AYLESBURY UNITED 4 EGHAM TOWN 2

THE SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE CENTRAL SATURDAY 9 AUGUST 2014

AYLESBURY UNITED 4 (1)
Edgeworth 14 (p), Reynolds 3 (60, 82,94)
EGHAM TOWN 2 (1)
Antonio (7), Stanislaus (51)

Before this match it was revealed that our Chairman Pat Bennett was in hospital after a serious medical incident. The team were enjoined to use this as a platform to deliver a solid, and hopefully successful, performance. Nobody could say that the spirit was not there but in the end was perhaps the luck that was missing, not the heart. The 12th minute dismissal of experienced centre back Richie Byrne for a foul in the area clearly made life much more difficult, Paul Edgeworth scoring from the spot to level the score at 1-1. Five minutes earlier brilliant work by Reis Stanislaus and Saturday’s hero Josh Andrew ended as the latter’s cross was headed home by Dwayne Antonio, in for the unavailable Dan Read. Egham, who had had to replace goalkeeper Jamie Norris with Garry Aulsberry after Norris had ricked his neck in the warm-up, were put under severe pressure from the home side but were able to break on occasion and threaten Jack Sillitoe’s goal on a pitch made slippery by a very heavy downpour.
Six minutes into the second half Stanislaus and Joe Chandiram opened up the Ducks’ defence, creating a gap for last season’s top scorer to hammer home a 20 yard shot into the bottom left corner. From this point on the luck seemed to desert the shorthanded visitors. After an hour United’s centre forward Zach Reynolds found the net from distance with a speculative effort, but with a man short Egham would have been reasonably content leaving with a point. Stanislaus had a shot spilled by Sillitoe but the ball did not fall for the supporting Andrew. Antonio had been replaced by Matt Grave, who has not worn an Egham shirt for three years, and he showed with a well hit volley on the stretch that he has not lost his touch. With nine minutes left the home side went ahead, Reynolds ending a strong run with a good finish. With Ryan Lake encouraging “Come on you Sarnies” from his centre back berth Egham fought back. Scott Weight’s powerful header was scrambled clear, Grave’s backheel was clever but didn’t quite fall right for Stanislaus and then Stanislaus had a shot blocked and when the ball span up Grave rose at the back post and saw his header hit the outside of the left post. Relieved, Aylesbury broke, had a shot cleared off the line and when the ball reached him on the edge of the box Reynolds rifled in his third with seconds left. The Sarnies could (with an admittedly unlikely five goa margin) have gone top. Instead, two games into the season, we sit in 12th place. We’ve had worse starts, like last season. On Monday we take the short trip up the M40 to Beaconsfield SYCOB then it’s Potters Bar Town for our fourth away league game in the first five.
EGHAM TOWN
Garry Aulsberry, Luke Muldowney, Jake Galbraith, Richie Byrne, Ryan Lake, Scott Weight,
Josh Andrew, Joe Chandiram, Reis Stanislaus, Dwayne Antonio, Calvin Thomas
Subs: Ricky Farnden, (Chandiram, 85), Lee Morley, Matt Grave (Antonio, 70), Jamie Norris (named to start, replaced before kick off).