Egham T 3 Camberley T 1

COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISON
SATURDAY 1 OCTOBER 2011
EGHAM TOWN 3 (2) CAMBERLEY TOWN 1 (1)

Egham Town scorers: Tom Hedges 2 (24, 67), Dale Marvell (41)

It was high fives all round for Egham Town boss John Hamsher who returned from a short holiday to steer his Sarnies side to a superb win over second placed Camberley Town. From the off Egham put their guests on the back foot, Matt Grave and Ken During almost converting chances created by leading marksman Dale Marvell. On 14 minutes Grave was in again, but his lob over Camberley keeper Stuart Norman also beat the cross bar. The dominance of the home side needed to be converted into the hard currency of goals, and Camberley showed their teeth with a James Mepham shot that Paul Borg scrambled to save. Five minutes later the same pair were in action again, this time Borg seeing Jake Galbraith tidy up. It was beginning to look as if the control Egham had established was about to slip away, then Marvell flicked the ball into the path of Tom Hedges, down the inside right channel, from where the winger hammered in an instinctive wallop of a cross shot that beat Norman via the far post. But there tends to be a something that gets in the way, a tendency to let concentration slip that has tormented not just this Egham side. A workaday cross, an untended midfield player – Louis Hibbert – and a soft, free header that glanced in off Borg's left post and the scores were annoyingly level, eight minutes before half time. Half of that gap before tea later and the lead was restored. Grave, Marvell, skipper Marcus Moody and midfield heart Jamie Houghton all forced the Krooners back, the latter's refusal to let the ball go dead reaping reward with a pull back parried by centre back Michael Blount's hand. Out came the yellow card from referee Mr V Creswick, after he had pointed to the spot from which Marvell smacked in the penalty. It was a half time lead that was fully deserved.
Egham were frustrated when Blount clattered into Grave five minutes into the second half. By any usual measure it was a cautionable offence, and would have left Camberley a man down. However, it did not deter Egham from maintaining control with a surprising ease, and with a quarter of the game left Hedges took full advantage of a failure to communicate by Blount and Norman. Hedges, like his taciturn manager, let his feet do the talking as he took the ball round the keeper and rifled in his second. Hedges later picked up a yellow card for the heinous offence of being fouled.
Egham next have a change from the rigours of league play with a home tie on Tuesday against CCL One side Eversley in the EL Premier Challenge Cup. Next Saturday Egham have a trip up the A3 to Colliers Wood United for a league game. Egham's record at the Wibbandune is good in Cups and pretty dreadful in the league. Egham have re-ascended to their previous season high of 4th place.

EGHAM TOWN: Paul Borg, Dan Hartlebury, Jake Galbraith, Aarron Taylor-Ives, Ken During, Luke Muldowney, Marcus Moody (Capt.), Jamie Houghton, Dale Marvell, Matt Grave, Tom Hedges. Subs: Tom Brunton, Max Galbraith, Lee Pasmore (Grave, 70), Brendan Matthew (Moody, 83).

Results for CCL Premier Clubs:

FA Cup: Hanworth Villa 1 Aveley 0
League: Chessington & Hook United 1 Dorking 1; Colliers Wood United 2 Sandhurst Town 3: Croydon 1 Guildford City 1; Horley Town 2 Farnham Town 2; Molesey 0 Epsom & Ewell 2; Mole Valley SCR 2 Wembley 2; South Park 2 Badshot Lea 0; Windsor 11 (eleven) Banstead Athletic 0.