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Combined Counties League - Premier Division Match

MATCH REPORT

Chertsey Town just managed to retain their top of the table position despite dropping two home points to Bookham, an unfancied side but one surprisingly battling towards the top of the league table themselves. Chertsey only had themselves to blame for again, not converting ball playing supremacy into goals. Too often a tendency to either make sure of a good shooting chance being set up before pulling the trigger or an attempt at walking the ball into the net resulted in frustration at only one goal being secured through the 90 minutes.

The signs looked good at the start of the game and as seen so often before, it look only a matter of time before a substantial lead would be built up. But it was not until the 18th minute that an opening goal looked favourite. A double save, first from Ryan Gray then, from the parried rebound, John Pomroy, by Bookham's Tim Brewster was a fine piece of football from both sides.

But it was the opening Chertsey goal should have shown the best way of making the break though; with a direct and incisive attack plan. The ball was quickly progressed along the right wing with a raking Steve Gibson run. He passed inside to Rob Ursell who swiftly relayed the ball forward through a gap to Pomroy who fired strongly past Brewster to create a 26th minute lead.

Chertsey then began to get bogged down with pretty but laboured passing passages that were constantly ending up in up cul-de.sacs, and the Bookham defence, working in great depth, just blocked off Chertsey's attritional attack purely with numbers.

Relying on the break as a tactic paid off just after the half time break for Bookham when a long goal kick through the centre was not dealt with and the ball just cleared the Chertsey back line where Chris Woodward ran on alone to give Kieran Jimmy, making his debut appearance in the Chertsey goal, with no chance.

Chertsey continued to funnel their attack away from the flanks and invariably tried to cut through the centre with nicked and delicate passes. The road towards the Bookham goal became even more congested and there was just not enough room to reward the ball playing attack.

John Pomroy fired in a lob at goal and a header from an awkward stance but both efforts were off target. Paul Brooker broke through but his shot was blocked. John Hamsher came the closest after the interval with a high curling shot that was less than a foot wide with the goalkeeper stranded. Although Chertsey looked the better bet at breaking the deadlock, the chances of this happening became more remote by the minute as their embryonic attacks constantly broke down.

Attempts on goal were too infrequent and lacked enough invention to break down a packed defence that did its job good enough to achieve the away side's plan of coming away from Alwyns Lane undefeated.