A record attendance of 203 saw Peckham welcome Stansfeld (O&B) FC to the Menace this Saturday. The game was a highly anticipated affair with Stansfeld starting the day two places above Peckham in the league.

There was an even more important occasion for the club off the pitch, however. Shortly before kick-off, fans gathered round to listen to a series of inspiring speeches, including from Richard Taylor OBE, about Peckham’s support for the Hope2020 campaign. The campaign, dedicated to the memory of Damilola Taylor, seeks to shine a light on the positive contributions of young people and reduce violence within communities. The event was a poignant reminder of how community football can bring people together to support vital causes, and the guests also launched a new large banner supporting Black Lives Matter. With the speeches concluding, anticipation for kick-off was reaching fever pitch. The Peckham players took the knee before the whistle blew and started the game at a frenetic pace.

The Menace started strongly, passing crisply and retaining a large share of possession. The only thing missing in the first ten minutes from their performance was a killer final ball, with the visitors doing well to shut down space in central areas. The Peckham front three of Herve Mbongue, Bryan Villalba and Marcus Black linked up well and proved a handful for the Stansfeld defence.

Just after 10 minutes, Peckham went close. Out of nowhere, Villalba had a powerful strike parried away from Jack Cray with Peckham going close again from the resulting corner.

Villalba's strike seemed to galvanise the Menace who become even more attacking in their play. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before they would take the lead and sure enough, it was that man Bryan Villalba again, who found the breakthrough. The number 9 latched onto a pass just inside the penalty area and rifled the ball low past the keeper.

After going 1 nil up, Peckham did not allow any complacency to set in and they continued to dominate with Youssef Bouimane shooting just over the bar after Black did well to set him up. Stansfeld did have their moments from set plays but the Menace defence were resolute.
Pressure from the Peckham soon took its toll on the visitors when a misjudged slide tackle took down Mbongue inside the penalty area. Joe Thomas, stepped up and coolly dispatched his penalty, leaving the keeper routed to the spot.

The Menace continued to dominate proceedings in the final ten minutes of the half and were justly rewarded with a goal of the season contender from Herve Mbongue. Finding himself 25 yards from the goal, he cut in past a defender and rocketed in a shot which most keepers in the Premier League would have struggled to stop.

Peckham continued to pass well and fashion chances before the break, with Stansfeld having their best chance of staying in the game just before the half-time whistle, with a comfortable save by George Legg.

Second half
The Menace nearly scored straight away after the restart with the Jack Cray having to pull of a smart save with his legs. Moments later, Peckham broke through the Stansfeld defence once again, with Marcus Black sending the home fans into ecstasy with a clinical finish after being through on goal.

With the score at 4-0, the Menace would have been forgiven for a slight drop in intensity, but they continued to dictate play. Stansfeld threatened however, as they looked for a way back into the game. Charlie Egleton had to be alert to snuff out a dangerous move from the visitors in the penalty area. Shortly after, they nearly had the vital goal that they needed with a chance sailing over the bar when the Menace failed to clear their lines after a corner.

But any hope for the visitors of making an unlikely comeback was snuffed out when Peckham were awarded another penalty after a mistimed challenge inside the box. Having opened the scoring, Villalba was in no mood to miss out on getting a brace and not even a desperate dive from the keeper could stop him.

At 5-0, the atmosphere at the Menace was electric with Peckham putting on an exhibition of quality football. They nearly had their sixth of the day when Villalba stormed into the box and passed to Mbongue who was unlucky with his outstretched effort. At the other end, Stansfeld had their best chance from open play with a stunning long-range effort clipping the crossbar. There was also controversy when Stansfeld were temporarily reduced to 10 men for dissent and the offending player was sent to the bin for ten minutes. While, the opposition manager was sent off for protesting the decision.

Just when it looked like there wouldn’t be any more time left for drama in the game, Stansfeld were awarded a penalty of their own. However, any fears of the Menace losing their clean sheet, were put to rest by an exceptional diving save from George Legg. As the final whistle blew, the Menace supporters were left with a thrilling victory to savour on a day that that was about more much than just football.

Mary Philip, Peckham Town Manager, said the following about her team’s thrilling victory: ‘What a great game. We have taken our training straight onto the football pitch this week. We had a game plan and we executed right down to the final tee. We deserved to win the game.’

Peckham Town (4-3-3): George Legg; Youseff Bouimane, Elliot Hardisty, Charlie Egleton, Mustafa Hashemi; Joe Thomas, Charlie Egleton, Tidian Barry, Bigna Dias; Herve Mbongue, Bryan Villalba, Marcus Black. Substitutes: Jay Virgo, Kevin Dance, Sabio Nanja