I'll keep this short and sweet, and less emotional than the last match report of the season. The season started well for the 1st XI this year, as we won 3 out of 4 friendlies, losing only to a very competent Old Chigs side that fully deserved to beat us with 10 men. I tried to blend youth with experience - I wasn't sure how to set about getting out of Division 3 - but figured that was as good a place to start as any. The two extremes were Adam Brent being the youngest person ever to play first team football (aged 15 and a half), and Trevor Nicholls, with over 500 first team games behind him.

The younger members of the team also shone at the annual Finchley Six-a-side tournament with a semi-final loss to the eventual winners, being a very respectable result. The highlight of that competition was Neil Palmer bending one into the top corner after a minute and a half in the quarter final and then substituting himself, close to physical exhaustion after 90 seconds running. Also, Chris Sharkey was looking like a good prospect - and although we were losing him to Loughborough University for his first year - he was still to play an important part as the season unfolded.

After the encouraging friendlies we travelled to Brentham on the first day of the season with high hopes - and were lucky to come away with a 3-3 draw to the eventual bottom placed side. So it wasn't going to be as easy as we'd hoped. Some good points from that game were league debuts for Richard Bernstein, who proved to be a revelation throughout the season, Mark Jamieson and Jimmy Keogh. Also Paul Celotto proved his ability to take a head butt from their centre forward - which was nice.

A run of five wins then put Parks in a very commanding position in the league - second to Bank of England, who had played more games and who we had beaten in that 5 game run, with two goals from Dave Pascoe. Pascoe then proceeded to get himself sent off playing for the sixes and banned for five games - which neatly coincided with Paul Goodhew returning from a five game ban, from the end of last season. A centre forward for a centre forward - this management lark is a piece of cake.

The league was going well, but we'd already been knocked out of 2 out of 3 cups, taking a 6-0 pasting at Mill Hill Village, which probably should have been double figures, but Dominic Turner in goal had an absolute blinder. It wasn't a great pitch - but we were beaten by a much better side.

With all the rain over November/December time, the fixtures were backing up and although we were training well, the first game back was always going to be tough. We had four weeks off and then travelled to third placed Kew - who were fired up due to the sad death of one of their first team players. We were no match for them, and came away on the wrong end of a 5-1 thrashing. The 4-4-2 formation that had served us well throughout the start of the season was now leaking goals - and we had to change it quickly. We went to a back three, alternating between Kenny, Celotto, Bernstein and Nicholls for the run in - and tried to free up the three in the centre of midfield.

Another enforced 4 weeks off over New Year - and we were into the double headers. Kew, who had at this stage played and won 8 games were looking very good, and we went there needing to pick up some points. The first game they came out of the blocks like a team with a 100% record, but in a more evenly matched second game we made them drop their first points of the season - easily deserving the 1-1 draw. Kevin Parmenter played particularly well that day, scoring our equalizer and hitting the bar with a powerful free kick a minute from time. It was in this game that we really started showing the team spirit that would serve us well in the last game of the season.

After a disappointing loss to an emergent Old West Citz's who should do very well next year, after merging first teams with Southgate, Parks beat promotion challengers Kew 3-0, and then had the Bank of England game to deal with at the third attempt - the first two being rained off. If we won this game - and our remaining 7 games - then we would go up automatically with Old Lyonians. We lost 2-0. Back to the drawing board. Automatic promotion was now out of our hands - as we finished off the lower placed sides in an emphatic end to the season, we looked to other teams to slip up. And they did.

A mention must go to Chris Sharkey. Although passing is not his strong point, who cares when he is scoring for fun. Eleven goals for him in five games and we were full of confidence going into our promotion deciding last game. You know the rest. Mark Jamieson took a fully deserved player of the year in his first season in the team - a truly outstanding young player with a great future at the club, and we are all looking forward to another season in Division 2. We can build on this year, and who knows go straight through into the top flight. Smudger is offering 10-1 on 1st XI promotion this year, get it on now before Palmer wades in.

My personal awards are as follows:

And the all important:

Review by Tim Cross