Southern premier League Match
Chesham Utd 4 – 1 Basingstoke Town Saturday 13th January 2018
Attendance: 292
On a day that was cold but dry, Terry Brown’s line-up was as follows;
In goal Colm McAdden, a back line of Wohlfiel, Demuria, Hollamby and Bayliss. In midfield Atkinson, McKnight & Bennett and in attack Smart, Argent & Bunting.
On the bench was MacAuley, Goater, Wright & Long.
The game started quietly with neither team presenting any real threats on either goal for the first five minutes, until Chesham win a corner, but McAdden comfortably punches the ball clear and Basingstoke break with Smart who passes the ball inside to Bunting, whose shot flies 5yds over the bar.
On 7 minutes Bunting again has another shot at goal and this time it just passes over the bar.
Chesham on 10 minutes respond with a shot of their own, but this flies wide and high.
On 14 mins, Smart gets brought down in Chesham’s half and Bennett’s free-kick finds Demuria’s head, which slides a yard wide of the goal, but the Chesham keeper had it covered.
Bennett playing in midfield today appears more up for it today and completes a nice one-two with Argent, but his cross can’t beat the first defender and it’s cleared away with ease.
On 19 mins Smart attacks down the right his cross flies across the goalmouth and Bennett’s lunge for the ball is just short and the ball ends up going harmlessly past everyone.
On 22 mins Stoke who appear on top, attack again, but the ball is cleared to midfield and Chesham break down our right. The ball is swiftly passed across the face of the goal and the Chesham forward cuts inside and beats McAdden with a fierce shot. We don’t deserve to be losing but it’s the same old story away from home.
27 mins in and Stoke break again with Bennett 25yds out but his shot hits the top of the stand behind the goal.
On 30 mins Stoke win their first corner. It’s a lovely floated cross by Bennett, but Bunting can’t get his head to the ball and it bounces around to the far post, but Argent unable to get the final touch and somehow Chesham scramble it away.
We are made to pay for this miss,as Chesham go down the other end and some sort of mix-up at the back (which no-one around sees clearly), ends up with the ball in the back of our net and we are 2 – 0 down. However according to Charlie Kennedy, Demuria gets rolled by the Chesham forward, whose shot get half-saved and the back-up shot somehow rolls over the line.
Chesham’s confidence builds from this second goal and they spend the next two minutes in our box, but we are able for the moment to keep them out.
On 35 mins we win another corner and Bunting wins the ball in the air, but his header hits the underside of the bar and bounces down, Argent under some pressure somehow hits it up from a yard out and it smashes against the bar again and somehow Chesham keep a clean sheet.
Worse is to come as on 38 mins a Chesham break and McAdden close-range save, gives Chesham another corner. The corner is not effectively cleared and the ball is clipped over to our far post where a Chesham forward has a free-header and we are now somehow three down.
Half-time Chesham 3 – 0 Basingstoke Town
No changes are made by Stoke at half-time and we start the second half again in Chesham’s half, but with very little end product.
The minutes start to drift away and you would think with our possession, we were the team winning, but Chesham seem to have an answer for everything we try.
On 62 minutes the ball bounces around the Chesham goalmouth, and then the ball is fed to Smart who finds himself just two yards out the keeper smothers his shot, Atkinson gets to the rebound and puts it across the face of the goal, but Argent fails to find that final touch.
On 64 mins Bennett breaks down the left, cuts inside and he unleashes a shot that cannons against the bar and flies away to safety.
Stoke continue to dominate and on 68 minutes we win a free-kick 25yds out and central to the goal. Bennett takes the kick and his shot curls round the wall towards the corner of the goal, only for the keeper to dive full-length and palm it away, u this time it’s straight to Bunting who gets his head on the ball and puts it back in the net. Down 3 – 1, is the fight back on?
The answer to that is a resounding No, as just 3 minutes later and Chesham’s first real attack of the second half, I believe Demuria fails to clear the ball it bounces to the Chesham forward, who as McAdden comes out, miss hits the ball into the ground, but it still manages to beat our keeper and rolls into the net.
George Bennett is then the first substitution for Ben Wright and although we seem to put more pressure on the Chesham defense, we are unable to create a clear chance.
We make our second substitution as Smart is replaced by Jordan Goater.
The game is dying on it’s feet but McAdden makes a lovely save on 84 mins.
Stoke has one final attack on 86 mins as Bunting is put through, but the ball won’t stop bouncing and Callum’s shot come clip is saved by the keeper.
The ref who had a fairly decent game today blows the final whistle and puts an end to another sorry away result.
Final Score: Chesham Utd 4 – 1 Basingstoke Town
Match Report by Martin French..
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