HISTORY INDEX

2008 / 2009 Season Match Reports

Index of dates.
Reports listed by w/b Saturdays.

w/b 2008/08/29
w/b 2008/09/06
w/b 2008/09/13
w/b 2008/09/20
w/b 2008/09/27
w/b 2008/10/04
w/b 2008/10/11
w/b 2008/10/18
w/b 2008/10/25
w/b 2008/11/01
w/b 2008/11/08
w/b 2008/11/15
w/b 2008/11/22
w/b 2008/11/29
w/b 2008/12/06
w/b 2008/12/20
w/b 2009/01/03
w/b 2009/01/17
w/b 2009/01/24
w/b 2009/01/31
w/b 2009/02/14
w/b 2009/02/21
w/b 2009/03/07
w/b 2009/03/14
w/b 2009/03/21
w/b 2009/03/28
w/b 2009/04/04
w/b 2009/04/18


Saturday 29th August

BoE 4s 4-5 Old Actonians
A good pre-season run out and some useful debuts, which was the main aim. Lots of endeavour and some good football, under a baking sun and against a fairly skillful and quick opposition. The only (mild) disappointment was the result - letting our 4-3 lead slip in the last 10 minutes. My memory of the exact in's and out's of the game is already hazy: the oppo posed plenty of attacking threat and worked the ball well but Ethan and Russ worked well up front, causing their defenders problems and holding the ball up well; Ethan bagged a hat-trick and Russ got the other goal. Alex had a good game in nets.
Giles Edwards

Saturday 6th September

Old Wilsonians 0-2 BoE 4s
Well that was rather good wasn't it? A controlled performance, some nice passing, a constant threat up front and a clean sheet. Remarkable. Some minor geographical inconsistencies between Laurence, Alex and the rest of the team saw us start with 10, with Alan and Sean bearing the main brunt; Alan performing heroics when called upon in goal, Sean doing the work of two men up front. That aside, and despite a few players slightly out of position, we lined up with something resembling a decent shape- Mr. Capello take note. Don and Raoul impregnable as centre backs, Crispian and Tom full of tackling and attacking endeavour, Mark and Mossy always outlets on the wings, Me and Chris in the engine room, and Sean the cutting edge up top.

We started brightly, and knocked the ball about a bit on a pretty slick pitch. For the first 10 minutes it was all Bank, and though they got the ball into our half a few times after this period (given the slope and the conditions the hoof over the top was always going to be an outlet- Alan off his line smartly in the occasions it bounced through) it was no real surprise when we took the lead. Rather a neat goal it was too. Excusing some artistic license where the memory is not complete, Mark threaded the ball through to me, I slid to hook it away from a defender and into the path of Sean just inside the box, and Sean found a very tidy finish indeed, smashing it somewhere near the top of the net.

A few more efforts after that; notably Chris trying to chip their keeper, though he was just about equal to it. Then cue the tardy Laurence and Alex, with Alex releasing Alan to left back position, and Laurence enjoying the tropical conditions on the bench. A touch complacent/defensive for the last ten minutes, Alex continued Alan's sterling work by coming off his line to snuff out one or two OW attacks. A good first half though.

Laurence came on for Tom at half time, and despite his claims to never having played Left Midfield, kept the left side locked up- where Tom had been calm, measured passing, Laurence took the battering ram approach- get the ball, turn, keep going. And very effective it was. Generally though, we continued as we left off, building attacks from the back with calm defenders passing it through the midfield and up to Sean. After a good spell of pressure, and a fair few corners, we got the second, when a corner from the left hand side was knocked back towards the edge of the box (by Raoul?) and running from the corner flag I smashed it in, via a modest deflection, to the top corner.

Plenty more chances after this, but the most satisfying thing was the clean sheet. Raoul was- remarkably- the model of composure and they didn't have any serious chances, bar a corner that fizzed across the face of the goal. Alex was equal to anything else, and giving us some great outlets via his kicking- if we get him on a pitch without a serious incline that will prove to be a real asset this season. That said, the closest they came to a goal was when Alex decided to spice things up with a David James moment- fortunately the fumble went wide of the post and we saw things out to the end.

A good game, good result, and most importantly we played it the right way; passing it out of defence, plenty of movement, and lots of commitment. Well done.
Simon Walls

Saturday 13th September

IBIS 4-4 BoE 1s
For the 2nd season running we opened our league campaign away from home. IBIS in the September sunshine was a good place to start. After beating them twice last season we were confident of starting the season with a win. There was a good buzz before the game and the pre -match talk was all about starting well and keeping up a high tempo.

This we did and the opening exchanges were all in the IBIS half. Unfortunately we could not take advantage of our good start and it was IBIS who took the lead. A long through ball from the IBIS defence was not cleared properly. This allowed the IBIS forward to bear down 1 on 1 onto the bank goal until he was taken out by a sliding challenge by Dan Harcock. Dan had to make the challenge and the referee awarded Dan a yellow card and from the resulting free kick IBIS took the lead 1-0. This shocked the bank and we stepped it up and poured forward looking for the equaliser. Despite our pressure more often than not our final pass let us down and we came into the half time break 1-0 down.

At half time we knew that if we improved our final ball there were goals in the game for us. We had to keep it tight as the next goal was going to be important. If IBIS got it than we would have an uphill challenge to get back into it - If we got it then it was game on!. Unfortunately another lapse in concentration at the back allowed the IBIS forward to fire in a right footed shot to make it 2-0. It was now down to how much the team wanted to get out of the game and I am pleased to say that in a 6 minute spell we pulled it back to 2-2.

Our first goal came from a through ball which Steve Black ran onto to round the keeper to make it 2-1. Our equaliser game from the right foot of Adam Boothroyde following a cross from the left. 2-2 and we had plenty of time to go for the win. After a tactical change which allowed Joe Miller to push forward our 3rd goal came from his head - 3-2 up and we were now in control. Once again poor defending allowed IBIS to pull it back to 3-3 and again level the game.

We once again showed character to go into the lead. A right wing cross from Boothy was finished at the near post by Crippo and with 10 minutes to go we were 4-3 up. It was now important that we held firm and closed the game out. Alas this was not possible and after another lapse at the back IBIS got another equaliser and the game ended 4-4.

A hugely disappointed team trudged off the pitch in the knowledge that we have thrown the game away twice. I would agree but as I told the team on Saturday at 2-0 down we would have taken a point. We showed outstanding character to pull ourselves into a winning position. Mistakes at the back cost us dearly but those involved were man enough to hold their hands up. The individuals concerned don't make that many mistakes and are normally rock solid and very very reliable. They will improve as will the whole team and there are positives to take out of the game and it is those positives that we should take into our next games.

The team spirit in the team was one of strong points last season and it was required again on Saturday. Collective responsibility is what it is all about and it was nice to see that we were disappointed with only gaining a point on Saturday. Lets improve as individuals and as a team on Saturday against Old Finchleians. We should not need anymore incentive to pull out all the stops and produce a performance I know we can and send Finchleians back home to North London with nothing but their teams teas!
Ayyaz Ishaque

Saturday 20th September

BoE 1st XI v Old Finchelians 1st XI D1-1 (Miller J)
After last weeks 8 goal thriller it was our first outing of the season on the Records Office pitch. Old Finchleians came to Roehampton on the back of a 3-0 win. They are a strong and quick outfit, with pacy forwards. It was important we matched them for effort and kept their quick forward line in check. The game started at a quick pace but it was Old Finchleians who came out of the traps quicker. They were quicker to the ball and capitalised on our sloppy passing and approach play.

It was OF who drew 1st blood when sloppy play in our penalty box resulted in a OF centre forward being brought down - penalty! The resultant penalty was hit against the post and we were dealt a reprieve. Unfortunately this stroke of luck did not wake us up and OF continued to be the better side. It was no surprise when they went 1-0 up when from a free kick from the bank right, the first ball was not dealt with and more importantly the 2nd was not and it left the OF centre forward to hammer the ball in from 6 yards. This knocked the stuffing out of us and we struggled to string our passes together. Towards the end of the half we could have gone 2-0 when an unmarked OF player had free shot from the edge of the box and to be fair we were had Cheets to thank in the bank goal that we only had a 1 goal deficit to contend with at half time. At half time it was apparent everyone had to improve and the effort and the desire had to improve. Our passing had to be better all over the pitch if we were to get back into the game. The team came out for the 2nd half determined to get back into the game and we did start exerting a bit more pressure on the OF goal but we were not working their keeper and back four as much as we wanted. OF still looked dangerous on the break and still looked the more likely team to score. A change was required and Joe Milller came on up front in place of Crippo to add a bit of pace and give the OF defence something new to think about.

The change had an immediate effect when Joe latched onto a Martin Coward through ball to toe poke the ball into the net - 1-1 and we were back in it. This galvanised the team and we poured forward looking for the winner. The next 25 minutes were end to end stuff and we had to stand firm with some resolute defending from some huge pressure from the OF set pieces. Cheets was called into action on more than one occasion to keep us in it. At the other end Adam Boothroyde was denied a dramatic winner when the OF keeper produced a flying save to his left. So the game ended 1-1 and both sides had to settle for a point a piece. Once again we showed grit and determination to pull ourselves back into a game which was going away from us. Good things to have in our game but we need to start stamping our authority on games by producing our best football. In patches we have showed we can play some good football - we just need to show that more often. There is room for improvement both individually and collectively and I know that improvement will come. Our passing has to improve and as a team and we need to be more difficult to break down.

It's been a tough start to the season and we could easily have lost our opening 2 games but we have not because we have showed a lot of determination and team spirit. Things that we can build on over the next few weeks. Those in possession of a 1st team jersey need only to look at the guys in the 2nd team to realise that there is competition for places in every position at this early stage of the season. There is no room for complacency from anyone and standards from all concerned will have to improve if we are to have a successful season.
Ayyaz Ishaque

Old Actonians 9s 0-5 BoE 4s
A fantastic result to start the season off with and, while the scoreline didn't reflect the balance of the match, the victory was well deserved. A fine set of individual performances too, with particular note to strong debuts from Mark Costin and Stu Wren-Jarvis and sterling efforts from Russ and Sean, who played well in unfamiliar midfield territory. If we were looking for a testing match to kick off the season, then we found it - a big pitch, 20+ degrees, long grass, and a young (fit) opposition. The game started inauspiciously with no referee in sight (and continued that way), so duties were shared between the teams.

The first half was hard fought and fairly evenly balanced. Early season exuberance and a big pitch meant that play soon became stretched, with midfield space opening up and numerous attacking forays from both sides. Arguably, Actonians had the slightly better chances, but good goalkeeping from Alex and decent defending ensured that there was no way through. Steve Carter constantly marshalled the midfield and defence into maintaining two lines of four - a feature throughout the game. The breakthrough came just after the half hour as Gustavo ran at the heart of the defence, battled with the last man, and coolly slid the ball into the far corner. Or so I thought. Everyone else spotted that it had in fact been the defender's toe. They all count though. 1-0 at H-T.

We started the second half expecting renewed vigour from the oppo, and that's what we got - in spades - as the tricky play from their Italian midfielder, clever running from their main striker and several attempts at the lofted ball behind our left back position looked like they would pay divdends. It was backs to the wall stuff for the opening 20 minutes, but we survived through more good keeping, tireless work from the midfield, stout defending and the oppo's wasteful shooting. Our counter-attacking style meant that we often gave the ball up too quickly, but it paid off just after the hour when a break culminated in Mark striking a shot into the corner. Kenny claims that he had the last touch, off his backside, but I know professional pride would prevent him from claiming the goal. The oppo's heads went down a bit as a result and they started to bicker. Their cause was further set back when their striker limped off, reducing them to 10 men. At this point the match ended as a meaningful contest, and 3 further goals (Walls, Bagattini Wren-Jarvis) followed as the oppo pressed and spaces opened up behind them.

The victory was well deserved but nature of the performance and clean sheet more so. It bodes well for the season ahead. And if we can learn to mix up the pace of our play and hold onto the ball better, we'll make our lives that bit easier.
Giles Edwards

BoE 5s 2-3 Lloyds 8s
The start of the 5s season under the new mangership of Alex Muscatelli unfortunately saw a familiar story with early signs of promise in the match ultimately not being enough. Lloyds were late arriving for the match and were a little disorganised at the start. This led to our first goal when a mix up in defence between the goalkeeper and his full back saw an own goal helped a little by the pressing of Andy Moss.

The 5s were boosted by this early goal and looked assured for the rest of the half. Goalkeeper Mike Pursey making his debut looked very solid and he was ably assisted by the experienced centre back pairing of Andy Taylor and Ian Short. Rory and Tom were also looking good at full back and were taking every opportunity to get forward. Although the Bank were comfortable at the back there was a bit of a lack of cutting edge up front and we didn't have too many chances. However we were looking threatening from the corners of young Andrew Hunnable and it was from his corner that we scored our second with Andy Taylor shaking off the very close attentions of his marker and heading in at the back post. The Bank did look good and the midfield were linking up very well, Hunnable and Al Barrett were always available on the wings and another experienced duo in Damo and Jack were competing well in the middle.

So we reached half time 2-0 up and having received some wise words from our new skipper we were confident we could kick on. Mark Jones having escaped the local junior treasure hunt came on for Hunnable. Unfortunately the exertions of the first half had taken it out of the team with the forwards looking a bit tired at this stage of the season. Lloyds quickly pulled one goal back which gave them a massive boost. Before long they were level courtesy of a great free kick which Shorty was probably a bit lucky to only get a yellow card for. It was time for a change up front and Alex Hun was replaced by the skipper. However this could not stem the tide and their third goal came not long after. At this point Lloyds sat back a little and the Bank pushed forward in search of an equaliser. Despite Taylor moving into midfield we couldn't find the breakthrough we were looking for and the game ended in a narrow defeat. There were many signs for encouragement and hopefully a slightly fitter team in the coming weeks will be able to take advantage of the position we put ourselves in.
Andy Moss

Saturday 27th September

Boe 1st XI v South Bank Cuaco (Won 2-1 Cripps, Black)
Another home game and another opportunity to kick start our season with a much needed win. Our opponents were South Bank Cuaco who historically have caused us problems and always seem to raise there game against the bank.

On a hot sweltering day the bank started of at a cracking pace and using the wide open spaces of RO well. We were using the ball well with the wide midfielders of Miller and Boothroyde seeing a lot of the ball. In the middle of the park Taiplaus and Black were breaking up the play. Our domination of the territory and ball required a end product and it came courtesy of Crippo. A flowing move from the back found Joe Miller in plenty of space, he found Churmy on the left hand side of the SBC penalty box and his left wing cross was met by the head of Crippo. We were on top and we were causing their defence problems from set pieces and it was from of these where our 2nd goal came. A excellent delivery from Boothy was missed by the SBC keeper and Steve Black hooked the ball in at the back post. 2-0 up and we were much the better side. SBC were now arguing between themselves but still looked dangerous on the break and we were grateful to Cheets in the bank goal for producing a excellent save from a low drive which was heading goal wards.

So a satisfied team came into the half time break knowing a 3rd goal would kill the game. We knew SBC would come at us in the 2nd half and had to defend well. The 2nd half started with SBC showing more of attacking intent and defence marshalled well by Martin Coward kept them at bay. In the end the referee came to their rescue and his decision to award them a penalty for a nothing challenge on their CF by Cheets. This could have been the turning point in the whole match. It was made even worse that the Centre forward concerned thought the referee had blown against him for a foul on Cheets. Cheets of course argued the decision and promptly got booked for his troubles. The penalty was eventually taken and scored and SBC were back in the game. This knocked us back a bit and we had to withstand a lot of pressure from the opposition. This was made harder by the heat combined with the wide open spaces of Records Office.Towards the end of the game I thought they had got the equaliser but the shot was hit straight at Martin Coward but fortunately the referee had already blown for offside.

A hard fought win and we are still unbeaten. We played some good stuff in the first half and only the penalty made the last 20 minutes much closer than it should have been. Positives to take forward and we are still not firing on all cylinders.
Ayyaz Ishaque

BOE 4s 3-1 OWCs 6s
A number of changes to the line up for our second league game. We started well and got the ball down and played some nice football. We created a number of openings with our wide midfield players Hunnable and Podolak getting in behind the OWC defence, and only some wasteful finishing prevented us taking advantage. OWCs gradually got into the game and our defence had to be alert to deal with their quick forwards. For a period we went down to 10 (OWCs played the whole game with 10) after goalkeeper Alex had mysteriously damaged his toe kicking the ball - Mckeown already playing in the unfamiliar CB position, stepped up and took the gloves, and looked comfortable - a natural choice for the goalkeeping position if we are ever short! After 10-15 Alex returned and we went back to our starting formation. The opening goal followed some smart work by Podolak down the left - a defender managed to get his head on the whipped cross, but it fell to Turnbull at the back post, who let it bounce off him into the net. Further chances were created and wasted, but we were pretty comfortable for the rest of the half, with Barret and Crees pushing on from the full back positions to support the midfield.

OWCs came out a bit stronger and managed to apply some pressure. We generally defended very well, but a momentary lapse of concentration allowed them an equaliser. The game was relatively even for a spell with both sides creating further chances, but again our finishing was not quite there. Gradually we regained control and Hunnable cut in from the right, his powerful shot was blocked but fell to Turnbull, who's weak left foot shot deceived the keeper at the near post and trickled in. OWCs pushed for an equaliser and this created space for us to exploit. Dickson sealed the game late on; after a neat run he dug out a shot which went in at the far post.

A good result and plenty of positives - generally very strong defensively with the new CB partnership of Thomson and Mckeown looking strong and productive afternoons for many others including Barrett, Hunnable and Podolak.
Kenny Turnbull

Saturday 4th October

BoE 1st XI v Lloyds TSB 1st AFA Surrey/Kent Senior Cup (Lost 1-2 Holohan J)
The first cup game of the season saw us pitted against Lloyds who we met on 3 occasions last season. After delayed start due to a mix up with referees we kicked off in blustery conditions. Lloyds started the better and were managing to use the wind behind their backs to their advantage. The Bank were struggling to get in the game and it was Lloyds who took the lead midway through the half. The Bank failed to clear their lines and the ball eventually fell to a Lloyds player who rifled the ball into the bottom corner.

Lloyds got a 2nd soon after from a corner and at 2-0 up were looking much the better side. Half time could not come quick enough and to be honest we were fortunate to come into the half time break with only a 2 goal deficit. We knew the 2nd half would be a different story with Lloyds playing against the wind. We dominated the opening exchanges and we could have pulled on back from our first attack through Crippo.

Lloyds were under pressure at the back and after a mix up at the back Boothy cut out a pass across the back four, unfortunately his shot hit the post and bounced to safety. Undeterred by this we continued to attack and were rewarded with a goal through the returning Jamie Holohan whose stunning chip got us back into the game. Despite almost total domination in the 2nd half we could not find that 2nd goal and we exit the AFA Surrey/Kent cup at the first hurdle.

More important battles lie ahead of us in the shape of a huge league game against a in-form Southgate Olympic. We have still to show our true form both as a team and individuals. Saturday gives us an ideal opportunity to step up and show the rest of the league what we are made off. The effort and desire has not been in question so far, we just need to add that bit of quality. It seems strange that at this early stage of the season that Saturday's game is a must win game but it is. Our title credentials are on the line and we all need to step up to the task in hand. Southgate will arrive full of confidence and we need to match them for effort. It will come down to who wants it more on the day. Let's prove to ourselves and the oppo that we want to get out of this division.
Ayyaz Ishaque

Old Lyonians 4s 4-2 BOE 4s
Team selection was the all too usual game of musical chairs. When the music stopped on Saturday morning, we had a bare 11 (thanks to the late call-up for Max's brother George), including a slightly unfamilar back 4 and a third choice keeper, but nevertheless a decent-looking side that promised to give the theoretically superior Lyonian side a run for their money. That is what they got.

Lyonians got out of the blocks first and showed their ability to pass the ball, build up patiently and a look to set free their dangerous forward line. We went one down after about ten minutes when a neat ball sliced our back line and their striker slid it into the corner as I rushed out. Not a great start, but it sparked us into life and we got into the game through hard work at closing down the oppo quickly and displaying some neat passing ourselves. Our cause was not helped when Simon had his hand crudely stepped on as he cleared the ball from a melee in our box - many apologies! Despite some claret, pain and increasingly unnatural swelling, he gritted his teeth and played on. The rest of the half was evenly balanced - we allowed the oppo only one further shot on target the entire half - and we got our just desserts when Ian slotted home shortly before the whistle. 1-1 at half time.

The second half proceeded in the same vein - dogged tackling, neat passing and few chances for either side. However, Lyonians got the breakthrough - netting from close range after about 15 mins. We remained composed though and continued to work the ball around, to best effect down the right, and muster a few shooting opportunities. However, the equaliser came down the left, on about 75 mins. Kenny found himself free on the edge of box, and with the keeper having rushed out into no-man's land, lifted the ball into the unguarded net. At this point, a victory looked possible, but hopes were relatively short-lived. Within five mins I had conceded a corner, which was quickly taken and a top quality back post header netted. A few moments later, a scrambled, deflected shot looped past me and it was game over.

Overall, this was a good team performance and a game that the oppo just edged overall. Many thanks again to George for stepping in at the last minute.
Giles Edwards

Saturday 11th October

BoE 1st XI v Southgate Olympic 1st XI (Won 3-0 Taylor M, Black, Taylor R)
The biggest game of the season so far brought out an assured and confident team performance from the 1st XI. Southgate Olympic arrived to Roehampton on the back of 4 wins out of 4 and scoring goals for fun. They left contemplating their first defeat of the season.

After not playing at our full potential so far this season it was important that we produced our best football. We kicked off once again in blazing sunshine and were out of traps quicker then SO and were pressing them all across the pitch. Starting with a 4-5-1 formation meant that 5 in midfield had to support the lone man up front. This we did from the start and SO would not keep possession.. We got the best possible start within 5 minutes, following a corner from Adam Boothroyde the ball was bundled in from close range by Matty Taylor. 1-0 up and we were on top and now looking to get a 2nd. Fantastic pressing from all the team restricted SO to one chance which Cheets dealt with comfortably.

We should have doubled our lead on a few occasions from set pieces but we failed to do so. Our best chance of the half came from the great work of Jamie Holohan, who cut in on to his left foot and produced a peach of a cross for Matty Taylor who somehow failed to make it 2-0. We came into the half time full of confidence knowing that we needed to produce exactly the same in the 2nd half if we were to get the 3 points.

We started the 2nd half slowly and SO began to gain a bit of confidence and Cheets had to be alert to produce a smart save down to his right to keep us in front. After that we stepped it up and began to dictate the play. Another chance came and went when a Crippo header was cleared off the line. We needed a 2nd goal to make the game safe and it was Stevey Black who obliged with a fantastic 25 yard drive which was rifled into the bottom right corner. 2-0 up and we were playing some wonderful one touch football and we were soon 3-0 when Ritch Taylor took time out from his defensive duties to stride forward and let fly from 20 yards out which the Southgate keeper had no chance with. A fantastic team performance in which every individual contributed to a disciplined and assured performance.

It is important that we build on this for future games. We have to produce the same level of performance in every game. Anything less is not good enough.
Ayyaz Ishaque

Civil Service 7s 1-4 BoE 4s
The afternoon started well with almost the whole team present at the 12.15 meet time, Don Thomson narrowly missing out on avoiding kit duty! From the opening exchanges it was clear that we would cause the Civil Service defence problems, but they looked a little more comfortable than us in possession. The opening goal came quickly, good work from Devall who swung a tempting cross to the back post where it was headed home by Wren-Jarvis - the whereabouts of the Civil Service goalkeeper and left back at this time remains unknown, but a well worked goal from our point of view. Within 5 minutes we were 2 up, a nice through ball from Devall, Hewes challenged the keeper who had rushed out of his box - the ball broke kindly for Hewes to roll home. A challenge on Carter at a corner, led to the award of a penalty which was converted by Devall. Before half time Devall went off injured and we lost our way a bit, failing to keep hold of the ball. The pressure mounted and the Civil Service got one back after we failed to clear a free kick and Alex tried to grab the ball with one hand (in a situation he later described as requiring two hands!). After more Civil Service pressure we got to half time where there was general agreement that we needed to focus on retaining possession.

We started the second half much better, moving the ball around before trying to work openings. Civil Service continued to press, but by keeping the ball for periods we were able to take the momentum away from them. After about 65mins Costin went off injured with a badly twisted ankle, with 10 men we re-organised with Carter moving into midfield and Hewes dropping to right mid. Despite only having 10 we continued to create chances on the break with Hewes and Palmer both coming close. Finally, about 15 mins to go we killed the game off. After some neat passing in midfield Carter played a slide rule pass into the Civil Service area for Turnbull to shoot past the keeper. Civil Service continued pushing but we saw the game out comfortably in the end.
Kenny Turnbull

Saturday 18th October

BoE 1st XI v William Fitt (AFA Senior Cup) Won 3-2 (Holohan J, Miller J, Black)
Another pulsating match in which we once again came from behind to get something from a game which was looking to be going away from us. William Fitt were a unknown prospect and would provide us with a stern test. We started the game well and passed the ball well in the opening exchanges. We took the lead when Jamie Holohan found himself one on one with the keeper following a pass from Crippo. Jamie continued his good start to the season with a cool finish to put us 1-0 up. This should have settled us down but it did the complete opposite as we let WF come back into the game. We stopped passing the ball and pressing the opposition. WF equalised when poor marking allowed a free header to loop into the net. This rocked us and for the next 25 minutes we found ourselves on the back foot. WF were quicker and sharper than us and it was no surprise when they took the lead. We gave away possession once again and WF broke down the bank left and a cross was despatched into the net by the unmarked WF forward.

The scoreline stayed the same until half time. We knew we had to improve on both our passing and general pressing of the oppo.

We started the 2nd half well and were passing the ball better all across the pitch. The space that WF had in the first half was now not there as we were now pressing higher up the pitch. We came close to equalising when after a mix up in the WF penalty area Jon Ward struck the bar from 12 yards. This galvanised the team and with 10 minutes to go the ball fell to Joe Miller who made no mistake from 12 yards and we were level at 2-2. There was only 1 team looking to win it now and with little over 5 minutes to go another attack from us was not dealt with by the WF defence and Steve Black buried the ball high into the net to complete the comeback.

A fantastic result for the team. We now have 2 league games to follow where we should be looking for maximum points to continue our title challenge.
Ayyaz Ishaque

Merton 4s 4-1 BoE 4s
We approached this game with confidence following a good league win the previous week. It was clear from the start that Merton were a useful side, pretty comfortable in possession and willing to work the ball across the pitch to find space. Despite that, we looked solid at the back and prevented them from creating many clear chances. We looked like we might have a bit of luck on the break, with Sean, Carlos and Simon causing problems for the Merton defence. Midway through the half we took the lead against the run of play, it was a beautiful flowing team move: keeper Alex booted the ball a long way, the Merton defender mis-judged it and headed backward toward his own goal, Turnbull latched onto it and struck it round the keeper. For a spell we held Merton at bay, but the pressure eventually told and they struck twice before the break.

We started the second half better, and had our best spell of the game, playing a simple passing game. We had a couple of chances to equalise, with Carter increasingly driving us forward from the back. Palmer went close with a header and we also posed a real threat from corners and free kicks. Merton held firm though and gradually they began to wrestle possession back from us. Two late goals flattered them a bit. This was a decent competitive performance against a team 3 divisions above us.
Kenny Turnbull

BoE 5s 1-0 Lloyds 7s
The 5s started off with an unusual line-up, including Muscatelli in goal, Relleen in central midfield, and young Luke stepping up for Steve Heard up front. The first half was quite cagey, with the Bank's midfield stifling the opposition, and Raoul De Bunsen and Short making sure that the Lloyds forwards did not create many openings, and were limited to long-range efforts, most of which were (thankfully) off target. Lloyds missed one good chance when one of their front men went past the keeper, only to hit the woodwork from a tight angle. Up front, Luke and Moss probed the opposition defence with some good runs, but the breakthrough came thanks to Alex Hum, who took advantage of a defensive mix-up by Lloyds and put the ball past a stranded keeper. Injuries forced changes in the team; Mark Jones, suffering from a hamstring injury, moved up-front, with Luke bolstering the defence.

More tactical changes followed the interval, with Relleen keeping goal, and Luke and Muscatelli in midfield. The Bank managed to control the game for about 10 minutes in the second half, this created the only chance of the half for the Bank which fell to Mark Jones, however his flying volley was saved well by the Lloyds keeper. Lloyds then gradually increased the pressure, and despite going close on two or three occasions could not find an equalising goal. After Alex Hum picked up a injury the Bank just dug in to defend the lead until the final whistle - a couple of minutes from the end one shot arched over the keeper, but Moss had retreated to the back post and volleyed the ball clear just inches from the line. Lloyds realised it wasn't to be their day.
Alex Muscatelli

Saturday 25th October

BoE 1st XI v Lloyds TSB 1st XI (Lost 0-1)
Bank of England started strongly, determined to erase the memories of their previous visit in similar blistery conditions. With the wind behind them, BOE dominated the early exchanges. Lloyds were limited to the long ball game, which Bank's defence dealt with comfortably. A couple of lapses and long shots were the only sights of goal the home team had in a one-sided first half. Boothroyde and Miller regularly beat Lloyds' full backs, only for their crosses to evade gold shirts. Despite controlling possession, BOE struggled in the final third, failing to create any clear-cut chances. The ball did find itself in the net when Holohan bundled in a fumble, only to be harshly ruled out for a foul. As half-time beckoned, Bank rued the missed opportunity to score with the conditions in their favour.

Indeed Lloyds predictably exerted early pressure at the start of the second half, putting BOE on the back foot for the first time in the game. This was generally dealt with, R Taylor frequently assisting Waldron with Lloyds' forwards looking menacing. Around the hour mark after some threatening Lloyds set pieces, BOE launched a string of counter-attacks. Once more the final ball crucially eluded Bank's progress. At this point a goalless draw seemed the obvious conclusion, with both sides happy to see out the game. A few late Lloyds long balls stretched BOE's defence, which was starting to tire. With minutes remaining and Bank contemplating a hard earned point, Lloyds gained a throw-in deep in Bank territory. A swift right wing cross beat both marker and offside trap to be smartly headed in by a Lloyds striker. As the whistle blew for full time, Lloyds' relief at stealing the points was evident. A frustrating afternoon for Bank after a hard-fought game in which neither teams' performance impressed the spectators.
Ayyaz Ishaque

BoE 4s 0-5 Old Lats 4
Our 100% start to the season ended this weekend as we came up against a very strong Lats side. In the 25 mins or so it took the referee to put his boots on, we had opportunity to observe that they were a very young side and that they would be quick. We had a very strong 4s line up, but for a recognised keeper, with Martin Tyson donning the gloves for the first half. Other crowd favourites Simeon and Roger d B also returned for welcome first appearances for the 4s for the season, and Michael made a very promising debut out on the right wing.

The first half started at a very high tempo, with some fair Lats pressure, but with chances falling to either side. As we have all season we looked good when we got the ball down and passed it around, though credit to them for making it tough. For all the good football, their first came from a fairly standard corner, headed top corner. Potty-mouthed Crispian Lord found his name in the book after venting his displeasure at a very old school referee.

1-0 down at half time but all to play for, with the modest slope on our side. However, we swiftly conceded another after a Simeon was left yelping on the floor after a foul, but the referee waved play on, and they struck home from 30-odd yards, with Michael, now in nets, keen to show that his footballing talent is more concentrated in his feet than his hands.

Another one from a corner, a slick 5th, and obviously some other goal which has temporarily slipped my mind and it looks like a bit of a thrashing. Not a proper reflection though as we stayed positive throughout and carved a fair few chances late on. All in all, we deserved to lose to a team which will dish out some thrashings in the league this season, but there were plenty of positives. The attitude and workrate can’t be faulted, we carried on playing football throughout, and plenty of positive shouts to the final minute which is encouraging.
Simon Walls

Saturday 1st November

BoE 1st XI v Old Stationers 1st XI (Drew 2-2) J Holohan 2
A point gained or 2 points dropped only time will tell. What we do know is that for the 4th time this season we showed great determination to pull ourselves back into the game from a losing position. Good attributes to have as a team but we need to be more clinical when we are on top and need to learn to kill teams off. Old Stationers arrived at Roehampton on the back of gaining their first win of the season and after last weeks injury time defeat to Lloyds OS would provide a stern test of our ability to react to a defeat. In wet and windy conditions we started the game well and took the lead in the opening 10 minutes. A break from midfield by JCD resulted in a cross from the left which was dummied by Boothy, the ball eventually fell at the feet of Jamie Holohan and he put us 1-0 up. This settled us down but for all our pressure in opening 20 minutes we could not get a 2nd goal and gradually our passing became worse in the wet conditions. OS began to come into the game and we were put on the back foot and it was no surprise when after a mistake at the back they equalised. Sloppy play by us and we came into the half-time break disappointed with our first half performance.

We started the 2nd half determined to put things right but we were not creating much in the final 3rd. It was OS who were looking the most dangerous on the break. With 25 minutes to go we found ourselves 2-1 down after a though ball found its way to a OS centre forward and he coolly placed it past Cheets. Two poor goals to give away on our and once again we needed to show grit and determination to get back into the game. After the formation was switched to 4-4-2 we set about searching for the equaliser.
Time was running out and we needed a bit of luck to get back into the game. A handball by a OS defender was spotted by the referee and we were handed an opportunity to get back into the game. Up stepped Jamie Holohan and he made no mistake with the spot kick, 2-2 with a little over 5 minutes to go. In truth we could have won the game when Jamie hit the cross bar and the rebound was fired over by Tony Mitchell. So it ended with a point a piece but if we are brutally honest we should be beating teams like OS if we are to achieve promotion. That is now 5 points dropped in the last 2 games - not championship form by anyone's standards and we need to go on a run of winning back to back games. The ability is there and so should the desire, we just need produce a 90 minutes performance like we did against Southgate week in and week out. Tough ask but no one said being successful was easy.
Ayyaz Ishaque

Saturday 8th November

BoE 1st XI v Wood Green Old Boys (AFA Senior Cup lost 1-2 aet)
A bitterly disappointing end to a cup tie in which we could and should have closed the game out and book our place in the last 16. In tough conditions the opening 90 minutes were a mixture of sloppy passing, excellent movement and missed chances. Both defences were on top and when we did manage to break down the WG defence, we found their keeper on top form. It was no surprise when the game went into extra time. Due to the darkening skies we would play 10 minutes each way. The games first goal came midway through the first period of ET. Tony Mitchell broke the off-side trap and his left footed shot was parried onto the crossbar and Jamie Holohan was on hand to despatch the ball into the empty net. We had 10 minutes to hold out and see the game out.

Tiredness was beginning to tell and some of the oppositions ability to run with ball and go past players was starting to cause us problems. WG equalised with just under 5 minutes to go. A corner was cleared to the edge of the box and the ball was volleyed back into the top corner. 1-1 and it looked like penalties were looming. I had my 5 penalty takers ready to hand to the referee when WG snatched a dramatic winner. Failure to clear the ball on more than one occasion cost us dearly when a cross was headed in from close range. WG celebrated and we left the pitch with thoughts of what could have been. Another last minute defeat following on from our defeat at Lloyds a few weeks ago. We have now no cup games until next year so we can concentrate on the league. We need to start winning games and cannot afford to drop points. The challenge is there for the team to go on a winning run starting with Old Lats on Sat.
Ayyaz Ishaque

Poly 7s 7-2 BoE 4s
A difficult game on Saturday, and life in division 6 south is looking a little more taxing than it was three weeks ago. We only had 11 at KO, but another decent line-up, save for the lack of a keeper again; Al Barrett, honourably donned the gloves in the first half, with Michael McLennon doing his second stint in as many appearances in the second half. We also had a new look central midfield, with Steve Carter moving forward to assist Nick, and the promise of subs to come in the shape of Damo and Raoul, following the last-minute cancellations of the 5s game at Merton. We were very slow to get going, and were under pressure quickly from a youthful Poly side who moved the ball around well. Attacks were fairly constant through a porous midfield, there was plenty of last ditch defending but their first was fairly inevitable. The goal woke us up a bit and we started to keep the ball a little better, though Kenny and Michael weren’t seeing much of the ball up front. We did manage to get one back though; Nick D fizzed an enticing ball into the box, and Steve C rose to nod it past their advancing keeper. The fightback was short-lived though, their second, coming after a reckless challenge on the edge of the box by errr…me; the free kick dispatched with a low powerful shot that called the positioning of our wall into question somewhat. The goal itself was controversial- the ball rebounded onto the pitch as if it had hit the post- or the stanchion as the referee claimed- but as skipper Turnbull made clear at half time, it really didn’t matter if it was a goal or not- they could have scored whenever they liked.

Half time saw us 4-1 down, and a tweak to the formation to try and assert some dominance in midfield- we switched to a 4-5-1, and tried to keep it relatively narrow. The switch gave us more possession and we started to play some better stuff, but it was almost necessarily congested, and we didn’t make much service to Kenny up front. They brought on a bizarrely sunglassed individual who was a bit of a handful, Damo came on for his routine long distance effort, and it was a sign of their individual trickery that Raoul was unable to find neither ball nor man in a number of challenges. Kenny scored what was actually quite a good goal, but will sadly be forgotten among the rest of theirs. We lost 7-2, but have an opportunity to get back to winning ways against HSBC this weekend…
Simon Walls

Saturday 15th November

BoE 1st XI v Old Latymerians (Won 5-0 Holohan J 3, Ward, Mitchell)
After last weeks disappointing exit from the Senior Cup it was back to the bread and butter of the league. Our opponents were Old Lats who are a bit of a bogey side for us and who took 4 points from us last season. Pre match preparations were hit by the withdrawal of both Matty Taylor and Steve Black through a wounded foot and sickness. Fortunately Neil Price had come along and we started with 11 with me as sub!. It was important we got 3 points and moved ourselves up the table.

We started the game well and moved the ball around well on a difficult surface. Lats looked dangerous when attacking, and it was they who had the games 1st chance and it took a tremendous tackle from Pricey to stop Lats taking the lead. After that we began to exert a bit of pressure on the Lats back four and we took the lead midway through the 1st half. A break down the left found Tony Mitchell down the left and his cross was hooked back into the danger area by Boothy and there was Wardy to head in from close range. Our 2nd goal was an excellent team goal -The ball was played across the back four and midfield as we waited for the opening - I think the pass count was 15 when the ball found it's way to Jamie Holohan who hooked the ball past the Lats keeper. A excellent team goal and proof that we can play football when we want to.

So we came in for the half time break 2-0 up but also knowing the opening 10 minutes of the 2nd half was going to be important. We had the best possible start in the 2nd half when Tony Mitchell scored a cracking goal with a sweet left foot finish into the corner of the net. 3-0 up and Lats looked a well beaten side. Our fourth came from another well worked goal, a cross from the left was headed back across goal for Jamie to get his 2nd of the match. Our fifth and Jamie's hat-trick came with just over 10 minutes to go. A cross from the left from Tony Mitchell found the head of Jamie to make it 5-0. A excellent team performance in which we played some patient football and waited for our opportunities. There is no reason why we cannot produce the same level of performance next week at Alexandra Park.
Ayyaz Ishaque

BoE 3s 4-3 BB Eagles 3s
After a promising opening two minutes, our ideas, movement, passing and confidence appeared to get stuck in the muddy centre circle of the records pitch. Two mistakes and a goal of the month contender saw us 3 nil down at half time. There's not a lot else to be said about that first half performance other than we all knew it wasn't good enough. Walking off the pitch at half time was a pretty rubbish feeling.

After a bit of soul searching and some proverbial face slapping at half time we brought ourselves back into the game when Stuart sprung the offside trap, leaving the BB defence with their arms raised Arsenal early 1990s style. At this point we woke up and looked interested in the game, and started playing some football. Everyone wanted the ball and started making space to want After some good work on the right (Ethan?), Mark Costin then got himself into the box to convert the cross to reduce the deficit to one. At which point we were all over them and Stuart converted from an angle to tie the game. Ten minutes later Ronnie outpaced their defence and slotted the ball home. For the rest of the game we missed a few chances and generally looked in control, though the relief when the whistle blew after what seemed like an hour of second half play, was evident on all our faces.

So the 3s are back in business in the league, and not a moment too soon. In the last 6 matches there has only been one goal at most separating the teams. And whilst we have been competitive, we have been playing well within ourselves. The second half of this game showed what we can do - we just need to work on keeping the confidence and urgency up for a whole 90 minutes.
Jerry Jones

HSBC 7s 3-3 BOE 4s
We left the pitch happy, and somewhat relieved, to have secured a draw, but knowing that we could have won this game by about four goals. The team welcomed back the familiar faces of Chris Smith and Gustavo Bagattini, and newbies Ben Hughes and Caleb Barnes. From the off, we looked the better team - first to the tackle, patient, neat passing, excellent retention of possession, and with the pace to trouble their defence. HSBC mustered the first break - the classic ball over the top - which drew a tackle just outside the area and a yellow card for keeper Edwards. However, the free kick came to nothing and we took the lead a few minutes later when neat passing (Dickson and Palmer?) led to the ball being slipped into the left channel. The keeper rushed out, but Jamie (coming across from right mid) was too swift and nicked the ball past him and into the net. We continued to dominate and had a number of chances and half-chances, but HSBC scored next - a late call from the keeper led to a defensive mix-up and an open net. Even worse, in their only other effort of the half, HSBC's striker (their best player by a country mile) drove into the area, cut back inside and rifled a shot into the bottom left corner. We went into the midway break shaking our heads as to how we could find ourselves behind.

The second half was played in the same vein, except we had even more possession. Again though, it was HSBC who scored first - a break, one on one with the keeper and a crispy struck shot into the corner on the hour. They could barely believe their luck. However, we pulled one back from a free-kick within a few minutes - Nick Devall spotted disorder in the wall, shot, the keeper fumbled and it rolled over the line. 3-2 behind but we had the bit between our teeth. We stuck to our careful approach play but 25 minutes of frustration followed, as HSBC's constant fouling and our bad luck left us goalless. They managed one chance at our end - a goal-line clearance from Ben saving the day. However, with the minutes running out we got the equaliser - Gustavo coming up with a characteristically clinical shot across the keeper. We pressed for a winner but ran out of time - HSBC in fact mustering a half chance as the whistle blew. Overall, a very very good performance, although against one of the weaker teams in our division. Special mention to Ben Hughes for a very promising debut at left back (complete with Delap-style throw-ins). HSBC were no pushovers and scored 3 goals from 4 on-target shots. But we must have had 70% possession and could have had a hatful on another day. We must make sure that we take all 3 points when we host them in a fortnight's time.
Giles Edwards

BoE 5s 0-4 BB Eagles 6s
BB Eagles are top of the division at the moment, and put in a good performance against us which saw them deserved winners. In the first half, BB Eagles controlled the game, and created many chances. The Bank's defence managed to hold out, thanks to determined defending by the back four, and some good saves by Dave Joshi, in his first game in goal. We rode our luck a bit, but managed to get to half time at 0-0. The start of the second half had a similar pattern to the first, until BB Eagles got their breakthrough from a set-piece. An in-swinging corner was clipped by Jon Crees, and Muscatelli tried in vain to keep the ball out but to no avail. Unfortunately BB Eagles got their second soon after from a corner. At that stage the opposition sat back, and the Bank enjoyed a spell of possession and pressure, which despite the good efforts of Steve Heard and Charlie Best did not lead to a breakthrough. Raoul De Bunsen went closest with a header, but two late goals on the counter put the result beyond doubt.
Alex Muscatelli

Saturday 22nd Novemer

BoE 1st XI (Lost 1-3 J Holohan)
A disappointing visit to North London in which we were beaten by a side who did not have to do much to beat us. Once again illness and injury meant a reshuffle to the team, however the side that took to the field should have been strong enough to beat AP. We started off well and created a number of chances which we failed to take and which would come back to haunt us in the end. AP took the lead in controversial circumstances from a corner. As the corner was played in we felt Cheets was pushed in the back by an AP player, this was not spotted by the referee and after a scramble the ball was forced in. The 2nd half was not much better and we soon found ourselves 3-0 down and what is disappointing is that AP did not have to do that much to get themselves into that position. We pulled one back through a fortunate penalty and than had a legitimate goal disallowed through offside, but to be honest we did not deserve anything from what was a poor performance all round. Lots to think about and to improve on for next week. Inconsistency has blighted our season so far and if we are to be successful this season we need to remedy that both individually and as a team.
Ayyaz Ishaque

BoE 4s 1-2 Polytechnic 8s
A match report complete with a league table this week, to put things in context. We came up against the form team on Sat- Poly 8s, who as you can see haven’t lost this season- beating Lats, but not their 7s as I had erroneously claimed.

As such, we would have expected them to be a good side, and it is a measure of our performance that we were disappointed not to take at least a point from the game. Firstly, a word on personnel, there were a number of debutants (actually, I know that most of them played the preceding week, but I wasn’t there, and I’m writing the report, so debutants they are), and all looked at home in the side. The balance of the team was good, and though I’m loathe to admit it, we probably benefited from the smaller Brook pitch allowing our midfield and defence to be a little more compact.

We started resolutely enough, and grew in confidence after the first 10 minutes- beginning to play the ball out from the back (Al B in particular), and Ben and Steve Carter proving very competitive in the middle. This made it very difficult for Poly to play the ball and it’s good to see we wanted it more; the goal, when it came was reward for this, if perhaps a little against the run of play. Steve picked up the ball in midfield, played a perfectly weighted (outside of the boot?) ball through to Sean, who finished with aplomb, the ball trickling into the net past the onrushing keeper. The goal galvanised us, and by Poly’s own admission we deserved to win the half. In events that seemed to question the recognised laws of the universe, a trim (he assured me it was just the haircut) looking Kenny Turnbull began laying on generous passes in dangerous positions; myself and Sean being the shocked recipients. With the license of the author, I forced a smart save from their keeper with a first time left footed shot; Sean drove narrowly wide at the near post. For all the endeavour, we let the intensity drop for 10 minutes and were duly punished. Some chap had a free shot in the box and Jason- who I should have mentioned by now was taking a lot of pressure off the defence with his speed of his line and assured claiming of crosses- had no chance. 1-1 at half time.

Poly are a team who are obviously used to getting results, and came out all guns blazing in the second half. In general we rebuffed them well though, Don and John Hodges both having great games marshalling the defence. We kept playing the ball forward, though generally it was midfielders having shots rather than ever quite getting it through to the front two. We had a couple of free kicks around the box (both for fouls on me I think, hmph), and Steve C was unlucky not to convert a clever ball to the far post from Ben. However, sadly it was Poly who got the winner. Sometime after their number 7 (a fat Dean McShane, would you believe) had handled the ball into the net and tried to claim it, their useful centreback converted after a bit of a meleé.

We fought gallantly to equalise; the referee seemed to be on our side, playing 2 or 3 'bonus minutes', and their keeper, who we had hoped to target after a few first half spillages was equal to the few shots that we did manage; notably tipping my effort over the bar. Cue mad celebrations from Poly which recognised that they had to fight hard to get a result they probably didn’t deserve- but also a demonstration of the team spirit which is serving them well.

As the table shows, its developing into a bit of a two-tier league; whether we establish ourselves as the Arsenal/Liverpool of the big 4 depends on how we perform against the rest of the table- with good availability and similar application, we must be looking to take 3 points from HSBC on Saturday.
Simon Walls

Saturday 29th Novemer

BoE 1st XI 1-1 OWC 1st XI (J Holohan)
Another tight game where we were denied the full 3 points by a combination of refereeing decisions as well as failure to put our chances away. We started the first half well and were playing the ball around well across the pitch. We used the width of the pitch well and a couple of half chances fell to Jamie Holohan which were not taken. OWC began to come back into the game and looked extremely dangerous from set pieces. Our passing began to get worse and the first half ended level.

After a frank discussion at half time the 2nd half was much better. We pressed the OWC defence from the start and we hit the post twice from Blackie and Matty T and the OWC produced a couple of fantastic saves to keep his side in it. With 15 minutes to go the returning Martin Coward went on a run which took him into the penalty box where he was brought down. The referee made a right decision and awarded us a penalty. Jamie took it and converted it to take his tally to 14 for the season and put us ahead with 15 minutes to go. We searched for the 2nd goal and looked comfortable as OWC were struggling to find a way through. Then with 5 minutes to go there was some controversy. Following a OWC corner we felt keeper Cheets was barged into by 2 OWC players and the ball was eventually bundled in. The referee failed to see the foul on Cheets and awarded the goal. The watching OWC management team were as surprised as us that the goal was awarded. The game ended 1-1 and more points dropped. Refereeing decisions apart, failure to convert chances is costing us dearly and we need to kill off teams when we are on top.
Ayyaz Ishaque

OWC 3s 3-2 BoE 3s
A disappointing end to our progress in the Junior cup. Whilst the scoreline implies a close game, the reality of it was that for the first 70 minutes we were not in the game, and it was only in the final 20 minutes that we showed glimpses of our potential. Perhaps OWC should be given credit for not allowing us to play our game, but I walked off the pitch thinking that if we had another ten minutes we had a good chance of pushing the game into extra time.

OWC dominated possession in the first half, and we were fortunate to go into half time at only one nil down. They looked better across all areas of the pitch. Ironically, for all of their good passing, their goal came from a simple long ball over the top. In the second half, we showed a bit more fight, but were then punished by another soft goal. As we began to chase the game we conceded a third, and the game was effectively lost. Jerry rifled in a reply soon after, and Stuart scored a sublime back heel after good work from Rory down the left. But it was too little too late.
Jerry Jones

Saturday 6th December

BB Eagles 3s 5-2 BoE 3s
This match will be a contender for the worst performance of the season. For most of the game BB Eagles were stronger, faster and more determined in most areas of the pitch. A couple of questionable refereeing decisions and an awful pitch didn't help our cause, but we deserved nothing from a game which we will now pretend did not happen.

Yet, we started very brightly, when in the first minute, Jerry ran onto a through ball from Stuart and beat two defenders (okay a bobble in the pitch also work to his advantage) to strike a right-footed drive past the keeper. A quick reply from BB Eagles tied the game, but we were ahead again when Stuart beat the offside trap and calmly slotted past their keeper. BB Eagles scored what seemed like a soft goal from a corner, and we were fortunate to go into half time at two apiece - though confident that we could score more goals against them.

The opening exchanges in the second half were even, but they scored another soft goal, at which point our heads dropped and they proceeded to score several more. As the half progressed they got stronger, whilst we got weaker and our heads dropped lower. I'm hoping that it was just 'one of those weeks' so let's forget about it and play to our potential in the next game.
Jerry Jones

Saturday 20th December

BoE 3s 1-4 IBIS 3s
Very disappointing result. We were not as poor as the scoreline suggests but neither did we deserve to win this game. We had a good first half and played some neat football, but a couple of basic mistakes meant that we were 2 nil down ten minutes into the second half. Had we been rewarded with a penalty after a foul of Woody, the game could have changed. But luck was not on our side and a couple of well taken goals from IBIS put the game beyond reach. Stuart scored our goal. A better performance than the previous couple of games - so lets use this as a platform to start the new year.
Jerry Jones

Poly 8s 6 - 2 BoE 4s
The opening exchanges of this one were fairly even. Poly were panicky in defense and were finding it difficult to get the ball down and play. We looked dangerous going forward put couldn't turn our early pressure into clear chances. As the half wore on Poly settled and began to move the ball well, we helped them in their cause by sitting off and giving them too much space. They started creating chances and built a comfortable 3-0 lead. The second half followed a similar pattern, although we did close them down better, and created a number of chances with Palmer coming close. We then got one back when Ben Hughes headed home at the back post, following a Turnbull cross. Despite missing some good chances and having a clear goal disallowed (after a shot went into the top corner but bounced back out of the frame), Poly continued to build their lead and going into the last 20 it was 6-1. Chris Smith pulled another back following a darting run and low drive that deceived the keeper. 6-2 it finished, a decent performance in the 2nd half against a team that will be near the top come the end of season.
Kenny Turnbull

Saturday 3rd January

BoE 1st XI v Lloyds TSB 1st XI (Lost 3-4 - Mitchell, Coward M, Black)
Our first game in 4 weeks was always going to be difficult but slack defending and a poor first half performance made the task even harder. Basic errors across the pitch allowed a ordinary Lloyds team to take a 3-0 half time lead into the break. We had a legitimate goal chalked off but to be fair we got what we deserved.

We knew that we had to up our game both individually and collectively and we had to salvage some pride in the 2nd half. The introduction of a couple of old timers in the shape of Matt Cannon and John Mac turned the game for us. With the team switching to a 3-4-3 formation we went for it and Matt made an immediate impact by setting up Tony Mitchell to make it 3-1. Soon after Martin Coward scored a cracking goal to narrow the deficit to 1 goal. We were now on top and Lloyds went to 5 at the back to stem the flow. Unfortunately decision allowed Lloyds were allowed to nick a 4th on the break. We pulled another one back through Steve Black and had a header from Matt Taylor cleared off the line and had another couple of chances go wide but to be fair we made it hard for ourselves with our performance in the first half. True we played well in the 2nd half but you don't get anything for only playing for half a game. What is disappointing is that Lloyds were there for the taking and once again were were beaten by our own shortcomings rather than the opposition playing well. Was it a lack of effort or are we not good enough? Personally I think we are good enough but to be successful everyone needs to be at 100% from the start.

Promotion is still possible but it will need an run of wins to move us back into real contention. I hope everyone felt the disappointment on Saturday and are aware that we need to be consistent over 90 minutes if we are to have any chance of winning games. The opportunity to put things right both as individuals and as a team is there on Saturday. Individuals need to take a long hard look at themselves and turn up on Saturday ready to make amends for last Saturday and should be prepared to fight and throw their bodies on the line for the cause.
Ayyaz Ishaque

Southgate 3s 0-9 Bank of England 3s
A nine-nil scoreline suggests that this game was a stroll in the park. But the result masks the effort, commitment and determination that was evident across all areas of the pitch. True, Southgate were poor, but were not as poor as the scoreline suggests - we battled for everyball, and whilst the headlines go to the goalscorers, defence and midfield deserve just as much credit.

It started well when Ronnie zoomed past their defence to slot past ex Boe Keeper Santi. Rob wood then smashing a low drive from the edge of the area which stuart chest-deflected into the net. Stuart then knocked in a rebound from the post and we walked into half time determined not to mess it up, whilst Southgate looked shell shocked. So much so that Santi came to our half-time teamtalk before remembering that he was with the opposition! (This was almost as good as when he walked out the penalty area with the ball when we played Winchmore Hill in the cup a couple of years ago).

At three nil, deputising keeper Dave Joshi made an important save, afterwhich, well taken goals from Stuart put the result beyond doubt. Steve Pisano sidefooted a goal into the corner of the net, Mark Costin scored the pick-of the bunch with a long range curling shot and Ronnie and Rob both scored by running onto through balls and blasting past the keepers near post. We could of scored more, but Santi pulled off some remarkable saves.
Jerry Jones

Saturday 17th January

Bank of England 1st XI v Alexandra Park 1st XI (Lost 0-2)
Our 2nd game in 2009 saw the team take to the field under presure and with a point to prove. Confidence is low and we needed a good performance to kick start our season. Both teams started off slowly and the bank looked like a side that were lacking confindence.

Our passing was poor and time and time again we gave the ball away cheaply. When we did manage to string some passes together we should have took the lead through both Charlie Lewis and Jamie Holohan but both were denied by some good defending by AP. We came into the half time break level and we knew that we had to up our game in the 2nd half. We began to put the AP defence under pressure a bit more and were desperatly unlucky not to take the lead. Failure to get the opening goal cost us yet again and AP took the lead. We pushed forward for the equaliser and we hit the woodwork at least 4 times but still could not get the all important goal. From a breakaway AP got the all important 2nd goal and took all 3 points. An improved performance but unfortunatley nothing else to show for it.

As a team we need to improve and we need to start scoring goals because failure to put chances away is costing us dearly. Lots of things to improve on both individually and as a team. It is time for people to step up to the plate and show guts and character.
Ayyaz Ishaque

OWC 6s 1-9 Bank of England 4s
I have tried to squeeze a few minutes from my first two days in a new team at work to find words to describe the majesty of Saturday. However, as is wont to happen in these circumstances, fortune has favoured my brave captaincy at the weekend and repeated itself. In my absence the team have grown in spirit and come up with the goods; the mercurial Bagattini producing a report with an enthusiasm to match his forward play, the accuracy of a Roger Dickson corner, and, with the first time inclusion of all-too-transparent player ratings, the steel of a Crispian Lord/Don Thomson/Steve Carter.... challenge.

I’ll get back to washing the kit.
[SW]

Player ratings:
GK Philip (7) A strong debut for our keeper, who took care of a couple of difficult shots and also looked comfortable in the air. Needs to improve his kicking game, but that's partly due to his return from an ankle injury.
RB Crisp (8) His constant use of space up the right side made things easy for the midfielders and for goalkeeper outlets.
DF Rog (8) Very solid in defence - nothing got behind him and no one got through him. One beautiful assist.
DF Steve (9) The skipper conducted the team like the maestro of the Berlin Philharmonic. The heart of the side.
LB Don (7) Did a great job of closing down their right side of attack. Needed quicker help up the line on some clearances.
RM Roger (7 - subbed) Was constantly looking to use spaces and make the ball do the running from one side of the pitch to another. Clinical finish and a booking.
DM Nick (9) Made João's life easy by cleaning up everything that came down the centre. The motor in the centre.
LM Ben (7 - subbed) Superb job of defending against their right side. Linked up with Don to shut down that side.
AM João (10) The classic #10 player, even if someone else was wearing that number. Great vision, one goal and precise passes to set up the strikers.
FW Gustavo (9) Four goals and three assists. But his passing declined as he got tired in the 2nd half.
FW Sean (10) Three goals, two with his 'weak' foot. The OWC defenders will be having nightmares with him, as he sits on a beach in SE Asia.
MF Simon (7 - sub) Attacked better but defended worse than the man he replaced. Would have benefited from fitter strikers.
DF Ron (7 - sub) Cleaned up OWC's few attempts over the top and helped shore up the defence down the stretch.

1st half:
A superb performance from the 4s to kick off 2009 in style after what seemed to be never-ending weeks of waterlogged or frosted pitches. The BOE side was consistently strong from start to finish, despite the referee's antics and the opposition's attempt at delaying the opening whistle. Only 8 Citizens were ready at 2pm, prompting their manager to step on to the pitch with a clipboard and check off all his players with the referee, name by name. Even with BOE's complaints, the referee accepted this tactic, which allowed a 9th Citizen to arrive before the start of the match.

Once the ball started rolling, there was no question which side would be in control, as BOE players used all available spaces around the pitch to move the football around, but were unable to capitalise on the few chances created, as the attackers struggled to find some chemistry - this being their first match together. Five minutes in, a 10th Citizen arrived and, ten minutes later, both sides were even-manned with BOE unable to break the deadlock.

Rather than worry about the missed opportunity, though, BOE kept on pressing - Ben and Don closing down the opposition's right side, quickly dispossessing their attempts and feeding balls for the midfield to continue its crisp and patient passing. The breakthrough finally came when the lusophone connection paid dividends - Portuguese João finding Brazilian Gustavo, who spun around and placed a through ball down the centre of the defence, leaving João face-to-face with the keeper for a nice finish. 0-1 at last!

The initial goal opened up the floodgates. Sean found Gustavo at the top left of the opposition's box. Gustavo turned and looked up, seeing João and Roger to his right - the diagonal pass across the box finding Roger for a one-time blast past the keeper. 0-2!

OWC looked helpless on the pitch and despite the attacking barrage, kept leaving open spaces for BOE to continue to do damage. Moments later, (João or Ben???) found Sean making a run and sweetly beating their goalie for BOE's third goal! 0-3!

The fourth goal came from more sweet build-up play from the midfield, resulting in a through ball from (João? Sean? Ben?) to Gustavo at the top of the box, avoiding the defence's poor attempts at holding an offside trap. His first touch moved him past the defender and his second was a clinical shot across the keeper. 0-4!

Sean would find his second of the game when the keeper bobbled a shot, which went under him and through his legs. Sean was "Johnny on the spot" to beat the goalie to the ball and tuck it in for our fifth. 0-5!

OWC created little; the few dangerous moments coming from lucky deflections of their passes, rather than particularly strong build-up. Newcomer Philip, back from an ankle injury, was allowed to show off his agility with a couple of nice saves, the best of which a one-handed deflection for a corner on a powerful blast aimed at his top right corner.

On another weak OWC attempt, Rog did a nice job of dispossessing their attacker and looked upfield. The OWC defence, more concerned with our passing ability, was caught by surprise when Rog sent a long ball over their heads, Gustavo running in and beating the onrushing keeper to the 50-50 ball with the slightest of flicks. 0-6!

Half-time could not come soon enough for OWC, but BOE kept on pressing. Gustavo tried to run around their big defender, but got shoulder-charged to the ground. While BOE players were complaining to the referee about a possible foul (resulting in a booking for Roger once play was dead), Gustavo had bounced up off the pitch, dispossessed their giant and hammered home his first-half hat-trick through the keeper's legs. 0-7!

At the break, the feeling was one of a job well-done, as the side was solid all-around. However, Skipper Steve would not let complacency slip into our minds. "Let's go out there and keep applying pressure! The score is 0-0!" We tried to believe him.

2nd half:
OWC's poor mental state was on display with their second half kick-off. A lazy attempt at a backdoor pass behind our left-back was easily broken up by Don, as we continued with the upper hand.

A few moments later, OWC set up their line at the edge of the box as Nick prepared to take a free kick from just beyond half-field. His pinpoint precision lob was just out of the reach of Gustavo's head, who instead raised his boot to try to get a touch-on. The result was an unintentionally clinical over-the-head arc which just found its way under the crossbar to the disbelieving eyes of all, Gustavo especially. 0-8!

The rest of the second half was a tighter affair, as BOE lost pace, especially among its forwards, and OWC tried to come away with some modicum of respectability. Simon took over for Ben in left midfield, providing a quick outlet to Philip and Don, but failing to link up meaningfully with a tired Gustavo. Ron came in for Roger, allowing Crisp to move forward to midfield, thus strengthening our defence, especially over the top.

OWC's lack of quality going forward was punished yet again, as BOE broke in counter-attack. Gustavo found Sean with a teasing ball behind the defender - Sean doing well to beat him to the ball and then firing past the keeper for his hat-trick! 0-9!

OWC finally did manage to get one back after a lot of pressing - their attacker finding some room in our left defence and shooting far post to beat Phil. A late underserved punishment for our keeper and our defence, but the 1-9 final scoreline was a more than adequate representation of the dominant show put on by the BOE 4s!
[GB]
Simon Walls/ Gustavo Bagattini

Bank 5s 1-0 Old Wilsonians 9s (Best)
This was the second good performance in a row from the 5s, but this time it brought three much-needed points. The Bank took control of the game from the start, and had most of the possession in the first half, with Daniel and Heard breaking up the opposition's play in midfield, and Best and Crees creating openings down the flanks. Simon Gibbs also produced some excellent support and crosses from the right back position, in addition to a faultless performance in defence. However, the possession was not translated into goals, also due to a good performance from the opposition goalkeeper (notably on a free-kick from Steve Heard). Going forward, the opposition were reduced to hopeful long balls over our defence, which rarely troubled Alex Brown.

In the second half, things were much the same, but with some tiredness setting in, the opposition did see more of the ball. Marcheggiano came on for Muscatelli, and injected some pace in the forward line, and P Barrett came on for an injured Mark Jones. The goal came from some interplay between Phil Barrett and Charlie Best on the right, with the latter cutting in and dispatching the ball into the opposite top corner from about 20 metres out. The Bank then dug in to hold out for the win, and despite a couple of scares, Alex Brown and the back four capped their excellent performance with a well-deserved clean sheet.
Alex Muscatelli

Saturday 24th January

Boe 4s 2-4 Civil Service 7s
Goals:
BoE Bagattini 12, Jones 81
CS: Distance 26, Farce 52 , Another 60 , Irrelevant 90)

Attendance: 4

If there were any illusions that our 9-1 dispatching of OWCs was going to mark a 2009 full of Saturday cakewalks then they were promptly dispelled during a frustrating afternoon on Records Office. We lined up with a very strong 11, and with Stevie P and Jerry kindly volunteering to sit on the bench with Ron, Giles had performed his squad-assembly role with a competence that will be arousing interest at the Eastlands Stadium.

The secret to our success at OWC lay in a patient and incisive passing game, something that we worked hard to re-establish on the frankly enormous Records Office Pitch. It was a common consensus before the game that the key would be a solid midfield performance, and to retain possession; and that proved to be the case. The run of play was against us for most of the 1st half as the oppo dominated possession (but didn't create many chances). However, we drew first blood when Kenny was released down the right and - while his conscious mind may have been going for a shot- his football brain kicked in and the ‘shot’ found Gustavo on the spot to finish cooly, and ensure that his own ‘player rating’ this week would not dip below 5.

However, while we may have been knocking the ball around better than Civil Service, they were a constant threat on the break; an opportunity which we gave them all too often when possession was intercepted. It is hugely positive that we are playing to our strengths as good ‘footballers,’ but we will all need to be reminded of mantras such as ‘play the way you are facing,’ and ‘the easy ball’ through the rest of the season. We were caught in possession in the right back area, the ball found its way to a Civil Servant well outside the box, who had time to propel a shot past the despairing Dave Joshi , whose vision was partly blocked by two defenders and saw the ball late.

We went into half time level, and discussed the tactics for the second half - defend narrow, attack wide, and try to stop losing the ball, especially in the deep mud patch in the middle of the pitch. 3 points were there if we could get this right. Jerry came on for Roger D who was beginning to feel the toll of a few heavy challenges on the right wing. We made our job a little harder by gifting them a second after a mix up between goalkeeper and his defenders resulted in a relatively easy finish. They then got another.

The frustration about these goals is that generally we were playing well, there was plenty of endeavour down the flanks, and the defence were doing a good job of dealing with all but the breaks after we had given them possession. Steve Pisano added a touch of class in central midfield when Ben Plant, following an admirably combative game, lost his ‘engine’ to the size of Records pitch! There followed our most impressive ten minute spell, where we managed to carve out a number of half chances. Bagattini was chopped down after a jinking solo run, Steve Carter attempted a couple of trademark surges from the defence, and, following a slick passing movement from most of midfield the ball was dinked over the top of the last man to find Jerry Jones finishing coolly just inside the box. Sadly this was one of the only occasions in which the 18yr old referee (who will be good one day, but lacked a little confidence on his debut) found enough air in his lungs to blow the whistle for offside. Questionable, but discussions in the bar suggested, not an outrage. Turnbull and Bagattini, who were about even with their last man, disagree - Jones had clearly timed his run perfectly and was even, if not behind, the defender when the ball was played in.

Jones didn’t have to wait too long for his goal though, as someone smashed a low cross across the front of the goal and into his path. 3-2 with 7 minutes to go. We pushed and pushed with more of the same, but ultimately it was Civ Service who got the final goal; exploiting the space left by our forward surges they got a 4th and killed the game.

All in all a frustrating result, but there was a lot of positives from the way that we played. We are not going to have a much better squad than that for the rest of the season, so we will have to cut down on the errors, not to discount a little luck, to return to winning ways.

Player ratings:
GK Dave (5) A difficult game seeing little of the ball for long stretches and then facing strikers from close range. Involved in the mix up for the second goal.
RB Al (5) Did a nice job of supporting the midfield and making runs from the back. Was a bit too sloppy on some passes in dangerous positions.
DF Steve (6) Not his usual dominating performance, but steady nonetheless. Got caught a bit far from the box a couple of times when tracking their attackers up to the midfield. Very incisive runs down the stretch as we pushed forward.
DF Don (6) Had another strong performance, this time at centre-back. Linked up well with Crisp and Ben up the left side.
LB Crisp (6) Did a good job playing on the 'wrong' side, cleaning up nicely when the opposition drove up his patch of the field.
RM Roger (4 - subbed) Along with Al, had a hard time getting past their left midfield and linking up with Kenny. Got knocked down a couple of times and was subbed at the half.
CM Nick (6) Another strong performance in the middle of the pitch, especially when we tried to maintain possession. Could have attempted a few more through passes for the strikers.
CM Simon (5) Had a lot of ground to cover alongside Nick in the muddiest part of the pitch.
LM/RM Ben (7 - subbed) "The Little Engine That Could". Non-stop hard work running at defenders and mowing down their right-back.
FW Gustavo (5) One goal and a couple of other chances created through quick one-touch passes, but was mostly isolated and saw little of the ball.
FW Kenny (5) One 'assist' and a couple of shots off the target. The two strikers were often too far from each other due to the size of the pitch.
LM Jerry (7 - sub) One goal, one disallowed goal and the provision of a good change of pace up the left once he came on.
DF Ron (5 - sub) Helped cover the holes in our defence once we started to push up looking to equalise. CM Stevie (6 - sub) Provided the strong transition link-up between defence and counter-attack once on the pitch.

Simon Walls / Gustavo Bagattini

Saturday 31st January

BoE 1st XI v Old Finchleians 1st XI(Lost 0-4)
A season which is threatening to fizzle out unless everyone connected with the 1st team pulls together to get out of the currant slump in form. On a cold day the result was never in doubt when OF took a 2 goal lead within 20 minutes. Both goals were poor goals to give away on our part. OF did not have to work that hard to get those goals.

Apart from a couple of goalmouth scrambles we rarely threatened the OF goal. The 2nd half was a slightly better affair but to be fair we were 2nd best across the pitch and OF got another couple of goals. So another defeat and the need to start picking up points and building confidence is hugely important .
Ayyaz Ishaque

Boe 4s 3-0 Civil Service 8s
Avellos 25, Barnes 65, Carter 70

We went into the game eager to set right the previous week's loss against eminently beatable opposition. Civil Service arrived with a strong team and proved to be stiffer competition than their league position suggested. Generally good-spirited oppo and a decent reffing performance made for a competitive, enjoyable game.

We had an inauspicious start as Phil hurt his hand in the warm-up, but a can of freeze spray fortunately did enough to dull the pain. The opening forays were quite evenly balanced, with both sides probing and trying to play passing football. While the oppo were having some joy with the ball in behind the full backs, it was the Bank had had the better of the balance of play. We passed the ball around well and got into dangerous areas, particularly down the right wing with Ben P, Kenny and Simon working well together, but lacked the final pass. The goal came after about 25 mins, from our first successful cross. Simon found some space on the right, slid the ball across to the penalty spot, and Joao arrived to complete the coup de grace. While this initially settled us, Civil Service came into it more as we started to rush our game and gave the ball away too easily. We had a nervy final ten minutes and they generated a couple of chances - from a corner and a dangerous break past the centre backs - but failed to convert. 1-0 at half-time and time to regroup.

The second half was certainly ours, though we certainly didn't have it all our own way. The oppo never gave up and their #9 constantly probed our back line, lacking an effective strike partner to make the most of the openings he created. They came close to scoring a couple of times, but that they didn't was largely due to a couple of good blocks from Phil and his speed off the line. He had the captain's nerves jangling as he chose to dribble the ball out rather than launch it (Hansen would never approve), but didn't get caught out. We regained our poise going forward and passed the ball around better, generating breaks down both flanks. The second goal came from Caleb, about two minutes after coming on. Finding himself at the edge of the area and very little else on, he opted for a cultured 25 yard toe-poke - leaving it nestled into the far bottom corner. This settled us and we had a series of corners throughout the half. The third goal came from Steve Carter. Nick varied the corner - this time putting it in flat and low - Simon stepped over it, and Steve buried it from about a yard.

Overall, an extremely pleasing performance. The sort of game against decent but beatable opposition that on a bad day we could have drawn or even lost. But we played with confidence (for most of the time), were committed in all areas of the pitch and took our chances. Aside from needing to be more willing to get shots in and test the keeper, it's hard to find a fault in the performance. The clean sheet is evidence of hard work across the pitch, not just at the back. Player scores this week from Giles, Ron & Simon.

Player ratings:
(GK) Phil - 6/7 Managed well despite the pre-match injury, some good saves with good speed off the line to mop up tricky through-balls
(RB) Alasdair – 6/7 Steady performance, comfortable on the ball, coped quite well with their ever active #9
(CB) Steve - 8 Bossed the defence and did the talking for the entire team; confident as ever in bringing the ball out of defence and a goal.
(CB) Don - 7 Decent performance despite often getting wrestled to the deck, provided good cover right across the back
(LB) Giles – 6/7 Enjoyed his forward forays; rusty and less convincing in defence
(RM) Ben P – 6/7 Had the beating of his man in the first half, providing good openings down the line; ran out of gas in the second half
(CM) Nick - 8 Busy and effective in the middle; top notch delivery from the dead ball situations
(CM) Joao - 8 Confident performance; skillful touches gave him time and space to play the ball around, and a goal to boot
(LM) Ben H - 7 Covered a lot of ground, committed in the tackle, and always looking to play passes and create something.
(CF) Kenny - 7 Tightly marked danger man, but did consistently well with the ball as his feet, bringing others into the game; rare omission from the list of scorers
(CF) Simon – 6/7 Unfamiliar role but familiar energy and effort; was involved in the build up to all 3 goals.
(sub, for Ben P) Caleb - 6 Scored within minutes of coming on from a cultured toe poke that would bring a tear to the eye of any old school fan
(sub, for Al) Ron - 6Solid defensive performance in the final 15 mins, with good distance on the clearing headers

Giles Edwards

Bank 5s 1-0 Merton 6s (Muscatelli)
The 5s had lost against the same opposition - a strong and powerful team, if not particularly endowed with pace - three weeks earlier by four goals to three, after going 3-0 up. So the Bank was determined to stifle the opposition from the outset, and the line-up saw a five-man midfield: Daniel was stationed in front the central defence pairing of Heard and Luke, who were superb in controlling the opposition forwards; McKeown and Yeates patrolled the centre of midfield and created a platform for the Bank's attacking moves; Charlie Best and Phil Barrett on the flanks supported Marcheggiano as a lone striker. Given the low focal point of the team, it was perhaps inevitable that the opposition had more possession at the start, but this did not translate into many chances, also thanks to the reassuring steadiness of the stand-in Vets 'keeper, and solid performances from the back four. Gradually, the Bank started seeing more of the ball and managed to push forwards and create chances. A good save from the opposition goalkeeper denied a Heard free-kick, Best weaved through on the left and cut back across the face of goal, but Marcheggiano and Barrett were a split second late in making contact.

The first half pattern was repeated in the second. De Bunsen came on for Daniel, allowing Heard to step up to play as the 'volante' in front of the defence. Merton seemed to spend a lot of time in the Bank's half, but they could not create more than a couple of chances, notably a header cleared off the line by Heard. The Bank, as in the first half, managed to create more chances as the game went on and both teams got more tired. McKeown broke through and put his shot wide; Muscatelli, who had come on for an injured De Quintal, exchanged with Marcheggiano, whose shot was saved. It was a cagey match, and so it was maybe surprising that the goal came - towards the end of the game - through a fairly direct route. A throw-in from the left was flicked on by Yeates, leaving the Merton centre-backs stranded; Muscatelli managed to turn on the loose ball before the keeper could get to it, and squeezed it between post and keeper. A couple of nervous minutes followed, but at the final whistle, the Bank, and in particular the defence - Eddy, Gibbs, Luke, De Bunsen, Heard, De Quintal and Barrett - could celebrate the second win and second clean sheet in a row.
Alex Muscatelli

Saturday 14th February

BoE 1st XI v Lloyds TSB 2nd XI - LFFA Challenge Cup Quarter Final (Won 4-1 Boothroyde 2, Churm 2)
A crossroads in our season was upon us on Saturday. We could raise ourselves up and kickstart our season and aim to finish on a high, or we could continue to perform like we have been doing and let the season end on a damp sqiub. The football saturday falling on Valentines day did not help with availabiilty throughout the club, add to that getting engaged, alcohal poisening, wedding courses, birthdays, girllfriends birthdays, friends babies being born, house warming parties, going away for weekends away , playing chess, training for the marathon\north run, stag weekends, sking trips, as just some of the other reasons why people have not been able to play football this season and others then it is no surprise why we are struggling as a club and why we will never enjoy the success other clubs enjoy.

As holders of a competition in which we have not beaten in 2 years it was important we played with confidence against a Lloyds side smelling an upset. With the returning Johnny Mac organising things at the back we started the game well and played some neat stuff from the back. We were putting the Lloyds back four under pressure and went close to opening the scoring on a number of occasions through Churmy and MC. We eventually took the lead with a break down the left- MC was put clear and his shot was parried out, the ball fell kindly to Boothy who made no mistake and for the first time since mid November we were 1-0 up. This settled the side down and we actually started playing some neat football, using the pitch well and switching play wherever possible. The confidence was spreading throughout the team. Our football was rewarded with a 2nd goal when Churmy turned smartly and fired into the bottom corner.

We came into the half time break 2-0 up with the knowledge that a repeat performance in the 2nd half would win us the game. As expected Lloyds threw more men forward at the start of the 2nd half but we held firm and soon got a 3rd when Tony Mitchell unselfishly set up Churm for his 2nd and our 3rd after a neat pass from Sami. This knocked back Lloyds for a while, howver they made a couple of substituions which gave them a 2nd wind. With 10 minutes to go Lloyds were awarded a free midway in the bank half. The free kick was floated in the box and a unmarked Lloyds player headed past Cheets. A dissapointing goal to give away on our part but what was pleasing was the response from us - Frosty set Tony Mitchell clear down the left and his cross was met by Boothy who made it 4-1. A satisfying win in which we restored a bit of confidence into the side. A warning though - we will come up against better sides in the remainder of the season and there is plenty to improve on both indiviually and collectively. If we stick together we can salvage something from the season and grab some silverware. Let's build on this and push forward for the rest of season.
Ayyaz Ishaque

BoE 4s 2-3 Old Actonians 9s (Walls 26, Yeates 30)
A disappointing result on Saturday in a competitive and relatively entertaining game. Valentine’s day had hit the amorous BoE 4s hard, and there were some fresh faces and somewhat unconventional positional decisions on display. Fortunately an administrative error gave us an extra 30 minutes in the bar to get to know one another – Giles, to note, we will probably be kicking off at half two this month.
[Captain Giles' note: this extra 30 mins was clearly not spent talking tactics!]

The Old Actonians had had a pretty dismal season to date, making it to mid January before they got a point on the board. That said, our 5-0 opening day against them was nowhere near as straightforward as the scoreline suggested, and 2 successive draws against Civil Service gave us an idea that they may have used the January transfer window wisely. Cupid may have kept the likes of Kenny Turnbull off the field, but he is no miracle worker, and it didn’t look like many of their lot would be rushing home after with bottles of wine and roses between their teeth.

Our early play was smart enough; Brook was a bit of a quagmire in the middle, and we did a good job of staying out of it - Al Barrett and Andrew Hunnable respectively working the wings. John Hodges and debutant/last minute call up Matt Akers looked impressive at the back - having raided Ron’s drug cabinet for some painkillers for an injured right foot, Matt was playing some thoughtful balls out of defence. In about the tenth minute, one of the more ambitious of these sent the other debutant Neil on his way; with an eye for glory he was unlucky to strike the keeper with his 1-on-1, the ball rolling back beyond our other striker, Me.

The next ten minutes brought a number of similar attacks, with particular joy on the left wing. Indeed, these forays were only punctuated by a series of fouls [marginally mistimed challenges, surely!?] by our very own hatchet man, Don Thomson, at right back. The referee eventually had enough of this and issued a caution… as Don's brood looked on from the sidelines. (Don, you’ll be pleased to know that the referee confirmed that he won’t be processing it - internal sanctions remain at the discretion of the club though, I suppose.)

Anyway, this was soon put behind us when another scampering run from Neil (a very late call up after Caleb was forced to withdraw with illness) exposed their right back, a cross-cum-shot squirmed across the goal mouth and I slid in to put it past their despairing pirate goalkeeper. A primordial roar in celebration confirmed that my progress towards double figures this season has been slower than hoped. [Mid single figures would be a start!]

The second goal was not long coming and raised hopes that the floodgates might be opening. Another good combo between our makeshift front two - someone (let us say Ian, for he has not been mentioned yet and had a combative game in central midfield - more of that later) found Neil on the left, he knocked it through to my feet, I spotted the run of the marauding Chris Yeates, Chris thrashed a shot low and hard past the advancing keeper. A really nice goal, and reward for the passing game we were trying to establish.

2-0 rather flattered us though, and the report to date does not do justice to the possession that they also enjoyed latter in the half. Holding the lead to the interval would have probably sewn it up, but it was not to be - Alex had been well incentivised by a challenge with Laurence to see who would get the kit - but was not going to stop a goal from close range that I can’t remember much about.

The half time words, such as they were, were described by one recipient as ‘depressing’ and ‘lifesucking,’ and it was in such spirits that we approached the second half. Within 5 minutes, both Neil (suffering from hangover and a lack of fitness, having spent too many (all) of his weekends watching rather than playing football) and Andrew (making one of his first starts for the fours and having a lot of running to do on the wing) were enquiring as to the possibilities of substitution. With only Ron on the bench, one of them was going to be disappointed!

We really weren’t in it for the first half hour; Alex’s goal kicks were coming straight back to him, and we struggled to maintain possession all over the pitch. Fouls were being committed all over at one stage, their Joey Barton-esque midfielder clashed with Ian and chased him around the centre circle brandishing the fist that would no doubt later constitute his girlfriend’s valentines gift. Looking into both of their eyes, the referee decided they were both guilty and a brace of yellows ensued.

It wasn’t until they equalised with a cute header into the corner that we woke up; Ron replaced Neil (sorry Andrew!) which left us with a 4-5-1 formation with which to go and get the winner. Alex continued to shine in goal, stopping a number of 1-on-1s which left their striker furious. Having reacted reasonably well to their goal, we got further motivation in the closing minutes… when they hit a winner on the break - leaving us to push forward (and them to fall to the ground) for the final 5 - sadly without any result.

All in all, a shame to lose a 2 goal lead, and to hand Actonians their first win of the season. We were a bit of a makeshift team, and played some decent stuff in the first half. Neil and Matt had promising debuts and Alex got to practice diving at people’s feet. Ian and Don got to boost their bad boy image. Hopefully a combination of returning personnel and a more consistent second half should see us consolidate our ‘Big Four’ status this weekend at Fortress Roehampton against HSBC.
Simon Walls

Saturday 21st February

BoE 1st XI v Old Lyonians 1st XI (Won 3-1 Black 2, Churm)
After last weeks moral boosting cup win over Lloyds, it was back to the bread and butter of the league. Games against any opposition away from home are tricky and this would be no different against a side who provided us with a tough test in a pre-season friendly. A change of formation before the game was forced on us because for a 2nd week running a individual did not make the ko and indeed the game. With attitude like that it is no surprise that getting our strongest sides out on a week to week basis is getting harder and harder. On a difficult pitch those who did make the game started the game slowly which meant OL had the better of the early possession. It was OL who took the lead when a through ball was not cut out by the bank and the OL forward slipped the ball past the on rushing Cheets. Our response was however very good as we stepped up the pressure on the OL defence and we came close through Tarkus Frost. We soon got the equaliser when a shot from Tarkus was parried into the path of Churmy who made no mistake to make it 1-1. Just before half time a 60 yard hoof\pass from Dean " Alonso " Mcshane found Stevey Black was hookshot went in via the keeper and bar, 2-1 up and we were well deserving of the lead.
[Response from Dean: I've always prided myself on being an honest player. Truth be told, I had asked the ref how long on the watch and, after he said 15 seconds, I tried to get the ball as deep into South Harrow as possible. Lack of energy assisted it in dropping short onto Blackie's peg. Finesse-wise, probably a little more akin to Rory Delap than Xabi Alonso.]

We came into the half time break confident that we would gain the 3 points. It was important that we started the 2nd half well and did not let OL back into the game. To our credit we started the half well and soon got the all important 2 goal cushion. Churmy was put through and his shot was going wide but Blacky was on hand to finish - 3-1 up and we were well in control. To their credit OL continued to play football from the back but never really got in behind the bank four. When they did they found Cheets in good form and a collective defensive shield in which everyone played a part. So that's 2 wins on a spin and we have plenty to play for in the weeks to come.

A special mention for Steve Black - he is soon leaving our shores and going back home to Oz. He has been top class both on and off the pitch and his goals and presence will be missed. All the best for you and your family from all at the BoE. Keep in touch via the website!

The opportunity is there for both the 1st and 2nd teams to finish the season on a high. To do that both Chris and I need to be able to select the strongest sides possible - if not then we can forget it. The choice is up to the players - success goes to those who want it badly enough and give 100% effort and commitment every week. Any less is not good enough.
Ayyaz Ishaque

BoE 4s 2-4 HSBC 6s
Ways to lose a football match (February edition) :
1. Concede within 7 seconds.
2. Add a sprinkling of defensive errors.
3. Fail to win aerial challenges
4. Miss headers from point blank range.
The second disappointing result on the bounce on Saturday. I’d say it was the archetypal game of two halves, though running a significant risk of accusations of revisionism, we didn’t do too much wrong to end up 4-0 down before half time, from which it was always going to be tough to get something from the game.

Firstly the goals. Goal number one was your standard farce. In scenes reminiscent of England V San Marino in 1991(?) we knocked it back from our kick off, back to Hodgey, who’s pass back to keeper Phil got caught in the mud, bit of hesitation, their striker nipped into score. I’d blame not having had a proper warm up, though I’m not sure if our drills would have extended to not doing that. The good thing about making mistakes though, of course, is the opportunity to learn from them, and we kicked off for the second time in the first minute with very little trouble.

From this point we played some nice stuff; though Mark, our 2’s loanee was somewhat out of position in Central Midfield we had a good balance to the side, and Ben Plant and Ben Hughes were seeing plenty of the ball out on the wings. Luke was having a very composed debut at left back...the 5s won’t be happy to hear it but he will undoubtedly be a useful acquisition going forward! After 20 mins it looked like it was only a matter of time before we overhauled the handicap we had kindly given them. However, as it was, they notched a second. I conceded a free kick hassling for the ball near their corner flag, which they lumped forward, Steve uncharacteristically stooped beneath the ball and their striker got through to slip it in the net. This goal hit our momentum more than it should- we began to get on each others backs, and HSBC enjoyed a spell of possession, scoring twice more, the latter coming from the spot after Mark had felled one of their attackers.

At 4-0, with what appeared to be a very long afternoon ahead of us, we switched to a more direct style. Though results on the pitch may have been a little Graham Taylor esque during the weekends in which I have had to ‘manage,’ no one can doubt my Wenger-esque eye for a player. Sean drove forward until there was really no option but to slip me in up front....and then unleashed an unstoppable pile driver into the top of the goal. 4-1 at half time.

We lined up in the second half reinfused with purpose after some stirring words from Steve- and with the realisation that barring errors we weren’t playing too badly and that we that would be best served by staying positive. John made way for Neil and Mark was able to return to a more familiar position. These factors all helped to shore us up a bit, and we continued to attack, now without leaving them chances at the back. We had a number of nice moves, Neil putting in a teasing cross which I should have done better than to glance on to the back post. Sean gave us hope with another sweet finish, this time of the ‘fox in the box’ variety. Mike and Ron added a bit of steel when they came on, but ultimately we had left ourselves way too much to do in the first half- gifting easy goals when we could only score hard ones. Frustrating again then- though not for want of endeavour.
Simon Walls

BoE 5s 4-1 Old Wilsonians 9s (Best, Bishop, Marcheggiano, Cannon)
It was the third win in a row for the 5s, and the most convincing of the three, even if it involved coming back from a goal down. The Bank took control of the game straight away, and dominated possession in the first part of the game. But despite some good passing moves in midfield, the final pass was often imprecise, or the forwards were not as sharp as they should have been, and the twenty minutes or so went by goalless, despite Hunnable hitting the outside of the post. Wilsonians scored following a counter-attacking move with what seemed to be their first chance of the game. The Bank, unlike in other occasions earlier in the season, did not panic, and soon after, Muscatelli exchanged with Marcheggiano before feeding Laurence Crees on the left, who managed to cut back across goal for Charlie Best to tap in the equaliser.

The second half followed the same pattern, and Wesley Bishop, just on as a substitute and in his first game of the season, scored the second goal for the Bank with a shot from the edge of the area, after another good passing move. At that stage Wilsonians enjoyed some possession as they tried to force an equaliser, but the Bank defence, marshalled by Rory Vaughan did not run too many risks, and Alex Brown looked comfortable on the few shots that the opposition got on target. Marcheggiano put the result beyond doubt by running onto a through-ball from midfield and scoring his first goal for the club. And that was that, really, although there was still time for both Best and Marcheggiano to hit the woodwork, and for Matt Cannon (on for a lethargic Muscatelli) to add a fourth goal to wrap up the result.
Alex Muscatelli

Saturday 7th March

BoE 1st XI v Old Stationers 1st XI (Won 6-0 Taylor R, Frost, McShane, Boothroyde, Lightbody, Churm)
A week before a cup semi and it was important that we got back to winning ways after last weeks reverse against OWC. Visiting Stationers is never easy and requires 100% commitment and a good attitude from the start. We started the first half against the wind and it was diificult to play some decent football on a horrible bumpy pitch.

The first goal in games like these is always crucial and thankfully we got it through Ritch Taylor who got forward from his midfield position. After buldozing his way through a couple of tackles he produced a smart finish to put us 1 nil up. This settled us down and we could have got a couple more goals but poor finishing and good goalkeeping kept the score at 1-0. Old Stationers continued to use the strong wind to their advantage and very nearly equalised towards the end of the first half and it took a smart save from Cheets to keep our lead intact. We were forced into a change when Macca came of injured and Ali made his comeback from injury in a unfamiliar midfield position.

We started the 2nd half well and with the wind behind us we put the OS back four under pressure. Tarkus Frost put us 2-0 up with a neat finish and heads were dropping in the OS ranks. Dean McShane scored a poachers goal from a couple of yards to make sure the points were in the bag. It was now down to how many goals we would get and thankfully there were more goals to come. Boothy got our fourth with a stunning finish from 25 yards and OS were now looking like a side who were rock bottom and suffering from a lack of confidence. Ali then popped up to score a wonderful individual effort to make it 5-0 and finally Churmy scored our 6th to cap a hard working performance.

A suberb team effort and something that should fill us with confidence for next weeks cup semi . If the attidude is right and all concerned give 100% throughout the 90 minutes then there is no reason why we cannot get to our 3rd final in a row.
Ayyaz Ishaque

BoE 5s vs Lloyds 7s (double header, 1-1 and 0-3)
This was a second consecutive double header for the 5s as we rapidly catch up on our games in hand. A strong squad of 17 players turned out at Roehampton (well 16 did from the start, Raoul and the kit turned up at half time in the first match).

The first match saw a strong defensive performance marshalled by Roger DeBunsen who claimed he had an injury but nobody else seemed to be able to tell. Mark Jones also made some vital interventions as Lloyds put together some good early moves. We were lucky to escape as the ball flashed across our goalmouth on a few occasions. However we were also playing some good football, one fine move involved our two strikers Best and Bagattini linking up on the right hand side, the ball came across to McKeown right in the centre of the area about 8 yards out but his shot just cleared the crossbar. The Bank took the lead when a longish ball was played forward, Bagattini out paced the slow Lloyds defence and calmly slotted the ball home. We were 1-0 up at half time and made a couple of changes with the intention of keeping everyone fresh. However the changes were a little disruptive and Lloyds scored a goal from a free kick which seemed to drift in to our penalty area and nobody took responsibility to clear it. The last few minutes of the game then saw the Bank hanging on a bit, but we just about deserved our point.

The second match saw more changes, amongst them Raoul forming a defensive centre back partnership with his brother. The first half of this match was similar to the first half of the previous match; it was fairly even with the Bank putting together some good passing moves. One fine move was started off by De Quintal in the left back area showing “Ronaldo” like skill to emerge with the ball near the halfway line, three or four quick passes followed leaving Andrew Hunnable with a chance, but his well struck shot just missed, going inches wide of the post. So it was 0-0 at half time and yet more changes, this time the changes seemed to affect us the most, possibly combined with tiredness of the players who were heading for 120 minutes. However things were still even until Lloyds broke the deadlock with the goal of the day, one of their midfielders curling the ball right into the top left hand corner from about 25 yards. This rattled the Bank and two more goals followed quickly with a 3-0 score line a little harsh on us.
Andy Moss

Saturday 14th March

Lloyds TSB 0 v 1 BoE 1st XI (LFFA Cup Semi-Final)
It was evident to see when everyone turned up on Saturday that the entire squad was switched on and up for the game. Every player in the team knows that assisting your team mates is key for any side hungry for success. So it was lovely to see several players mucking in before kick off by offering to help Wardy hang his clothes up on the big boy's pegs.

The Lloyds pitch was in good nick and the usual cross-field wind was evident, which meant that both teams would have to keep the ball on the deck. This suited us fine as we were convinced that we were the better footballing side anyway. The first half was pretty high-paced with both teams having sustained periods of possession during which the other team had to work furiously to avoid going behind. But it was the boys in Black n Gold who used this possession better and they very nearly took the lead with the Churminator going close with a header from a peach of a cross from Frosty. The deadlock was broken around the half hour mark. Our Finish midfield maestro scoring a goal that was of the sort of quality you see in women's football. As I remember it, the ball rolled fully down his shin and flicked off the end of his boot, looping 25yds or so to creep in just below the bar with their keeper floundering a little more than he should have been (I've seen salmon jump higher). This may just be my memory though and there is probably an argument that Sami hit it sweet enough and placed it so that the keeper was never going to make it. The jury is out. We could have doubled the lead soon after when Matt Taylor let fly from 20 yards but only a suberb save by the Lloyds keeper stopped us taking a 2-0 lead.
[Sami's version of the goal: "After making a forward run from midfield Sami received the ball in the hole between Lloyd's midfield and defence, about 30 yards away from goal. Sami then simultaneously turned and flicked the ball into the air allowing him to hit a clean volley in a carefully weighed arch leaving the keeper (former European U18 high jump champion) with no chance to reach it." ]

Half time arrived with the Bank one nil up. Any bypassers may have mistaken us for being one down should they have seen the 'honest' and 'frank' discussions that kicked off. Boothy showing a bit fiery passion that would have had Amir Khan running for cover. There have been a few of these tête-à-têtes both on and off the field over the last few weeks. Personally, I think this shows how much people care on Saturday and it’s a credit to all those involved that they are purely regarding football matters and are never taken into the changing room afterwards. Everyone knows they can have an opinion and voice it.

The second half fell into the same sort of rhythm as the first, with both teams making the other work tirelessly. It was the same story though, with the Bank going closest with Sami going close to closing out the game but failed to lift the ball over the on rushing keeper. The midfield and defence kept Lloyds best chances to corners or long shots and, as the game wore on, the Bank started to win the lion's share of the challenges (I don't think Matty lost one header all day). Our superior quality was there to see, with three very decent subs joining in the second half (Ali, Andy and someone that looked suspiciously like Paul Coward but insists he was the other one). No further goals came but it was a great feeling to be one nil up in the last 10mins of the match and also be the team exerting the pressure on the oppo. Makes such a difference.

Jubilant scenes marked the final whistle. With the spirit the team has at the moment and the quality of football that is being produced (probably as a direct result to the poor showing at Finchley a month or so ago), everyone should be confident going into the Final against Weirside. Underdogs? Probably. But you don't make 3 cup finals in a row by luck and I'm certain we are the team that nobody likes drawing. Weirside have no choice in the matter. Get your suits dry cleaned and be ready to make the Historic Hatrick happen.

It is down to the attidude on the day and if we maintain the will to win and team spirit for our remaining games as well the cup final on the 18 April then we can end the season on a high.
Ayyaz Ishaque

Saturday 21st March

Civil Service 8s 0-0 BoE 4s
Well, it was a bit of damp squib; a nil-nil bore draw against a committed but talentless side fighting against relegation. I could leave it there really, but out of respect to a smattering of decent performances I will record a few details for posterity. Despite the pre-match exhortations for a big start (including the once-in-a-life-time offer that bookings for non-petulant, ‘reasonable’ fouls would be funded by the kitty) we were a bit sluggish- hanging around for one of their players to ref the game did not help, neither did the warm up consisting of smashing balls into a nearby road.

Anyway, as our relative league positions suggests (unless anyone else views the league table differently, we are now officially SAFE from relegation, and embracing mid table obscurity) we were better at the sport than they were, and when we passed it around we looked good- though lacking much incision. Rich, who had incurred the wrath of his wife by playing on her birthday, promised a little on the left hand side, and was unlucky not to get a clear sight of goal after a number of jinking runs. We were causing trouble on the right too, and had 6 or 7 corners, all delivered well, but for one reason or other never troubled the goalkeeper. There were even accusations of Arsenal-esque overplaying.

That said, this was not a vintage Bank performance, and we were grateful on a number of occasions for a very composed game from Matt Akers at the back , who swept up and distributed with a touch of class. Phil in nets sought to spice things up a little with a Grobbelaresque moment, taking on their striker and twisting in, then out, and then into trouble again. Fortunately nothing came of it.

The second half was just as indifferent- Civil Service didn’t really push for a win with the manner of a team that will now need some miracles against the two Poly teams to stay up. We continued to try to make chances- though with perhaps a bit less finesse in the first half, at least Kenny and Jamie were able to get a couple of shots off. Debutant Rob Brown had shown a few touches in the first half that supported the self declared ‘Merson’ tag, but the general lethargy in our ‘engine room’ as 60 minutes approached seemed to suggest a rigorous application of his training regime too. That said, all the newcomers/debutants suggested that they would be welcome additions to the squad in more eventful weeks.

So all in all not one for the purists. We wanted to win and we wanted to be committed, but Nick’s rallying cries were met with generally well meaning shrugs of insouciance. It was hot, the ground was hard, the opposition were not good...and we were (now are) basically safe from relegation/promotion. However, there are still two games left this season, and we will be looking for a way to shake this ennui before the trip to the league leaders this weekend...
Simon Walls

Saturday 28th March

BoE 1st XI v IBIS 1st XI (Won 3-2 Woodward 2, OG)
A repeat of our opening league game of the season saw an IBIS side struggling for results arrive to Roehampton. Thankfully the results for the 1st team have been much better of late and with cup final places up for grabs it was important we kept the good run going. IBIS started the better side and the bank struggled to get their passing game in order. IBIS looked the sharper and always seemed to have a man spare when attacking and it was no surprise when they took the lead. A break down the centre of the bank midfield and defence allowed an un-marked centre forward to fire in a shot and although Cheets saved the first shot he could do nothing about the rebound and we found ourselves 1-0 down. As the first half went on IBIS were gaining in confidence and were hunting for a 2nd goal. Our equaliser required a huge slice of luck and it came from a corner - Boothy sent the corner in and a IBIS defender headed it into his own net from 6 yards out.

We came into the half time break knowing that we could play much better and were determined to assert ourselves in the 2nd half. The start of the 2nd half saw the heavens open and conditions were made even harder and we soon found ourselves 2-1 down. 2 poor goals to concedr on our part and we now had to show some character to get back into the game. Once again the introductions of a couple of subs swayed the game for us with both contributing to the turnaround in the game. Woody had earlier replaced Sami and Macca who had come along to test out his hamstring in the warm up had to come on as young Rory hobbled of with a recurrence of an injury he had picked up last week.

Our equaliser game with 20 minutes to go and it game from a Macca free-kick which was met by the head of Woody and his near post header found the bottom corner- 2-2 and we were back in the game and IBIS were now looking a tired side and it was the Bank who looked the side most likely to grab the winner.The winner game with not long left in the game. Boothy sent Macca through with a neat pass and although Macca got his shot on target the keeper made a good save. Fortunately Woody was on hand to side foot the rebound into the empty net.

A cracking 2nd half performance and there are things we can improve on. We showed a lot guts and if we keep up the same level of commitment until the end of the season then we can end the season on a high. We have 1 game plus a training session for those who can make it on Easter Saturday before we meet Weirside in the cup final. Those who are missing this week need to keep their fitness levels up.
Ayyaz Ishaque

BoE 4s 1-4 Polytechnic 7s
Our penultimate game against a team that had beaten us well earlier in the season. We made a bright start, and looked dangerous going forward, getting the ball down and moving it wide. Poly started to come into the game, and took the lead after a long ball was allowed to bounce. Uncharacteristically(!) we didn't panic and played our way back into things. Smith was causing Poly all sorts of problems in midfield, and we got our reward when Barrett equalised after a through ball from Turnbull. Discussion later suggested that Barrett's first touch was actually a shot (from about 35 yards), but the slice lifted the ball over the defender, wrong footing him, Barrett ran onto it and fired past the flailing keeper. We were pretty good value for 1-1 and pressed Poly hard for the remainder of the the hard, preventing them from settling into their passing game.

Second half and it was end to end stuff, with both teams creating chances. Wesley in goal made a number of good saves from one on ones and generally showed good handling. We continued to push and got into good positions, but the final ball was not quite there. Poly got the second around the 65th minute and although we had chances, we increasingly left ourselves open to breakaways. Poly picked up two more before the end, but the game was a good bit tighter than the scoreline suggests.

A decent team performance against a good Poly side. Everyone made a strong contribution, but Smith (midfield), Gilberto (up front) and Wesley (in goal) were probably our outstanding performers.
Kenny Turnbull

Saturday 4th April

BoE 1st XI v South Bank Cuaco 1st XI (Drew 1-1 Churm)
With availability a problem throughout the club the 1st XI arrived at South Bank with a bare 11. We had beaten South Bank earlier on in the season but since then they have hit form. With 60 goals to their name we knew it was going to be tough encounter made even harder with hard pitch and hot weather.

South Bank came out of the traps quickly and for the first 20 minutes we defended well as a team to keep their pacey forward line in check. Gradually we started to come into the game and began to start playing some football of our own and put the South Bank back four under pressure. We came close on a couple of occasions but never really troubled Mark Caskey in the SBC goal. The deadlock was broken just after 30 minutes - following a neat move down the bank left the ball found it way to Macca who had timed his run well and his cross was met 6 yards out by the Churminator. 1-0 up and we looked for more goals and SBC were getting frustrated and they needed to win to keep their slim chances of promotion open. Although they broke with pace down the flanks and up top we defended well as a team and most of SBC's attacks ended in frustration.

At half time we knew that we had maintain the same level of commitment in the 2nd half if we were to stay in the lead. A cushion of a 2nd goal was required so we could breath a bit more easily. To their credit SBC started the 2nd half well and for the the opening minutes of the 2nd half we did not match them and it was no surprise when they equalised. SBC's tails were up and they were looking for the winner, however to our credit we raised our game despite a number of players carrying knocks. We upped our game but it required a couple of interventions from Cheets and a number of suberb tackles from Ritch, Bunny and Tarkus to keep the scores level. We could have won it towards the end and we unlucky not to through Churmy and Tarkus but in the end we had to settle for a point.

It is now 1 defeat in 7 since the capitulation at Finchleians and there is an excellent team sprit in the team. We are showing grit and determination and there is no reason why we cannot stay unbeaten until the end of the season. We have another cup final to look forward to in a couple of weeks time and 3 people will miss out from the starting line-up unfortunately but it is a team game and we will only win unless the whole squad sticks together and all push for the win. All it takes is 100% committeemen and requires people willing to put their bodies on the line for the cause. The last few weeks have been enjoyable so lets keep it up and finish the season on a high!
Ayyaz Ishaque

BoE 3s 2-0 Old Lyons 3s (Wren-Jarvis 2)
The game started with 10 a side with Lyonians quickly getting there 11 together whilst Bank still remained with 10 (and did so for the whole game). However, Bank started well as the opposition had the wrong attitude seeing us bottom of the league and thinking they were going to have an easy day (they didn’t even realise we had 10 until half time)

We defended strongly with Danny making a positive contribution and working well with Roger, the midfield looked comfortable with Jo and Rob working very hard and our wingers were finding a lot of space. This is where the first goal came from a good ball down the wing for Rob Wood to make a nice run deep to the bye line and crossing along the ground, the goalkeeper was clear favourite, but somehow dropped the ball at Stuart’s feet for an easy tap in. The first half was very tight and ended with Bank looking comfortable on the ball and moving all the time for each other.

The second half was pretty much the same and Bank were determined not to let this lead slip in front of the home fan and his WAG (Mark Costin) and we scored within 7-8 minutes of the restart. Rob Wood played a fantastic ball through for Stuart to run onto and waited for the goalkeeper to commit before lifting the ball over him. 2-0. Bank had a few more chances with some good saves from their goalkeeper, most notably from a left foot shot from Chris. With twenty minutes to go, Bank put the shutters up and saw the game out, with Frank making a couple of very good saves. All in all a very hard fought win which I think we deserved. Everyone worked hard and it clicked. Well done lads.
Stuart Wren-Jarvis

Saturday 18th April

BoE 1st XI vWeirside Rangers 1st XI, LFFA Cup Final at HSBC (Won 2-1 Lightbody, Churm)
Our 3rd final in a row turned out to be the most dramatic and unfortunately for the wrong reasons. The Bank came into the final on the back of some excellent results, whereas Weirside despite managing to maintain their status in the top division were struggling after a number of defeats in the last few weeks. On hot day the Bank started off well with constant pressure on the ball whenever Weirside had possession. The bank's central midfield partnership of Taylor/Taiplus were excellent in the opening stages against their opposite numbers in the Weirside team. Our first serious shot on the Weirside goal was from Matt T which only just flew over the the bar. Predictably Weirside looked dangerous from set pieces but Deano looked after their skipper well. Weirside were now getting frustrated and began to argue with themselves.

After the half hour mark we had to make the 1st of our enforced due to injury substitutions which meant a change in formation. The replacement Ali had an immediate impact when he found himself free on the left edge of the Weirside penalty box and his shot curled into the top corner, 1-0 to the Bank and well deserved. Unfortunately the game took another nasty twist 6 minutes later. Ali and a Weirside player went into a 50-50 challenge in which Ali did not get get up. Everyone immediately knew something was wrong and unfortunately our worst fears were confirmed. The game was stopped for about 30 minutes and Ali was stretchered off to hospital. Everyone is the club wishes Ali a speedy recovery. This could have had a negative effect on the team but I am pleased to say it did not. The boys managed to keep it tight for the remaining 8 minutes until half time and were even more determined to win the cup for their stricken team-mate.

The 2nd half started with Weirside struggling to cope with the harassing by each Bank player. We needed another goal and with 20 minutes to go we got one through Churmy. A fantastic cross from Tarkus was met by the Weirside keeper but fortunately he punched the ball against Churmy's face and the ball deflected into the net with Boothy making sure it went over the line. 2-0 up and we were now in sight of victory but the effort from the team so far was beginning to tell and tiredness was creeping in. Weirside pulled one back with about 5 minutes to go and it needed an excellent save from Cheets to make sure the cup went back to Roehampton for the 3rd successive year.

A superb team effort from the team in which we stuck to our game and made a Div 1 side look ordinary. It would have been nice to enjoy winning the cup with all those involved but it was not meant to be. Our thoughts go to Ali and once again we wish him all the best in his recovery.
Ayyaz Ishaque



Old Lats 4s 2-0 BoE 4s
Our final game of the season gave us the chance to at least delay Old Lats promotion, and cement our mid-table position! It is fair to say that the news that we would be playing on the records office pitch on the sunniest Saturday of the season was not widely welcomed. We started the game well, and took control in midfield working the ball out to the wide positions. Lats seemed a little surprised by our bright start (which may be related to the fact they beat us 0-5 last time) and spent quite a lot of time shouting nonsensical instructions at each other. As the half wore on they did get more into the game, and after some neat work down the left, their midfielder managed to break into to the box and fired home. We kept our heads up and managed to create a couple of chances. In the second half Lats got a grip on midfield and at times their pressure was pretty relentless. But some very strong defending across the whole back four, limited them to half (or even quarter) chances. Notable moments in the half: an outstanding save from Alex from a shot that looked set for the top corner, and Roger's continuous 'mistiming' (his words) of tackles that for some reason made the Lats players very angry. We looked quite dangerous on the break and carved out some decent chances. But as we pushed to get the equaliser we inevitably left holes, and Lats scored a 2nd from a long ball following one of our attacks.

A strong performance, against the strongest team in the division.
Kenny Turnbull

Tuesday 21st April

BoE 1st XI v Old Lyonians 1st XI (Drew 2-2 Walker, Mitchell)
Midweek games are always a nightmare when it comes to getting out sides. This was made even more difficult following the fallout from Saturday's cup final and work commitments.

We beat Lyonians earlier on in the season with an assured performance and it was a much changed side which arrived at Roehampton well before kick off and with 14 players! With a much changed side themselves the Bank started off well and the first chance came from a break down the bank left by Tony Mitchell whose cross found Matt Cannon but unfortunately Matt still thought he was playing at the back f or the vets and his shot/clearance was ballooned over the bar. We got in behind the Lyonians back four a couple more times but gradually Lyonians with their youngsters came back into the game and put us under pressure all across the pitch. Our passing was all over the place and Lyonians always seemed to have a spare man wherever they needed one. Not surprisingly Lyonians took the lead and it was poor goal to concede on our part. A right wing cross found 2 unmarked players at the back post and the ball found the net with ease. This shook us a bit and we upped our game and ended the half brightly but to be fair we did not look like scoring and it stayed 0-1 until half time.

We started the 2nd half knowing we needed to improve our game and start putting Lyonians under more pressure. Unfortunately we conceded another poor goal and found ourselves 2-0 down and to be fair I did not think we would get back into the game. One of the reasons why we have ended the season well is that we have shown a great fighting spirit and this was once again evident as we started to play a bit. We pulled one back through Steve Walker who was put through by Matt Cannon and he finished well to pull 1 back. We were soon level when Tony Mitchell scored from close range to complete the comeback.

Both sides had chances to grab the 3 points but a point each was a fair result. It is 6 wins and 2 draws from our last 9 games and we are ending the season on a high which bodes well for next season.
Ayyaz Ishaque