Four goals in a breathtaking 20 minutes saw Clapton CFC men’s first team blow away in-form Stonewall FC in front of a sold-out crowd at the London Marathon Stadium.
Games between these allies are always hotly-anticipated, and being our annual Football v Homophobia match it was even more so, with all 300 tickets snapped up within days.
Stonewall came into the game as the division’s form side, winning their last four games, but the Tons had turned the corner themselves after an iffy run of results.
Despite the scoreline, it could have been a different game entirely if Stonewall had taken their early chances.
In the first minute Jack Francis saved superbly, foiling a one-on-one after a defensive error, while another chance on 12 minutes saw a tough shot deflected wide.
However, on 20 minutes, the Tons scored the all-important first goal. Noah Adejokun swung a ball to the back post, both Arthur Wright and Josh Adejokun went up for it, and it was Josh who headed in from close range.
And from then, the goals kept on coming. On 26 minutes, Noah Adejokun scored himself, bursting through the defence and blasted it into the top corner.
The third came from the penalty spot on 39 minutes as player of the match Fred Taylor was hauled down.
James Briggs‘ penalty to the left was well saved, but as both sets of players scrambled for the rebound, the ref blew for a foul on Taylor again. A second yellow and he was off.
Briggsy made no mistake on his second attempt, slotting it in the other side.
Just a minute later, it was four. Wright broke down the right, swung the ball across, Noah Adejokun knocked it back and Taylor finished.
The second half was a rather tepid affair, with CCFC fairly content to bank the points and the clean sheet, while Stonewall’s ten men were never likely to come back into it.
An impressive win and the first away from home since October, coincidentally at another athletics ground, Kensington Dragons’ Linford Christie Stadium, in what looked like a real banana skin.
The game, however, was overshadowed by the incident afterwards. Several dozen fans and players met up at a bar in nearby Hackney Wick, where the mezzanine collapsed.
Somehow there were no serious injuries though several people were taken to hospital. Thanks to all who helped each other in what was a shocking experience for all.
Player of the match
Due to the accident, it didn’t feel the time to set up a Twitter poll, so the management chose the player of the match instead.
The winner was Fred Taylor.
Photos
Attendance
300 inside the stadium plus others watching outside.