HT 0-0 

FT 2-0

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Combined Counties League - Premier Division Match

MATCH REPORT

Chertsey Town's trip to the south-eastern end of Surrey on Saturday was marked by two unusual asides, even before the kick off. One was that the side was unchanged from the previous outing, an encouraging win over Reading Town, for the first time this season. The other was that the opposition did not field a player that has featured in the Curfews squad in the last twelve months. This might have been a good omen towards getting Town's promotion quest back on track and although another competent display was posted, lapses at vital moments led to their downfall to a very modestly placed Horley Town side.

 In biting conditions, it was not just Chertsey's kit that was blue during the afternoon. Noses of spectators, perhaps even the pitch's blades of grass might have looked to have eminated from Kentucky in the harsh conditions but it was the air in the Chertsey dressing room that almost turned indigo in the aftermath of another unnecessary defeat.

 This was another case of Chertsey looking the more cultured side but being unable to capitalise where it really counted; right in front of goal, at either end of the park. They always looked likely to create success in attack but never quite achieved the ambition. Conversely, the defence, having overcome early jitters, looked pretty sound but then momentarily dropped their guard in the second half, only for the home side to punish.

 In a scrappy start to the contest, The Horley groundsman must have wondered if he should have borrowed some runway directional landing lights from next door Gatwick to indicate exactly where the Chertsey goal stood for twice they broke through in the opening dozen minutes only to fire wide with the frame at their mercy. Having survived these generous let offs, Chertsey began to play with more confidence but their first real stab at goal took 23 minutes in coming when Mu Maan fired high from 15 yards.

 Josh Lennie, in the Chertsey goal, was kept more busy kicking back passes up field more than using his hands and again he was a spectator when Joey Collewijn splayed the ball over for the second time in the match with Horley keeping up a spirited momentum that saw their side through to half time, but without either side gaining an advantage.

 It was more of the same after the interval with Chertsey manufacturing midfield hints that a goal would eventually be theirs but without hammering hard on the Horley back door. An Aaron McLeish strike soon after the break off a John Pomroy feed looked promising but went wide. Pomroy himself, although he crashed the ball into the net once, only to be disappointed with his effort being annulled by an offside flag, was frequently isolated by poor service and did not threaten in his normal manner.

 Key defenders Steve Gibson and Luke Muldowney played strong roles but even they could not be everywhere. Neither side won many corner kicks but one of theses rare events was made to count when the Horley number five Daniel Guscott rose up and headed home his side's opening goal on the hour with Town's defence off the message with their marking.

 Liam Johnson came off the bench for Maan soon after for his first outing in an injury induced eleven match absence, as did Musa Laden for Darren Dobinson as the emphasis was placed in attack and the retrieval of at least one vital league point. The move did not have the desired effect and although Town increased the tempo, simple passes and ball control suffered in the momentum to give the host team more possession, which in turn created more Chertsey frustration.

 The final act, four minutes from time, sealed Chertsey's barren afternoon when a Horley free kick, awarded 30 yards out, was lofted into the goalmouth but was not attacked by the defence, giving the opportunity for Guscott to plant the ball home his second of the day, leaving Chertsey's ever thinning league campaign to become grounded again instead of the rise into clear blue skies that was realistically anticipated only a couple of hours earlier.