EGHAM TOWN 3 CIRENCESTER TOWN 2

THE FA TROPHY FIRST ROUND QUALIFYING
SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER 2013
EGHAM TOWN 3 (3) CIRENCESTER TOWN 2 (2)
Egham Town scorers: Shane Graham (3), Louis Chandler-Joseph (24), Ryan O’Toole (33)

Egham Town have had a good four days in cup ties against Calor One South & West opposition, following up their 6-1 thrashing of Guildford City in the Red Insure Cup with this excellent win against an in-form Cirencester Town. The Gloucestershire side, sitting in 7th place, had, in the last round, thrashed Didcot Town 7-1 in a replay, and in Lee Smith have a striker with ten goals already to his name. That total is now a neat dozen, but his brace was not enough to rein in a vibrant Egham side whose pace and attacking options caused the visitors all kinds of problems.
The game was just three minutes old when the Sarnies took the lead from a bullet header by Shane Graham, profiting from a superb run and even better cross by Josh Andrew. Smith had a chance to level after 15 minutes when found by Aidan Bennett, but Gary Ross made a crucial save with his left boot. The visitors’ Sean Webb fired in a shot that clipped the bar halfway through the first period, and then came a remarkable period of four goals in fourteen minutes. Ross started the move for Egham’s second, his goal kick finding centre half Chris Holland, who dithered on the ball and was caught out by the lively Louis Chandler-Joseph, who still had to beat one challenge before ramming the ball past Glyn Garner in the Cirens’ goal. Chandler-Joseph’s pace was frightening the defenders and when he controlled a long pass from centre-back Chris Ellis and cut inside it looked as if a 3-0 lead was a formality but the young winger’s shot smacked the left post. That gave Cirencester hope and Smith showed his talent as he capitalised on a moment’s defensive hesitancy to fire in an angled shot. Egham hit back; in the 33rd minute a flowing move from the back had got as far the edge of the Cirens’ box when midfield dynamo Patrick “Patch” Craig touched the ball on for Ryan O’Toole who hit the ball with awesome power to put Egham 3-1 up. That still did not quieten the visitors and from a long pass that fell nicely for Smith between two defenders the striker turned the ball past Ross with, as he admitted after the game, with a mishit off a knee. It could have been 3-3 at the end of the half but Steve Davies was denied by Ross.
The second half was, perhaps inevitably, played at a less intense level, but the defining point of the half came as early as four minutes in when Bennett, off Smith’s pass, hammered a cross shot that had equaliser written all over it until Ross made an absolutely magnificent flying save, turning the ball over with his left hand. Egham were largely in control of proceedings and Mo Harkin forced a decent save from Garner with a free kick. Substitutions were made, O’Toole and Craig replaced by Brendan Matthew and Joe Chandiram. Matthew should have had a shot when well found by the effervescent Chandler-Joseph, on the end of another mazy run, but did so with two minutes left and but for a very good block by Garner he would have made it 4-2.
“What round are we in now?” asked boss Lee Passmore. “I don’t know”, I replied; “we’ve never got this far in the Trophy. Before this season we’d lost every match.” The answer is the Second Round Qualifying and the draw is, I believe, made on Monday and if the FA Cup draws are any guide, usually come out around lunchtime.
Next Saturday Egham head up to Barton Rovers, where they have not played since season 1994-1995 (courtesy of the Football Club History Database site) . Barton Rovers lost heavily, 1-4, at home to Rugby Town but still occupy third place. Egham, in ninth place, will be looking to get back up into the top places having not won in the league since the 5-0 success at Uxbridge. Three draws and two losses have followed, with the two Trophy and one League Cup wins mixed in.
EGHAM TOWN: Gary Ross, Josh Andrew, Jake Galbraith, Kyle Anthony, Chris Ellis, Mo Harkin, Patrick Craig, Jamie Houghton, Shane Graham, Ryan O’Toole, Louis Chandler-Joseph. Subs: Joe Chandiram (Craig, 67), Luke Muldowney, Arran Taylor-Ives, Brendan Matthew (O’Toole, 67), Joel Jacobs.