FOOTBALL: FC KHALSA V MELTON MOWBRAY
28.08.09

FC Khalsa were playing at home at Judgemeadow Community College entertaining Melton Mowbray in the Everards Senior League Division 1. Now we know Melton Mowbrays pork pies are delicious but what is their football like? The game began scrappily and the Khalsa skipper was involved in an altercation after 5 minutes. The first chance came to Melton, a lob that went wide followed by a volley also wide.

After 15 minutes and against the run of play, a low left foot finish from Stefan White put FC Khalsa in front. ‘We're not on it at the moment' said the Melton manager who then had a claim for a penalty turned down. Then on 35 minutes, following an off the ball incident, the Khalsa right back R Singh was sent off and Melton's Manning was booked. Shortly before half time, a goalmouth scramble at the Khalsa end resulted in a shot coming back off the post and Khalsa had a left foot drive tipped round the post at the other end. Did the Khalsa bench fancy another goal? ‘See how it goes. We'll go on the counter attack.' However, shortly into the second half, Stainsby struck a Melton equaliser and they kept possession with some neat passing keeping the ball on the ground. Melton have the edge in the passing department. Their ‘chairman' Sam Ellis happens to be a distant relative of Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis ‘and as tight,' apparently.

Hero turns to villain

After a last ditch Khalsa tackle prevented a Melton second goal, and with a good twenty minutes still remaining, the Melton scorer Stainsby was sent off for arguing with the referee. ‘I ain't playing for this side again,' he was heard to remark trudging off the field. A Melton free-kick then went narrowly over the bar. Towards the end of the match, the Khalsa number 3 created nice space on a run forward but curled a mile over. The game finished 1-1.