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Combined Counties League - Premier Division Match

MATCH REPORT

Chertsey Town's squad is evolving fast at the moment and on Saturday's evidence at less than sunny Ash United, for the good. The foul weather had a major influence on events, proved by the fact that eight of the game's nine goals rained in on the same net. Only laundry staff, from the Chertsey camp, will not have been delighted with events for they would have had their work cut out to return the mud soaked kit back to prime condition!
 
Indeed, the truly awful conditions contributed in a strange way to the entertainment and encouraged a depth of character not previously seen from the Chertsey players this season. Trailing by two goals at the interval, Town came back strongly to hammer in five goals in the second half to underline why they are still the league's top scoring team. One new face was included in the Chertsey line up. Aaron McLeish made a significant impact with speed on the flanks and two goals, the first being of the highest quality.
 
The game started in gentle drizzle along with a breeze following the length of the Ash pitch. This did not seem significant at the outset and even at half time when the rain had increased in unison with wind velocity, it did not appear to be such an influential factor. The perception must have been faulty for, being two goals down at the break, it looked like being a hard task in retrieving the situation for Chertsey but the job was emphatically done with plenty to spare.
 
Most of the first half saw the ball confined mainly to just inside the Chertsey half and although Ash United enjoyed much of the possession, they rarely looked like breaking through. Meanwhile, Chertsey, with their first meaningful attack, took the lead with what turned out to be the best goal of the exchange which was no mean feat given the score line.
 
McLeish broke along the right wing, cut in, and then fired home a shot from outside the side of the penalty area into the top far corner of the Ash net off the fingertips of goalkeeper Paul Fitzpatrick. The 12th minute success marked only a brief excursion into the deeper recesses of the home side's defences and Ash soon regained the ascendancy with two goals in quick succession on 17 and 18 minutes respectively.
 
The first of this double came from the boot of Alan Hanning, when unmarked, struck the ball low ten yards out off a corner from the right. The next was from ball work through the increasingly sticky middle which opened up Town's loose defence at that moment allowing Scott Cannie to fire past Paul Smith in goal.
 
Chertsey defenders generally worked hard but had great difficulty in clearing the ball to set up good attacks. More middle of the park football ensued and although the Chertsey goal was well defended in the main, a further set back came two minutes before the break when Luke Allegro delivered a narrowly aimed corner kick, this time from the left. The ball shot into the Chertsey goalmouth where Smith was caught out to become the only other player to touch the ball before it entered the far side of the net, to give the home side a useful interval cushion.
 
Fortunes were completely reversed on the turnaround for it was Chertsey who pressed hard in attack to look even more dangerous than their opponents did earlier on. It took only eight minutes for play for the damage inflicted in the first half to be repaired when Gavin Bolger finished off some high class approach work involving a series of ten yard passes.
 
Fearful of an Ash breakout, Chertsey played a patient game but still maintained pressure in the midfield which paid off just after the hour when John Pomroy and Mu Maan combined well to set up the equaliser that Maan executed with an eight yard shot into the Ash net. The conditions worsened by the minute with heavy rain encouraging mistakes and it was increasingly obvious that it would be the side that made the least the more likely to take the points.
 
Chertsey was that side and they were able to take the lead when a hand ball in the penalty area resulted in John Pomroy putting the spot kick away for his side to retake the lead on 74 minutes. Up to that point, Ash hardly emerged from their own half but going behind stung them into greater urgency. However, resolute defending from a Chertsey side showing newfound belief and resolution halted an Ash revival.
 
Last ditch tackles and blocks stopped the real prospect of a fourth Ash goal and a nervy dozen minutes was endured by Chertsey's rain sodden support. Home supporters also had moments of dread for Chertsey were far from being a spent force with a break away by Hinga Amara that should have alerted the danger of pressing forward too much despite his shot being unsuccessful.
 
This position was underlined on 88 minutes when Town looked to have made the game safe with Kevin Cooper guiding the ball home after receiving a feed from the right flank. Ash had one more go at the Chertsey penalty area but it had become too late to influence the destination of the league points. Chertsey finished off in style a minute from time with McLeish again getting his name on the score sheet, this time in less spectacular fashion with Ash's defence qualities now more porous than their battered pitch.
 
This was the third time Chertsey has knocked in six goals in a match this season but more satisfying was that grit and determination, particularly in defence and the midfield, was more noticeable than has been seen to date. A lack of deep desire may have previously been evident from the Alwyns Lane outfit, even in victory, but Saturday's performance combined both technical superiority and character to set up this well deserved win.