Match Reports & Fixtures
Chesham:
1. James Beasant
2. Michael Sharman
3. Sam Ledger
4. Matt Skinner
5. Kieran Allen-Curry
6. Kevin Cotton
(goal 55 mins)
7. Mark Lambert
8. Dave Fotheringham
9. Danny Burnell
(goal 53 mins)
10. Adam Parker
11. Dom Marsala
12. Danny Talbot
(for Cotton 80 mins)
14. Steve Cawley
15. Tommy Higgins
16. John Lawford
(for Fotheringham 20 mins)
17. Phil Sole
Chesham moved up to seventh in the table after securing their fourth
successive win. In some ways this was a more satisfying performance than
the thrashing of hapless Malvern, as Romulus were the better side in the
first half and could have been more than one goal ahead, but once Chesham
turned the game on its head with two quick goals the visitors were shut out
of the game.
Unsurprisingly Chesham were unchanged from the Malvern game, but their
record of four games without conceding a goal disappeared after only 55
seconds. In Romulus's first attack Tyrone Fagan collected the ball on the
right and ran at the home defence, Sam Ledger slipped as he was about to
challenge and Fagan ran on the stroke the ball past James Beasant. After
six minutes Dom Marsala tried to repeat his first goal on Saturday direct
from a corner but the ball hit the near post, but Chesham were struggling
against the pace of Fagan and co-striker Leon Mitchell, and in the next
minute Fagan broke clear on the left but James Beasant did well to come out
and save at the striker's feet.
Shortly afterwards Danny Burnell forced keeper Matthew Harris to claw away
a shot on the turn, then Mark Lambert crossed low and the advancing Dave
Fotheringham was denied by a last-ditch tackle. Fotheringham was forced to
go off after twisting his ankle and was replaced by John Lawford with Adam
Parker dropping back into midfield. However the visitors were looking more
likely to score and after Colm Tiernan was narrowly high and wide with a
25-yard free kick, Fagan then missed two great chances in quick succession.
After 23 minutes Fagan broke away on the left and chipped the ball over the
advancing James Beasant but also wide of the far post, then Mitchell
crossed from the right to Fagan who had a free header but managed to nod
the ball back across goal and wide. As the half wore on Chesham came into
the game more, Mark Lambert winning a challenge on the edge of the area and
shooting powerfully but straight at Harris, but Romulus came back and Leon
Mitchell was only narrowly off target with a shot on the turn from the edge
of the area.
In the early stages of the second half Chesham began to come to terms with
Romulus's attack, but it was still a surprise when they scored twice in two
minutes. After 53 minutes Matt Skinner's cross was headed out, Mark
Lambert chipped the ball back across from the right and Danny Burnell
scored with a cushioned header over Harris and into the net. Almost
immediately afterwards a throw on the left was moved to Kevin Cotton who
sent a superb shot low into the corner of the net from over 25 yards.
Eight minutes later a crossfield pass from Cotton found its way to Dom
Marsala at the far post but he could not keep his shot down, but the later
stages of the game were marked by a succession of offside decisions at both
ends, one or two of which were quite baffling, and the increasing
frustration of the visitors as they were unable to put any serious pressure
on the Chesham goal.
Simon Newbury
