MOLESEY 1 EGHAM TOWN 0 AET

SURREY COUNTY FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION SATURDAY SENIOR CUP
TUESDAY 2 DECEMBER 2014
MOLESEY 1 EGHAM TOWN 0 after extra time

Egham Town went out of the Surrey Senior Cup on Tuesday night. It’s not the end of the world, but it does mean that the open door for further progression in this competition, given that Woking crashed out at home to Ashford Town (Mx.), is slammed in their faces. There are worries; a lack of goals, losing to a side a level below and the difficulty in telling who played in which division. This is the third game on the trot that Egham have failed to score, and, given that this tie went to extra time, it means that Dan Read, five minutes into the second half in the Red Insure Cup 2-1 success at Godalming Town, is the last Sarnies scorer, 340 match-play minutes ago.
Changes were made after the loss at Bedworth United, with new signings given their chances to prove themselves. That meant that Chris Smith started up front, with Seb Castello and Naseem Dukali in midfield. Of the three the latter two played the whole match, Smith, who didn’t win a header in 45 minutes, being replaced by Reis Stanislaus early in the second half. Molesey were up for this from the start, which is no surprise given recent history between the clubs, the fact that two-time Egham boss Steve Webb is in charge at Walton Road and wanting to progress further in this cup.
Twenty minutes had passed before any clear chances, Jamie Norris saving from Joe Pratley-Jones, and another eighteen before Egham had their first chance, Castello looping a cross over for Dukali to hook a goalbound shot that Liam Allen did well to turn over his bar. One more Norris save, from a whipped corner kick, was the last of the notable first half action, both sides battling it out in a midfield scrap.
It was centre back Wilson Gondwe who was taken off for Stanislaus as Egham sought a cutting edge, and for a while it looked as if the move would work as the Sarnies upped their work rate and at last looked capable of creating chances. It would have been a different story had not Wayne Jackson cleared Pratley-Jones’ angled shot off the line, not long before he and Smith gave way to Brendan Matthew and Dwayne Antonio, which promised greater pace in attack. Had Stanislaus been able to get a firmer contact on Antonio’s first contribution, a drilled cross from the right, Egham may perhaps have settled this tie, and with just two minutes left of normal time it was Stanislaus whose dragged shot at the end of perhaps their best move of the match saw the game go to an extra thirty minutes.
The first period contained a shot wide from Stanislaus, a Matthew shot over the bar and Joe Chandiram heading off the line when Ollie Robinson was given room for a diving header. The second half saw Mo Harkin struggling with a groin pull, a move started by Matthew and ended with Antonio also failing to find the target and finally Molesey sub Stafford Palmer finding room for a shot that Norris saved with his feet, the rebound falling nicely for Billy Roach (I think; No. 15, curly hair) to steer the ball home.
Egham face St Ives Town in the league on Saturday. They need to remember how to score goals.
EGHAM TOWN: Jamie Norris, Danny Williamson, Ryan Lake, Mo Harkin, Lee Morley, Wilson Gondwe, Naseem Dukali, Joe Chandiram, Chris Smith, Wayne Jackson, Seb Castello. Subs: Dwayne Antonio (Smith, 60), Brendan Matthew (60), Josh Andrew, Reis Stanislaus (Gondwe, HT), Luke Muldowney.