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AFC SUDBURY 0 EGHAM TOWN 1

AFC SUDBURY 0 EGHAM TOWN 1

Tempest Ward30 Sep 2018 - 11:49
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Lodge on the spot for Sarnies

Ashley assured from the spot

BUILDBASE FA TROPHY EXTRA PRELIMINARY ROUND
AFC SUDBURY 0 (0) EGHAM TOWN 1 (0)
ASHLEY LODGE (75, pen)

Egham Town put the disappointment of their midweek FA Cup replay loss at Brightlingsea Regent behind them with this dogged display at AFC Sudbury in the FA Trophy. This win against Bostik North opposition earnt them another journey, on 13 October, to Bostik South East club Greenwich Borough, currently in 15th place.
Sarnies boss Ashley Smith mixed things up a bit with his team selection. Stephan Hamilton-Forbes, who played for Egham last season before playing briefly with Harrow Borough, came in for the suspended Greg Haydon, sent off in the first Brightlingsea game for a “foul” that online video evidence shows to be a complete travesty of justice. The influential midfielder Tayshan Hayden-Smith was given a rest, until the 69th minute, and Georges Ehui replaced Enock Soganile at left back.
Both Sudbury and Egham have playing records of P5 W1 D1 L3, with the Suffolk side having scored and let in 8 while Egham have scored only 3 and let in 8 more. Both were in 18th place, and remain there after league games in their respective divisions.
The first half of this match will not live long in anyone’s memory. Sudbury have a plastic pitch, but this is no longer the game-changer it used to be for those who still play on grass week in week out. Egham put some pressure on a home back line that looked increasingly creaky, but the first threat to either goal came with Egham centre-half Adam Roberts’ well-intentioned but slightly off beam diving header to his keeper Xavi Comas, who did well to save Roberts’ blushes with a smart save to his left. With Sean McCormack showing up well in midfield, ever pressing forward, the best chance at the other end came when the midfielder took on Kezie Ibe’s pass and slipped the ball to Rhys Rabess, whose cross shot was heading in until cleared off the line by Baris Altintop. The problem the visitors were having was that, from free kicks and corners, they almost always found the nearest defender, and then had to sprint back to cover.
Danny Julienne replaced Roberts at half time. Egham looking much more cohesive and determined, should have been ahead four minutes in when Ehui curled in a beautiful cross that Ibe, unmarked and three yards out, somehow managed to head over the bar. Fortunately the miss did not spur the home side on. The next notable thing they did was when defender Daryl Coakley carried a pigeon off the pitch. Hopefully he washed his hands after! A triple substitution by Sudbury did little to change the flow of the game, mainly towards the home goal. McCormack fired a shot wide then had his name taken for kicking the ball away. It was off his pass that Egham were given the opportunity to open the scoring, Rabess taking the ball before Tyler French upended him in the box. The award was straightforward for referee Mr Bowles. Ibe ran up; what he said as his kick found the net, the one behind the goal to stop shots going out of the ground, cannot be repeated here. Six minutes later Rabess was again fouled in the box, and again the award was obvious. Ashley Lodge took this one, and drilled it low and hard past keeper Paul Walker. Between the spot kicks Hayden-Smith had replaced Michael Kalu, who had done his best in the first half with not a great deal of service. McCormack went off, Jack Hockney his replacement. Home centre forward Paul Hayes forced Comas to make a decent save, and there was a bit of a scramble in the Sarnies’ box before Hayden-Smith played an astute pass to Hockney, whose cross shot just beat the far post.
On an historical note: while not exactly 34 years of hurt, in the only other encounter between Sudbury and Egham, the Suffolk side (then known as Sudbury Town), came to Surrey and ended the Sarnies’ record FA Vase run in season 1984-85. Egham had knocked out
PRE ARUNDEL A 2-0
1 SLADE GREEN A 5-3
2 BURNHAM H 3-2
3 LEYTON WINGATE H 2-1
before facing Sudbury and playing at a level significantly lower than their capabilities. Tony Perry, Egham’s keeper, saved a penalty but by then we were 0-2 down, and that is how it stayed.
Egham get back to league duties on Saturday with a trip up the A10 to Ware. On 9 October the Velocity Trophy match against Whyteleafe that was postponed due to the lights not working at the Runnymede Stadium will take place, and then comes that Trophy match at Greenwich Borough.
EGHAM TOWN: Xavi Comas, Josh Andrew, Georges Ehui, Stephan Hamilton-Forbes, Lewis Hobbs, Adam Roberts, Sean McCormack, Ashley Lodge, Kezie Ibe, Rhys Rabess, Michael Kalu. Substitutes: Enock Soganile, Danny Julienne (Roberts, HT), Jack Hockney (McCormack, 79), Ashley Smith, Tayshan Hayden-Smith (Kalu, 69).

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