Teddington Athletic Dynamos 2 - Moor Mead Athletic 2
Moor Mead secured a point in a scrappy affair on a chilly Spring morning in Bushy Park. It was an end-of-season encounter between two mid-table teams, and for long periods it certainly felt like not much was up for grabs, as neither team was able to impose themselves on the game.
Bushy’s vast acreage, for all its beauty, seems to lack atmosphere as a setting for football, the £1m clubhouse not withstanding, and for much of the game there was little to set the pulse racing.
For all their effort, the Parakeets were disjointed, and rarely linked up well. For the first ten minutes it looked as though they had caught a dose of something nasty, and their passing was so off kilter they seemed to be practicing their own form of social distancing. Things only got worse when Zac was forced off with hamstring trouble.
They fell behind to a lobbed shot from distance, which sailed over Alec’s head (0-1). Only Louis, bright and creative in midfield, seemed to be on his game. He combined well with Dilly, but Jake skewed his shot wide.
Then, out of nothing, Moor Mead were level. MILES was needlessly bundled over shepherding the ball out for a corner, and got up to despatch a fierce spot kick into the corner, just evading a great diving effort from the Teddington keeper (1-1).
Louis came close to a second, hooking a looping shot from outside the box on to the base of the far post.
But it was Teddington who ended the half in the ascendancy. A good cross from the left was hooked over the bar, Jeremias made a key interception to snuff out a swift break, and deep cross flashed across the Moor Mead goal mouth.
After the break Dilly cranked up the intensity in the middle of the park, and Elliot saw a shot well saved after he was released by Louis.
Then the Parakeets took the lead with a stunning move completely out of character with the rest of the game. Jake threaded a superb ball down the left flank, and when it reached MILES via lovely quickfire interplay between Louis and Mani, he opened his body to rifle home a side foot drive from 20 yards into the top corner that gave the keeper no chance (2-1).
However, the Parakeets went back into their shell, and instead of embracing an expansive game, bunched up too much down the spine of the pitch. Teddington duly equalised when Alec could only parry a long-range effort to the feet of an on-rushing striker (2-2).
Tom forced a point blank save with a header, while, at the other end, Alec made a save from a hooked shot.
Daniel broke on the final whistle, but his cross/shot drifted harmlessly behind.
All that was left was for the Parakeets to shake elbows, and hope that a certain virus doesn’t spoil their big day out in a fortnight’s time.