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Combined Counties League - Premier Division Match

MATCH REPORT

On yet another wet and very windy night, Chertsey Town needed only to raise a mizzen sail to steer through their Combined Counties League encounter with bottom of the table Wembley at Alwyns Lane. The 2-0 score line in Chertsey’s favour was the same set on the first day of the season at Vale Farm, although the conditions could not have been more different.

It was felt, in that curtain opener, that Town had done well to take all points against a well organised side that wanted to play football. Expectations were far higher for Chertsey fans this time round and although their opponents were still organised and wanted to play football, it was clearer to see why they are struggling to pick up league points, having only collect a meagre seven so far.

An inability to mount sufficiently dangerous situations in the penalty area, coupled with severe lack of bite in the end product resulted in very few chances being created, and the couple that did give promise were squandered. Despite their impotency going forward, they still kept a creditable defensive regime. Despite their lowly position, Wembley, frustratingly for them, tend to fall by the odd goal or two. Chertsey Town added to their frustration with another confident performance that could have seen a doubling of goals scored but was never likely to concede more than one goal at the most.

Town’s line up included Kwabana Agyei for his home debut, sporting the number nine shirt, normally donned by John Pomroy who missed his first game of the season, and indeed for over a year, due to a family commitment. Attacking defender Steve McNamara came in for Ollie Treacher, on a straight swap. Tracher took a place on the bench but came on later in the fray. John Swift also made a rare start in the midfield, following an injury dogged period since signing from Camberley Town in mid October.

Although playing into the fierce squally wind, Chertsey pressed the ball into Wembley territory and it took only a dozen minutes before taking the lead. Decisive movement with ball seemed to be going nowhere until Steve McNamara took charge by racing in from the right, some 30 yards out, to thrust forward through a gap in an otherwise well manned defence top and fire the ball home from ten yards.

Another chance was created not long after when Gavin Bamford crossed the ball. The pass beat Wembley goalkeeper Chucks Aminwe and looked very inviting for Steve Tyson inches from the far post, but he also failed to connect and the ball flew away to safety. Both sides had a tendency to lose possession in the difficult rain laced blustery conditions but it was the home players who had better success in picking up the lose ball and coming out of the tackle.

Back in attack, Chertsey created two more good efforts before the interval when a Bamford dummy opened up a gap for Marcus Moody but his shot swerved wide. Then a very active Tyson captured the ball in the swirling wind to feed Bamford, but his shot was smothered by Aminwe.

Wembley had their best chance of the game after the interval when Glen Garner broke through. His shot was partially saved by Liam Stone but the ball was retarded enough for McNamara to get back and clear before it crossed the line. Let off, Town came back to increase their lead on 66 minutes. Andy Crossley was on the ball to make a foray on the left. The ball was delivered inside where Tyson moved in the finish off at close range.

A period of vagueness crept into Chertsey’s game and they just could not gain proper control of the ball and the visitors enjoyed their best spell by far. Even so, they were unable to penetrate a rock solid defence and hardly made their possession count. This dozen or so minutes midway through the period was eventually blown away in the wind and Town regained the edge.

The two goal lead might have been increased towards the end. A Tyson lob caught out the Lion’s keeper but the ball clipped the upright before going out for a goal kick. Agyei then had two bites of the cherry at close quarters before Aminwe retrieved the wayward ball, receiving a head wound from a fellow defender in the process. That close call was quickly followed by Bamford who also tried a deep lob but again the ball caught the wind and it sailed too high.

Chertsey’s shock defeat at Dorking the previous Tuesday left them eight points adrift from the top of the table but Camberley Town’s lead, following their own subsequent reverses, had helped cut the gap to just three points by the end of the evening. It is not just in politics that a week can be a long time!