EGHAM TOWN 1 LEIGHTON TOWN 2

EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE CENTRAL
SATURDAY 15.08.15
EGHAM TOWN 1 (0) LEIGHTON TOWN 2 (1)
WILSON GONDWE (78) / DAVE BROWN (2) (11, 90)

Only two Saturdays in and twice Egham boss Trevor Norris has seen his young side suffer the sickening pain of losing to late goals. This is the third season Egham have been in this division and the third time they have seen Leighton Town, The Scholars, give them a lesson in riding your luck. Two years ago two poor teams slugged it out, and the visitors left with a fortunate 2-0 win. Last season Egham were two up until a combination of their missed chances, decent finishing from Leighton and some startlingly inept officiating led to a 2-2 draw. Both games came at the fag-end of the season; perhaps fortune would smile on Egham this time? Er, no.
The omens were not good from the start. Injuries to full backs Louis Chandler-Joseph and Mason Welch-Turner, midfielder Jordan Carter and striker Danny Bassett ruled out any chance of continuity of selection after Tuesday’s win against Hanwell Town. In came Wilson Gondwe and Larry Boateng in defence, Haluna Masembe in midfield with Jonathan Hippolyte replacing Danny Bassett up front. What also did not help was that it did not take long to realise that this is the best Leighton Town team we have seen in these three seasons. After 11 minutes Egham were behind as collective defensive indecision let Jack Westlake proceed down the Leighton left and knock in a cross that Dave Brown had little difficulty converting into a 1-0 lead. Nine minutes later Hippolyte showed great awareness by robbing Pierre Hazet and making room for a shot which then thudded off the base of the right post. Matt Hall cleared the corner, which Seb Castello took. Mitchell Gutteridge rose for a free header which he put wide. As Badger said, with wonderfully laconic humour, “my dad could have put that one in, and he’s on the mantelpiece.” A few minutes later Hippolyte fell in the box, and referee Craig Robson booked him for simulation, a decision even Aaron Bufton, the Leighton keeper, thought harsh. Egham maintained the pressure with Josh Andrew crossing, Hippolyte stepping over the ball and Brendan Matthew hammering in a shot that Bufton saved with a leap to his left. Leighton skjpper James Hatch came close to doubling his side’s lead with a cross shot from a narrow angle, but Boateng cleared up when the ball beat Jamie Norris in the home goal. Leighton had appeals for a penalty turned down when Ben Gallant and Norris had a coming together; Mr Robson gave Egham a free kick instead.
Seven minutes into the second half Egham had another OMG-head-in-the-hands moment when Masembe found room to advance, beating a tackle or two and then seeing his shot thump the foot of the left post. Egham pressed on, and after Luke Neville had won the ball in deep midfield and found Gondwe with a magnificent long pass the defender moved in from the left and hammered an angled shot into the far corner of the net. There were 78 minutes on the clock. Bassett hit the side netting of an Andrew pass, then Bajram Peshaj made a welcome return to the side, replacing Hippolyte, whose applause for the Sarnies down the Jungle End was much appreciated. Five minutes to go and Andrew went down the inside left for a change, and drilled in a cross. Bassett met the ball less than boot’s length from the target and created some rare kind of physical dynamic that saw the round white thing clear an 8’ x 24’ target. It was an early benchmark for miss of the season. Down the other end, Norris had to make a good save from Hatch, and then, in the final minute of a game packed already with OMG moments, came the OMG-est. Brown, out on the Leighton left wing, was not even looking for anything more than getting his cross into the danger area, and saw the ball loop in the flukiest of arcs over Norris and into the far corner of the Egham net.
On Tuesday Egham make a first ever trip to Kings Langley, who won the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division at the first time of asking last season. Including that success and the four previous campaigns the Kings have scored 596 league goals and on Saturday they travelled to Chalfont St Peter and won 3-2.
Kings Langley is 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Hemel Hempstead and 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Watford.
On Saturday Egham face St Ives Town.
EGHAM TOWN: Jamie Norris, Larry Boateng, Wilson Gondwe, Haluna Masembe, Mitchell Gutteridge, Luke Neville, Josh Andrew, Tarome Hemmings, Jonathan Hippolyte, Brendan Matthew, Seb Castello. Subs: Danny Bassett (Castello, 66), Nadeem Fosu, Tom McGarry, Bajram Peshaj (Hippolyte, 82), Jamie Cunningham (gk).