Category: Archived News

THRIVE TO SURVIVE

After Christmas and when the monsoons have cleared the season seems to go on fast forward and now most teams are winding up their campaign. We still have a lot to look forward to with our Long Good Friday, Awards night and our very own Merton World Cup. During the summer the SAL has some interesting discussions to have and some di cult decisions to take which will a ect the future of the League and of the clubs within it. At the start of the season the League granted a few clubs dispensation not to enter a rst or second team for this season. This was a grasp of reality as these clubs would have had little alternative but to leave the league. This was done for just the one season and was balancing the interests of the SAL, trying to keep as many clubs within it and those of the other individual clubs those who bene tted from the decision and the rest who had to live with it. A few seasons ago when our 3s left just before the start of the season our request to the League was summarily dismissed and whilst we seriously considered leaving the SAL it turned out to be too late to join another league. With the help of a sympathetic xtures secretary we’ve struggled through the sea- son losing about £3K as a consequence but luckily we have ended up a stronger club. Probably the right decision then by the SAL but times are a changing. But there has been a fair bit of discontent among the other clubs where the bene tting clubs have been successful. The need to keep clubs in the SAL – as some divisions are down to nine teams and only 16 games and the Spring Cup. What seems to have happened is a breakdown in the discipline – that the xtures must go ahead. I recall clubs like EBOG and CEV coming all the way from North London with just nine players to preserve the honour of their club and ful l the xture. But on Saturday the 3s opposition Carshalton 4s decided not to turn up. They let us down badly, and their club who have been very apologetic. The rules dictate that Carshalton 4s should have called up the their 5s to make up the number but the 5s were playing a cup nal so that solution which was not implemented was unrealistic. The consequence was that our lads had a totally wasted Saturday and missed their football. Carshalton the club involved are investigating what happened and have o ered to pay all our costs and given a full and heartfelt apology. On Saturday Len (our treasurer) and I went to watch the First team in their SAL Senior semi nal at Crouch End Vampires. It took us two and a half hours to get there by car as Hangar Lane gyratory was being re- surfaced and two hours to get home on the M25. I had all the kit and stu so that I had to go by car. The team travelled by train and did it in an hour or so. But travelling across London is both time consuming and expensive and not much fun. So we know further regionalisation is on their agenda. CEV have similar council facilities to us and very similar pitch conditions and facilities is another area where we all need improvements. (Incidentally it was an entertaining game which we lost 2-0 a little unluckily but on balance they were better than us and deserved it. It was a good competitive game with their second goal coming in 92nd minute). The SAL have some di cult matters to deal with and there are no right are wrong answers just di cult judgements and we need to make the best of it. One really pleasing area is Merton 7s continuing to thrive and the success of our recruitment campaign last summer. We need to continue that this summer and we have produced a poster that we want to be displayed at Colleges and universities. So if you know of anyone at a university or college who could put the poster up after the Easter holidays please let us know and we will get you some posters. (Contact [email protected])

All training has now finished at St Marks, try stay fit on your own accord if you can chaps.  Please keep an eye out for the date of pre season training which usually begins first Wednesday in July.  This will be a great time to bring friends and colleagues down to join the club.

Only two games today for the youth section and both teams won.

Under 9s beat Barnes Eagles 4 – 2 great result considering they only had the 6 players.

Under 13s beat Doverhouse 3 – 0 another great result, goals from Ollie, William and Rohan.

Under 13s, 14s and 15s had no fixture this week.

So then, onto the results from today.

1s lost their semi final 2-0 at CEV. who went 1 up in 65 minute and second goal in injury time. We hit post and bar and had the better chances but they deserved it. Good team and competitive game. A fine effort to put together such a great Cup run though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No game for the 2s, and the 3s were let down by their opponents in the Spring Cup, who failed to show. Also in the Spring Cup the 4s went down 1-0 to Old Wokingians, while the 6s kept their promotion push going in the league with a 5-2 win at South Bank. 7s pulled off another great result, winning 2-1. Well done all

 

Chairman’s bit – 31 March

JOHN KEANE
DEL SAUNDERS
“You will be sadly missed”

Polytechnic is a great amateur football club and it is a great pleasure to play there with its wonderful facilities
and hospitality. And what has made it so good is the people who have built the club which was founded
in 1875. One of their Poly legends, John Keane has died recently. When I joined Merton in 1999 he was the
face of Poly. If you were playing at Poly he welcomed you, organised you, teased you and treated you. That
was on match days and i can only imagine how much he did behind the scenes. They say that when he retired
five people had to take over his various roles.
And of course it is people like him that build great clubs and such clubs are invaluable to the enjoyment of
our football and it is not just for Poly members but all of us. It did not seem that way when we took our 1s
over there for a mid week game in 2007 and got thumped 7 or 8 – 1. But John’s view of hospitality was that
you were a guest of Poly and you should have as good a time as you can without winning and in our case
that was definitely without winning.
He will be long remembered for his contribution and we need many more like him in Amateur football to
maintain the tradition of Sportsmanship and hospitality.
Another sad loss is Del Saunders who helped run the AFA for many years as the disciplinary officer. I was
always touched by the fact that he sometimes made what was for him the long journey to the Hood to see
how we were doing. He always came in the bar and chatted. He was interested and interesting.
What is special about amateur football and what does it stand for.
I was watching a television documentary the other night about Maya Anjelou. This lady was a real super star
who had done just about everything; a singer, dancer, actress, civil rights activist and had written songs and
books. Her publisher described her as an ‘amateur’ writer and went on to explain what he meant by calling
her an amateur. ‘ I don’t mean she’s not very good at it’ he explained. ‘Far from it, I mean she writes for the
love of it’.
And that got me to thinking about amateur football and us.
What differentiates us from professional football? Well, of course compared to Premier League there is a considerable
skill and fitness gap but at local semi pro level there is not. Our best SAL sides are now winning the
Surrey County Senior competitions. The old days of ‘shamateurism’ and boot money have disappeared and
we now have truly amateur football in which we pay to play and that means we do it because we love it.
Both these Gentlemen, John Keane and Del Saunders loved what they did and that is why they were so
good at it. Both of them will be sadly missed but remembered by many for their contribution.

Results from a windswept dry Hood.

The 1s lost 1-0 to Actonians assoc. A poor game was won with a poor goal just before half time.

4s lost their Spring Cup opener 4-2 to west Wickham.

5s unfortunately went down 4-1 in a crucial promotion clash against Kew.

6s lost the first of the Double headers with Civil Service 4-0 but won the second 4-1. Video footage from todays game

But performance of the day is the 7s who won both their games in a double header at Bank of England 3-1 and 1-0 (Pics from the Hood)

Our U9s are having a great season in the Surrey Youth League and have been promoted yet again and now they are in the top 20 teams in their age group in the SYL along with top academy sides. This is a tremendous achievement by Garry and the boys. And well done to the supporters/parents. Like all our youth teams well worth getting down to the Hood on a Sunday morning to cheer them on!!!!!

THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY – JOSEPH HOOD – 11AM START (PROMPT)

Good Friday is good and all. But with a dearth of football on television, many shops and facilities closed for the day, and the streets deserted, it can sometimes feel like life has come to a standstill.

The good news is that you need not fall victim to this, because, at the Hood, we’ll be having our annual ‘Long Good Friday’. We’ll organise a bunch of friendlies, get some grub in, and make a good day out of it at the home of football. The sun has a knack for shining on Long Good Friday too. Do pencil this one into the calendar lads. Always a fun day out!

VETS GAME with the legends from Old West Citz.  Kick off 12pm

MERTON XI FRIENDLY – kick off 2pm 

YOUTH GAMES 
Under 9s vs Carshalton Athletic
Under 13s vs Raynes Park Vale Youth
 
Hot food + hot cross buns in the bar – with a good old drink and catch up to celebrate the start of Easter. Not one to miss!!

SATURDAY 13th MAY – 1pm to 10pm, Joseph Hood

Merton FC WORLD CUP!

Don’t fancy a trip to Russia or Doha in the next six years? The good news is that this year, the World Cup is coming to you. That’s right folks, Merton FC is staging its inaugural 5/6-a-side World Cup on Saturday 13th May at the Hood (assuming all league games are
done by then – we may have to do it a week later!!!!!).
Our plans at this stage are provisional depending on numbers, but 
the aim is to organise 8 senior teams, with squads of roughly 8 players each. Ideally, we will have seven pots, each containing names from the respective seven senior teams at the Club. We will then draw one name from each pot to compile each team, so that there is a good mix of strength from across the club. Goalkeepers will be kept separate and added in thereafter to make up the eighth member of the squad. 
The draw, should the enthusiasm warrant it, will be done on Facebook Live closer to the time, thus making for an enjoyable spectacle. We will then separate the 8 teams into two pools of four, with the four teams in each section playing against each other in a round robin (ie: 3 matches). We will then have semi finals and a final, along with a plate section for those who don’t make the playoffs.
Games will be 20 minutes’ long, with three pitches marked out. That means there will be some opportunity for rest every third game as well. We’ll also mark out a fourth pitch for the Youth section, so that they can stage a similar tournament. Would be great if we could include parents or coaches
in their event as well – the more people we can get involved, the better.
We will decide if it is 5 or 6-a-side closer to the time, depending on numbers. Start time will likely be in the region of 1pm. Price is also TBC, although we will aim to keep it to £10 each, including food.
The aim is to make this a family-friendly occasion, with a barbecue afterwards (a big thank you to Darren Avey, who has kindly offered/been roped in to cook us burgers and sausages) and also
other amenities like jumping castles and what not. There will also be Premier League football on too, which will be televised at the bar.
We’ll be doing this properly too, with a trophy and prize giving. A pretty exciting concept, and could hopefully commence a fine new Merton tradition. The idea is in its embryonic phase at this
stage, so all suggestions are welcome. We may even listen to them. Either way, it should be a wonderful day out for all of us.
ALL WE NEED FROM YOU AT THIS STAGE IS TO CONFIRM WHETHER YOU ARE KEEN TO PLAY!!!!

SATURDAY 27^th MAY, AWARDS NIGHT & FA-CUP FINAL

AWARDS DAY & NIGHT AT MERTON FC, JOSEPH HOOD – 2PM START (PROMPT).

As the season heads towards the final furlong, your favourite night of the year is almost upon us… it’s the Merton FC Awards Night! It’s been a wonderful season for our club, as we’ve expanded to seven teams, seen a number of our teams challenging for promotion, enjoyed some good Cup runs and revelled in watching our Youth section go from strength to strength once again. We hope you can join us as we recognise all the fine achievements that have rolled in across the club, and come together to celebrate another fine season. 
As ever, there will be friendlies played during the day, along with an inter-club penalty shootout. This will be followed by fish and chips/sausage and chips/halloumi and chips for dinner, while we will also be televising the FA Cup final in the bar. The Awards presentation will follow the game, and then, after that, let the mayhem begin.
Certainly not one to be missed – get it in the diary now please chaps!