HT 1-2

FT 3-2

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Combined Counties League - Premier Division Match

MATCH REPORT

Confidence took a big knock when Chertsey Town visited one of their main rivals, Epsom & Ewell, in the quest for Combined Counties League points. They made a bright start, shaking off fears of rustiness after an enforced fortnight break, but fell away badly to concede defeat deep into stoppage time.

Their line up was affected by the non availability of three regular team members, Andre DeLisser, Andy Crossley and Jack Francis. The more permanent loss of Matt Francis to Whyteleafe was also felt, but a lack of self belief after the interval resulted in them seeming to defeat themselves, allowing hosts Epsom & Ewell to chip away at what seemed to be a match winning lead.

Town certainly had the lions’ share of the action for the first 40 minutes but then a chair and whip was seemingly produced from the Epsom bench because dominance suddenly turned to submission in the Chertsey ranks and there was little wonder, come the full term of the clash, that all three points were surrendered.

Despite Epsom showing good form to date in the league, it look for all that this was going to be another routine Chertsey Town win. An eight minute lead was opened up with a move through the middle when Steve Goddard and Steve Gibson connected to lay on the ball for John Pomroy to side foot home from eight yards.

Town took control with tight defending although a warning sign was flashed up when Ramzi Benj-Benj was allowed to advance without challenge and fire in a dipping strike from the edge of the box that Liam Stone did well to flick over his cross bar just before the half hour. The initiative still remained with Chertsey and, on 33 minutes, went two up with Goddard on the right lofting a long ball on a counter attack, across to Kevin Lock. He quickly returned it to the centre where Pomroy put it away to reinforce an already commanding situation.

Gibson had earlier taken a bad knock in a clash of heads. He resumed in the game but treatment created seven minutes of added time before the break and it was deep into this stoppage time that the home side began their recovery. The ball was not cleared from the Chertsey lines. The third attempt at creating safety saw the ball fall to Ben Hayward on the edge of the penalty area where he sent it back through a mass of players and into the Chertsey net.

The goal made all the difference after the interval for Epsom & Ewell stepped up their game in direct contrast to Chertsey’s apparent complacency. There were suggestions in the first half that Town’s midfield was not its usual self and this became more apparent as the game advanced. This had the effect of pulling the defence out of position and Epsom were being presented with inviting space to conquer on approach to the visitor’s goal.

It was only their lack of direction and shot selection that stopped them running away with the game. Even when possession was gained, Chertsey players lacked any coherence to mount any effective attack and in desperation passing became progressively longer in nature. Paul Borg in the home goal was not pressured throughout the second half.

Lack of cover at the other end made Stone feeling most vulnerable. He had cause for concern because two Epsom goals arrived with fatal inevitability and in similar style with the Chertsey defence outnumbered on each occasion which was hardly a unique situation during the afternoon. The first of the second half double arrived on 50 minutes with Hayward converting a cross, clipping the foot of the post in execution.

Lengthy treatment on Goddard following a late lunge created more substantial over time which was well advanced when a cross from the left to the far post set up an easy tidy up by Robbie Burns, one of the two forwards being marked by one Chertsey defender in space of Russian Steppes proportions. Only two more minutes of play was allowed by the referee who failed to account for all the time Goddard lay prone but it mattered little.

In fact it probably did Chertsey a favour because any further score was only going to happen at the wrong end of the park for them. Lack of consistency was Town’s undoing last term. This was the first sign of that unwelcome guest returning but an expected reversion to normal status should see the side back on song once more.