Match Reports & Fixtures
| 1 | Andy Hall | |
 |
2 | Andy Keepence (Goal 80 mins) |
| 3 | Sam Ledger | |
| 4 | Michael Sharman | |
| 5 | Matt Skinner | |
| 6 | Danny Talbot | |
| 7 | Kevin Cotton | |
| 8 | Dave Fotheringham | |
| 9 | Richard Howard | |
| 10 | Phil Turner | |
| 11 | Carl Bruce | |
| 12 | Dom Masala (for Cotton 72 mins) | |
| 14 | Danny Burnell (for Howard 64 mins) | |
| 15 | Mark Lambert | |
| 16 | Michael Toner (for Skinner 64 mins) | |
| 17 | Dean Harding |
Chesham's league season got off to a disappointing start with this defeat,
but there can be few complaints about the result against a Rothwell side
who narrowly missed out on the play-offs last season and who won their
opening game on Saturday.
The opening 15 minutes saw action at both ends, with Rothwell's Kevin Byrne
getting his head to Ryan Collis's corner after only three minutes and
forcing Andy Hall to tip over. Chesham came back with a long-range effort
from Kevin Cotton that flew narrowly wide, then a blocked clearance
resulted in Dave Fotheringham running clean through to side-foot the ball
past the advancing keeper but also wide of the post.
However shortly afterwards a defensive mix-up resulted in a free-kick just outside the Chesham box but Collis's chip flew tamely over the bar. The remainder of the half was fairly uneventful, but Chesham had a real let-off three
minutes from half-time when Byrne picked up Stephen Purton's pass on the
visitors' left and crossed low into the six-yard area, where Michael Tolton
got his foot to the ball but managed to send it looping over the bar when
it looked easier to score.
Early in the second half Byrne again found space down the left and forced a
smart save from Andy Hall. Rothwell were looking the most likely of the
two teams to score, and broke through on 59 minutes when Byrne stole into
the area to head home John Stead's left-wing cross. Chesham made a double
substitution in a bid to pep up the attack but were hit by the killer
second goal on 67 minutes, when Tolton's left-wing corner flew straight
into the net at the far post.
Chesham came back and Phil Turner ran on to
Dave Fotheringham's pass and put the ball in the net but was wrongly given
offside, then Danny Burnell forced visiting keeper Tom Smith to turn over a
25-yard piledriver. Ten minutes from time Chesham pulled one back when
Michael Sharman planted a free kick from the centre circle into the
Rothwell area, and Andy Keepence rose to head past Smith. Late in the game
Rothwell could have wrapped it up when sub Robert Ritchie-Smith crossed
from the left but Michael Boyle-Chong side-footed wide with only Hall to
beat, then Chesham's last chance came when Danny Talbot's mishit shot found its way through to Carl Bruce but Smith came out to block the resulting shot.
