Old Meadonians claimed a 3-1 win over CB Hounslow United FC last week in their opening pre-season friendly of the summer.

Goals from Alex Jones, new boy Diego Pedro and Luke Graham secured the victory, while goalkeeper Simon Greening was in imperious form.

In their bid to revive the fortunes which had brought them ten years’ of plenty up to last season Old Meadonians opened their new season’s campaign on Wednesday 22nd July with a training session at Riverside Lands which attracted a healthy forty-five trainees including a dozen new signings, well marshalled by six trainers under former first team captain Dermot Jordan.

The following evening Meads put out a first team to play CB Hounslow United of the Combined Counties League at Tentlow Lane and came away worthy 3-1 winners.

In the absence of partner Jack Costello, on a scouting trip, duty manager Ed Glover took the plaudits and was, not unnaturally, bullish in his assessment of the team’s showing.

However, the more sanguine and pragmatic among the spectators might have seen the visitors, in their first friendly of the season, giving trials to four new signings, busting a gut to force an advantage, but not achieving the same degree of cohesion as CBs and, during the first half at least, being put under fairly constant pressure by hosts who were further on in their preparations but were content to hone their approach work whilst possibly not wanting to kill the game off by cashing in on territorial advantage.

At half-time the tally was: Meads two chances, one of which clipped the top of the bar and CBs from numerous chances, mostly tidied up by the industrious Simon Greening in goal, one goal from a back pass in the wake of a torrential downpour which wrong footed the unfortunate Greening.

In the second half Meads rode the conditions the better of the two sides, cut out some of the over-elaboration which had held them back in the first half and, faced with the slightly lethargic attitude of their hosts who possibly thought they had nothing to prove, eagerly took up the slack relinquished by CBs to blossom nicely and put some gloss on their overall performance with goals from Alex Jones, new boy Diogo Pedro and Luke Graham.

It is a sobering and ironic thought that the only trophy Meads won last season came courtesy of their veterans, comprising the core of the first team squad during the previous decade’s success.