April 2018
In contrast to the previous month, April was a veritable feast of football!
15 games! 60 players ! 78 goals! 3 yellow cards! A hat-trick! A sending off! It was almost too much...
With the women struggling, forfeiting a game against South East Parakeets was naive as the pitches were subsequently unplayable but what was done was done. Thankfully, for the Men's 1sts, Holland Sports made the same error and forfeited a double-header just before the weather kiboshed the whole funfair anyway. A vital six points in their battle to stay up.
That same weekend, the 2nds earned a clean sweep against Wandgas Worcester Park Vets with a 4-1 win, with goals from Aaron McCann, Leonardo Natsis, Abdul Salako from the penalty spot, and Elliot Winspear. The only blot on the copy book was the unseemly behaviour from both sets of players in the last twenty minutes, with Dare Mustapha becoming the second player in the season to be sent off; whilst he was technically still on the pitch, the final whistle had already blown, making it even more ludicrous.
The women have been hammered time and time again this season by clubs with no consideration of the damage these scorelines can do to the game - so huge credit is due to all of them for showing up and trying for 90 minutes time after time. Godalming beat us 0-13, Peckham beat us 0-16, and Wandsworth beat us 0-4 but they will never beat the attitude of our incredible women's squad.
They finished off their season with a double-header at Sutton United. A physical contest, featuring many former Surrey Eagles thugs, I mean players, in the opposing line-up ended up being two really competitive and constructive games. Wanderers were edged out 1-3 and 0-3 with Marie Meunier scoring her first of the season; a free-kick from practically another post code which went sailing past the flapping goalkeeper.
The female Wanderers weren't the only ones tasting defeat though. Memories of the narrow 0-1 defeat to Chessington still fresh, the Men's 1sts wanted to repay the favour but, instead, gifted them three early goals and then, feeling generous, gifted the guests a further four. Probably the 1sts worst performance of the season - if not the past two seasons. A double-header against Merton Social at the end of the month was an opportunity to make amends but 3-5 and 0-1 defeats leave the team all but assured of a bottom two finish. Ryan O'Neill at least seems to have found his shooting boots, taking his tally up to 12.
The 2nds, who face a similar fate, took on impressive Nutfield and earned a vital draw from their double-header. The first game may have ended 1-3, with Dylan Coates scoring his first for the club, but the second was a real ding-dong affair with Coates (pictured) netting again, along with Phil Nduoyo, who the club have missed through injury, to ensure a 2-2 scoreline.
The Casual XI turned out against Effra Academicals, this time with a defence, and squeezed out a 6-3 win. Filimon Mulugeta terrorised the Accies defence and scored two fantastic individual goals in the opening ten minutes. Ryan O'Neill then scored an impressive hat-trick before young Kadeem Williams lobbed the goalkeeper from outside the box with a sublime finish - if the club still gave out awards for the best goal celebration of the season, he would have won it outright!