BEACONSFIELD SYCOB 1 EGHAM TOWN 2

SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE CENTRAL
MONDAY 5 OCTOBER 2015
BEACONSFIELD SYCOB 1 (0) EGHAM TOWN 2 (0)
EGHAM TOWN SCORERS: BAJRAM PASHAJ (51), BRENDAN MATTHEW (62)

Egham Town moved from 12th to 8th with a hardworking and disciplined performance at Beaconsfield SYCOB on a night which featured torrential rain throughout. Gary Meakin fielded as a starting XI the men who started at Uxbridge. The visitors started well, but had to make a substitution as early as the 17th minute when Mitchell Gutteridge (pictured) suffered a recurrence of a shoulder injury (that his father told me will probably take a while to mend, so we wish him all the best) and was replaced by Mason Yorke, brother of centre back Reece. Mason was making his debut but slotted in superbly, making a crucial blocking challenge a handful of minutes after coming on as home skipper Lee Togwell threatened. On a night like this, with the rain pelting down relentlessly, it was a credit to both teams that the standard of football started off at a good level and stayed there. It was also testament to the groundsman that the pitch remained in perfect condition. Egham seemed to have the greater attacking potency with Chris Henry and Brendan Matthew running at pace at retreating defenders. Matthew had his first attempt at goal in the 27th minute, a deflection off Guri Demuria increasing the difficulty of the diving save Billy Collings had to make low to his left. SYCOB’s reply was a fierce cross shot by Jack Read that forced Jamie Norris into a flying save.
SYCOB responded to the half time managerial pep talk with a goal a minute after the restart. A ball down Egham left caught Mason Yorke out, only because he is not as tall as Gutteridge. Read ran on to the ball, cut in and whipped in a curling shot which nicked enough off a defender to find the far corner. Thus was Egham’s rearguard breached for the first time under Gary Meakin, so the question was how would they respond? With fight and determination, that’s how. Callum Webb, out on the Sarnies’ right wing, bamboozled two defenders with some brilliant footwork before delivering the perfect cross for Bajram Pashaj, running in at the back post, to head home from close range. After 62 minutes Egham played a series of short passes to open up the home back line, the final pass finding the in-form Matthew who hammered the ball low to Collings’ left for what proved to be the winner. That would not have happened had Norris not made a vital save just beforehand from Togwell’s drive. Webb was replaced by Danny Bassett, who worked hard to keep the home defence worried. At the other end another great save by Norris, this time from Aaron Minhas, kept the Sarnies ahead. Henry had a shot kicked off the line by Collings, Bassett threatened but was closed down and Tristan Campbell made Norris pull of another good block as the game became more and more open. Matthew would have made it easier for Egham with a third but Collings matched Norris at the other end for goalkeeping heroics. Once Aaron Berry headed a presentable chance wide all Egham had to do was see the game out and look ahead to a trip on Saturday to Arlesey.
I had thought, wrongly as it turned out, that we had never played Arlesey before but we have, in Ryman Three in season 2000-2001. Steve Bennett told me he had been there as a player and we got belted. With a Championship winning record that read P42 W34 D6 L2 F138 A37 Pts 108 it is clear that Arlesey, who were in that division for just one season, were handing out beltings all round.
EGHAM TOWN: Jamie Norris, Jerome Ecclestone, Mitchell Gutteridge, Reece Yorke, Luke Neville, Kurtney Brooks (Captain), Callum Webb, Jake Cass, Brendan Matthew, Bajram Pashaj, Chris Henry. Substitutes: Mason Yorke (Gutteridge, 17), Dean McDonnell, Tarome Hemmings (Pashaj, 84), Ollie Jones, Danny Bassett (Webb, 74).