EGHAM TOWN 3 NORTH GREENFORD UNITED 1

EVO-STIK SOUTHERN DIVISION ONE CENTRAL
SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER 2015
EGHAM TOWN 3 (0) NORTH GREENFORD UNITED 1 (1)
Scorers: Luke Neville (52), Jake Cass (70), Brendan Matthew (87) / Aaron McLeish (42)

After six straight away wins in League, League Cup and FA Cup games under new boss Gary Meakin the trick was to repeat that at home. A wonderful second half display saw Egham do just that against a robust North Greenford United side that had beaten then leaders Chalfont St Peter 6-2. Their 1-5 home Red Insure Cup loss against Beaconsfield SYCOB was due to wholesale changes, and it was their first choice line-up that demonstrated some great touch and movement in a first half that saw them take a deserved lead through Aaron McLeish’s 42nd minute goal.
Egham had had to find a goalkeeper because Jamie Norris was serving a ban for his red card in the Trophy win at Slimbridge and were able to sign Gary Malone from Wealdstone. As you would expect from a man on the books of a National League South club he was more than capable and had no luck with the NGU goal. Egham might have gone ahead in the second minute after Callum Webb danced his way to the byline and went for a shot from a difficult angle. For the next 20 minutes play was concentrated in the middle of the park, both sides using the excellent surface at the Runnymede Stadium to display good passing movements. Chris Henry, Egham’s left winger, rifled in a 23rd minute cross shot that keeper Amadou Tangara got a fingertip to. He smiled when referee Michael Ryan gave a goal kick. In McLeish NGU have a powerful and skilful centre forward whose close control earnt him space for a shot beyond Malone but Mitchell Gutteridge came in to clear. Egham were being pegged back. With five minutes left came a crucial moment. Reece Yorke cleared a Charlie Mitchell shot and on the break Brendan Matthew was racing down the middle of the park until Michael Mbella flattened him. The United man clearly denied Matthew a goal scoring opportunity, except in the eyes of Mr Ryan. The visitors surged downfield and McLeish found room for a shot that went in off the inside off the inside of the right post. Mbella had, though, paid the price for his challenge, going off injured.
Meakin replaced Henry with Danny Bassett, which added a more direct attacking style to the Sarnies’ game. Luke Neville came to the fore in the first seven minutes, blocking a shot by Sayon Keita then equalising with a thumping header off a magnificent free kick by Gutteridge, who really could not have delivered a better chance for the big centre half to double his tally for the season. Two minutes later Gutteridge, on the left this time, slipped a pass in for Matthew, who forced Tangara to pull off a decent save. Webb suffered an elbow to the bridge of the nose as United looked likely to lose their discipline. Bassett then started to drive forward and curled a shot wide of the right post. Webb was replaced by Ollie Jones in midfield just before McLeish punched the ball into the Egham net. The balance was tipped in Egham’s favour when Bassett played a delicious pass for Bajram Pashaj, from whose perfect clipped cross Jake Cass towered above his marker and thumped his header home. The visitors screamed for a penalty for an alleged foul on McLeish, then as the Middlesex side saw the game slipping away from them Vianney Kokolou flattened Matthew and can consider himself lucky that Mr Ryan seems a lenient chap. Reece Yorke headed wide and Matthew drove a shot into the unfortunate Tangara’s personal goods’ department. Yorke was the next to be clattered, by McLeish. The Greenford striker then was denied a shot from a threatening run by Neville’s perfectly time intervention. Pashaj went off for defender Hassan Soloman, who played just over half an hour in Meakin’s winning debut at Barton Rovers before going off with a hamstring pull. The change stiffened Egham’s rearguard then with three minutes left Cass threaded in a perfect pass for Matthew who this time found not Tangara’s family jewels but the back of the net with a great finish. The win lifted Egham to fifth, an elevation they hope to continue with home games this week against Potters Bar Town and Chalfont St Peter.
EGHAM TOWN: Gary Malone, Jerome Ecclestone, Mitchell Gutteridge, Reece Yorke, Luke Neville, Kurtney Brooks (Captain), Callum Webb, Jake Cass, Brendan Matthew, Bajram Pashaj, Chris Henry. Subs: Mason Yorke, Hassan Soloman (Pashaj, 83), Tarome Hemmings, Ollie Jones (Webb, 67), Danny Bassett (Henry, HT).