HT 0-2

FT 0-2

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Combined Counties League - Premier Division Match

MATCH REPORT

In visiting next to bottom placed Hartley Wintney, Chertsey Town may have arrived with the mind set that this was going to be an easy three points despite the resurgence of two previous wins, home side had just enjoyed. The exchange failed to be a real test for settled Town who were never in any danger of dropping any points, but neither was there any hint that a goal avalanche would bury the struggling hosts.

Luke Muldowney was the main absentee from the side, and will be for some weeks after breaking a toe in the cup game at Merstham. Steve Gibson is not fully fit with hernia problems but this was not apparent throughout his usual industrious effort. Darren Dobinson was the only other absentee, still away from home and not available for football.

A comfort cushion was placed under Chertsey in only the sixth minute when a diagonally lofted ball from Paul Brooker was met by John Pomroy whose back header saw the ball flick into the Hartley Wintney net, to record his 199th in a Chertsey shirt. From then on, only a couple of half chances present themselves. He worked hard in trying to turn against, what was often two attentive markers, but there was little indication his 200th would arrive that day in the nether regions of North Hampshire.

Play was often confined to midfield areas with neither side creating fluid football. Chertsey had the luxury of knowing that any hurried clearance might well find a Hartley player on the half way line but that precious little would be done with it once Michael Lidbury’s goal frame hove into sight. His main danger came from a possible strained neck muscles after see so many long range speculative shot go into orbit well above his cross bar. He was hardly disturbed at all afternoon.

Town played a compact game and had a strangle hold on all areas of the park but were unable to string together any sort of co-ordinated passing patterns, with the ball often exchanging possession. They were good, however, at collecting the second ball as the home side’s first touch ball control was often under stress.

Chertsey’s second goal came on 28 minutes when Stuart Bamford found Pomroy. He fed the ball inside to Leon Johnson who, 25 yards out, steered the ball low, round a defender and into the far corner of the net, well out of the reach of goal keeper Bledian Fetzullahu who had been more successful with a similar effort from Pomroy a little earlier.

There was never a point in the game where Harley Wintney was about to collapse but a prelude to such a situation might have developed in the first half when a third Chertsey goal almost came about when a Brooker fiery strike from 30 yards, hit the inside of the far upright. The ball came down to strike Fetzullahu but bounced into a safety zone. However, it might just as easily been diverted into the gaping net.

A suggested goal surge after the interval never materialised. Chertsey played well within themselves but hardly ever stepped up the pace. The ball was frequently threaded into the Hartley penalty area but in a such well signposted manner that the motivated home defence was always able to produce cover. The nearest Chertsey came to increasing their lead resulted from a scuffed Johnson shot that rumbled away just off target. Meanwhile, Hartley Wintney’s hit and hope policy with their attacking play of long distance raking passes up field was never going to seriously trouble Town’s, again, solid defence.

Chertsey remained in fifth place in the Combined Counties League table after this encounter but strengthened their position after the four sides above them dropped points. This could lead to a tight finish if Town can maintain their form which delivered this fifth successive league win. Prime rivals Bedfont Green at the head of the table have dropped four points in the same period and, although still potentially nine points away, Chertsey’s turnaround season might still scupper a seemingly foregone conclusion for the league title.