Meridian VP ran out comfortable winners in the under 14s Cup Final against a Thamesmead Town side who sadly couldn’t live with the pace their opponents set.

The two sides had only met in a Kent Youth League match seven days earlier and where as the League contest had been tight and won late on, the Final was as good as over by half time as Thamesmead sadly never really got into the first half at all.

Meridian were in control early on and Ronnie Payne, who’d scored both of the Meridian goals seven days previously, went close early on, forcing Thamesmead keeper Sam Hayes into a smart double save as Jason Brown closed in.

There was though nothing Hayes could do about the next Meridian attack as a perfect weighted ball in from the right found Zachary Hallett arriving right on cue to sweep the ball home at the near post.

Meridian’s lead was doubled by half time and this time it was the charging Brown that the Thamesmead defence couldn’t cope with as the Meridian man burst through to crucially double the lead just before the break.

Thamesmead has a vision of half a chance at start of the second half as Harry Carrigan found some room in the box – room that the Meridian defence closed down as quickly as it had become free.

The game was as good as over a contest midway through the second half after Mead keeper Hayes was sold horribly short from a back pass and the keeper deserved credit in getting the ball clear at all.

The problem for Hayes was that the ball fell straight to Qendrim Murselaj 30 yards out, took aim and fired goalwards, and despite Hayes’ best efforts – the keeper got finger tips to the ball – he couldn’t keep it out.

The icing on the Meridian cake also summed up Thamesmead’s day perfectly as a long free kick into the box saw Olwaseyi Olatunji send the ball high looping into the air with his back to goal, with the result that the ball ballooned over the luckless Hayes and that was undoubtedly that.

Meridian boss Byron Parara was delighted after the game and admitted that he’d expected a tougher game given the League game.

“We asked all the boys not to go to their academies as I thought we were tired, and I wanted the boys to just listen to my voice this week.”

“Glad to say that they listened to what we wanted them to do and I thought we deserved the win.  Thamesmead have had a tough run to get here and I don’t know if that took something out of them or not, but at the end of the day, we’ve done the job needed!”

For Thamesmead boss Tony Rossiter, the disappointment was clear that his side hadn’t been able to defend the Under 13 cup they won last season.

“I’m disappointed yes,” he told KSN after the game, “we had players out there not doing as we asked and in the end we couldn’t get anything going.”

“I think four maybe flattered them a touch, but we won the 13s Cup last year – we’re here today – things aren’t that bad are they?”

 

MERIDIAN VP – John Michael Pinto, Michael Muyi, Daniel Banjo, Ronnie Payne, Jeffrey Ikhatalor, Ronny Shakepoke, Junior Brown, Ehizojie Onoabhagbe, Zachary Hallett, Alexander Brefo, Qendrim Murselaj

Subs – Orlando Ramadani, Mason Edwards, Joel Musa, Olwaseyi Olatunji, Abraham Bangura
THAMESMEAD TOWN – Sam Hayes, Toby Moth, Harry  Spurling, James Rossiter, Aaron Horsefield, Ethan Rutherford,  Thomas Cecil, Billy Mitchell, Harry Carrigan, Dominic Vincent Edwards, Adam Doran.

Subs – Liam Spellward, Josh Essam, Elliott Slee
Referee – Ed Eason
Assistants – Jamie Eacott & Callum Smith
Fourth – Robin Smit