The ninth place playoff that might have been

Had things gone to plan, today’s match would have been a south London shootout for ninth place to rival anything seen in the Wild West. But an awful Bank Holiday Monday lunchtime deluge put paid to the scheduled home match against Minster. With that game postponed, today became a set-up ahead of the rescheduled finale to Peckham Town’s season at their new, hopefully temporary, League-mandated home thirteen miles east of the Menace Arena. A win or draw for Ashford and they would deny Peckham a finish north of Cuxton in the table; but the hosts could keep their dreams of ninth alive by signing off their home campaign proper with a win.

I made it to the ground only just in time for kick off, my morning having been taken up with a detour to the countryside to welcome the latest addition to my brother-in-law’s clan. There’s an old story about a journalist nervously asking Bill Shankly, who’d been spotted at a game in Rochdale with his wife some days previously, whether he’d been on a wedding anniversary night out. To which the thunderous reply came “Of course I didn’t take my wife to see Rochdale as an anniversary present. It was her birthday. Would I have got married during the football season? Anyway, it was Rochdale reserves”.

In this spirit, I tried suggesting that if someone has been careless enough to choose to time their offspring’s birth for the end of the football season then they can reasonably be expected to wait politely for it to be over before being fawned on, that going now would only encourage that kind of behaviour in the future, and that anyway the kid in question wouldn’t be any the wiser.

But it was an argument I knew I had little hope of winning…

Peckham start brightly and control the game…

So, duty done, I got inside a few minutes before the sides took to the pitch. Looking at the eleven written up on the board I played the “guess the left back” game that’s been an all-too regular feature of the injury-hit end to the season. My first guess (Joe Thomas) and second (Nicky Meta) were wide of the mark. Omar Hasan lined up in that particular hot-seat, completing a back four of Raymond Agyemang at right back and Fareid Yassein and Joe Thomas as the centre back partnership. Ahead of them was a midfield four, with Kemp and Michael Agyemang central and Dowding and Meta offering width. Weber and Wilson started up front. Nathan Gamester was in goal.

The game kicked off with Peckham playing uphill, but despite that they made all of the first half running – albeit that they rarely threatened from within the area. In the main, Ashord restricted them to shots from distance that their lively keeper was equal to; Dren made several excellent saves, although his work didn’t always get the recognition it deserved with one or two goal kicks given when corners would have been more appropriate.

For their part, Ashford were largely a threat from set pieces, and a vague one at that.

…but gift the visitors the opener

On about the half hour mark Peckham’s wingers switched flanks, much to the relief no doubt of the Ashford left back who had been having a torrid time dealing with Dowding’s pace and determination. But Nicky Meta had been no slouch on the opposite flank, and posed a different and no less taxing problem. This was epitomised in his role in arguably the best movement in the first half, when he met a glorious outside-of-the-boot ball from deep midfield from Michael Agyemang that sent the him free behind his full back; his first time pass into the centre of the box was perfect, but Chris Weber was just a shade too slow and couldn’t quite make contact before the keeper.

And so, after a lengthy stoppage that thankfully resulted in the all clear after Ashford’s #7 fell awkwardly into the hoardings around the pitch, the first half ended goalless.

The second half began much as the first had played out – only more so. Playing downhill Peckham were even more dominant and even more of a threat – and when they created chances now, those chances seemed to happen closer to the goal. In the first ten minutes, Kieran Dowding could have had a penalty when surging into the area on the left – in fact he probably would have had he not tried to play on rather than going down when fouled. On the opposite flank Meta was also creating problems, fizzing crosses across the box – one of which, met six yards out by Chris Weber, should have resulted in a goal.

It felt like a goal was coming, and so it was… Just not to Peckham. Out of nothing, Ashford took the lead when a mix up between Fareid and Gamester as the ball was played across the back gifted possession and an open goal to a grateful opponent, who duly slotted home. You can’t say Peckham haven’t been generous hosts this season…

ILKD!!

Full disclosure, I’m not an original south Londoner. When not supporting the Menace I’m all about Liverpool. But nothing makes me happier than when the two worlds collide, which is what happened before, during and after Peckham’s deserved equalizer. However, where 15 years ago I would text “ILFT!!” to my mates as shorthand for “I love Fernando Torres!!” after he’d done another goal, today it was Bah’s flick-on header feeding Dowding rather than Kuyt laying on Nando.

Since coming on shortly after the break Mohamed Bah had been an absolute, well, menace. His pace was a huge problem for the Ashford defence, and I think in total he got three players booked as they struggled to contain him, but principally it was his desire and tenacity to be absolutely everywhere all the time that truly shone out. This was epitomized in the build up to the equalizer, when he rose to challenge for a hopeful switch sent forward from Peckham’s left. Giving away about six inches in height and six stone in weight he had no right to win the flick on, but win it he did. The ball fell to Kieran Dowding still 25 yards out and with a centre back tight on him. Feinting one way and spinning the other, with all the guile, speed and surprising strength of Torres at his prime, Peckham’s 23/24 top scorer left the defender sprawling as he collected the knock down and ran on to send a low left-footed shot past the keeper.

I Love Kieran Dowding!!

Why isn’t this a Summer game?

Peckham had a couple of half-chances to win it in the ten minutes remaining after Dowding’s equalizer, but couldn’t quite fashion a winner, and so the game ended 1-1. The dream of ninth is over for another year, but tenth place is secured (ahead of Ashford in 11th), and a win in the last game of the season would mean beating last year’s points haul.

The day ended, as so many have this season, with a love-in between players and fans – none of whom wanted to leave a glorious Menace Arena bathed in warm summer sun. Despite Tuesday’s game to come at “home” somewhere in Kent, this felt like a finale, a proper send-off, with everyone united in wishing each other all the best for getting through the long football-less months ahead (no, international football does not count).

The season has been a frustrating one in many ways, the team for so long looking a set of disjointed parts, albeit with glimpses of real promise. Rhythm has been denied them by rafts of injuries and countless postponements, as the worst winter in living memory (certainly my four year old’s living memory anyway) wreaked havoc with the fixture list. But while whatever floodlit reliable 3G surface awaits us on Tuesday night may be counted on to regularly allow games to go ahead, there’s no doubt it won’t have an ounce of the soul of the Menace Arena on a busy matchday.

It’s easy for me to say because I don’t spend forty hours a week forking and tending and mowing the damn thing, but Peckham’s pitch is a picture on days like today. Throw in the World’s Smallest Stand, the kids’ pitch to the side, Dave’s TV tower, the clubhouse, the flags flying high on their poles, the old stand towards the top corner that looks like a '70s bus shelter, the barbie, the bar and the barking of excited non-league dogs… and I wouldn’t swap it for anywhere else. And nor would the 380 – yes, that’s right, 380 (THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY) – who watched today’s game. What a place it is to watch football.

Until August then (or July, if you’re into pre-season), bonjour.

Peckham Town: Gamester; R.Agyemang, Omar, Yassei, Thomas; Dowding, Meta, Kemp, M.Agyemang; Wilson, Weber. Substitutions: Bah (for Omar), Barry (for Wilson), Jimoh (for Weber), Tarrant (for R.Agyemang)