Cheam M1s 2 - 1 Cheam M2s

After a summer of friends, food, and funnels, Cheam’s pre-season got underway with an internal fixture, pitting the cream of the crop against the supposed second best. However, spectators of the game might not have known which was which, as a fast-paced and frantic match saw end-to-end action in quite a balanced affair.

The M2s have previously been derided as the more “veteran” (*cough* geriatric *cough*) team in the club, but the squad was a refreshing blend of experience and youth, with several juniors stepping up and getting some minutes on the clock. For the first game back things gelled well, and the M2s created multiple chances that unfortunately were met with good saves or went agonisingly wide. At the other end, the defence managed to mostly suppress the M1s front line, but whenever they did penetrate our D the glorious Adam Ross was there to keep anything and everything out. They say that they don’t make kids like they used to, and that must be true because I don’t remember being made out of brick and mortar… Yet Adam was a solid wall in goal, making several stunning saves to take us into the break still even.

After half-time things got off to a rocky start. A short corner flew into the back of the net to put us behind, followed shortly by the captain (Whoever that is… I heard he doesn’t normally play CB anyway) deciding to go AWOL allowing the M1s to punish the mistake and double their lead. However, the M2s were undeterred by the scoreline, and kept plugging away at the other end. Misty lived up to his nickname, as he floated across the astroturf with an eerie calm, drifting into the M1s D to pull the us back with a well-taken goal. Unfortunately, the M2s couldn’t find an equaliser though, and the game fizzled out in the final few minutes.

I don’t have the time to talk about every player on the pitch, but it was a really strong performance that has given me a lot of confidence and optimism going forward this year. The fitness, mentality, and teamwork all looked promising in this first fixture back, and will serve as a solid foundation for the rest of the season. I was incredibly impressed by all the juniors who stepped up, they made it difficult for the M1s and showed how far they have developed in the last two years.

MotM – Adam Ross: Imperious in goal, only let down by one of his CBs.
DotD – Chris Blackmore: The aforementioned CB.