BOSTIK SOUTH CENTRAL
SATURDAY 5 JANUARY 2019
ASHFORD TOWN (Mx.) 2 (0)
Max Webb (64), Gurkan Gokmen (82)
EGHAM TOWN 1 (1)
Luke King (28)
By Mark Ferguson

There is a pretty good chance that Egham Town started 2019 with an unwanted club record, of ten straight away league defeats. I have been with the club a considerable amount of time and cannot recall anything like a run such as this, or being told of one. This latest setback came at neighbours Ashford Town (Mx.), but at least the side put together by Dickson Gill, the third manager in this horror of a season, came with a determined attitude and can draw plenty of positives from their overall showing, especially in an excellent first half. More new faces came into the squad, taking the total of players named so far on team sheets to 67.
The Sarnies (8 points) started and finished bottom of the Bostik South Central, and, with Molesey (11) and South Park (9), form a triumvirate of clubs in danger of the drop. Molesey went down at leaders Hayes & Yeading United (0-2) and South Park, whom Egham visit on 15 January, lost 1-2 at home to Marlow. Molesey are nine adrift of FC Romania.
As preparation for this match Egham had a midweek friendly against Lyne, winning 5-0. With a spring in their step Egham went at their hosts from the off and in the 9th minute Sean McCormack tested keeper Tyler Tobin’s handling skills with a fierce shot. The next opening saw Ibrahim Kehinde see his drive blocked before the ball pinged across to McCormack, who was unlucky with a rising shot that cannoned off the cross bar. Ashford were getting rattled, Max Webb flattening new Egham man Danny Campion and getting booked for his, if not Campion’s, pains. Egham took the lead their early endeavour deserved with Luke Randall’s thumping header from a corner in the 28th minute. Campion, with a shot blocked, and Ibrahim Kehinde, whose surging run was only stopped by a well-timed tackle by Adam Baigent, threatened to increase the visitors’ lead before the break.
Egham carried on in the same vein after the break, Kehinde’s effort blocked by defenders and McCormack firing over the bar after a break from midfield. When Webb, unmarked at the back post at an Ashford corner, headed wide from close range it looked as if Egham’s luck might have changed. Unfortunately it was not to be, but it took a superb free kick from Tangerines’ talisman Mark Bitmead to turn the tide. His kick swung behind the Sarnies’ defence where Webb was able to fire past Jack Wingate. With nine minutes left a corner kick was cleared only as far as the edge of the box and Gurkan Gokmen hooked a shot through the Egham rearguard for the winner. Had Kofi Lockhart-Adams’s later effort, a curling shot that clipped the left post, found its mark the scoreline would have been even more flattering to Ben Murray’s men.
Egham have a friendly at home to Banstead Athletic on Tuesday. Banstead are third in the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League. Before they travel to fellow strugglers South Park they face Chalfont St Peter at home on Saturday.
EGHAM TOWN: Jack Wingate, Luke King, Temiloluwa Oladejo, Luke Randall, Joseph Russell (Captain), Samir Bojja, Sean McCormack, Tristan Toney, Ibrahim Kehinde, Danny Campion, Lamir Cessay. Subs: Gilberto Abril (Cessay, 82), Ayobami Dami Salami (Bojja, 70), Marlon Wallen (Kehinde, 84), Declan Nche.