Merton Reserves vs Bank of England – 2nd February 2013

Withdrawing anything from the Bank of England is rewarding, but going to their place and debiting your account with a healthy four goals was all the visitors deserved.

Graham Willgoss and Ben Cook set the tone in the middle of the park, outrunning and out-tackling BOE. It was a Willgoss challenge that started the move for the first goal, winning the ball back from a BOE break and sending it wide for Ivan Gladkow. Gladkow has rarely looked keener – dominating his wing throughout – and played a neat one-two with Olly Braid before teeing-up Braid to whip in a flat cross that was ‘telepathically’ headed home by a hungry Will Taylor. Consistent Merton pressure forced several corners – one of them paying dividends with Femi Arogundade taking it short and finding Cook, whose low cross was stabbed home by Marc Wilson.

Chris Rayner went close from range in the first half, but after the break got the goal his menacing performance deserved when he prodded in from two yards after good work from Taylor and Paul Pearce. And Oliver Ross finished things off with a thunderbolt from just inside the area (“I need new laces, I’ve burned my last ones off”) after Gladkow’s brick wall of a tackle and threaded through ball. Alex Herbert, in goal, did not deserve to concede, but it was a peach of a half volley after the Banker’s man clattered his first attempt at the free kick into Merton’s wall. Well, it was always going to take something special to get around any Merton wall.

Report by:David Quainton