Chesham United | Gosport Borough | |
Sam Beasant | 1 | Pat O’Flaherty |
Jeanmal Prosper | 2/3 | Rory Williams |
Lewis Rolfe | 19/5 | Ryan Woodford |
Adam Martin | 12/7 | Brad Tarbuck |
Kieran Murphy | 4/11 | Dan Wooden |
Steve Brown | 6/12 | Nicky Bailey |
Dave Pearce | 8/14 | Grant Charles |
Billy Adcock | 14/15 | Stephane Zubar |
Eoin Casey | 9/16 | Josh Huggins |
Bradley Clayton | 7/17 | Gerard Storey |
Zak Joseph | 10/19 | Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain |
Karl Oliyide | 11/6 | Jordan Rose |
Dernell Wynter | 3/9 | Matt Paterson |
T’Sharne Gallimore | 18/10 | Pat Suraci |
Billie Busari | 16/19 | Aaron McCreadie |
Mark Kirby | 17/20 | Jordon Ragguette |
SUBS | ||
Wynter for Pearce 65 | McCreadie for Storey 61 | |
Oliyide for Clayton 78 | Ragguette for Oxlade-Chamberlain 75 | |
Busari for Joseph 87 | ||
BOOKED | ||
Williams 16 |
Chesham United Man of the Match: Jeanmal Prosper
After scoring in every game last season, Chesham drew a blank in the opening fixture of the new campaign. For most of the game Chesham carried the greater goal threat but not by much, although Gosport were indebted to goalkeeper Pat O’Flaherty who saved a Dave Pearce penalty in the second half.
The only debutant in Chesham’s starting eleven was goalkeeper Sam Beasant, who signed during the week after an injury to Ben Goode. There was virtually no goalmouth action in the opening half-hour, although Eoin Casey had a left-foot shot on the turn deflected wide on 14 minutes. For Gosport Dan Wooden glanced a header wide from a Rory Williams cross, but otherwise their attack lacked potency. Just after the half-hour mark Bradley Tarbuck ran at the Chesham defence only to mishit the ball high and wide as Steve Brown challenged. On 40 minutes Gosport had their one moment of danger, when Stephane Zubar took a free kick inside his own half which caught out Sam Beasant but came back off the bar. Towards half-time Chesham began to show some fluency and Bradley Clayton ran at the visitors’ defence and fired in a shot that Pat O’Flaherty turned round the post. Shortly afterwards O’Flaherty dived to his right to save a 30-yard effort from Zak Joseph.
On 54 minutes Chesham had a great chance when a neat move involving Eoin Casey, Dave Pearce and Zak Joseph set up a chance which Bradley Clayton blazed over the bar. Chesham increased the tempo and Jeanmal Prosper got forward but O’Flaherty dived to beat away the resulting shot. In the next minute Zak Joseph played the ball forward to Eoin Casey who was tripped just inside the area, but O’Flaherty again denied Chesham with a diving save to keep out Dave Pearce’s penalty. Shortly afterwards Zak Joseph fired the ball across and Rory Williams’ attempted clearance flew just over his own crossbar. However Chesham faded and midway through the half a Gosport attack saw a loose ball drop to sub Aaron McCreadie but his shot bounced away off the legs of Sam Beasant. At the other end Jeanmal Prosper’s through ball found Zak Joseph who beat the advancing O’Flaherty but just took the ball too wide and the chance was gone. Late in the game Steve Brown shot goalwards after a corner was partially cleared, but the ball just curled past the post with the keeper beaten.