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A busy weekend of football for The Superfan with four games

Tuesday 18 Feb 2014
The Barber saw Old Strand Academicals v Merton on Saturday

I thought I was due an AFA game at the weekend after spending the last three Saturdays at Hanworth, Tooting and St Albans. 

Given that the continuing wet weather meant another raft of postponements, I decided on a 'bird in the hand' basis to go to one being played on a 3G pitch.

The match that caught my eye was an AFA Surrey/Kent Intermediate Cup quarter final between Old Strand Academicals and Merton Reserves. 

This is next to the KNK Stadium, home to Tooting & Mitcham United FC, so it was a 20-stop tube ride for me from Paddington to Morden, changing at Waterloo and Kennington.

Behind bars! The Barber

Behind bars! The Barbers view of the action

 

The game eventually got under way at 2.11pm - either eleven minutes late or four minutes early, depending on which way you look at it - before a crowd of six. 

There was plenty of blue sky but some menacing clouds too, with a shower almost inevitable. 

I started watching from a grassy mound outside the 'cage' but the strong wind was nearly blowing me over.

Old Strand, technically the home side, went ahead on eleven minutes with a Merton own-goal that was like Kolo Toure's at Fulham but with more height and spin. 

As someone nearby said: "Would you like a cup of tea with that slice?"

Merton were level midway through the half, their number 30 being played into the box in space and slipped the ball expertly past the onrushing goalkeeper.

I had an idea he was trying to flick it round him and then run past for the coup de grace. But his first touch was strong enough to take the ball into the net. 

We were now on the edge of our seats – or would’ve been if there’d been any. I was standing behind the Merton goal, within the cage and feeling the first drops of rain.

It was one of those games that is so entertaining in terms of attacking play that the time seems to pass really quickly. 

After Merton had several close-range efforts cleared off the line right in front of me, Old Strand netted with about ten minutes to go and Merton’s task quickly became more difficult when their number 5 went off for two yellows, both clumsy challenges.

This was quite appropriate with Merton in all yellow. 

The 2-1 victory for Old Strand that took them into the semis clearly meant a lot to them, with players jumping for joy at the end. 

The final whistle there coincided with the half-time whistle at Tooting's game with Sittingbourne in the Isthmian League's Division One South.

I had heard the 'oohs' and 'aahs' of the first period and with the gates open was able to watch the second from the stand. It finished 0-0. 

Then it was back to the hotel for most of the second half of Man City v Chelsea on the telly. I’ve lived in the same hotel for 14 years. I think you know that.

Borussia Dawlish v Chefchaouen Berbers in a dry and sunny Regent’s Park on Sunday morning has a 'Europa League' sound to it but was actually a fixture in the West End Sunday AM League. 

An estimated attendance of one saw Borussia, playing in Dortmund’s yellow and black, win 5-1. 

Then I watched the first half of Everton v Swansea on the box before setting off for QPR v Reading in the Championship, only six stops on the Hammersmith & City line.

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By David Barber FA Historian