Match Report Saturday 23rd September

Well after 16 years at the club I have now met probably the worst team in the AFC league. It is bad enough players looking for a fight and threatening to break players legs but when the manager runs on the field to attack one of our players you know that you are in a game! Unfortunately the referee was so intimidated by the oppo that he failed to send any player off. Despite all this I have nothing but admiration for our players who rose above it all and just concentrated on playing football. The most surprising thing is that had the oppo concentrated on playing football rather than trying to kick us all over the park they would have been a decent side with some skilful and pacey players in attack and midfield.

The first half saw us create a number of opportunities and we took the lead mid way through the first half with Jay putting the ball back into the box for Stig to head his first goal for the club to make it 1.0. The oppo came back well and nearly made it 1.1 as they hit the post. However we made it 2.0 with some excellent play down the right for Jay to pull the ball back for Bayo to score from 6 yards. The second half saw a number of opportunities squandered but we made it safe at 3.0 with a well worked goal through the middle of the park for Tim to coolly lob the keeper for 3.0. The oppo pushed for a breakthrough but the defence were solid throughout.

The full time whistle couldn?t come soon enough. We will be comforted by the fact that the oppo said we are going to face a ?warm welcome? when we play at their ground. Well that is something to look forward to then!!

Man of the match was Carlos Sanchez The Sun rating 8/10 ? Cool personified amidst the threat of a leg break!

City of London Second Team Report

The twos ground out a solid 3-0 home win over last season's promotion rivals Old Guildfordians. The visitors shaded possession in the first half without creating anything clear-cut. In comparison the strength and pace of sage and kebabbe up front carved out a number of openings, the crucial goal coming from the junior member of the front line just before the half.

The second half saw a professional shutting out of the game, with whitworth in dominant form at the back and the trickery of yapp and gourdois buying respite for the under pressure back line . Bristows long throw was touched in by kebabbe to complete his brace and sage provided the cherry on top, bravely hurling himself full length to bury a second post dink from the other goalscorer in the dying minutes.

City of London Third Team Report

For the first time in several seasons, COL fielded a 3rd team in a league game. On an unseasonably hot day, the opposition for this momentous occasion was Sinjun Old Grammarians 9?s, a team whose oldest player was 20, and some players in the COL side had more years on this planet than the oppo had whiskers on their chin! The game started well enough, right up to the point when one of the teenagers decided to ruin our party and finished neatly into the far right hand corner to go 1-0 up. We battled back well and started to get into the game more and before long the first chance came to PierGiorgio (PG) who blazed over the bar from a tight angle. Shortly afterwards, we were level when PG won us a penalty, which was well tucked away by Terry Edwards. We then went through a dominant spell, creating a few chances and being denied a second goal by the woodwork. Then against the run of play, we fell behind, again to a similar goal as the first, with the teenagers breaking through the middle, and despite the first shot being blocked, the rebound fell to the feet of the striker who finished easily into the open goal. This only spurred us into more action, and it was only a few minutes later before we were level again, a dead ball delivered from the right was excellently headed back across goal into the far corner by Clyson. 2-2 at half time.

The second half started with COL in control, and we started to really spread the play well, with possession down both flanks causing them difficulties. Chances started to come regularly, with Clyson, Paul Staines and Pont coming close to scoring, as well as hitting the woodwork for the second time, and it was no surprise when we went in front. A good break down the left was well finished at the near post by PG, who got the goal he deserved. PG was again in the thick of the action, breaking into the box before being crudely hacked down to earn the second penalty of the afternoon, again well tucked away by Terry. Just as talk of a fifth goal was ringing in our ears, we let the oppo have a free run of the pitch and to their credit, finished well to pull us back to 4-3. Despite a few final minutes under the cosh, the team held on well for a deserved 3 points. Let?s hope this is the first of many more victories this season.

MOM: Terry Edwards

Goals: Terry Edwards (Pen 2), Clyson, Piergiorgio