London Titans Football Club

Falcons FC 3 London Titans 4
December 10th 2006
by Francesco Radicati (courtesy Pink Paper)

Tempers ran high on Saturday as Falcons and Titans, two of London’s newest teams, met for a friendly marked by a disallowed goal and several squabbles.

Playing at home, Falcons lost 3-4, thanks to a pair of goals from Richard Nixon and one each from Mat Baker and Tom Andrews. Ian Kehoe, Will Devereux and James Edeki each scored for the home team.

Playing on a muddy, treacherous pitch, the Titans started off stronger, dominating play and attacking high in Falcons’ half. As Edeki and manager Craig Randall adjusted to the pace of the game, though, Falcons created some good chances, including several shots.

But Titans broke through first, when Serge Roche rolled the bar just past the line, only for Falcons’ keeper, Kirk Lewin, to leap onto it. Despite protests from some of the Titans, the referee didn’t see it and waved play on.

The Titans scored shortly afterwards, though, when Lewin deflected a shot straight to Mat Baker, who put it away coolly. Their second came a few minutes later when Nixon ran onto Andrews’ pass and slotted the ball home.

Falcons replied soon after with Kehoe’s run up the field to score, then drew level just before the break with Devereux’s goal. The Titans pulled ahead once more just after the start of the second half, with a header from Andrews that Lewin got to, but it bounced off his hands and into the net.

Although Randall was brought down soon after by Titans’ goalie, the referee didn’t call for a penalty, and just moments later the Titans scored again. Baker’s through-ball found Nixon, who rounded Falcons’ keeper for his second.

The Falcons soon found their pace again to threaten the visitors’ goal. Edeki looked particularly dangerous with a long-range shot that Titans’ goalie did well to deflect. Edeki scored soon after, though, running up the left wing and angling his shot into the right corner for the game’s final goal.

“We’re disappointed, because we know we could do a lot more,” Randall said after the match. “There was no good movement, and there was the muddy pitch, but we had a chance to make it 4-4.” “It was a good game, except for the end of the first half,” said Titans’ manager Ed Connell. “But I thought we deserved to win on balance of play.”