A remarkable end to a remarkable month!

The Mead have seen out 2016 in some style as two goals from Bode led the charge as team’s biggest win of the season sealed a remarkable 28 days with eighteen points taken out of a possible twenty…

“We’ve had a good month haven’t we,” Tommy said after the game.  “When you look at where we started the month, it’s been great and today I thought in difficult conditions – a typical winters game – we’ve dug in and got what we deserved!”

“I expect us to win every game we play and the last month has proved that.  I’ve said many times that I don’t think that we’ve been playing badly – you hear the negative things as well as the good – but I know what I’ve seen on the pitch.  We’ve had a fantastic month we really have – but I wanted seven wins.  And as I’ve said before as well, there isn’t an easy game in this League, it doesn’t matter who you play against, you know it will be a tough battle!”

The Mead started brightly and were ahead inside the first five minutes as Bodes drilled cross was diverted into his own net by Tilbury defender Willis.

Carlisle then missed a great chance to level for Tilbury before a Jay Porter corner caused chaos in the home defence when home keeper Butcher was hopelessly short when attempting a punch before the ball was sliced high into the air before being hacked away.

Keeper Tom then excelled keeping out a stunning Smith free-kick that fizzed round the wall – the Mead stopper plunging to his right to tip the ball round the post.  He then denied the same player as the home side threatened to level before the break, but the Mead were unlucky not to have doubled the lead just before half-time as Alex Teniola’s overhead kick was well turned over by the Tilbury keeper.

The Mead effectively sealed the points within the opening minutes of the second half.  Bode timed his run to perfection to sweep home Alex’s pass to double the advantage and then returned the favour on 54 minutes by playing a super ball through for Alex to race clear and coolly ghost past the keeper to roll the ball home.

The home side then received a belated Christmas present to get back into the game.  Barham charged down Tom’s attempted clearance and as the pair collided referee Heavey after being called over by an assistant (who was at least thirty yards further away than the man with the whistle), gave the spot kick which Martin duly despatched giving the home side hope they barely deserved with twenty minutes left!

It was hope that was soon extinguished when Lewis Knight fired home his first goal for the club – and what a goal it was; magnificently drilling a half cleared corner into the top corner leaving a bemused Butcher motionless!  Bode then sealed the win with a fine low drive from the edge of the box in stoppage time.

Next up is another short trip through the Dartford Tunnel and a trip to Aveley – “it’ll be a tough game again on Monday especially after that 90 minutes on a very heavy pitch – we said to the boys before the game that they would be squad games, but if we keep playing like we are and not causing ourselves any problems!”

So then what an incredible way for the Mead to see out 2016 – a sixth win seven games in the month of December – a five star demolition to end the old year in style with four different goal scorers and three more points as the Mead continue to climb the table against a side that started the game just two points outside of the Play Off places.  All in all one very happy manager this New Year’s Eve – Happy New Year everyone!

THE MEAD – Tom Wellham, Harvey Brand, Nathan Simpson (Ellis Green), Scott Knich, Lewis Knight, Leon Smith, Ellis Brown, Bode Anidugbe, Paul Vines (Ike Feehi), Alex Teniola (Aaron Rhule), Jay Porter

Subs – Michael Ademiluyi and Joe Vines