Recap
Chesham got back to winning ways with a victory over the team immediately above them in the table. After a tight first half Chesham took the lead with a set-piece goal on the stroke of half-time, and weathered a comeback from the visitors before sealing the win in bizarre fashion late on. There were four changes to the starting eleven from last Saturday’s defeat at Bracknell. Callum Adebiyi was serving a one-match ban and T’Sharne Gallimore was away, while Eoin Casey and Jordan Edwards dropped to the bench. They were replaced by Lesley Duru, Kieran Murphy, Harry Rush, and Ogo Obi who signed a loan deal for a further month.
Considering the importance of the game it was no surprise that the first half was a cagey affair. Gosport moved the ball well in the opening stages but failed to muster a worthwhile effort on goal. Chesham gradually began to take control of the game and on 24 minutes Harry Rush tried a long-range effort that came off a defender and flew behind for a corner. Four minutes later Chesham looked to have a good shout for a penalty when Ricardo German was brought down in the area, but the referee ignored the appeals. Visiting keeper Toby Steward then lost possession in the area and Steve Brown squared towards Ricardo German but Harry Medway cleared. At the other end Dan Wooden tried a long shot but Zaki Oualah parried and Jake Scrimshaw was flagged offside when he went for the loose ball. However it was Chesham who took the lead in the last minute of normal time, when Harry Rush’s corner was headed in at the near post by Ricardo German. In stoppage time Steve Brown’s diving header from a Rush free kick flew just wide.
Gosport came out strongly in the opening minutes of the second half, and a long ball from out on the right was turned back across goal by Ashley Akpan but Zaki Oualah parried at the expense of a corner. Chesham came back when Steve Brown headed a Harry Rush free kick across goal from beyond the far post, but Kieran Murphy could only nod the ball over the bar. Gosport had their best effort shortly before the hour mark, when a long-range effort from Alex Barsa came back off the foot of the post. However Chesham weathered the storm and came back with a Zak Joseph shot that took a deflection and flew wide. Chesham then had a long spell of possession which led to Steve Brown stabbing the ball wide of the near post from Lewis Rolfe’s pass. The game was effectively decided on 76 minutes, when Gosport keeper Toby Steward came out of his goal towards the corner flag in an attempt to shepherd the ball out of play. However he was dispossessed by Zak Joseph who set off along the by-line towards the unguarded net, only to be floored by Steward’s despairing lunge. It was a clear penalty and a red card, so Harvey Rew went in goal but was beaten by Ricardo German’s spot kick. The visitors looked a beaten side after that, and Chesham continued to push forward and test the stand-in keeper. Rew was forced to deal with a couple of corners and a shot from sub Lucas Sinclair in stoppage time, but proved equal to the challenge although the game was effectively over by then.
Match Report
