Season Overview 2009/10
How the title was won
Season Overview 2009/10
How the title was won
Season Overview 2009/10 – How the title was won
September:
Crofton Park kicked off their season against L.I.C., a repeat of last year’s Junior Cup final. After a bright start, Serkan Mehmet put us 1-0 up but things went wrong after that. L.I.C. scored two goals in quick succession just before half time & although Crofton pressed for an equaliser after half time, nothing went our way & the end result was 4-1. Not the sort of start we were hoping for as we aimed to build on last season’s progress.
Our second fixture was away to promoted Burgess United. Burgess took the lead against the run of play when their wingers’ miss-hit cross flew directly into the net. Crofton showed the fighting spirit they were known for & equalised shortly after. With about 20mins remaining, Damien Sexton punted a long ball up field from his own half which Can Ürmen latched onto to make it 2-1 with his first touch of the game!
Inter Shamrock Reserves, who dropped down from Inter Division Two, started as expected picking up 3 wins out of 4. House of Fun definitely shocked many teams by winning all their games in the month. They had finished bottom in the previous two seasons & the overhaul of the clubs management & players seemed to be paying off.
Positions on 27 Sept
1- INTER SHAMROCK RES Pld 4 Pts 9
2- HOUSE OF FUN Pld 3 Pts 9
9- CROFTON PARK Pld 2 Pts 3
October:
Our only league game in the month & our first at home was against Eltham Town ‘D’. Serkan Mehmet grabbed both goals in a 2-0 win which should have been more comfortable.
Inter Shamrock’s good form continued as they only dropped 2 points in their 4 games. Burgess began to hit some form as did an improved White Oak Wanderers side & Millers.
This month also saw us begin our Cup campaign. A 7-0 thrashing of SL All Stars in the Mary Wiltshire Shield was followed by a 2-0 win over New Eltham in the Junior Cup a few weeks later.
Positions on 25 Oct
1- INTER SHAMROCK RES Pld 8 Pts 19
2- BURGESS UNITED Pld 7 Pts 13
8- CROFTON PARK Pld 3 Pts 6
November:
The first day of November saw us take on derby rivals Honor Oak. Our opponents were no match for us however, & we cruised to a 6-1 victory with Erkan Senol grabbing a hat-trick.
Familiar foes Millers were next. Although we took an early lead through an Atilla Yasar penalty, an uncharacteristic poor performance from the team resulted in a 3-1 loss on a rain soaked Sunday. SL All Stars were due to visit the Pitz on the last Sunday of the month but the match was called off due to a waterlogged pitch. This would be a common problem for Crofton Park in the months to come.
White Oak & a resurgent Eltham Town ‘D’ were the teams of the month picking up 9 & 12 points respectively.
In Round 2 of the MW shield, another familiar team was our opponents in the form of FC Delavaran who had been promoted to Inter Division One. Previous matches against this side were always tight & hardly fought contests & this game was no different. Crofton gave it their all for the whole 90mins but it wasn’t meant to be as Delavaran ended up 1-0 winners.
Positions on 29 Nov
1- INTER SHAMROCK RES Pld 11 Pts 23
2- WHITE OAK WANDERERS Pld 9 Pts 21
3- ELTHAM TOWN ‘D’ Pld 11 Pts 21
8- CROFTON PARK Pld5 Pts 9
December:
Snow & rain throughout the month meant that hardly any league games were played. Our away game against Shooters Hill was called off due to a waterlogged pitch. Eltham Town ‘C’ narrowly lost to Honor Oak while White Oak put 9 past SL All Stars.
In Round 2 of the Junior Cup we were drawn against Burgess United. Having already met earlier in the season, we knew what to expect. A very tight game ended in a 1-0 win & the club went into the Xmas break knowing that the Quarter Final was the next round.
Positions on 13 Dec
1- WHITE OAK WANDERERS Pld 10 Pts 24
2- INTER SHAMROCK RES Pld 11 Pts 23
8 - CROFTON PARK Pld5 Pts 9
January:
Not the best start to 2010 as more snow arrived & disrupted fixtures. The re-arranged game against SL All Stars was again postponed & our first fixture of the month turned out to be the All Stars on the 24th of the month, our first game in 6 weeks! After a very sluggish start, Crofton ran out 4-1 winners. The league decided to schedule the reverse of this fixture for the following week. Both teams were present & ready to play but the referee deemed the surface unfit to play on as there had been some frost over night. So this fixture was postponed for the third time!
Positions on 31 Jan
1- INTER SHAMROCK RES Pld 12 Pts 26
2- WHITE OAK WANDERERS Pld 11 Pts 25
8- CROFTON PARK Pld 6 Pts 12
February:
With so many fixtures having been postponed throughout the season, Crofton were at least 5 games behind many of the other teams & needed to catch up. Cue the double header. Two 1 hour games, played back to back with the score noted after each hour. Our first ever double header was against a strong House of Fun side that had started the league well & were very well organized. Crofton were without their two regular centre backs Deray Özgü & Polat Cambulat but stand ins Akay Mustafa & Damien Sexton had no problems filling in their spaces. Both games were very tight & almost identical. Crofton took the lead in both but HoF equalised. As the games were coming to an end, Serkan Mehmet popped up in the dying minutes of each game to win the tie for his side & pick up a valuable 6 points.
A top of the table clash saw White Oak beat Inter Shamrock 2-1.
The Quarter Final of the Junior Cup was also played this month as we were drawn against FC Lefke. Crofton dominated most of the match & were rewarded in the second half when Serkan Mehmet made it 1-0. Polat Cambulat netted his first for the club with 15mins remaining to make it 2-0 & send Crofton into the Semi Final!
Positions on 28 Feb
1- WHITE OAK WANDERERS Pld 13 Pts 31
2- INTER SHAMROCK RES Pld 14 Pts 29
7- CROFTON PARK Pld 8 Pts 18
March:
This was a month full of double headers for the club as we had three scheduled! We knew that we had to pick up as many points as we could to stay in contention for the title. Second from bottom side Shooters Hill were up first. After taking a 2-0 lead with goals from Atilla Yasar & Erkan Senol, Crofton looked to be on their way to victory in the first game. However, a late fight back from Shooters saw the game end 2-2 with the equalizer being scored with 15secs remaining! Crofton heads dropped as everyone knew this was a valuable 2 points lost. Shooters took a surprise lead in the first 5mins of the second game to shock Crofton even more. But this was the wake up call we needed & we went on to win the game 6-2, Serkan Mehmet netting 4!
Next up was an away trip to struggling Eltham Town ‘C’. Two early goals from the home side & a poor display from Crofton saw us shockingly lose the first game 2-1. Knowing that a win was needed in the next game, the team’s overall effort & performance improved & the introduction of Can Ürmen changed the game. Crofton ran out 3-1 winners.
The final double header of March was away to league leaders White Oak. This was a very important fixture for both teams. The Oak could extend their league over Crofton & other rivals while Crofton could gain even more ground on the teams above, knowing there were still games in hand to play. Crofton started the game with all guns blazing & continued at the same tempo for the full 60mins of the first match. White Oak were stunned & couldn’t handle the pressure. The league leaders’ defence was ripped apart as we amazingly ran out 8-0 winners in what was one of the best performances of the season, if not the best. The only downside to the game was when striker Serkan Mehmet limped off with a hamstring injury in the first half. Crofton Park maybe put too much effort into the first game as fatigue showed very early on in the second game. White Oak surprisingly took a 2-0 lead into half time after goals from a corner & the penalty spot. Anyone who has seen us play should never write us off as our famous fighting spirit came into action. An excellent performance in the second half from Devran Mehmet saw him score 2 goals late on & bring the game level to 2-2. Erkan Senol could have won the game in the dying seconds but shot wide from close range with only the keeper to beat. Amazingly, Atilla Yasar assisted almost every single goal over the two games!
So Crofton collected a valuable 11 points in March. So too surprisingly, did Shooters Hill. A draw against Honor Oak was followed by two shock wins against House of Fun in a double header. Another team who enjoyed a successful month was the improving Eltham Town ‘D’, who collected 10 points. 4 of those were from the double header against fellow title contenders Burgess United.
The last Sunday of the month was Cup Semi Final day. In the earlier kick off, Stanley Lions thrashed Millers 11-2 to book their place in the final. Crofton were hoping to join them & go all the way this time round. A difficult Inter Shamrock side stood in our way. The first half was a close affair & there were very few chances. With top scorer Serkan Mehmet out through injury, things got worse as strike partner Atilla Yasar had to come off early in the second half. The deadlock was broken midway through the half as Inter Shamrock took the lead. Their celebrations were short lived however as Can Ürmen equalised shortly after & the game ended 1-1. The match turned into a fierce battle in extra time with players from both teams showing they weren’t afraid to put their boot in. Captain Az Azmi made a run into the penalty box & was brought down by the opposition defender. While Crofton waited for a penalty to be awarded, the referee waved play on. With just over 5mins remaining, the pacey Shamrock striker latched onto a long ball cleared from his own defence & sprinted towards the goal. Damien Sexton brought the striker down just outside the penalty area but the linesman awarded a penalty! Crofton were infuriated but nothing could be done. Shamrock’s captain stepped up to take the penalty & scored. The referee ordered a re-take as players encroached the box. The pressure was on the captain to reproduce the same finish. Keeper Zubie Hassan pulled off a fine save this time round but not one Crofton player followed the rebound in & the Shamrock attacker tapped the ball in from close range. Crofton’s Cup dream was sadly over.
Positions on 28 Mar
1- ELTHAM TOWN ‘D’ Pld 18 Pts 37
2- WHITE OAK WANDERERS Pld 17 Pts 35
7- CROFTON PARK Pld 14 Pts 29
April:
Millers visited Catford Pitz on Easter Sunday & stunned the Red & Black Army with two early goals. Crofton were up against it & things didn’t get any better when player manager Akay Mustafa went off injured. Despite some good football being played & plenty of chances falling our way, Millers ran out 3-2 winners & were the only team to do the double over us.
Another two double headers were next & we knew we had to make them count. With the season coming to an end, we still had a huge advantage over the teams above us as we had four games in hand, with the difference in points from first place being 11. The rescheduled matches against second from bottom Bacons College Reserves were first. They proved to be a very stubborn side & we weren’t performing at our best. However, the deadlock was broken & we won the first game 1-0. The second game was a more comfortable affair as Bacons began to tire. Crofton picked up a 3-0 win & an important 6 points.
Inter Shamrock Reserves were up next & we were looking to exact revenge on the side that beat us in the Cup Semi Final the previous month. Shamrock had been top of the table for most of the season & this was by far our toughest fixture to date, & one of the most important. Crofton started very well & were playing some excellent football, enjoying most of the possession in a tight & fiery encounter. Winger Can Ürmen popped up to score another important goal & the side fully deserved it. Tempers began to flare & Crofton began to lose concentration in the last 15mins. We were almost punished when the Shamrock striker had a good attempt at goal come back off the post with literally seconds remaining. Luck this time was on our side & we won the match 1-0. The second match began the way the first ended with both teams battling as if their lives depended on it! Captain Az Azmi scored an excellent solo goal in the first half to put Crofton in the lead again. His celebration will long be remembered! Shamrock equalised midway through the second half & the game looked to be heading for a draw. In the dying minutes, defender Polat Cambulat lofted a ball up field & found Atilla Yasar who put the ball into the back of the net to end the game 2-1 & send Crofton players & fans wild. This was a huge win for the club & edged us even closer to the league title as we leapfrogged Shamrock in the table.
Crofton visited league leaders Eltham Town ‘D’ the following week in what was a game to forget. The whole Eltham team differed to the one we faced earlier in the season & it was obvious that these players were unlicensed & had been taken from their senior teams. This made all the difference & Eltham raced into an early 2-0 lead. Crofton couldn’t get into the game & weren’t performing well. Goals 3 & 4 arrived before half time & heads had dropped as there was no way back. Despite a brave effort in the second half, the match ended 5-1.
Despite the two defeats in April, Crofton still managed to pick up a massive 12 points & still had the advantage over the other teams. Eltham Town ‘D’, Inter Shamrock & Burgess United were still involved in the championship race as they all picked up a respectable amount of points. White Oak’s title hopes virtually ended this month as they only managed to collect 1 point out of 4 games. A side that were strong from the start & were in the top 2 for most of the season lost form at the most crucial time & it cost them.
Positions on 25 Apr
1- ELTHAM TOWN ‘D’ Pld 22 Pts 44
2- CROFTON PARK Pld 20 Pts 41
3- BURGESS UNITED Pld 21 Pts 40
May:
So the title challenge headed into the final month of the season & it was Crofton Park’s to lose. Burgess United were on fine form & we knew that any slip up would give them the advantage.
Some random heavy rain on the first weekend of May resulted in a lot of games being cancelled including ours against L.I.C. This didn’t help as it meant that another game had to be rescheduled in the space of a few weeks. We were away to derby rivals Honor Oak the following week, this time hammering them 7-0!
Burgess United were next in a midweek fixture. At the time this was a possible title deciding match. Going into the game, Crofton were joint top with Eltham Town ‘D’ on 44 points with a game in hand, while Burgess were 4 behind having played the same amount. Crofton struggled to get into the game & were punished for some slack defending midway through the first half when the Burgess striker put his side 1-0 up. Minutes later, the scores were level after Serkan Mehmet smashed home a free kick inside the penalty box after the Burgess keeper had picked up a back pass. The match continued to be a tight & ferocious affair. It didn’t help that no decisions went our way & the referee topped off a terrible performance by harshly sending off Serhan Mehmet for a second yellow card with 25mins still remaining. The opposition now began to take charge of the game & were rewarded with a second goal after more poor defending. Burgess then had a man sent off for dangerous play but this made no difference as at the same time Ozzie Ahmet picked up an injury which forced him off leaving Crofton to play the last 10mins of the game with 9 men as all substitutions had been made. The match ended 2-1. The club now knew that maximum points were needed in the last 2 games. Any slip up could hand the title to Eltham or Burgess.
Our penultimate game of the season was away to SL All Stars, a fixture which had been postponed 3 times during the course of the season! Having already beaten them 7-0 & 4-1 earlier in the season, we knocked another 12 past them without reply to record the biggest win in the club’s history. The scoreline was important as it meant that Crofton now had the best goal difference in the league, something that the title could be decided on. Serkan Mehmet notably scored a handful of goals.
On the same day, title rivals Burgess picked up another win against White Oak but league leaders Eltham Town fell 5-2 at home to Inter Shamrock. This meant that Crofton Park were now league leaders, a point clear of Burgess & 3 ahead of Eltham.
Burgess’ last game of the season was played a few days later in a midweek fixture, a game which they won 4-2. This result sent them top of the league, 2 points clear of Crofton having played a game more.
The final day of the season arrived on 23rd May. Anything but a win would hand the title to Burgess. Our opponents were L.I.C., a team who we didn’t boast a good record against, a team who had broken our hearts last season in the Junior Cup final. Could they ruin Crofton Park’s big day once again? L.I.C. had nothing but pride to play for after a disappointing season & they proved to be a difficult side to break down once the game began. Crofton were on top to start with but nerves & panic slowly began to kick in as we searched for that important goal. This allowed L.I.C. to get into the game more & create a few chances themselves. Both sides failed to score in the first half which meant that Crofton had to come up with something for the remaining 45mins. The title contenders kept plucking away & Serkan Mehmet finally broke the deadlock shortly after the break to breathe a huge sigh of relief into his side. A relaxed & more confident Crofton side now took full control of the game & once the second goal arrived, the floodgates opened. A fantastic second half performance ended with the Red & Black Army winning the match 7-0! The champagne was out as Crofton Park players & fans celebrated as the side were deservedly crowned Junior One champions after a long & hard fought season.
Positions on 23 May
1- CROFTON PARK Pld 24 Pts 50
2- BURGESS UNITED Pld 24 Pts 49
3- ELTHAM TOWN ‘D’ Pld 24 Pts 47
Some stats worthy of noting for the 2009/10 season:
- Crofton Park won the most games (16)
- conceded the least goals (32)
- had the best goal difference (+46)
- goalkeeper Zubie Hassan had the most clean sheets (9)
- Serkan Mehmet finished the club’s top goalscorer (28)
- Serhan Mehmet & Atilla Yasar both had the most assists (21)
- Zubie Hassan was voted Sponsor’s Player of the Year
- Serhan Mehmet was voted Players’ Player of the Year
- Deray Özgü was voted Player of the Year
Cem Ürmen