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Combined Counties League - Premier Division Match

MATCH REPORT

Team selection was a problem going into Chertsey Town's home league fixture with struggling Hartley Wintney. Six prime players, with Simon Langley and John Hamsher leaving the club, Paul Brooker suspended plus Leon Johnson, Gavin Bolger and Steve Gibson all injured restricted options. However one new face in midfield Mark Waters, from Merstham along with an assured performance by Paul Smith in his opening home game in goal still resulted in a strong side being fielded.
 
Spencer Day had hoped to include central defender Nick Cossar, coming in from Banstead Athletic but the transferring club were tardy with the formalities and the registration could not be completed in time for kick off. He will now have to wait a further 10 days before kicking a ball as he will be cup tied next weekend. The restricted choice gave young home grown defender Paul Bartholomew and midfield Jordon Griffiths further opportunities to establish their places in the squad.
 
Bartholomew started the game but was sacrificed in a tactical switch near halftime to give a greater emphasis in attack whilst Griffiths came on later in the day to replace Darren Dobinson and made a solid contribution, even laying on the final goal. Remmi Sellars also returned to the midfield for his first outing of the season to give a vastly changed outlook to the side that played the previous weekend.
 
These changes perhaps resulted in a prosaic first half that created few goal scoring opportunities but was probably more due to visitors’ Hartley Wintney packing their defence but in stifling Chertsey's ambitions, still looked unlikely to make an impact at the other end of the park. Indeed, it took over a half hour before any glimmer of gaol became evident when Lee O'Leary chipped just wide.
 
Only one other half chance came Town's way when John Pomroy robbed full back Alec Pickering in possession but a lack of urgency resulted in a Hartley Wintney recovery as the ball was knocked inside. Meanwhile, the visitors hardly had a look in at the Chertsey end. Luke Muldowney was again dominant in the midfield and what ever Lee O'Leary, looking more comfortable in his new captain's role, was unable to break up, Wayne Noad mopped up behind to give Chertsey a comfortable, if unrewarded first half.
 
The start of the second half gave little indication of the goal feast that was to come. Hartley Wintney continued to be resolute and disciplined in defence and even had a chance of taking a shock lead but Adam Harrison's firm strike was competently saved by Smith. Although the visitors' defending had kept it shape, constant Chertsey probing began to develop cracks. These cracks turned into fissures, and then ultimate a gaping canyon was hewn open with John Pomroy as the master quarryman.
 
He was unlucky not to open the scoring when his first salvo of the afternoon hit both uprights before the ball was scrambled away. But he could not be stopped on the hour when he poked the ball goal wards and saw it clip off the underside of the bar and over the line after Kevin Cooper had threaded his way through a packed penalty area. The goal had the effect of jemmying open the opposition defence even further and it took only a further eight minutes before the game was completely sealed.
 
It was Pomroy again who, this time, stuck the ball at close range. This was followed up on 75 minutes by Cooper who, collected the ball from Pomroy, struck home from 18 yards. Now becoming demoralised in defence, Hartley Wintney lost their edge which allowed Pomroy to strike again. The 81st minute goal came off a corner and was executed by a sort of back heeled side flip when facing his own goal. Pomroy has scored twice in a match on six occasions already this term but this was his first hat trick of the season.
 
A free kick only three minutes later was hit from 35 yards very low into the kernel of the visitor's defence by Luke Muldowney. O'Leary ran across the path of the ball as it neared the goal to completely fool goalkeeper Kvodys Mindaugas, who allowed the ball to creep in just by the post. The same goalkeeper, two minutes from time, got his hands on another close range Pomroy probe at goal but was unable to stop the ball from finding its target, to leave Harley Wintney well and truly on the rocks and Chertsey Town back in the groove and confident of success in next weekend's FA Vase trip to Hassocks.