Three terrific second half strikes from Alex Teniola, Bode Anidugbe and Michael Ademiluyi sealed a come from behind win for Thamesmead Town at relegation threatened Soham Town Rangers.
Already without the suspended trio of Kinch, Green and Smith and the injured Dembele, Brown and Brand, boss Tommy Warrilo’s squad was stretched to such an extent that Richard Sexias – a late Friday loan signing from Dartford – went straight into the starting lining up and the bench was filled by four members of the club’s under 21 Development squad – three of who would have an afternoon to remember!
The Mead weren’t helped by another early injury that saw Lewis Knight hobble off in the opening 15 minutes meaning that Nathan Simpson switched from full back to central defense along Laurent Mendy to form an unlikely but proved to be a highly effective partnership on the day.
The game struggled to really get going in the opening half, but as the bells were ringing out from a local church, it was the Mead who had the early chances as Teniola got on the end of a good ball in from Ademiluyi forcing home keeper Conroy into his first save of the afternoon. Archie Johnson was then denied by a horrible bounce before the home side had their first real chance when Carden raced clear only to be brilliantly denied by keeper Ollie Bowles who stood tall and strong on the edge of the box as the Soham man tried to clip the ball over him. The Mead stopper though was helpless however as the home side took the lead on the stroke of half time when an unmarked Mulready headed home a long throw.
The Mead’s job was made even harder when Johnson joined the lengthening “missing list” as he failed to reappear for the second period because of suspected concussion.
The rejigged Mead though upped their game magnificently after the break and soon Teniola was sprinting through to coolly side foot the ball over the advancing Conroy in the home goal to level the scores for his tenth goal for the Mead.
Just five minutes later, Anidugbe brilliantly cut in from the left to curl a stunner around the luckless Conroy for his seventh goal of the season – six of which have come away from Bayliss Avenue, before the Mead were dealt another potential blow when keeper Bowles hobbled off to be replaced by Max Ovenden with quarter of an hour to go.
Ovenden though was more than equal to anything that the home side could throw at him and after substitute Maina had fired narrowly wide for Soham, the stand in keeper pulled off a top drawer save to deny Mulready an equaliser from a fierce free-kick.
It was left to “little” Ademiluyi to gloriously cap a sensational personal week by following up his hat-trick for the Development side in midweek to magnificently drive home the Mead’s third in stoppage time after a swift break left the home side chasing shadows.
Back to back away wins then for Warrilow’s side – and a very joyful trip home!
THAMESMEAD TOWN – Ollie Bowles (Max Ovenden 74), Nathan Simpson, Jay Porter, Bode Anidugbe, Lewis Knight (Sam Koroma 9), Laurent Mendy, Michael Ademiluyi, Richard Sexias, Paul Vines, Alex Teniola, Archie Johnson (Richard Edwardes HT)
Sub – Jeremiah Efe