EGHAM TOWN 0 HANWELL TOWN 0

The first competitive meeting between these two clubs ended in stalemate, with honest endeavour the main feature. Hanwell came to the Runnymede Stadium in second place, having taken remarkably well to this level after promotion as last season’s South Midlands League Champions. They also had one of the division’s top marksmen in Lewis Putman, with 16 to his name, four ahead of Egham’s Reis Stanislaus. The Egham marksman started on the bench after missing the midweek League Cup 2-1 win at Godalming Town, with goals coming from Dwayne Antonio and former Godalming man Dan Read. Jake Galbraith, who was sent off in that game, had to sit out the Hanwell game with a hamstring problem, Read had a calf injury and Ricky Farnden, who on Wednesday made his first start for a month, was unavailable for this one. Fortunately Wilson Gondwe was back from a short break and resumed at centre back. On the bench were Chris Smith (formerly with Slough Town and Badshot Lea), who made his debut at Chalfont St Peter, and Sebastian Castello, who has been at Slough Town and Woking.
Egham were aware that they had to play well against Hanwell or risk being overrun, and were quicker in the tackle than in their disappointing loss at Chalfont. Brendan Matthew and Hanwell keeper Alex Tokarczyk had a painful coming together with the latter needing four minutes of treatment. Egham, though, did not do a lot to test his painful right ankle except for a Wayne Jackson shot that was deflected for a corner.
Eleven minutes into the second half Antonio found a gap in the Hanwell defence but was crudely hauled back by Oliver Duffy. Despite the clarity of the offence the referee waved play on. Stanislaus replaced Jackson just past the hour but took a while to settle. Mo Harkin, greeted at the start of each half with a cry of “Judas” by one bonehead Hanwell fan, tested Tokarczyk with a 30 yard shot off Antonio’s pass, a rare instance in the whole game of either keeper having to do anything to dirty their gloves. For all that there was always the threat that a slip in defence could see a narrow win, a success that should have gone Egham’s way when Stanislaus had a more than presentable chance in the last minute but shot wide with Smith, unmarked and six yards out, calling for a pass.
Next Saturday Egham, now in 8th place, have their longest trip for a league game, facing Bedworth United, who are third. Bedworth, north of Coventry but just shy of Nuneaton, is a 206 mile round trip and the Midlanders will be hot favourites given that they play on a plastic pitch. They lost at Godalming but have since won four on the trot. On Tuesday they are at home to leaders Kettering Town.
EGHAM TOWN: Jamie Norris, Lee Morley, Wilson Gondwe, Mo Harkin, Luke Muldowney, Ryan Lake, Louis Chandler-Joseph, Joe Chandiram, Wayne Jackson, Dwayne Antonio. Subs: Reis Stanislaus (Jackson, 63), Danny Williamson, Chris Smith (Antonio, 80), Sebastian Castello.