Men’s Wednesday First Division Football: Mathletico 12-0 History

Define ‘one sided football match’.

On an autumnal Wednesday afternoon at Wyncote, First Division Champions Mathletico Madrid took on the newly promoted History Boys in an early season clash between 2nd and 7th.

Mathletico came into the game on the back of two very comfortable wins against McNair Old Boys and Politics, with 8 goals scored by Mathletico in each encounter. Mathletico also had the indispensable, goal-scoring behemoth that is Sean Heggarty at their command again. Heggarty was already on 7 goals for the season going into the game.

The History Boys, on the contrary, were disjointed after footballing scoldings from the Christian Union and FTSE XI in which they conceded 10 goals across those two games.

Mathletico started the game brightly with attacks on the History Boys’ goal coming as early as the first minute, Heggarty was the architect of chance after chance in the first few minutes minutes .

And after five minutes Heggarty got his reward. He picked up the ball from 40 yards and almost sauntered through History’s midfield and back four before slotting it away from 12 yards with consummate ease.

This was very much only the beginning of the Mathletico onslaught.

Mathletico could have and should have extended their lead a matter of minutes after Heggarty’s goal, with Mathletico captain, Tom ‘Tim’ Banks, missing a 1 vs. 1 effort in what would be a series of missed chances for him.

Mathletico didn’t have to wait long for their second, however, with the perennially adventurous and some would say ‘greedy’ Danny Sullivan, (nickname ‘The Reputation), getting on the scoresheet with an excellent strike from distance beating the hapless History goalkeeper.

The first half could have been far worse for History if not for some excellent defending from Adam Couzens, twice stopping Heggarty from further adding his name to the scoresheet with two excellent, last-ditch tackles.

By the half-hour mark, Banks could have had a hat-trick if not for poor finishing in front of goal.

Tim’s luck was epitomised by an inadvertent header off of the History goal-line after a goal-bound effort from a Mathletico corner. It wasn’t to be the Mathletico captain’s day in front of goal.

History got back into the game for a ten minute period in which they passed the ball around well and threatened to create opportunities.

History’s most dangerous threat, however, was undoubtedly their forward, Jim Armstrong, who didn’t relent in his efforts to try and get his team back into the game. However, the result of his personal determination was often trivial for Mathletico’s defensive unit.

The goals continued coming for Mathletico as their domination was evident for all to see. Sullivan added his second for 3-0 with a tap-in after excellent work by Sean Heggarty in the 18 yard box and Scott Beckett also got in on the act just before half-time with a well taken strike to make it 4-0.

The second half didn’t change History’s fortunes any and the Mathletico onslaught was relentless.

Image of rare History attack in the Mathletico half.

Heggarty grabbed his brace for 5-0 from a bullet header after a sumptuous free-kick from Beckett on the half-way line.

Sullivan and Erentz swapped from right back to right midfielder a number of times throughout the game and Erentz capitalised on his attacking freedom with a bullet effort from inside the box to make it 6-0.

The goals continued coming and most of Mathletico were trying to get in on the act. Joe Duffy (nicknamed NJ), Mathletico’s left midfielder, made it 7-0 with a wonderful Henry-esque curling shot into the far corner.

The free-kick which lead to Matheltico’s 5th goal.

However, the goal of the day was the effort that marked Heggarty’s hat-trick and Mathletico’s 8th.

Heggarty picked the ball up from the left hand side inside History’s half, he beat three defenders before darting horizontally from the byline into the 18 yard box, dummying the goalkeeper and slotting into an empty net. It was an absolutely sensational goal.

Three more goals followed, including a fourth for Heggarty, an own goal and a brace for Mathletico’s extremely solid left back, Adam Granat.

I managed to speak to Heggarty briefly after the game and asked him for some thoughts on the game and on his and his team’s performance:

“I thought I played pretty well. I’m really happy with the team performance“.

When asked about his already phenomenal  goalscoring record, he said with total modesty:

“11 (goals) in 3 (games)? Yeah, it’s pretty good, I guess. It’s just good to win. But, just make sure you write down that David Erentz was Man of the Match“. 

Despite his four goals and performance that will leave The History Boys sleepless for for the coming weeks, Heggarty still refused to accept the acclaim.

But if Heggarty’s goalscoring record continues, he’ll not only help Mathletico to a second successive First Division title, but he’ll bag personal honours in the newly introduction Campus League top goalscorer awards.

The result leaves Mathletico firmly in 2nd place with a superior goal-difference in the league of +23 and drops History Boys down to rock bottom with a goal difference of -28.

Goalscorers:
Mathletico Madrid: Sean Heggarty (4), Danny Sullivan (2), Scott Beckett, David Erentz, Joe Duffy, Own Goal, Adam Granat (2).

The Tab’s Man of the Match Award: Sean Heggarty
The Tab’s Man of the Match’s Man of the Match  Award: David Erentz