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Meanwood lined up for their top of table encounter knowing all too well that a win was likely to propel them into first place. However, a loss on the other hand would sink them back down to the lower reaches of the table. Last time Meanwood met Omar Superstar…Meanwood got hammered. Would it be the same outcome or could Meanwood show just how much times have changed?
Meanwood were unfortunately missing Ayden Fertug through injury as well Dean Bell for their tricky encounter. However, Meanwood still had enough players to pose a challenge and lined up in a strategic formation with Paul Mallian in net, Bissitt, Mckieth and Woody at the back who were instructed to push up and help the lone striker of Gafa. A few fans had turned up to watch this dramatic clash (Jon, Jenna and Dave) and they were expecting nothing else but drama and excitement…and they got it. 
The match started disastrously for Meanwood as they failed to close a player down in the opening seconds who fired home to score the first goal for Omar. Omar's players were then calling on their teammates to "hammer Meanwood again". Pricks! It looked like a sucker punch for Meanwood but they rose to the challenge magnificently and Gafa almost started the fight back when he sent a thunderous shot out of nowhere that hit the post. Fortunately, Bissitt was in top form and he sent a powerful shot that left the keeper helpless to level the scores. Meanwood then fought even harder and Mckieth, Bissitt and Gafa all had efforts on targets. Gafa then gathered the ball and had a shot that was superbly tipped onto the post. Omar's goalkeeper was keeping them in the match and frustrating Meanwood. Meanwhile, nobody looked destined to get past Woody. However, Omar sent another shot goal bound that caught Mallian by surprise and rolled past him to put Omar back into the lead. Fortunately, Meanwood carried on battling and Bissitt almost scored again but Omar's keeper pulled off another superb save. Gafa then sent a long ranged shot goal bound that unfortunately slightly deflected onto the post. It was to prove a difficult and frustrating night for Gafa. The referee blew his whistle for half time and Meanwood were left feeling hard done by after the score was still 2-1 to Omar.
Meanwood went out roaring for the second half but were immediately dealt another huge blow when Omar sent a shot that eluded Paul Mallian to make the score 3-1. Meanwood were finding things difficult as they were struggling to find a way past Omar's keeper who was pulling off superb saves for fun and was a thorn in Meanwood's side all afternoon. However, Woody then charged forward and finally beat Omar's keeper to put Meanwood back into the match. Meanwood then had huge calls for a penalty turned down when an Omar player kicked the ball at least 2 yards in his own box. To add insult to injury, Meanwood then conceded an unfair penalty when Paul Mallian was adjudged to have been out of his area, much to the surprise of everyone else. However, Mallian pulled off a stunning save and stopped a penalty that was heading towards the top corner. Omar had taken the penalty before the whistle as well and had the cheek of saying that Mallian wasn't stood on his line…how he could have stood on his line with a cross bar blocking his attempt is another question entirely. Meanwood then almost levelled the scores through Bissitt who was having a superb game and showed the strength and determination of a warrior. Omar then bizarrely managed to add a fourth when the ball flew off the barrier and spun into the Meanwood goal leaving everyone bemused. This proved to be the final nail in coffin for Meanwood as Omar scored again with five minutes remaining to make the score 5-2. However, there was some justice as Mckieth managed to score to make the score 5-3. It was a very harsh result for Meanwood who felt that they deserved something out the match.  Meanwood's Man Of The Match- Bissitt Bissitt was in superb form today and helped Meanwood muster up a decent performance. He was a strong unmoveable object on the pitch that the Omar players struggled to get the better off. He was an offensive force as well as he ventured up to create chances and was extremely unlucky not to score a hattrick. His work rate was immense as well and he must have been a nightmare to play against. It looks like Bissitt has now finally recovered from his leg injury and is back to his best. Conclusion The result may not have been impressive, but the performance was as every Meanwood player battled hard and were unlucky to be on the losing side. Omar merely had the better luck of the match and there was very little to choose between them. Meanwood showed courage and character to try and get themselves back into the match from the face of diversity and shouldn't be too downhearted. Hopefully, Meanwood will take this performance into their up and coming matches. Next week, Meanwood face Paul Redfearn without the services of Woody. Let's hope that Dean Bell is available to give Meanwood a strong team.
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