Goals: Pollard 12,78

Deal Town FC play in the Kent League - Premier Division

MATCH REPORT

A reality check was imposed by visitors Deal Town at Alwyns Lane on Saturday in the opening of this season's FA Cup programme. Chertsey may have dominated in their first two league fixtures but they found more resistance from the Kent League side. The lead exchanged twice in a strangely muted contest but equilibrium was established by the time the 90 minute mark was reached.

Influential striker Darren Dobinson and midfield engine Wayne Noad were unavailable and Dobinson, in particular, was missed in the finishing touches that were needed to complete the ample volume decisive forward movement, particularly after the interval, but it was uncharacteristic defending lapses that was the key that turned this tie into stalemate and a replay.

John Pomroy hit another two goals to take his tally to six in three outings. His brace came either side of the interval to turnover Deal's early lead and flip the tie upside down by putting his side into a slender lead. The margin between the two sides was always slender but it was Chertsey who showed more technical excellence and synergy but lacked enough edge to sink their opponents in the final third of the game when the opportunity was at its greatest.

Goalkeeper Dave Tidy was tested by Deal Town early on but saved well in an exposed position. Soon after, Steve Gibson stole the ball from a hesitant Deal defender to set up Paul Brooker but his shot went just wide.

Tidy was again in the thick of it when a break out from Deal on the right became extremely dangerous when Marcus Moody slipped in the ball chase. The ball was taken on to the Chertsey goal line. Tidy got his hand to the ball as it was clipped back but was unable to halt its momentum allowing Mark Pollard to fire the ball home for a 12th minute lead.

Chertsey's game looked nervous for a while. Long passes went astray and short movement tended to lack conviction allowing Deal bonus possession time. More nerves were jangled on 28 minutes when Moody was forced to clear the ball off his own line but Chertsey began to gel with a Leon Johnson feeding Lee O'Leary whose shot went narrowly wide for the Surrey's side their closest effort to that point.

Matters tangibly improved for the hosts three minutes from the interval as the Chertsey wagon, at last, got going. The ball was pumped through the middle. Deal goalkeeper Paul Rogers was unable to scoop it up and it fell to Johnson. His strike was hit away by a defender but from the rebound and Rogers still out of position, Pomroy fired the ball home for a half time equaliser.

Pomroy again made his mark two minutes into the second half in clipping the ball over the line with a side foot volley from a John Hamsher right wing cross. Rogers hooked the ball out of his goal but the in position linesman flagged that the ball had broken the line, just, so that Chertsey took the lead.

The home side then looked totally in control and shredded the Deal midfield but without making their supremacy tell with what should have been another goal to give an unassailable lead. The goal never came and a form of complacency began to take hold as play was pushed further into Chertsey territory. Defending still looked a comfortable task but then, in the 78th minute, Deal struck back with Pollard being the successful striker once more.

Possession by normally steady John Hamsher was lost near the corner flag. The ball was then worked inside from the left and then fired into the roof of the Chertsey net by Pollard giving Tidy no chance to thwart an awkward midweek trip to East Kent where Deal, who acknowledged that Chertsey looked the smoother side, will still fancy their chances to progress and win a trip to Sittinbourne in the next round.

Chertsey Town Team:

Deal Town Team: