Cove 1 Egham Town 7

COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER 2011
COVE 1 (0)EGHAM TOWN 7 (2)

Egham Town scorers:
Jamie Houghton (13), Luke Muldowney (27), Tom Hedges (47), Matt Grave (61), Marcus Moody (62), Brendan Matthew (72), Enrico Rossoni (90+2)

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Egham Town set a new club record as seven different goal scorers ripped hosts Cove to pieces in an amazing display of attacking football at Oak Farm. The size of this crushing victory matches, for goal difference, 2007-8 season's 8-2 win at Banstead Athletic, so making it equal best for away wins in the Combined Counties League.
With Jake Galbraith restored at left back Egham skipper Marcus Moody was freed from defensive duties to put in a man of the match display in midfield. This was, though, as the distribution of marksmen suggests, an excellent team effort, more remarkable for the facts that no goals were penalties or own goals and no Cove player was sent off giving Egham a staffing advantage.
The match started off fairly mundanely but livened up a tad when, for the game's only caution, Steve Brown clattered into Moody. Then, thirteen minutes in, left side midfielder Tom Hedges raced down his wing and won a corner, which Dale Marvell swung onto the head of the inrushing Jamie Houghton for a thumping header for the lead. Cove put together some attacking play of their own with Jack Ball forcing a save from Paul Borg, and from the subsequent corner Borg again had to push the ball away from danger. Egham defended as a team as Cove pushed them back and attacked in similar fashion for their second goal. Moody, released by Houghton's pass, forced another corner kick. Marvell again swung the ball in, Cove did not clear their area and Luke Muldowney, from just inside the box, curled in a shot that, despite being headed away, had, on the judgement of the assistant referee, crossed the line. Matt Grave had a shot saved and after a period of concerted pressure Houghton fired a shot wide of the far post.
Throughout the first half the Cove player/manager Dean Thomas and his assistant had been berating all and sundry, and at half time decided to do something about it by putting himself on. Two minutes from the restart he could only watch from his centre back position as his keeper Tom McNeill and Brown got in real tangle and let in Hedges for a carefully caressed shot that had just enough legs to roll over the line. Hedges played in Grave, who stabbed his shot wide, and then Egham did that falling asleep at the back thing again. The sooner they give that the elbow the better. On the break Cove found a lack of cover inviting a shot by Andrew Harewood, who hit Borg's left post and then still had time aplenty to put the rebound in. Five minutes later Hedges's solo run should have seen him roll in his second goal but he hesitated, Marvell and Grave seemed to get in his way, and the ball went out from a corner. No problem; Marvell whipped the ball in and Grave flicked in a superb headed goal – 4-1. Seconds from the restart it was 5-1, Houghton and Marvell linking for the latter to slide the ball into skipper Moody, who angled in his shot after rounding keeper McNeill. It seemed a little odd that with the opposition now on the ropes that Hamsher should take off Marvell and Hedges, who had been instrumental in forging their advantage, with Max Galbraith and Enrico Rossoni the new men. A little later he put Brendan Matthew on for Grave. However, if Cove thought they had been given a reprieve they were wrong, because Matthew, with perhaps his first touch, sidefooted in Jake Galbraith's low pass to make it 6-1. McNeill made a superb save off Houghton's 20 yard volley, and it would have been understandable if the visitors had settled at six. However in Enrico Rossoni Mr Hamsher seems to have signed a quality player with an eye for goal. He had had a sighter shot go just wide but, two minutes into stoppage time, he went on a fabulous solo run that he finished superbly. With this excellent haul Egham now have scored 42 league goals in 14 games and are now the divisional top scorers. Ten games unbeaten, including the FA Vase and the League Cup, the Sarnies next face Sandhurst Town at home on Tuesday 1 November before facing Chessington & Hook (whom Egham beat 8-3 away in the league) on Saturday 5 November. Insert your own fireworks joke here.

Other results: FA Cup 4th Qual. - AFC Totton 3 Hanworth Villa 2. CCL Premier - Banstead Athletic 3 Colliers Wood United 2, Camberley Town 0 Croydon 2, Chessington & Hook United 1 Wembley 3, Dorking 0 South Park 3, Epsom & Ewell 0 Badshot Lea 2, Farnham 0 Molesey 3, Guildford City 2 Windsor 2, Mole Valley SCR 3 Raynes Park Vale 4, Sandhurst Town 2 Horley Town 1.