The early curtailment of the 2019/20 season meant the latter stages of the cup competitions were scheduled for the beginning of the 2020/21 season, some say because of a worldwide pandemic. However, there are whispers of an ulterior motive, the delay has allowed Old Garchonian’s 1st XI the opportunity to win the AFA Middlesex/Essex Senior Cup twice in one season to mark the 10th anniversary of the clubs formation in memory of Freddie Garcha. And what a way to kick things off…..
14 legends and Adam Tripp
1st XI (neutral venue) to Old Hamptonians
The Black and Gold army descended upon this match in their numbers, amazing how many of our fans come from the same household. Emmerson and Shergold set the tone early with hearty renditions of some crowd favorites fueled by the amber nectar. The 1st XI responded accordingly and looked comfortable at half-time 1-0 to the good. We trebled our advantage after the break before the opposition pulled a goal back, 3-1, this only served to inspire Felix Murray to go and grab a brace to make it 4-1. Any hopes of a comeback were fully extinguished by a Matt Nyong penalty save. Celebrations went on into the night (that’s Sunday night for one feline cup hero). It’s come home.
Result: 4-1 win
Man of the Match: The Black and Gold Army
Captain Osamor flying high
3rd XI Home to Old Parkonian’s
The 3’s had their opening day 4-0 victory chalked off as Vamps couldn’t recover from the trouncing, rumours of a dispute back at the club house are yet to be confirmed but we can rule out any antagonisation from the formerly Wedge Rob as was immediately suspected from all present. They set out in windy conditions for their second first league match of the season against an industrious Old Parkonian’s side and quickly succumbed to a 3-0 deficit. Cue the arrival of ex-OG loanee James Battcock who, with the help of their keeper, some wind and a lovely corner from Aydin Cantstandupnexttohimbecauseheistooshort, managed to score 4 goals. Unfortunately a penalty for the opposition resulted in the game being tied at the final whistle.
Result: 4-4 draw
Man of the Match: James Battcock
4th XI Away to East Barnet Old Grammartarian’s
An away trip to EBOG’s is always a harrowing experience, old school changing rooms, bath style showers and a cross country course of a pitch even if the fixture is scheduled during an Indian summer. The opposition, fielding a physical side, proved too much for a relatively new squad to handle. Matt Hoskins continued a fine start to his OG’s career by levelling early on from a Pablo cross come shot. This was undone as confusion in the black and gold rear guard meant we went in at the break 3-1 down. The second half saw another 3 goals conceded but a beacon of hope came before the capitulation in the form of a Matt Grimley world-beating strike into the stanchion from the edge of the box, allegedly.
Result: 6-2 loss
Man of the Match: Matt Grimley
Coming up…
A full roster of matches for the 4 squads, the 1’s and 2’s looking to build on strong starts to their league campaigns, the 3’s begin an assault on the league cup and the 4’s are looking to get their first points on the board:
3rd October
1st XI
League
V Alexandra Park
2nd XI
League
V Polytechnic
3rd XI
SAL Cup
V Old Parkonian’s
4’s XI
League
V Old Finchleian’s
Black and Gold Ultras