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Carlesberg FA Vase - 2nd round qualifying match

MATCH REPORT

Chertsey Town supporters will have had to have grown extra fingers and toes to have counted all the chances that came the way of their team in the FA Vase tie at Sussex County League side Hassocks. Time again, breeches were made but almost always these golden opportunities were wasted. This almost led to Town's downfall but the right result was achieved, even if it did take all of normal time and next to all of extra time, to give the Combined Counties side another Sussex excursion in the next round, this time to Arundel.
 
The weather could not have been in further contrast to the Oakwood tie in the previous round when near continuous rain and wind played havoc with the football. Hassocks presented a cloudless sky and altogether benign conditions. With the iconic twin South Downs windmills, Jack and Jill, looking down on the picturesque ground, it was little wonder that the Chertsey forwards had Quixotic moments a plenty for, no matter how good a scoring position was constructed, some imaginary force seemed to be lurking to keep the ball out of the Hassocks net.
 
Chertsey commanded all departments of the field for most of the match and with Paul Brooker feeding in useful early crosses, although no-one got to the ball to connect, but all look well for the visitors. Even so, the first strike at goal did not arrive until the 17th minute when an outstretched Hassocks boot took the sting out of a Brooker shot. But from then on, chances aplenty were created.
 
Chertsey went into the lead on 22 minutes with a free kick, about two inches outside the side of the penalty area, some 12 yards out that was struck by Leon Johnson. The ball clipped the near side post as it entered the Hassocks net. Eleven minutes later, Brooker was put away by John Hamsher and with a 40 yard run and only the goalkeeper to beat he looked odds on to clean off the game but floated his shot over the bar to keep the tie alive. The same player broke through again a couple of minutes later but this time his strike drifted wide.
 
Having survived this onslaught, Hassocks made a rare trip into Chertsey territory on 37 minutes and won a corner. From it, a low delivery was turned by Wayne Noad into his own net to even up the score. After a short check, Chertsey completed the opening period in style with two John Pomroy strikes and a Marcus Moody header at goal. Quite how the first half ended up all square was a mystery to all at the game with the final action being a Brooker swipe at goal that only resulted in the ball collecting moon dust on its way to the next field but one field, beyond the Hassocks goal.
 
Town immediately dominated again on the resumption and this time it was Lee O'Leary, from a Hamsher cross, who was off target with a header. A poor Hassocks goal kick set up Darren Dobinson but his 15 yard placed shot went a foot wide. Soon after, just past the hour, Johnson headed into the keeper's arms from a good position.. Chertsey did not have it entirely all their own way and Dave Tidy, in a swan song role before his move to Guildford City, saved from Michael Eynon.
 
That shot was a taster for what happened soon after. The home side shook Chertsey's creeping complacency with James Laing converting a corner and heading his side into a shock 71st minute lead. Chertsey continued to make regular openings and, now enhanced with the introduction of Kevin Cooper for Johnson a significant difference was noticed in the vanguard. A goalmouth melee was quickly embroiled in front of the home goalmouth but Noad headed the lose ball over.
 
Cooper, on 79 minutes, put Brooker in again as Chertsey stepped up the pressure, but his shot across the goalmouth only managed to clip the far post as it went past. Brooker was again in the midst of it but miscued his next shot right in front of the sticks. Pomroy was also in the thick of the action but saw a further shot of his skid wide after hitting on the turn.
 
It seemed that the charmed life of the Hassocks goal was going to be spared a further incursion as the ball resolutely refused to cross the line but, with just five minutes remaining, Cooper was the one who broke the hearts of Hassocks and turned on the ball to put it rather unconvincingly into the net for a face saving equaliser.
 
Extra time proved just as frustrating for the Chertsey following. Goal attempts in more than reasonable positions from Moody, then Brooker that his the post, then Musa Ladan, then Brooker again, then O'Leary, then Brooker who also clipped the cross bar all failed to break the deadlock.It seemed a winner had to come eventually, but it was only with three minute remaining that Noad cut the ball into Cooper. He only nicked the ball in an attempt to swipe it into the net but defender Marcus Moody was following up and he made no mistake from ten yards to send his side into the Vase competition proper.

See Andy Ollerenshaw's very informative blog "Chasing theVase" depicting his adventures as he travels (starting and hopefully finishing with Chertsey at Wembeley Stadium) to each round to the FA Vase. Click on the link below.