September is always a tricky month for selection - school holidays finish so holidays are attractively cheap and late sunshine means a few weddings & festivals are still taking place. None the less, we persevered.11 games in the month have seen over 55 players taking part. The club have enjoyed a mixed bag of results; a promising start saw a mixed Men's XI lose 0-2 to West Fulham, who play at the Intermediate level. The Women's season started away to Baldon Sports and a 10-man squad battled bravely but were beaten 2-5. Bee Olubusola and Alissa Schlecht scored, the latter on her debut. The Men's season started with the 1sts sluggish performance punished by AFC Walcountians 1-5 and the 2nds, sans goalkeeper, battle hard to earn a point against Old Boys Clapham Reserves in a 3-3 draw. First competitive goals of the season for Louis Sinclair, Kenny Ekette (2) and Tali Kiwanuka.
The 23rd of September was the game the whole club was waiting for! The Men's 1sts took on the Men's 2nds in the Junior League Cup 1st Round.
A Chairman's XI took on YouTube team #RebelFC at Haringey Borough's stadium. They went down 0-4 but showed a lot of composure and discipline against what is essentially a professional group of footballers, funded by Brave Bison marketing agency. Some of those players turned out two days later as the Men's 1sts bounced back to overcome Brent in the AFA Challenge Cup Preliminary Round, 2-1 AET, thanks to goals from Jack Davidson and Andy Clay. The 2nds levelled against Crouch End Vampires 3rds before conceding and then slipping to a 1-3 loss as they chased the game. A highlight was Tim Bamigbade's performance, resulting in him opening his account. The Women faced yet another club aligned with a professional or semi-professional men's club. This time they played Peckham Town and were defeated 1-10. Eventually, there might be a bridge between kickabout and semi-professional women's football...
The 23rd of September was the game the whole club was waiting for! The Men's 1sts took on the Men's 2nds in the Junior League Cup 1st Round. The 1sts started strongest, with Louis Sinclair scoring first. However, James Byrne equalised before Tim Bamigbade netted a beauty after latching on to a scintillating through ball. The Women bounced back in superb fashion. Facing their second semi-pro club of the month, they held Sutton United Reserves to a 1-1 draw, with Cerne Felstead scoring for Wanderers.The final match of the month was a Men's 1sts game away to Sporting 50. Harry Linehan and Tom Willis blasted home in a scintillating opening twenty minutes that saw Wanderers dominate. Sadly, there was another 70 minutes of abject football to put up with and they were comprehensively battered 2-4. Serious words were had after the game...