NEW COLLEGE manager Mark Teasdale was disappointed to see his youngsters fail to live up to the big occasion as their first-ever FA Vase run came to an end at the hands of Thame United on Saturday.

The student side, playing in the Vase for the first time, were unable to hit the heights of their 6-1 league win against Shortwood United Reserves seven days previous as they were thrashed 4-0 at the Webb’s Wood Stadium.

Boss Teasdale would love to see College continue to be involved the country’s top competitions in future seasons but conceded that his academy players failed to produce a proper account of themselves against Hellenic League Premier Division Thame.

“Yes it was going to be a tough one but maybe I was just being a little bit hopeful from last week’s performance that we’d actually come out and give them a game and unfortunately, it never quite happened,” said Teasdale.

“We weren’t at the races and it was maybe the side from a couple of weeks ago and didn’t do themselves any justice in front of a big crowd.

“It’s an ideal stage to show everybody what the college is about and how we play football - we did that in patches.

“I’m hoping the boys are gutted because it feels like they let themselves down.

“This year, we’re striving to finish as high as we can to get in the FA Cup. The league looks at wins and points and things, and we probably were slightly off last year.

“This year, the way we are, in the bottom half of the table, it makes life difficult to get in that top eight. It’s just trying to find that consistency.”

The visitors threatened first with eight minutes on the clock, with College defender Ryan Morgan making a vital goalline block to prevent Thame’s Ben Connelly side-footing home from Dan Jones’ cross.

Marcus Mealing fired not far wide of the home goal minutes later and the United striker opening the scoring with 16 minutes on the clock, reacting quickest to a high ball before poking an effort on to the post past keeper Alex Swatridge and knocking home the rebound from close range.

The visitors’ Adam Hazell came off the bench early on and tested Swatridge with a low shot from a tight angle and with 25 minutes gone, Thame doubled their lead.

A cut-back from Calvin Evans found the feet of Mealing, who jinked past a challenge before firing low into the bottom left-hand corner for his and his team’s second of the afternoon.

With 36 minutes on the clock, Thame’s Mealing missed the chance to grab his hat-trick as he was picked out by Hazell’s delivery from the right wing but could only smack his header into the ground, with the effort bouncing up and looping over the College crossbar.

And from a Jones free-kick, Dan West volleyed over the bar as the hosts went into the break 2-0 down.

Shortly after half-time, West nodded wide from Evans right-wing cross as the visitors continued to turn the screw before, with less than five minutes of the half gone, Mealing muscled his way into the box, side-stepped the College keeper and laid the ball on to strike partner West to side-foot home and make it 3-0.

Thame’s Mealing played a one-two with Hazell shortly afterwards and blazed over from a dangerous position before David Kinuthia had the students’ first real effort on target with a tame effort from outside the area.

Midway through the half, the visitors’ Mealing finally got his third of the afternoon as Andy Gledhill clipped a ball into the path of Hazell and the winger crossed low to the far post, leaving the Thame striker with a tap-in to make it 4-0.

College goalie Swatridge pulled off a superb double save to deny Mealing’s driven effort and a West strike destined for the top corner before the Thame hat-trick man volleyed not far off-target.

With just over ten minutes to go, Kinuthia fed home substitute Jordan Wilkins, who drew a fine diving save from United goalkeeper Josh Cockerill. Christy Millar followed up but found his finish blocked on the line by a despairing Thame defender.

At the other end, Swatridge blocked a Hazell effort with his legs before another attempt from the ever-dangerous Mealing, this time with his head, was deflected wide at the far post.