Chertsey Town FC: White with blue trim shirt, Blue shorts, white socks
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Combined Counties League Cup - Quarter Finals

MATCH REPORT

As a rain sodden pitch that only just survived to allow this cup tie to be resolved at Dorking’s Meadowbank, but it was Chertsey’s mud splattered John Pomroy who took Bookham to the cleaners with another hat trick and with it, his personal 200 goal milestone for Chertsey Town. The conditions did not give undue concern at the kick off but it was just as well a result was settled within the 90 because extra time would never had got started.

Football can come back to bite the arrogant and complacent, but Pomroy’s decisive intervention set up, from a seemingly inauspicious League Cup quarter final tie, hidden midweek under the storm wracked Surrey Hills, a launch pad to catapult Chertsey Town into the final, that is if the armour of fellow semi finalists, Worcester Park from Division One can be pierced.

Chertsey’s league championship designs are not finished either, although the odds are longer for ultimate success there. League ambitions aside, this bright cup win over Bookham produced only one cloud when warhorse Steve Gibson was stretchered off in the second half with damage to his lower shin, adding to his already niggling hernia problem.

Bookham had a bright first five minutes but from then on there was little doubt which way the tie would go. Playing with the extreme elements at their backs, Chertsey hardly allowed the home side to cross the half way line with any real intent, highlighting the different burden being placed on each goalkeeper. Although it was a case of, ‘No hiding place,’ for both of them, Bookham’s Warren Aburn must have felt the more exposed with the high level of ball activity in his penalty area, In contrast, Michael Lidbury was only exposed, shelter-less, to the unremitting weather.

Having subdued their hosts attack, Chertsey Town’s break through was not long in coming soon after when Paul Brooker, in the 12th minute, crossed for John Pomroy, to unconvincingly stab at the ball which slipped under the body of a bemused Aburn. What with the howling wind and rain all about, It was not exactly the full Champagne moment in which to celebrate a double century but the effect was just the same; it spurred the striker on to more.

Pomroy was on target again as Chertsey took full control but ironically his next shot, although of a much higher quality than that which established the lead, struck Aaron McLeish en-route and faded out for a goal kick. No-one came close to getting in the way of Pomroy’s next goal, which was hit on 31 minutes, not even a defender. Brooker again was the conduit, but the cross was lofted higher and it was the head that provided the hammer as Aburn was again by-passed.

Such was the dominance of the visitors’ defence, It looked very likely that Chertsey would keep a clean sheet (if not kit!) in successive games but the conditions played their part as the ball was lost near the halfway line. The Bookham attack did well in exploiting a threadbare situation and honed in on the Chertsey goal. Lidbury was at last called into action and saved the first point blank range shot but was unable to first smother Russell Hartt’s second attempt.

Coming just five minutes before the interval, the narrowed gap between the two sides, plus playing with the wind behind them spurred Bookham’s moral. But that was shattered a minute after the turnaround when a similar halfway line error set up Aaron McLeish who ran on to fire the ball across the bows of Aburn and in off the far post.

The quality of football was of pleasingly good quality, despite the conditions, and the work rate from both side was high. Bookham never gave up, even when the next blow came on 51 minutes when a free kick, taken by Steve McNamara, on the edge of the box adjacent to the right side goal line was headed home by an unguarded Gavin Bamford to seemingly wrap up the result.

The gap was reduced to two goals in 72nd minute when , almost with their next potent foray into the Chertsey penalty box, save for a free kick that was superbly turned away from the top corner of his et by Lidbury, a series of diagonal passes set up Mark Jarman to give a slight glimmer of hope of a come back, But, the revenges of time, coupled with those of John Pomroy, stifled any thoughts of anything but a Chertsey win when the league’s top striker demonstrated how he has got to that position with a sublime half volley into the to of the Bookham net nine minutes from time, off a stretching left flank cross by McNamara.

John Pomroy may have caught the headlines on the night but the whole Chertsey machine should be applauded in overcoming the conditions, and as well as a never say die Bookham side, in storming through to the penultimate round of the league cup. The performance again boosted hope of, perhaps, still unlikely, but nonetheless feasible, league and cup double. Who knows!