Match Reports & Fixtures
Chesham United 2-3 Bishops Cleeve
Chesham:
1. Richard Hayward
2. Mark Lambert
3. Sam Ledger
4. Jordan Bostock
5. Andy Keepence
6. Kevin Cotton
7. Dave Fotheringham
8. Adam Parker
9. Sammy Winston
(goal 14 mins)
10. Danny Burnell
(goal 32 mins)
11. Dom Marsala
Subs:
12. Kieran Allen-Curry
14. Michael Sharman
15. John Lawford
(for Fotheringham 74 mins)
16. Danny Brown
17. Steve Cawley
(for Marsala 13 mins)
Chesham's home form is threatening to undermine their promotion bid. While 12 away matches have brought 26 points and defeats only at Leamington and Evesham, this was the fifth home league defeat of the campaign against five wins. Chesham failed to hold on to a two-goal lead after Bishops Cleeve reduced the arrears in first-half stoppage time, and had no answer as the visitors took control of the game after the interval.
Chesham made only one change to the team that won so convincingly at Barton, Kevin Cotton coming in for Danny Talbot who was in Malta where his father manages a team in the domestic league. The opening minutes were fairly uneventful, Chesham losing Dom Marsala to an early injury then taking the lead in fourteenth minute, when Mark Lambert's left-wing corner was glanced into the net by Sammy Winston at the near post. Both teams were passing the ball well but Chesham's defence was looking much shakier than in recent weeks - in one incident three defenders hesitated over a harmless through ball which resulted in a hasty clearance by Richard Hayward. Kevin Cotton then sent Danny Burnell away down the right and Burnell cut inside onto his left foot only to shoot off-balance and well wide. However on 32 minutes Chesham went further ahead when Adam Parker crossed to the edge of the area, sub Steve Cawley controlled and slipped the ball through for Burnell to slot into the corner.
The visitors had given as good as they got up to then, and as if to emphasise that the game was not over Mike Davis crossed to Lee Davis who took advantage of more hesitation to shoot past the advancing Hayward but just past the post. Lee Davis was injured in the incident and forced to go off, but shortly afterwards defender Allton Axton had a free header from Mike Davis's corner but sent the ball wide of the near post. At the other end Sam Ledger was only just over with a header from another Lambert corner, but in stoppage time the visitors reduced the arrears when a hurried clearance saw the ball played in to John Meadows whose thunderous shot found the top corner from 25 yards despite Hayward's fine attempt to save.
In the opening stages of the second half Mark Lambert worked a shooting chance only to be denied by a fine reaction save from keeper Sam Gilder, but the visitors were now on top and starting to stretch the Chesham defence. Mike Davis nearly found the net with a dipping shot from 30 yards but the ball flew just wide, but on 66 minutes a good move involving four players ended with Luke Corbett crossing from the by-line and Mike Davis heading in at the far post. Shortly afterwards Richard Mansell was only just off-target with a 25-yarder, but on 71 minutes a through ball from Davis sent Kevin Slack clear to slot the ball past Hayward for the goal that proved to be the winner. Chesham brought on John Lawford as an extra striker but rarely threatened, and they were not helped by a referee who gave some strange decisions - one award of a corner to Bishops Cleeve when everyone was moving toward the half-way line was quite bizarre - and a linesman who seemed to think that his job was to stick his flag up all the time. The visitors could have wrapped the game up late on when Luke Corbett sliced a shot wide then forced a good save from Hayward, and were nearly punished three minutes into stoppage time when a Chesham corner landed at the feet of Adam Parker who stabbed the ball over the bar in a crowded area. However on the day Bishops Cleeve were the better side and worthy of the win.
Simon Newbury
