Old Finchleians 1 Accies 2nds 2 (Calvin Lloyd, Mike Foster).

Davenant Wanderers 1 Accies 3rds 6 (Phil Stewart 2, Gio Martelli 2, Andy Tickle, Ben Goodier).

Southgate County 2 Accies 4ths 6 (John Logie 2, Paul Bernard, Adam Mammon, Simon Sparkes, Jamie Hamilton).

Accies 5ths 2 (Mike Epstein 2) Polytechnic 1.

Accies 6ths 1 (Matt Redman) Old Bealonians 1.

Another good day, though not at the top. For the 1sts a frustrating 2-0 loss away to Hale End. Chance after chance went a begging and a match that probably should have finished even went the way of the home side. Whatever that indefinable knack is of converting ability into performance and results still seems to be elusive.

For the 2nds the AFA Cup march continues, a 2-1 hard fought but deserved win away to Old Finchleians taking them into the quarter finals. The team initially settled well in a game of high tempo but found themselves 1-0 down after 15 mins when an invisible forward reappeared as if by magic in the box to confidently strike his team ahead.

In times of difficulty it is often said that help can come from the most unlikely of sources......

That judgement may be a little harsh as the art of maximising goal scoring output from raw natural talent and technical ability has never been shown more in Accies history than in the last two weeks by the veteran defender Lloyd. At last finding some firm turf he could stand up on, he ghosted away from his marker at a corner and gathered the ball confidently as it broke. Appearing to dislocate his shoulder as he sent approaching Finchleian cover running off towards High Barnet, a sweetly struck left foot half volley from the edge of the box was despatched into the top corner. 'Have it' 1-1. The Accies sensed an opportunity to dominate and soon led 2-1 as man mountain Mike Foster soared at the far post to head the Accies ahead. According to the bar staff in the Woodman pub in Highgate, let nobody doubt the vital part Innis Pirrie played in both goals.

The inability to capitalise on good chances being regularly created, and therefore kill the game ensured a tense final half hour. Finchleians continued to press attempting to preserve their season's unbeaten record but the Accies held firm without major alarm, indeed taking time out on occasion to engage in friendly footballing tactical debate amongst themselves. Credit for the win should be spread across the 12 players who contributed and worked so hard.

The 3rds faced a league game away to Davenant Wanderers, and a comfortable 6-1 victory was the result. The good record continues.

AFA Cup play for the 4ths and 5ths as well. The 4ths managed to net six for the third time this season away to Southgate County, and for the first time in the presence of the skipper. His place may now be safe. A comfortable 6-2 wins sees them into the last 16. The 5ths win at home to Polytechnic was rather harder won, coming from 1-0 down to win 2-1. For the second year running they've reached the last 16, and a tie straight after New Year is the reward.

The 6ths faced Old Bealonians at Shenley in a league game. Two days earlier Percy MacRae, president of Old Bealonians and a past president of the Southern Olympian League had sadly passed away. This was a game he'd have appreciated - superb spirit and no losers, the score line finishing even. Old Beals had the best of the game for seventy minutes, but failed to score more than a single goal (centre forward rising majestically to bury a corner from the edge of the six yard box - shame it was Spenny Gore into his own net) and in the final twenty minutes the Accies struck back, Spen making amends by laying on the equaliser. Beals can feel slightly aggrieved not to have won, but I think even that would have had Percy smiling. He always understood the game and knew what was really important - the way the game was played mattered just as much, if not more, than the result.

Saturday 23rd November

Accies 2nds 4 (Nat Keast, Calvin Lloyd, Mark McGuigan, Ian Roberts) Hale End Athletic 0 (Ciaran Hickey).

Accies 3rds 8 (Scott Atkinson 3, Phil Stewart 3, Des Fowler, og) Phoenix Old Boys 1.

Accies 6ths 4 (Graham Whitworth 2, Matt Redman, Mark Emmerson) Old Ignatians 2.

A wet one. Rain last weekend, and rain all week meant the 4ths and 5ths both fell victim to the weather, and with the 1sts inactive only games at Shenley surviving.

The 2nds faced Hale End at home, and the match followed a sadly similar pattern to last season. Hale End found themselves reduced to ten players with a caution to boot (sic). The Accies played the football and won 4-0. That says it all really, with Ciaran Hickey collecting his third clean sheet of the season to ruin the Nugget's weekend! Notable amongst the goal scorers - Mark McGuigan on a hot streak, Calvin Lloyd and at the other extreme of the age range, Nat Keast.

The 3rds faced Phoenix Old Boys in the AFA Cup chasing a place in the last sixteen, and turned on the style. Last week's effort was forgotten and the match turned into an 8-1 romp, Scott Atkinson (skipper) and Phil Stewart (vice-skipper) both notching hat tricks. Now that's what I call pulling rank.

For the 6ths a place in the quarters of the LOB Cup up for grabs. Despite the concession of an early goal the Accies always looked in control, though a second half ten minute panic (how does a side panic when leading 4-1??!!) made it a little frantic. One suspects this should have been a perfectly pleasant game, but with a few people taking things a step too far and unchecked, the game slipped out of control, getting rather silly at the end. Oh, and a rare case of someone volunteering to come off at half time. Step forward Mark "I've got my goal and there are women on the sideline" Emmerson - aka the Rat......

Saturday 16th November

Accies 1sts 4 (Steve Hair, Jon Houghton, Gareth Jones, Simon Ball) Old Salvatorians 2.

Accies 3rds 1 (Gio Martelli) Old Salvatorians 3.

Old Aloysians 2 Accies 4ths 6 (Adam Mammon 2, Simon Valentine 2, Paul Bernard, Alex Parfitt).

Accies 6ths 4 (Chris Coates 2, Matt Redman, Nick Reed) Enfield Old Grammarians 1.

Accies Veterans 1 (Mark McGuigan) Upminster 2.

AFA Cup day, and the first match of the campaign for the 1sts and a place in the quarters up for grabs for the 6ths. Both games successfully negiotiated.

The 1sts, at home to Old Salvatorians turned around 2-0 up and apparently strolling, before allowing Salvatorians back into the game. At 2-2 a penalty was awarded to the Accies, and with Dan Chantler away in Australia, Steve "captain for the day" Hair made the decision that Steve Hair should take it. Funny that! Duly despatched the Accies cruised on to a 4-2 win.

The 3rds continued the season's disappointing pattern in the LOB Cups, losing 3-1 at home to Salvatorians. Suffice to say it was a collective bad day at the office, with the whole team contributing to the collective ennui. Nuff said.

Dan Willoughby's 4th team march on, and probably only one piece needs adding to complete the jigsaw. If they can just find a way of keeping Dan away. For the second time this season the skipper was missing, and for the second time they scored six, this time away to Aloysians. Can't argue with the facts.

For the 6ths a last 16 AFA Intermediate Novets Cup tie, against an apparently non-existent Enfield Old Grammarians 6ths. They'd withdrawn from the league, yet turned up with 13 players for a cup tie. The result game was in little doubt, with the Accies hitting top form and Enfield struggling to make an impact. The Accies won 4-1 and Enfield scored the consolation with minutes to go. If Enfield hadn't already disbanded their 6th team, conceding twice to Chris Coates would've been the final straw.

Last, and often least, The Optimists. A home fixture against Upminster, and good to see that age and maturity haven't permeated to those who really ought to know better. A late kickoff caused by Allan Price (claiming traffic, though also spotted staggering out of a UCL student bar at 11.30pm the previous night) condemned the game to finish in the gathering gloom as the fog rolled in on the final minutes and the Accies chances. 1-0 up with twenty minutes to go the Accies subsided to lose 2-1.

On a brighter note, Pete "I'm not risking a warmup this time" Clothier survived the whole game in his return to outfield play, and had he saved some of the energy expended on abusing the referee might be feeling a little better on Sunday morning......... 

Saturday 9th November

Old Josephians 3 Accies 2nds 4 (Simon Vaughan, Mark McGuigan, Innis Pirrie, Ian Roberts).

Accies 3rds 1 (Scott Atkinson) Ravenscroft Old Boys 1.

Accies 4ths 1 (Adam Mammon) Queen Mary College Old Boys 4.

Egbertians 2 Accies 5ths 4 (Mario Ramirez, Serge Sollo, Paolo Imbrauglio, Julian Courtney-Stubbs).

Accies 6ths 1 (Matt Redman) Enfield Old Grammarians 2.

No fixture for the 1sts, so the 2nds led the way with their AFA cup run continuing, a 4-3 away win to Old Josephians. For the 3rds a hard fought draw at home to Ravenscroft Old Boys. Reduced to ten men by injury after five minutes, and without a substitute, they battled hard to secure a point against opposition seemingly keen on reducing the numbers further. Nice people.

For the 4ths the first defeat of the season, and resoundingly so against Queen Mary College Old Boys. The 5ths continued the club's good run in the AFA Cups, winning 4-2 away to Egbertians (how many times have we removed Egbertians from cups this year).

For the 6ths another loss by the old goal, and probably not a welcome back for their errant keeper. 1-0 down at halftime despite having the majority of possession the equaliser came early in the second half. Yet against the run of play Enfield broke away and scored the winner via a keeping error with 20 minutes to go. Pressure as the Accies might, that goalscoring knack just isn't there and last season's "winning belief" remains elusive.

Saturday 2nd November

Old Wilsonians 3 Accies 1sts 3 (Jon Houghton 2, Simon Ball).

Old Aloysians 2 Accies 2nds 1 (Steve Murden).

Accies 3rds 10 (Ben Goodier 4, Scott Atkinson 3, Iain Wagstaff, Martin Hacking, Phil Stewart ) Egbertians 2.

Accies 4ths 3 (Alex Parfitt, Simon Sparkes, Paul Bernard) Old Edmontonians 1.

Accies 5ths 4 (Mike Epstein 2, Mark Hanlon, Paolo Imbrauglio) Old Woodhouseians 0 (Bobby Butlin).

Accies 6ths 5 (Spencer Gore 3, Matt Redman, Nick Reed) Old Bealonians 3 (after extra time).

Groundhog day for the 1sts - but Old Wilsonians or Old Danes? Old Wilsonians the opposition, but a scoreline the same as Old Danes - 3-1 down with 15 minutes to go and snatching a point in the final minute. For the 2nds a second consecutive loss, this time in the LOB Cup away to Aloysians. On tight pitches away from Shenley there's some learning to be done.

The four remaining games at Shenley. For the 3rds a bizarre, yet comfy AFA win over Egbertians. Despite only leading 3-2 at halftime (Scott, the phrase you were kindly didn't use at half time to describe the first goal was "s##t keeping"), mainly courtesy of the Turtle, Egbertians were on the verge of imploding and second half did so. Arguing with the referee, with each other, and generally anything that avoided playing the Accies at football they finished with eight players (one sent off, one hobbled off, one walked off sulking). Amidst the ensuing turkey shoot Ben Goodier netted four and Scott Atkinson a hat-trick to extend Ben's lead over Scott in the Golden Boot - Ben has much to learn about the natural order of things in the Accies 3rds!!

For the 4ths a rather nastier game in the AFA Cup - with Edmontonians showing much of the same attitude, but deciding to take it entirely out on the Accies. Edmontonians finished with nine players, two sent off, and fortunately no Accies in hospital. Nice people.

Groundhog day for the 5ths again, with their third game of the (young) season against Old Woodhouseians, and a third win. One suspects Woods have seen quite enough of us.