SLIMBRIDGE 3 EGHAM TOWN 2 AET

THE EMIRATES FA CUP PRELIMINARY ROUND REPLAY
TUESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2015
SLIMBRIDGE 3 (1) SAM BLACKIE 2 (27, 81) ADAM MACE (114)
EGHAM TOWN 2 (1) LUKE NEVILLE (8), DANNY BASSETT (66) AET. FT 2-2
I suppose it is fair to say that we could have done without this replay, but perhaps it could be a landmark game for this campaign. With players damaged (Louis Chandler-Joseph, Jamie Norris, Mitchell Gutteridge, Haluna Masembe) and unavailable (Jamie Cunningham) it was the loss of Norris pere that was the headline grabber prior to the game. Initially the fact that Jamie of that ilk was nursing a leg injury suffered on Saturday and that Mr Cunningham thought, understandably, better than to ask his brand new employer for time off, meaning we had no goalkeeper, dominated conversation but that his dad Trevor had tendered his resignation on Saturday managed to outshine even the lack of a recognised No 1. It was clear that only Brendan Matthew would fit the bill, but he had only had part of one game, last season at Royston Town, under his belt in a competitive game.
Dear reader, read and note these names, for they are all we had available, and they were not happy about playing without a keeper, and believe me when I say they were all heroes:
Brendan Matthew, Larry Boateng, Mason Welch-Turner, Nadean Fosu, Wilson Gondwe, Luke Neville, Josh Andrew, Tarome Hemmings, Jonathan Hippolyte, Bajram Peshaj, Danny Bassett.
In the absence of Trevor Norris it was left to Koo Dumbuya and Ahmet Akdag to guide this band of brothers, and it was clear from the start that the previous playing orthodoxy of careful possession and building up play from the back had been ditched in favour of a more direct style. It meant the ball spent less time in and around our box, it meant we attacked more and in the 8th minute we were ahead. Peshaj, back in the line-up after only one brief appearance in the Leighton Town game, hammered in a free kick, the ball was parried and Luke Neville risked life and limb in going for the loose ball at the right post to get it over the line. Mason Welch-Turner had just covered a dangerous break with an impeccably timed tackle in the 26th minute then the home side levelled with the first of a trio of excellently taken goals after a quick break, measured cross and Sam Blackie’s piledriver into Matthew’s net. In injury time Nadean Fosu’s long ball found Jonathan Hippolyte in space for a run and a shot that just beat the far post. The second half saw us playing down a slope that put those who know such things in mind of Chessington & Hook, but not Raynes Park Vale because this pitch had grass on it. On 64 minutes Egham were in the driving seat again, a reward for what was already the best performance of the season. The scant XI knew they could not be subbed, knew they needed to put in a shift and knew they were good enough to win, even with the aforementioned “handicap”. To be honest, thanks to brilliant defending from the front to the back Brendan Matthew had had precious little to do, and had no chance with the first or subsequent goals, so well were they struck. “Well struck” is not a description that can be pinned to our second goal; I have chosen “functional”. Hippolyte found Bassett in the box, Bassett shot, the ball again rebounded, the home defence did not clear and Bassett pounced from close range, as he had done on Saturday. Unfortunately the home side were able to level again, seconds after another splendid intervention by the brilliant Luke Neville had denied them. Blackie’s volley, angled and fiercely hit, hit the top right corner and would have left any keeper stranded. Seven minutes from the end of normal play we perhaps could have gone in front when Peshaj lifted the ball over the bar after the latest Bassett run but fatigue and the slope had their wicked way. Peshaj is clearly a superb talent and here, despite his lack of game time, he ran himself into the ground. It feels wrong to single out any one player but I think he epitomised the magnificent work ethic the players were showing, if only because of this being his first start. Then we were dealt an unjust blow, Hippolyte receiving a straight red card for what was a foul but not the X-rated challenge the referee saw. The test here was the reaction of the home players, annoyed at the tackle but not incensed. Even so, we ended the 90 minutes with Bassett having one shot cleared and another spilled by Adam Thomas in the home goal.
In the first period of extra time we were playing uphill and repelling home attacks for most of the 15 minutes, and it looked as if a repeat of that in the second period would have us going to penalties. Against ten increasingly fatigued Sarnies though Slimbridge pushed on, seemingly anxious to face the inevitable traffic headaches of travelling to Greenwich Borough on a Sunday. Still Egham moved forward, but were guilty enough of overplaying without getting a shot off to provoke Matthew, at the top of the slope, to shout out “****ing shoot”. This chimes well with the Sarnies. For years, irrespective of who is in charge, who is wearing the Egham shirt, even what colour the shirt is, that habit known as “fannying about” has exasperated every single one of us. Pretty football is all well and good but it relies on at least four elements: good technique, good decision making, a decent playing surface and, usually, the absence of an opponent effecting a challenge. When it works the results can be beautiful (if that is not too strong) but it does not happen often enough for it to be a whole belief system. Anyway, Larry Boateng headed off the line and Matthew pulled off a wonderful double save from point blank range, but the ball came out to Adam Mace who, from the edge of the box, rifled in the winner. At the death Matthew forsake the custodial duties he later described as boring to come up for a corner. The home crowd loved it, especially when Slimbridge attacked but the defence dealt with the break.
The praise could go on, and it was a shame so few Sarnies got to see this tremendous performance. The hope now has to be that this is the start of a series of similar showings.