Soccer Section AGM Report 2002/03

The soccer section has had an intriguing season with big interests in cup and league advancement across the board but sadly resulting in little silverware.

The 1st XI (captained by Andy Taylor and managed/coached by John McDonagh) have, appropriately, led the charge reaching two semi-finals and one quarter-final in the three cup competitions they have taken part in.  Unfortunately they have failed to convert these into cup finals but on the positive side this has allowed them to fully focus attention on a dramatic promotion campaign that is still on a knife-edge.  Extensive cup runs have meant that the 1st XI have always had games in hand over their league competitors but they have still managed to remain top of the table losing just two games to date.  With just three games remaining they need a maximum of 4 points to secure promotion so all fingers are crossed that this season they can wave goodbye to third division football which is no more than their continued hard work deserves.

The Reserve XI (captained by Steve Pisano) have had their second stable year in the second division of the SAL and some impressive cup runs but in summary they have probably been a victim of their own success.  Extended presence in several cup competitions (including reaching the semi-final of the AFA Surrey Intermediate Cup) has meant that league fixtures have piled and the team have already had to play four “double-headers” where two games have to be played in the same afternoon – a situation that has made it difficult to sustain a credible title challenge.  Highlight of the season was meeting the Bank’s own 1^st XI in the quarter-final of the LFFA Challenge Cup where the 1^st XI crawled out 3-0 victors after a goalless first half.

The 3rd XI (captained by Ayyaz Ishaque) had an uncharacteristically poor start to the season when just one point from the first three games left them bottom of division two.  Thankfully this was followed by an emphatic resurgence that took them to third place in February with one eye on promotion.  This was, however, as close as they would get as some disappointing results have seen them slip to their current position of 8^th with just two games remaining.

The 4th XI (captained by David Cliffe) tactically chose to exit all cup competitions early in order to concentrate on their league campaign which was looking promising at Christmas after a run of three wins in which they managed to score an incredible 16 goals.  Since the new year, however, they have been let down by inconsistency and eight losses in a row have left them just one point above the bottom side.

The 5th XI (captained by Andrew Mason) have had a remarkably stable season and even topped the league for a while earlier this year despite having a negative goal-difference at the time.  In similar fashion to the 4^th XI, any hope of cup glory was extinguished at the first hurdle but their league progress has been extremely impressive and they have lost out on promotion to two sides that have dropped just 3 points between them all season.

The Vets XI (captained by John Parsons) have played a full set of friendly fixtures on Sunday mornings with mixed success but the undoubted highlight of their season has to be their cup-final appearance in the LFFA Vets Cup.  In a closely fought contest they lost out to a strong Nat West side 2-0 but the penalty decision that wasn’t given will be debated for years to come.

Off the field, the soccer section hosted a well attended river boat cruise evening (dubbed “Banchors Away!”) on the River Thames and also the second annual Sports Quiz which was won by a joint 1^st / 2^nd XI team.  This year’s annual awards dinner will be on Friday 16^th May 2003 and Alan Kennedy is the guest speaker.  The section is proud to be returning to Rimini in Italy over Easter for the second time in eight years whilst the Vets are preparing for a visit to Brussels in May.  We will also be sending a team to represent us in the Central Bank tournament which is this year being hosted by the Italians.