Woking 7 Egham Town 1

SURREY COUNTY FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
SATURDAY SENIOR CUP SEMI-FINAL
WOKING 7 (4) EGHAM TOWN 1 (0)

Egham Town scorer: Brendan Matthew (90)

No side will ever like shipping seven goals, to anybody, but nobody in the Egham Town team need get bent out of shape about this result. In a competition widely regarded as having lost its gloss since the Surrey County FA decided against sticking to playing on a Saturday, as its name suggests, Woking paid Egham Town the complement of fielding a team comprising the majority of that which, in their last game, beat the Skrill Premier champions-elect Luton Town 1-0. That is why they out-thought, out-fought and out-classed an Egham Town side who did a best that was never really likely to be good enough. There are three massive steps between the middle of Calor One Central and a similar place in the Skrill Premier, and it showed.
From the off Woking were on the attack and should have taken a first minute lead but Kevin Betsey was too fancy for his own good. Joey Jones forced a good save from Jamie Norris and Scott Goddard fired a shot against the bar before, after 13 minutes, Giuseppe Sole took advantage of a bouncing ball between Ryan Lake and Jake Galbraith to score the first. Andy Crossley replaced the injured Mo Harkin after only 18 minutes, which gave Egham some width on the left. After 21 minutes it was 0-2, Betsey passing through the middle for Scott Rendell to score easily. Meanwhile the Sarnies attempted to watch the game from the side of the pitch but were barred, which was unfortunate. Trigger, though, lasted over half an hour in splendid isolation in the massive stand, sat just below the “F” until he too was told to move. That was about the time a Crossley free kick from the left was not given the conversion it deserved, and two minutes later Crossley’s next dead ball was fumbled on the line by home keeper Aaron Howe. 0-3 came on 39 minutes, Rendell finding Betsey, who was offside but not flagged and who rolled the ball in.
Three minutes after the restart any hope of a heroic comeback were scotched by the fourth, from Sole. Josh Andrew showed spirit with a great run, a slalom past three men, before firing over. After 55 minutes Rendell hammered in a screaming cross shot for the fifth and Sole got his hat-trick with a tap-in with 77 minutes gone. Egham were not rolling over; between goals five and six Ryan O’Toole, back after a long injury lay-off, was flattened by Kevin Murtagh on the edge of the Woking box, but Ryan Lake’s free kick hit the wall and the chance was lost. Just before the half-dozen was reached Ashley Quashie replaced Andrew. With nine minutes left Brendan Matthew replaced O’Toole and two minutes later it was 0-7 as a cross was headed in by Adam Brice. Egham were finding it hard to find any momentum against a far fitter, quicker and professionally set-up side. Notwithstanding the gulf between them the Sarnies were determined to get something out of this game, and, after a foul by John Nutter on Matthew, Reis Stanislaus’ free kick forced Howe to save. Eventually Egham got the goal that only the most diehard Cardinals fan would have denied them, as in the last minute Stanislaus ripped down the inside right channel to the byline, and drilled in a low cross that found Matthew ready, willing and able to convert at the back post. The cheer that greeted the goal was the loudest of the night.
Life goes on. Next we have a trip to St Ives Town. It matters far more to the Sarnies that we make amends for that utterly abysmal performance at our place when we threw a lead away, lost two goals to appalling defending and then missed two absolute sitters. Skipper Luke Muldowney already has that match marked as our worst of this season. Let’s not be doing that again, please! Anyway, we got tonked tonight by a side three levels above us; tonight Crawley Down Gatwick played a league match, at Peachehaven & Telscombe, went 0-1 after two minutes, 0-2 after 44 and then let in eight in the second half to lose 0-10! Admittedly P & T are top, while CDG are 23rd, but they are, at least nominally, playing at the same level.