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Combined Counties League - Premier Division Match

MATCH REPORT

Chertsey Town strengthened its position at the top of the Combined Counties League table with a fourth successive win, this time at Bedfont on Bank Holiday Monday. The win was emphatic enough but lessons had to learned that sides of lesser ability are going to employ alternative tactics.
 
Bedfont's stance earned them five yellow cards and the manager being ejected from his dugout. This may have temporarily brought them back from dead, as it were; having gone three goals down, but it was never going to snatch the ultimate initiative. Two successfully taken penalty kicks brought them back to within a goal of equalising when they never looked like scoring in open play, but a fourth, scored 15 minutes from time settled things down for a quieter conclusion to the game than seemed likely at one stage.
 
Paul Brooker broke down in the warm up which put Leon Johnson into the starting line up which turned out to be an inspired choice as he set up one goal and scored two others. Newcomer Ryan Gray again made the team, to remain on the park until Kris Chin came on in the final minutes. John Hamsher also returned to the starting line up. Wayne Noad came on 18 minutes from time to ease Darren Dobinson's strain as he still was not fully fit.
 
Chertsey began as if with a mission to build up another six goal win and was well on course in the first quarter of an hour. Two quick goals were notched; both after the Bedfont defence had been ripped apart, leaving virtual tap-ins for John Pomroy off a Johnson pass on ten minutes, and then Johnson himself four minutes later.
 
It seemed all too easy which where a problem arose in that passing became to deft and delicate, as were shots at goal with Pomroy twice unsuccessful in trying to place an inch perfect delivery when an uncompromising blast at relatively short range might have brought more reward. However, another slice through the home defence, courtesy of Johnson and Dobinson, set up another Pomroy goal at short range on the half hour.
 
Play was not all in Chertsey's favour for much midfield possession was enjoyed by the robust Bedfont midfield but next to nothing came of this advantage until the 40th minute when an untimely challenge by Luke Muldowney resulted in a penalty kick that was put away by Matthew Harrison.
 
The second half resumed much in the same manner with the heat of Bedfont dimming the light of Chertsey. Again, our defence looked comfortable but again, this time prompted by the linesman, a penalty kick was awarded by a hesitant referee for hand ball against John Hamsher, despite the ball being blasted at him at short range. This time Russell Minor put the spot kick away.
 
Narrowing the gap to just one goal fired up the home side as if raw meat had been thrown into the arena and although they pressed the approaches to the Chertsey penalty area, the only mark they made at this stage was names in the referee's notebook. That seemed an ineffectual calming tool but what did work was another Chertsey goal. A long clearance found Dobinson. He set up Johnson for a 75th minute cross field lob into goalkeeper Dean Banks' far side net to underline just where the points ought to be heading.
 
Ironically, a tamed Bedfont then played their best football of the afternoon, proving that they did not need to play in your face tactics to achieve results. Town still ran out the final quarter of an hour with control and without trauma but at least it made these final minutes a much better footballing spectacle.