Southern Counties East League Division One
Meridian Sports & Social Club, Charlton
Admission: £6.00
Programme: £2.50
Attendance: 35 (approximate)
Although I would certainly be attending The Valley today for Charlton’s first home game of the season, having signed up for a Charlton season ticket again this year, I was rather pleased when it was announced that kick-off there would be put back to 5.30pm to accommodate live television coverage, offering the opportunity of taking in this game beforehand.
The Meridian Sports & Social Club is about a twenty minute walk from Charlton train station, and is quite an impressive complex of facilities including a 3G cage, various playing fields, a very large clubhouse building looking out over the complex serving as a real hub of activity, and with the senior football ground enclosed next to the passing road. Entrance is gained through a metallic turnstile block immediately behind one of the goals, with the team line-ups posted on a white board rested next to the perimeter railing. Hard standing is available around all four sides, with the only spectator accommodation being in a modern metallic all-seater stand straddling the half way line. One length is closely lined with tall trees giving a nice naturally enclosed feel to the ground, with the clubhouse behind one corner, and with hospital buildings visible in the distance behind wooden panel fencing along two sides. The 28 page programme was priced higher than average for a Step 6 club, but was most certainly above average in terms of quality and content, printed in colour and on good quality paper, and was a really interesting read with material about the club, both squads, welcome messages, league news and others articles of interest. My compliments to those concerned, a programme well worth buying.
Since their elevation to senior football in 2013, Meridian VP have always finished in the bottom half of the table, and last season they collected just a solitary point from their seven league games. But with a new management team in place this season, they will no doubt be hoping for improved fortunes this time around, although they did lose their opening league game 2-1 at Rochester United, despite taking the lead in the second half. After knocking on the door for promotion from the Kent County League Premier Division over the last few seasons, having only been denied by ground grading regulations when they won the league in 2018-19, Staplehurst Monarchs were elevated this year by the FA for their first ever taste of Step 6 football this season. Their opening league game ended in a 4-2 defeat away at Croydon.
On an overcast afternoon, Meridian looked lively from the start and came close to opening the scoring on five minutes, following an excellent turn of pace of run through the defence before crossing the ball and after a defender just failed to cut it out, the ball was struck goalwards but was cleared by a defender. But they did take the lead two minutes later following a corner, which was met with a flicked header turning the ball between the near post and the keeper by Darrell Thompson. Staplehurst got back on level terms on 18 minutes when the ball was crossed low from the left by Alex Bishop, and was tapped in from close range by Pete West, a real one-club man who has been at Staplehurst Monarchs for some 32 years now. Meridian substituted their goalkeeper on 21 minutes, and on 33 minutes, Staplehurst came so close to taking the lead, when a shot from a slight angle was parried by the keeper, and a follow up shot was parried onto the crossbar. Meridian had to make their second substitution of the first half on 43 minutes, and then the half time whistle blew with the scores level.
Meridian went back into the lead on 55 minutes when Ben Eades rose highest to head home a corner, and on 57 minutes, they opened up a two goal cushion when a free kick was played in and Thompson flicked the ball first time past the keeper and into the net with a good finish. Meridian were really cruising at this stage, and on 71 minutes saw a looping header go just over the bar, and on 78 minutes, a shot was parried over the bar. They did score their fourth on 80 minutes when a corner was whipped in and Thompson got a touch to guide it inside the far post, to seal his hat-trick. Staplehurst came close to grabbing a consolation in the first minute of added on time when a free kick was rolled to the right of the wall for a team mate to run onto, and his cross shot came back off the far post, and the follow up shot was blocked. But they were a well beaten side in the end, and a terrific result following a decent performance for Meridian, which surely gives them hope for a much improved season this time around.
No comments:
Post a Comment