It is probably fair to say that the home debut of Egham Town’s new manager, Simon Lane, won’t feature on his career highlights list. The postponement of two home games due to adverse weather conditions gave him an unexpected chance to work with his players, but there is a more than a grain of truth in the cliché “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Certain traits still hold on; Egham lost this match at the end of an opening quarter of an hour following kick-off. Too often the home side allow opposing teams the run of what should be their fortress. The midfield was not as wasteful of possession as at Bedford Town but the visitors were just that bit sharper all round. There is perhaps some kind of karmic twist with the scorer being Mahlondo Martin, who, while playing for Lane as the latter guided the two men’s former club, Northwood, scored the late equaliser in a 2-2 draw. Chalfont, who climb from 8th to 6th with these three points, did not look much different in class to the Sarnies once Martin had drilled in a low shot from a tight angle in the 16th minute. Egham had Greg Haydon, of Staines Town, playing for them in the centre of defence alongside Mitchell Wiseman, and he worked hard, collecting a caution as early as the 7th minute and having to leave the field to be patched up, returning with a white band round his head.
Ryan Debattista replaced Devante McKain in the second half, and initially it looked as the beefing up of the home forward line would work. Early second half pressure tested the Saints’ defence, but then they broke away and Haydon had to head off the line. After 71 minutes Debattista played a neat pass to Brendan Matthew, whose shot was blocked. Former Chalfont player Aaron Jewell, signed by the old regime, made his bow, some intelligent touches hinting at an attacking threat yet to be fully realised as Lane tries to keep the men from the Runnymede Stadium on the coat tails of the promotion-hunting pack.
Next up is a trip to Marlow, but without Marcus Mealing, who used to feature for the Bucks side thanks to a six match ban, of which tonight’s match was just the first. Then it’s a trip down the A30 to Hartley Wintney, who lost 0-1 at home to Beaconsfield Town.
EGHAM TOWN: Aaron Bufton, Alex Nolan, Joel Jacobs, Greg Haydon, Mitchell Wiseman, Devante McKain, Rhys Paul, Danny Julienne, Brendan Matthew, Louis Stead, Callum Webb. Substitutes: Aaron Berry, Aaron Jewell (Jacobs, 69), Josh Baines, Jordan Frederick (Stead, 62), Ryan Debattista (McKain, HT).