Peckham Decked By Ruthless Halls

Table Toppers A Tough Test
While it might often look like these reports are dashed off late in the evening on the back of a takeaway menu at the Cash & Curry, I’ll have you all know I do occasionally put some thought into them. And my Friday night was spent going down a Halls-flavoured statistical rabbit hole as I pored over their record at this level since promotion ahead of last season.
Splitting that 22/23 season up into two halves of 15 games, they progressed from six wins and eight losses (19 points and +9 goal difference) in the first half of the season to nine wins and two losses (31 points and +27 goal difference) in the second half. The first half of the 23/24 season saw them kick on again, with 11 wins and only two losses (35 points and +21 goal difference). And the further eight games prior to today’s game had garnered another six wins and just one loss, meaning that they started the day on 54 points and top of the pile.
A big part of their success this season has been the form of Ryan Golding, scorer of 21 goals in 23 League games (and 28 in all comps), backed up by James Bayford and Aaron Hall (8 League goals each and both double figures all comps).
Halls’ progress has been steady, relentless and highly impressive and their move to the Erith Leisure Centre ground, with facilities that would support upward mobility, comes as no surprise. Personally, I’m not into playing football in the middle of an athletics pitch, unless we’re awarding bonus goals for getting the ball in the steeplechase pit or the hammer cage – but I can see why they’ve chosen this means to an end as this is a side whose results suggest it deserves to test itself in a higher league.

Peckham Postponements Punishing
Every side is used to on-pitch and off-pitch battles over the course of a season, but Peckham Town’s issues this year stem from a new class of enemy, the sub-pitch. Drainage has not been the Menace Arena’s strong point in 23/24, and a raft (haha) of waterlogged postponements have ramped up the fixture backlog but more crucially have left the side short of match sharpness at a time in the season when many opponents are in good rhythm.
Coming into today’s game, Peckham were also missing a number of regulars in defence, and there was a makeshift look to the side in places. With Jefferies unavailable, Gamester returned in goal behind centre backs Duah Danso and Yassein, with Nicky Meta and Raymond Agyemang at full back. In midfield, the menace played Michael Agyemang as a six behind Kemp and Barry, while the front three consisted of Dowding and Wilson in support of Weber.
The substitutes saw the return of Camilo Andres Nieva, and the addition of two potential debutants in Mohamed Bah and Sampson Ofori, who had earned places on the bench after impressing in last weekend’s friendly – a game made necessary to retain some kind of match fitness after Welling Park had postponed at the last minute. As it was, Peckham went into the match against the best side in the league having not played competitively in a month, and fans could be forgiven for feeling the side was both under-cooked and under-strength.

Leaders Lead After Lovely Leveller
The game began at what felt like a distance of about 300 yards, but what could be seen of it was entertaining. Throughout the half both sides seemed committed to attack, there was plenty of possession in and around opposition areas as well as opportunities on the break, and all in all it felt both fairly open and fairly even.
The difference between the teams, and why Halls went in at the break 2-1 ahead, was in taking chances.
Halls opened the scoring from the penalty spot on ten minutes. Peckham had been enjoying a decent spell of possession and territory and their defensive line had pushed up to around halfway, when Halls ruthlessly exploited a loss of control when the ball was being played across the back. Suddenly they pressed, won the ball and were through four on two. Gamester came out but could only bring down the attacker, earning himself a booking. He guessed correctly but couldn’t keep out Ryan Golding’s shot, and Peckham trailed.
They were quickly back on level terms however. Excellent work from Rashane Wilson on the left, after a good ball by Michael Agyemang, freed Tidi Barry in the box. His turn and thumped shot gave the keeper no chance, and it was back to 1-1.
Parity lasted a mere ten minutes however, as the hosts scored a well worked goal, a fine cross drilled from the right being swept home from ten yards out. Peckham had chances to level – Weber was questionably called offside when clean through, Kemp twice shot over, and Dowding and Agyemang could do nothing with free kicks 20 yards out – but the home side went in 2-1 up at the break. Worryingly for Peckham, just before the half ended Duah Danso, the mainstay of their defence, was forced off injured.

Cruise Control
Despite that, after the energy and openness of the first half hopes were high that Peckham would have chances to get back in the game in the second 45. But the pattern of the game was to be very different as the hosts exerted more control and the match was largely played out in the middle third of the pitch.
With no chances of note having been created, just before the hour Mary Philip tried to freshen the away side up by beginning to make substitutions, but these had little impact such was the control Halls had on proceedings. Indeed it was Halls who stretched their lead to 3-1 on 62 minutes as what looked like the guitarist from Def Leppard lashed home an unstoppable volley from the right hand side of the area (in fairness it was very far away so I could be mistaken, it might have been the lead singer). The chance came from nothing; a scuffed ballooned clearance from the other side of the box floated towards Meta who was beaten by the flight and unable to clear.
Peckham struggled to muster a response – and were denied what replays indicate was a strong claim for a penalty on 67 minutes – but Halls defence was unyielding. Just before time was up Halls added a fourth, again from nothing: a long throw into the box, the ball bounces and isn’t cleared, an attacker pops up to lash home.

Make Mine a Menace
Shane Warne once said of Monty Panesar that he hadn’t played thirty Tests, he’d played the same Test thirty times. That’s how I feel about Peckham Town games against Halls. Admittedly it’s only the third of them I’ve seen (that’s all there’s been), but it dutifully followed the established pattern. The game seems in the balance, with little to choose between the sides, but then Halls take a chance, and then another, and suddenly it’s gone. On 87 minutes in fact a fellow Menace turned and said “I just don’t see how these are top”; as we were agreeing that “they’re just very good at controlling games and taking their chances” in went the final goal.
It's all very clinical and very well coached (albeit that today, babysitting duties meant that the vocal Halls coach so frequently positioned in line with the edge of the area was unable to contribute anything above the odd whisper), and I genuinely wish Halls the best in what looks like being a higher division next season. But the efficient sterility of the on-pitch fare somehow reflected the surroundings; the bleak vista of track, javelin landing spot, more track, miniature wind farm, grey sky to the horizon didn’t exactly stir the blood. Players would have had to book annual leave to celebrate a goal with the few fans in attendance. And you couldn’t escape the feeling that Gordon Brittas would emerge from the leisure centre on 89 minutes to tell you that he was very sorry but the game had overrun and could everyone please leave immediately because the Erith Morris Dancers had booked the pitch months ago.
Yes. Give me the Menace Arena any time. Give me south London’s biggest noise in the World’s Smallest Stand. Give me the smell of the grass and the sight of those red and white nets and the sense of what’s to come. Give me Peckham’s players hi-fiving kids sat on pitch-side railings. Give me a barbecue and a bar that’s actually open. Give me football played at 90 miles an hour and an atmosphere to match. Give me – weather Gods, please, give me – give me Peckham Town vs Cuxton, this Saturday 23rd March at 245pm. Come on Peckham!!

Peckham Town: Gamester; R.Agyemang, Meta (c), Yassein, Duah Danso; M. Agyemang, Barry, Kemp; Dowding, Wilson, Weber.
Subs: Thomas (for Duah Danso), Jimoh (for Wilson), Ofori (for Weber), Bah (for Barry), Nieva (for Kemp).