Recap
Chesham kept up their 100% record with an ultimately comfortable win in the FA Cup first qualifying round. The home side had not lost a game in any competition since the turn of the year, but once Chesham established a two-goal lead before half-time the result was never really in doubt. There were five changes in all, one enforced with Avan Jones making his first start in place of the suspended Connor Roberts. Kieran Murphy returned in central defence after re-joining the club the day before, replacing Lesley Duru with Lewis Rolfe starting the game at left back. T’Sharne Gallimore returned after missing the Beaconsfield game through injury, and Zak Joseph and Jordan Edwards were recalled with Jordan Gibbons and Ricardo German dropping to the bench alongside Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick.
There was little action of note in the opening quarter-hour, but then Chesham lost Eoin Casey to injury to be replaced by Lesley Duru with Lewis Rolfe switching to the right of the three central defenders. The first chance of the game came shortly afterwards, when Walton’s Joe Hicks headed over from a Stan Flaherty corner. Chesham started to look dangerous going forward, with a long-range effort from Harry Rush but Liam Allen in the home goal was able to save comfortably. In the next minute Jordan Edwards blocked a clearance but shot well over, then at the other end Jake Frailing squared the ball from the left but Zaki Oualah tipped it over. On 35 minutes Chesham took the lead following a poor clearance from the home defence, and Zak Joseph squared to Jordan Edwards who lifted the ball into the net at the near post. The home side then missed a great chance when Flaherty crossed from the right and Joe Pratley-Jones had a free header at the far post but headed over. Chesham came back and Harry Rush’s right-wing corner was headed onto the bar by Callum Adebiyi. However in the next minute Chesham forced a corner on the left, and this time Rush’s kick was headed by Adebiyi into the net at the far post. In stoppage time Walton had a chance to pull one back when Frailing was clean through but Zaki Oualah came out to block.
The game became much more open in the second half with chances at both ends. Early on Zak Joseph broke down the left and shot powerfully just past the far post, then a Zaki Oualah clearance was blocked and Flaherty shot but Oualah recovered to make a smart save. Just before the hour mark a Harry Rush corner was side-footed towards goal by T’Sharne Gallimore but his effort was blocked, the ball was crossed back in and Lewis Rolfe side-footed wide from a good position. Chesham continued to push forward and in the next minute Zak Joseph broke clear but Liam Allen spread himself to save. At the other end Trae Cook-Appiah broke into the Chesham area only to shoot past the near post, then Chesham broke away and Zak Joseph’s long-range effort forced Allen to dive to his right to save. In the final quarter-hour Zaki Oualah tipped away a powerful free kick from Flaherty, then Chesham again broke away and Josh Allen crossed just too far in front of Jordan Edwards who would have had a tap-in. On 83 minutes Chesham sealed the win when Harry Rush won the ball and fed Lucas Sinclair, Walton tried to play offside but one defender was hanging back and Sinclair was able to turn and fire home from close range. Walton managed a consolation four minutes later when Flaherty cut in from the right and his shot beat Zaki Oualah at his near post. Chesham could have had a fourth in stoppage time, when a cross-field pass from Avan Jones sent Lucas Sinclair clear but Allen spread himself to save.