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Combined Counties League - Premier Division Match

MATCH REPORT

Putting firmly the previous week's dive in fortunes behind them, Chertsey Town bounced back strongly against top of the table Epsom & Ewell, a side that had just gone through a spell of nine wins over the past ten games, to inflict only their second league defeat of the season to revive their flagging campaign. The win was well deserved and was more comfortable than the narrow score line suggested.
 
But some things do not change! Town still contrived to fall behind with a sucker punch Epsom breakaway raid in the 7th minute. The scenario was like suffering from deja-vue once again except that the lead up to Epsom's lead really had happened before; all too often. It came out of a spell of Chertsey attack when the ball was released quickly to Leon White who turned his marker and fired in a low strike that Josh Lennie got down well to and parried. As luck would have it, the ball sped out right into the path of Dale Marvell who stole a march on Chertsey's defending and hit the ball home from ten yards.
 
Lennie had already made one significant save but from then on his role became less crucial with only a couple of half chances coming his way during the remainder of the first half and only mopping up operations in the second. His opposite number was not required for stop stopping duties in the first half despite three good chances for an equaliser being created. Aaron McLeish's free header went wide, then Kevin Copper, on for defender Nick Cosser whose blooded shirt signalled an early exit to the contest with a cracked head, side footed a cross from the left over the bar.
 
Cooper then laid on a cross for the right that Luke Muldowney met with his head but that too shot away just off target. That effort, five minutes from the break heralded a sustained period of attack which, although failing to produce a goal at that time, eventually led to a Chertsey dominated second half during which play opened up to a degree not seen for some weeks with space and speed being more prevalent.
 
Marcus Moody had a shot deflected but then the equaliser, on 54 minutes, arrived to no-one's great surprise. A move, shifted to the right to Mark Waters, was centred into the Epsom goal area where midfield debutante Glenn Boosey stabbed the ball home even though the thrust was not cleanly exercised. Another 15 minutes of mostly Chertsey inspired play went by before the lead was exchanged.
 
The goal was hotly disputed for offside but arose from a ball that was cut back from the goal line. McLeish and John Pomroy, almost smothered by Epsom defenders in a confused goal mouth made attempts at converting the cross. They was thwarted but Cooper was not as he collected the ricochet off a defender close in to sweep the ball home.
 
Epsom's Kyle Hough made good position on a rare excursion to the other end of the park but fired his half chance comfortably over the Chertsey cross bar as the only potential irritant for a new look Town who finished off the game with directness and pace but with no further goals much to the chagrin of Pomroy whose proven goal scoring acumen was not allowed to be fully exploited, a victim of a dearth of service in the latter stages.There was even enough margin spare to test Under 18 regular Frankie Driver for a ten minute spell on the park.