Chesham United FC

Chesham United Man of the Match: Luke Warner-Eley

Chesham missed out on the chance to move further away from the drop zone as Dorchester secured a draw.  The visitors may be only just above Chesham in the table, but 23 of their 30 points this season have come away from home and they proved to be difficult to break down. Luke Warner-Eley returned after missing last week’s win at Basingstoke, and Luke Heneghan, Jefferson Louis and Ryan Blake replaced Bradley Clayton, Ronny Mfinda and Eoin Casey who were all on the bench.

The visitors had the better of the first half but hardly created a single chance.  On 19 minutes Kyle Egan broke into the Chesham area but his effort was blocked, then four minutes later Ben Goode dropped a corner and Brennan Camp’s shot was blocked on the line and the ball was eventually scrambled away.  Chesham’s best moment of the half came when Ryan Blake broke down the right and drilled the ball across but it bounced away off Dave Pearce.  On 43 minutes the referee amazed everyone by awarding a penalty when Ben Seymour threw himself to the ground after minimal contact from Ben Goode in the area.  After lengthy protests and a consultation with a linesman who was better positioned, the referee stuck to his original decision but justice was done when Ben Goode dived to his left to save Seymour’s kick.  In stoppage time Dorchester’s Kingsley Latham was called into serious action for the first time to keep out Luke Heneghan’s free kick.

The start of the second half was delayed by 15 minutes after the referee was forced to retire through injury, linesman Nick Fuller taking his place while Chesham groundsman Craig Ringsell stepped in as replacement linesman.  Chesham looked more likely to score in the second half, Luke Heneghan firing in an early shot that beat Latham but flew just wide.  Dorchester’s best chance of the half came when Sam Jackson set up Antonio Diaz who mishit his shot well wide from a dangerous position.  Shortly afterwards Latham stretched to tip away a shot on the turn from Jefferson Louis, then Louis sent Ryan Blake clear to knock the ball past the advancing keeper but wide of the far post.  Dorchester came back with a 30-yard free kick from Diaz that flew high and wide, then at the other end Ryan Blake broke into the visitors’ area from the right and tried an audacious lob that Latham stretched to tip away.  Luke Heneghan then had a shot that was deflected just wide, and Luke Warner-Eley crossed from the left and Adam Martin slid in at the far post but could only force the ball wide.  However the last fifteen minutes passed largely without incident as both sides settled for a point each.