Chesham United Football Club

Chesham:

 

 

1.    Richard Hayward

 

2.    Andy Keepence

 

3.    Sam Ledger

      (sent off 34 mins)

4.    Matt Skinner

 

5.    Danny Talbot

 

6.    Kevin Cotton

 

7.    Mark Lambert

 

8.    Dave Fotheringham

 

9.    Danny Burnell

      (goal 62 mins)

10.    Adam Parker

 

11.    John Lawford

 

 

12.    Phil Turner

        (for Parker 84 mins)

14.    Kieran Allen-Curry

 

15.    Michael Sharman

 

16.    Steve Cawley

        (for Lawford 60 mins)

17.    Dom Marsala

        (for Cotton 35 mins)

 

 

Chesham's seven-game unbeaten run came to an end in a bad-tempered affair in Worcester.  For the third successive game Chesham finished with ten men and for the second successive game they conceded a late goal to a team they seemed to have shut out.

 

Chesham made three changes to the starting line-up, fit-again Andy Keepence and Dave Fotheringham replacing Michael Sharman and Kieran Allen-Curry with Mark Lambert moving to right back, and John Lawford coming in for Dom Marsala.  Kieran Allen-Curry may have been unfortunate to be left out, but looking at the way Evesham play it was understandable.  They have two big strikers and a goalkeeper who hits the ball a long way, and the result is the most basic route one football I have seen in many years.  On a day when only two games were played in the midland division, the rain that was sweeping across the country stopped in the west midlands at about midday and the pitch was in near-perfect condition, not that Evesham make much use of it.

 

Evesham had the first shot in the fourth minute when Joe Clarke's effort was tipped over by Richard Hayward, but the home team's tactics were to prove effective when they took the lead in the twelfth minute.  Keeper Nathan Vaughan's long kick landed thirty yards from the Chesham goal, Wesley Joyce headed it on and fellow striker Mark Owen was in the clear and shot past Hayward from just inside the area.  Chesham were struggling to make an impact in the early stages, but after twenty minutes Dave Fotheringham's cross came back off a defender to Danny Burnell who shot powerfully but over the bar over from ten yards out.

 

On the half-hour came the incident that changed the game.  From a left-wing corner full-back Michael Hayden shot from the area and the ball hit the near post and bounced out.  In the scramble that followed Wesley Joyce, who had earlier been booked for elbowing Sam Ledger, laid out Richard Hayward with another crude challenge.  After a brief flare-up Hayward was receiving treatment when the referee sent off Ledger on the advice of his linesman, apparently for aiming a kick at Joyce after the foul.  Ledger can have no complaints but Joyce was extremely fortunate to stay on the pitch, and the Evesham management realised this as he was promptly substituted before he got into further trouble.  Chesham also made a change with Dom Marsala coming on for the injured Kevin Cotton, but the half ended with a quick Evesham break that saw Richard Hayward turn away a shot from Tom Warmer.

 

In the second half the wind got up and it was in Evesham's favour, but this turned out to be a handicap for them as Vaughan's long kicks were carrying straight through to Hayward at the other end.  Chesham had not looked like breaking through but just after the hour mark a quick through ball from Adam Parker found Danny Burnell, who did superbly to hold off two defenders and shoot low from just inside the area, Vaughan getting a hand to the effort but failing to stop it from rolling on into the net.  This was the cue for Chesham to play their best football of the match, controlling the midfield although the home defence clamped shut again and denied Burnell any space.  At the other end Evesham's tactics were no longer working and they began to look a very limited side, but late on they took off Joyce's replacement James Knott and Mark Owen, and brought on two smaller and pacier forwards in Daniel Lennon and Allando Davis.

 

Even with ten men it was Chesham who had the majority of the possession but they were caught out with only two minutes of normal time left.  From Danny Talbot's corner Vaughan saved Andy Keepence's header at the second attempt and promptly launched another big punt down the pitch, which sub Davis collected and rounded Hayward to clinch a win that the home team did not deserve.  Late in the game the simmering atmosphere between the two sides culminated in a touchline spat between Jon Meakes and home defender Steven Hands as the latter was about to take a throw in front of the Chesham technical area, which the referee broke up with just a warning.