Newsletter W/C 21.9.20

Fixtures for Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th September 2020

Basil Williams 1964 – 2020

words from Dermot Jordan

I heard last week that Basil Williams had died suddenly of a heart attack. Basil only played for the club for a couple of years having to retire through injury before he was 30. He was simply a wonderful footballer, perhaps the most gifted that I have played with: in that period in the early 90’s he was commonly recognised as one of the most talented in all of AFA football. He will go down in Meads folklore as he scored a last minute winner in the Clubs first senior AFA Trophy when we beat Civil Service 2-1 in the AFA Middx on the 4th April 1992.

Many of you may have attended. I recall Basil brought song sheets & we sang & drank copious bottles of port in the bar at Barclays Bank Sports Club in Ealing. Bob Atkinson reminds me that Party Politics won the National that day at 14-1. Basil was also an integral part of the team that the following season won the OBFL Premier Division for the first time helping launch what has been a golden era for Meads.

I stayed in contact with Basil, he always remained humble about his own ability & counted himself a true Mead. He did try & return a few years back turning out a couple of times for the vets, but alas 2 replacement hips made mobility difficult. Having played for the club such a relatively short time Basil won’t perhaps be remembered as a Meads legend, but his ability was legend across the AFA & that together with his humility & humour I will remember fondly.

The club sends it’s best wishes to the Williams family at this sad time.

Match Reports

Old Meadonians 1s 1 – 1 Old Suttonians
(Cain)

After a pre-season longer than Celtic’s wait for a real trophy, the mighty Old Meads started their season with a tough trip to Sutton. 

The lads knew what was expected, from the first whistle you could see we were the better team and threatened from early on. Suttonian’s full backs were being bullied in such a way that you almost felt bad for them, eventually Charlie Cain capitalised on Xav’s toying with the defence and putting in a pinpoint cross to tuck home. The Meads were in the ascendency, this trend continued throughout the half. Somehow, we didn’t end the first period with an abundance of goals, 1-0 is all we could manage but the opposition barely threatened our end.

We seemed comfortable and continued to press and probe the tiring Suttonians with little threat back. Jay decided he didn’t like the way his fingers normally looked so dislocated one of them, left his finger looking messier than Gordon after a few Jaegerbombs in revs and needed to come off. He has since been to hospital and had it fixed so we wish him all the best.  

The second half started rocky, strangely we forgot how to play football for the first few minutes but eventually remembered how to use our arms and legs and carried on. 

We continued to look threatening yet comfortable at the back and it was surprising the Meads weren’t a couple of goals up. Unfortunately, a mix up in defence led to a penalty to Suttonians who counted their lucky stars that they were on level terms. This was highlighted by the fact they spent the last quarter of the match playing for the draw at home on the first game of the season in scenes almost as embarrassing at Matt Fishman’s throw-ins. 

Try as they might, Meads couldn’t find the all important break through and put the ball in the Suttonians net- despite coming close on many occasions. Their keeper seemed to neglect the fact he was a generous 2/10 and made a few worldie saves to deny the boys, on another day we would have got the all important winner. 

The final whistle went and the Meads were evidently gutted, in what should have been an elaborate victory, we only could manage a draw. Although, away at a tough team on the first game of the season the lads can hold their heads high and be comfortable in the fact that if they play like that every week they will walk the league and write their name in Meads folklore. 

Plenty of positives to take from the game and not one player can come off that pitch feeling disappointed with their performance; in what promises to be a long and exciting season we have set out how we want to play and the only way is up. 

Man of the match – Timmins

Wig – Matt Fishman (his throw ins were shite regardless of his shoulder injury-  doesn’t change the fact he’s class and we all love him)

Old Meadonians IV 3 – 2 Sinjuns Grammarians II

Slowly stirring, head slightly hazy, the glint of the sun reflecting off the empty beer cans and the prospect of some left-over chicken shish. The league season was here, and we were ready.

A strong pre-season complete, a great core of players who love winning more than anything else, we are the Wildcats. With Dad’s Army away on International duty a few new faces came into the squad, Marco making his seasonal debut, Laurent jumping in between the sticks at a days’ notice (legend) and Shae dropping in with the 3s on a bye week. The WIG moment came early in the day courtesy of Kody going for a Cheese, Biscuit and Grape brunch the morning of a game, apparently those are the lengths a young man needs to go to for a bit of skirt these days. I am just happy dad’s army were not there to cast their own opinions on the matter.

A bit like the Spurs game, the less said about the first half the better, Lum was pulling the strings from the centre circle but with little penetration Sinjuns keeper had an easy ride. We had the ball in their half for 44 minutes of the 45 and true to form went in 0-1 down. A rousing team talk (rousing/that was s**t go and play better) and we were back on top and knocking the ball around nicely. The Novel in CM was buzzing around as usual and after some neat link up play between Shae and Marco he was in down the right, crossed in and Rusty found himself in space to tuck home, 1 each. True to Meads form scoring a goal meant naturally taking the foot off the gas and after a slightly rash (huge scythe) tackle from Joshua and some questionable wall placement it was 1-2 to Sinjuns. In years past this may have meant a capitulation but the Wildcats are made of sterner stuff and after Marlon broke down the left, some more neat play put Rusty in, the keeper made the save and there was the original fox in the box Francis Jeffer… I mean Kody to tuck home, 2 each. With Jake looking lively on the break and the evergreen Baz and Lum controlling the pace of the game in the middle of the park, we pushed on and a dink through the middle sent Rusty clear in splendid isolation to tuck home and send the crowd into raptures.

15 minutes on the watch and seemingly with the oppo out of legs a big win was surely on the cards…. Enter Marco on debut arguing with the ref and getting himself sin binned. Down to 10 it became a war of attrition with Aidan, Shae and Owen notably repelling attack after attack and Laurent handling well. A great goal line clearance from Shae and plenty of big Swedes from all at the back got us over the line. Great win to start the season and a great bit of character.

MoM – Shae Bell, WIG – Kody Minors

Squad – Laurent – Marlon – Clemo – Owen – Aidan – Bazza – Jack – Joshua – Marco – Lum – Rusty – Kody – Jake – Shae

Old Meadonians Sunday Vets 5 – 2 Salvatorians Vets
(OG, Richards, Wileman, Glover, Goode)

Definition: Objectivity noun: The quality or character of being objective. The lack of favouritism toward one side or another: freedom from bias. Many people questioned the selection committee’s objectivity.

6 months is a long time in Football. Where did we leave things? Bojo was cracking on with herd immunity, the 1st XI under Graham and Gerrish careered out of the Senior Cup at the semi- final stage, Ali ‘Patient Zero’ McCombe had lost his sense of taste, smell and footballing ability, Kevin ‘Si Senor’ Quinn was an angry little man, and the so called Elite vets prepared for a semi in the SAL Cup with Best/Salanson and Thompson/Pointer looking forward to competing for longest couple in the shower AND of course the Old Meads Wig was, as it always has been, expected to be handed out on an objective basis after the match.

Six months later a bit has changed. SpunkCumDog took a trip to Barnard Castle, Scottish Mafia took over the 1s and 2s, Ali’s sense of taste and smell is back, Kev is less angry, Ducky Salanson’s knee looks like an aged vagina after a tourrr stop off at Grantham services, Thompson is whoring himself out to Clemmo’s Wildcats, Pointer has defected to Beals. But with all these events, I, for one, had expected one constant in life, that the Wig be distributed on an objective basis.

Candidates this Sunday:

1. Bloke who missed two open goals.

2. Teflon hands in goal not bothering to move forward 1cm to catch a ball allowing Oppo to score.

3. Handsome multi-paced midfielder known for lack of ball control. Mis-controls ball.

In an effort to conform to the rule of something the sconners call ‘bantz’ old management unbelievably chose number 3.

Further dis-belief when new lovers Pointer and McCombe won MOM based on the sum of their parts equalling one defender.

Hot day. Salvos were a good team. Well organised, 15 players, fit. End to end. Fast paced (for Vets). Played in good spirit.

Some good goals for Meads:

• OG
• Mehow Richards finish after 60 yard raking Gerrard-esque assist from midfielder.
• Same midfielder assist for Tim to slot home
• Same midfielder disposed defender for Ed G to pass to Tim to slot home.
• Goody spanked into top corner with Jack talking him through it. ‘Control it, look up, aim at goal, lift leg, hit ball with foot as hard as possible, go past goalie, top corner’. Great goal to be fair.

Salvos goals:

• 1. Right winger ran through unchallenged (where was left back?)
• 2. See above re: Teflon.

3-1, then 4-1, then 4-2. Mini panic until Goode/Costello power strike.

Then drank Fixture back:

• Ali and Mehow perused the Soho menu.
• Quinn and Paddy fell out about Mehow.
• Pointer went home and bathed the kids twice.
• Un-used Sub Dwayney and super-fan Senior Dave Gerrish went jug for jug.

2 Cup Finals in next 2 weekends. Can Dad’s Army/‘Elite’ vets bring home the bacon? At Owens next weekend, Finchleians the week after. Up the Meads.