Saturday, with various people missing for many different reasons. Luckily, we had good players to come in & we were very confident of extending our unbeaten run of 1 game. However, the first half was indeed a very strange affair; it started with 2 bad injuries, with Andy Bitmead falling awkwardly on his wrist [and his left hand too, much to Mrs Bitmead’s despair], and an opposition player dislocating a knee cap and damaging his ligaments. He left in an ambulance, and we all wish him a speedy recovery.

Now, for the action.

It would not be an understatement to say that we completely dominated the first half. Apart from hitting the outside of the post from distance, which Kieran had well covered, our defence marshalled by two men in the middle of outstanding beauty, kept them well at bay. Kieran could be seen at half time on ebay buying a deckchair, much was our dominance. At the other end…well, Dulanjie kindly requests not to be reminded in writing. His first opportunity was a chance he wonderfully created for himself. He picked the ball up out wide, skipped past a couple of defenders and had the goal at his mercy. Swinging at the ball with real intent, his effort sailed marvellously high and wide putting us 6 runs ahead. His second 1 on 1 was not as easy, however. Played through by Dwayne with a ball that was reminiscent of his assist last week, he latched on and had just the keeper to beat. He was fast off his line however, rushing Delanie into a lob that went agonisingly wide. Sensing a pattern? Enter Ryan.

There were two times when Ryan had golden opportunities in the first half. He had indeed seen Delanie’s first miss which confused him greatly. One on one with the keeper, he smashed high and wide for 6, putting us 12 runs ahead. His second, much like his first, was a 1 on 1 from a slightly tighter angle; we might well let him off that one. The closest he came was when the ball hit him and sailed just over the bar with the keeper beaten! Even papa Burchell got in on the act! The ball bounced to him in the 6 yard box, and under pressure, Steve calmly put it out for a corner goal kick.

Thank the lord for Andy Bitmead.

Somewhere in between, Andy decided that enough was enough. He knocked the ball round their right back, and latched onto it himself. Arriving just before their centre back, he knocked it past him too to leave himself with a 1 on 1 – surely not? With confidence, he hit it towards the bottom corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. I asked the referee if we could convert our 12 runs into a goal, however the motion was cruelly denied and we went in at half time 1 – 0 ahead.

We started the second half strongly, and we knew this may well be our day when Ryan found the target! His effort, however, was well saved by a rather strong keeper. I am sure Delanie missed a couple more in the second half too; however he has left me with so many to remember that I must had given up trying by that time. Luckily, a tragic defensive mistake would allow us back into the game. Their defender played it back to their keeper, who looked nervous, as if he shouldn’t pick it up. This was, in fact, reiterated by their defender shouting “DON’T PICK IT UP!!” Of course, he picked it up. The same defender realised that it was indirect [a bright spark this one] and told his players to move off the line as Bitmead couldn’t shoot. They didn’t budge, and Bitmead hammered it at one of their players on the line. It deflected in to give Merton a deserved second.

They through the kitchen sink at us, and in truth created quite a few chances from it. There were a lot of shots from range, they hit the post, and missed one really good chance from inside the box. Our task could have been made easier when that man Delanie had a golden opportunity 1 v 1 with the keeper, but this time decided to gently pass it to him. There must be a rule that only one person can score per game that I’m not aware of, however there will be other times when we need those goals so best to save them I guess! They did, however, score one just a couple of minutes from the end. We played the offside trap, and from looking across the line, the man was definitely offside. The referee was not sure therefore could not give it, and he squared it to their other striker who chipped Kieran to ensure a nervy ending. A pinball in the six yard box looked to be heading for the corner of our net, however Kieran acrobatically jumped at the ball and held with two players steaming in on him to save the 3 points for us. A much, much tighter game then it should have been, but a well-deserved win.

This week’s MOM, as elected by the team, was a fantastic Andy Bitmead. He soldiered on with a dodgy wrist, and proved to be the difference between the two sides with a commanding all-round performance. Also worthy of a mention is the whole of our defense who as a collective were superb, with Steve Burchell marshalling it well and Josh Fitzgerald-Smith putting in a very mature performance for a young man. Clive provided a very effective shield in front of the defense, and although chances were squandered, Delanie did very well to create them, as well as putting their defense under great pressure throughout the game.

Very good performances all round. A win next week will succeed our points tally for last year, so that is certainly the aim – and how better to achieve in then at home in front of our thousands of cheering fans?

Despite the torrential storms that hit the UK on Friday, we arrived in Chiswick with the pitches in good
nick, playing to our Barcelona-esque style. We did, however, arrive in dribs and drabs due to serious
traffic around the Mortlake area – rumour had it that a still-drunk Big Chris was still partying in the
middle of the road from Thursday night, such was his level of rowdy drunkenness. Not an ideal start.
As the clock hit 7pm, the ref arrived and the game was on. Both teams took a while to get going, feeling
like a start of the season clash. It would be Merton, however, who would who would hit first. The ball was played through by Dwayne, agonisingly close to the defender but yet just out of reach. Knowing the race was lost, the defender went tumbling in a manner that Ashley Young would be proud of – dramatic, and screaming as if he’d have joined Clive in his regular “shower fun times” sessions. With Dulanjie just to beat the keeper, he calmly slotted home to put the 5s one-nil up. Cue the probing from Ibis Eagles. They began attacking with some purpose, putting the ball in the box at every opportunity. Luckily, the rear-guard action of Darren & Lenners, men who are used to their fair share of probing, dealt with it stupendously. It was, in fact, the 5s who had the best chance to make it 2, with Dulanjie one-on-one again. Perhaps too confident second time wide, he scuffed his effort which tamely rolled into the keeper’s arms. Not too long after, a cruel deflection was to undo our good work. They sent a corner in, which was again very well defended. The ball broke to the edge of the box, where one unfortunate [but very good looking] fellow toe-punted it straight to the opposing player outside the box. He took a touch, and let fly with an effort that deflected cruelly off Lenners for a goal that their pressure arguably merited. Lenners OG, 1-1 at half-time.

We knew that the game was there for the taking in the second half. After another cagey start from both teams, the 5s were to spring ahead again, with a second halfsubstitute instrumental in the build-up. Aaron Ackerman picked up the ball from our own half, playing it through towards the left. Dulanjie managed to latch on to it just before it went out of play, and drove inwards. Too fast for their defense, Dulanjie found himself in front of goal, only at a very tight angle. A keen eye for tight gaps, Dulanjie managed to squeeze it between the keeper and the near post to make it 2-1. They piled on the pressure in order to find an equaliser, however we defended resolutely all over the pitch, resulting in them not creating a clear cut chance in the last 30 minutes of the game. It was only down to Richard thoughtfully deciding that 2 was enough that we did not win by more; maybe less Gareth Bale, more Gareth Gates on this occasion. He’ll gladly save them for when we need them, and we played out the 2-1 victory to put ourselves within 4 points of equalling our points total from last season.

Those who bemoan young people for not voting may have a point, as only 3 nominations were received. Such was the difficult task of picking a man of the match, it resulted in a three-way split. Dulanjie wins one for his two goals, Aaron Byrne for his impressive balance between first-half offense and second-half strong defensive work that saw us see out a victory, and Darren Avey for being an immovable object, winning everything in the air despite their bombardment. Many more people are worthy of a mention; Delman and Josh ensured nothing came down the wings, Dwayne and Aaron got good assists, Miguel impressed with his composure in the middle when coming on and Sam in goal managed to deal well with all that came his way comfortably. This was a very strong team performance, on to next week!

Merton 5s vs. South Bank 5s

SAL Minor Division 2 South

Saturday 21^st March 2015

South Bank 5s were the visitors to Joseph Hood this time around. With the opposition having lost all ten of their league outings, this was one match we felt we could capture three points and give everybody that much needed confidence boost having only won one in fourteen.

One of our main problems throughout the season has been finding a goalkeeper. We didn’t have that problem this week as we were helped out by Ryan Tomlin who is a regular in the youth set up. Big thanks to him for the effort.

We started brightly, passing the ball around well with everyone working to get onto the ball. This was expected as the starting XI, with the exemption of a couple of positions, was the strongest we have had all season. Unfortunately we fell behind ten minutes for the break. Miscommunication between Glen and Ryan following a through ball resulted in gifted goal meaning we went into half time on the back foot.

We were playing some good football so the team talk was one of a few words, carry on with what we were doing and the chance will come. Two changes were made at the break, Aaron came on in place of Sevan and Dulanie, who started but had to be replaced early on in the game by Rob, took the place of Chris Dodd. We reverted to a more common 4-4-2 formation to tighten things up and it seemed to pay off. Dan Plaistow delivered a ball into the box after receiving the ball from a throw in and Rob stepped in to claim it before the keeper could claim it to draw us level.

We were not playing as well as we did in the first half but felt we were doing enough to push on and grab another goal. Another goal came shortly after our equaliser but it was the visitor that claimed it. Their number eleven received the ball on the edge of the box with his back to goal. Unfortunately he was given too much space to turn and fire a shot into the top left hand corner. 2 – 1.

We then found ourselves 3 – 1 down. Glen, under no pressure what so ever, got his ankle stuck and miss-controlled a ball on the half way line. With Glen being the last man back, this allowed their number eleven to easily slot past Ryan on a one-on-one situation. We felt hard done by at this time as we felt we should have been playing against ten men. Dan Plaistow won a fair challenge in our half however the player on the receiving end seemed to differ by running to the ref shouting “Ref! That’s a red card offence, that’s a red card offence!” As expected the ref confirmed that the challenge was fair and waved play on. Not two minutes had passed when Dan Plaistow had the ball on the touchline when the player that was on the receiving end of his challenge thought it was a good time to get his revenge with lunging with fists and feet at Dan. It took the ref some time to decide what a fair punishment would be and we were all shocked, including some of his own players, when it was only a yellow card that was shown. We found out after that the yellow was given for dissent and not the challenge!!!!!

I want to thank those players that are consistent in making themselves available week in week out.

It was frustrating to be on the back on another defeat but we need to put this season behind us and plan for next season.

FINAL SCORE: 1 – 3 MOTM: Ryan Tomlin

TEAM: Ryan Tomlin (GK), Clive Corrigon, Glen Porter, John Gridley, Edward Plaistow (Capt.), Chris Dodd, Sevan Mutafyan, Danny Gridley, Chris Outred,  Dulanie Richards, Dan Plaistow. Subs. Rob Greenway, Aaron Ackerman, Martin Quinlen

This week saw us travel to 2^nd place Carshalton following a hefty 10-0 decent to the hand on West Wickham last time out. Following two no-shows, we were restricted to a squad of 12 however this meant that we were able to start the game with 11 unlike last week. Going into the game, confidence was low following the dismal season we have had so far but like all Merton teams, we pulled together and worked as a unit. Even though the game ended in a 2-1 defeat, the team put in the best performance of the season. Conceding within the first 30 seconds everyone thought that another drubbing was on the cards. Fortunately we gathered ourselves, with the midfield and defence staying strong and compact, to limit the opposition to mostly long range efforts. Midway through the first half we score, a converted square ball into the bottom right hand corner. We conceded the eventual winner near the end of the first period. A loose ball failed to be cleared leaving their number 10 with a free effort that found its way through a crowd of defenders and the keeper.

We finished the game with 10 men due to Dan Gridley being shown a harsh red for dissent late on.

There are so many positives to take from the game, if we can carry these into the remaining fixtures there is no reason why we can’t cause more problems for those opposing us. Everyone deserves a huge pat on the back for the performance, however a big mention has to go to Josh Bennett for another solid performance all over the park with that ‘Never Say Die’ attitude, proving that he is a benefit to Merton.

With this new found confidence we look forward to our next game. FINAL SCORE: 2–1 MOTM: Josh Bennett

TEAM: Ben Macey (GK), Clive Corrigon, Danny Gridley, John Gridley, Edward Plaistow (Capt.), Aaron Ackerman, Chris D, Josh Bennett, Chris Outred,  Dulanie Richards, Steve Cross. Subs. Kieran Yansen

This week saw us travel by tube to visit Old Lyonians in Harrow. The last thing we wanted was to return home with anything less than 3 points. Having defeated the opposition 6 – 2 at home a few weeks prior, we went into the game confident that we could increase our lead at the top of the table. With Josh unavailable we recalled Glen Field to cover between the stick. Aaron and Ben were also absent but Lee returned.

It was clear from the start that the hosts had strengthened their squad since the last meeting. This showed after 15 minutes when they took the lead, a smart finish into the bottom left hand corner put the host 1 – 0 up. We wasn’t behind for long however, Patrick turned up the heat and following an assist from Dan down the right, managed to evade two defenders and slot past the keeper with ease. It remained level going into the break.

We seemed to have taken our foot off the gas come the second half and the opposition were able to capitalise on this from a corner. Their tall centre back rose at the near post to send a looping header into the far top hand corner. Not l long after did they double their advantage, with me failing to catch up with a break down the right, a cross was delivered into the box and converted with ease.

With 20 minutes remaining we upped the ante and pilled pressure on the Old Lyonians defence but the last goal of the game ended up a consolation only. Dan Outred caught a corner with a delightful volley at the near post to mirror the opposition’s third, and send it into the far top hand corner, Prior to Dan’s goal Sevan hit the upright with a neat volley that had little reaction time. As well as having to travel back to Merton on the back of a loss, Glen suffered what seemed to be a broken arm, later to find out it was just tissue damage. We still remain 2 points clear at the top of the table but West Wickham has a chance to become level on points if they win their game in hand.

Next week we host EBOG in the 2nd Round of the SAL Cup. A decent cup run on top of our overall league performance can do nothing but boost our confidence of claiming silverware come the end of the season. Keep the good performances coming boys….

Team: Glen Field (GK) (Lawrence Bispham), Dan Outred, Chris Outred (Capt.), Darren Avey, Edward Plaistow, Dulanie Richards (Lee Lenihan), Sevan Mutafyan, Chris Dodd, Arthur Lewis (Kieran Yansen), Patrick Mhondiwa, Dan Hall

MOM:Patrick Mhondiwa

Written by: Edward Plaistow

This week we travelled to Beckenham to entertain Lloyds at the Kent County Cricket Club. Having possibly our strongest squad to select from we were optimistic of going back to Joseph Hood still top of the table. Chris Outred stepped in to partner Darren at the back due to Lee’s absence and also skippered the side, a position he will retain going into next weekend’s game following this performance.

We started brightly and took advantage of the possession that was gifted to us by the hosts and it wasn’t long until we dished out the punishment that was on the cards. Chris Dodd unleashed a right footed half volley following a decent run of play down the left that seemed to change a number of directions before finding the back of the net. A rare goal from open play by our ex skipper but one that would be hard to match. Not long after the restart did we double our advantage, again from a corner. Dulanie connecting with Aaron’s corner on the volley, beating the keeper via a deflection. The only other highlight to mention from the first period was when Patrick hit the bar with a 30 yard shot. We ended the half with 10 men as Ben’s right boot needed assistance (taping up).

Going into the break there wasn’t much of a team talk, all we needed to do was continue to play the football we was and try to add toour tally. Being the highest scorers in our league, as well as in Merton, we were confident this could be done.

The second half was pretty much a carbon copy of the first. Lloyds never seemed to be able to get in the game and with Josh being our last line of defence and pulling off a couple of decent saves, a consolation never seemed on the cards. We did however manage to add another 2 goals to our tally. Tee came on for his first appearance in 4 weeks replacing Dan Hall. His appearance didn’t last longhowever due to a recurrence of the injury that side-lined him in the first place. He did manage a goal before leaving the field. A left footed half-volley from 25 yards that dipped over the substitute keeper. Patrick added prior. Those two goals combined with the two we managed in the first 45 minutes gave us a comfortable 4-0 win.

Next up we face a trip to Harrow to take on Old Lyonians. A team that will be looking for revenge following our 6-2 win in October. Let’s hope that the winning run continues……

Team: Josh Brown (GK), Dan Outred, Chris Outred (Capt.), Darren Avey, Edward Plaistow, Dulanie Richards (Arthur Lewis), Ben Lawrence (Sevan Mutafyan), Chris Dodd, Aaron Ackerman, Dan Hall (Tee Nash Bizayi), Patrick Mhondiwa

MOM:Patrick Mhondiwa

Written by: Edward Plaistow