DORKING 2 EGHAM TOWN 1

COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
Saturday 25 February 2012
Dorking 2 (1) Egham Town 1 (0)
Egham Town scorer: Dale Marvell (80)

After beating South Park last Saturday Egham Town, with Windsor losing at Chessington & Hook, were in a comfortable third place. On Tuesday they lost, not exactly unexpectedly, at Camberley, who won today while Egham were going down to a side without a league win since November.
Egham are now 4th. In both matches this week Egham were short of key players. Midfielders Jamie Houghton and Enrico Rossoni (holiday and family emergency) were missing at Krooner Park; at Dorking's Meadowbank centre-back/skipper Aarron Taylor-Ives and striker Matt Grave were added to the list, Grave for family reasons while Taylor-Ives followed boss John Hamsher's lead in taking a holiday mid-season. What that leaves behind is a first team squad shorn of experience and today it showed against a home team that hustled their way to a win they celebrated wildly at the final whistle. They certainly did not expect the three points. Hamsher gave youth team midfielder Louis Chandler-Joseph his first start, on the left wing, with Paul Bartholomew partnering Ken During at centre-back and top youth marksman Brendan Matthew up front. On the Egham bench were youth team keeper Josh Henry, youth team centre-back Jake Josling, youth team midfielder Tom Brunton and Hamsher, in his usual pitch side attire. Wayne Noad, the sort of combative presence Egham could have done with in the absence of Taylor-Ives and Houghton, did not have his name on the team sheet.
On a bobbly pitch there was a great deal of endeavour from both sides, but with little real quality from either side. 26 minutes elapsed before Egham keeper Paul Borg saved the game's first shot on target. After 39 Egham were behind. A seemingly routine ball on the edge of the box was not dealt with, Borg attempted the clearance and the ball spun off that well known player Rick O'Shea, or perhaps more accurately Daryl Jeeves, steepling up before dropping in as Borg raced back trying to salvage the situation. Hamsher's men rallied, and a Dale Marvell corner was only a fraction away from being converted by the leaping During. As the half closed Matthew and Tom Hedges linked for the former to have a shot blocked.
After the break Chandler-Joseph was replaced, to no discernible benefit, by Tom Brunton. More midfield scuffling ensued, before Nicky Kemble capitalised on some slack marking, guiding the ball across Borg from the inside right channel. Two brilliant saves from Borg sandwiched a rare Egham chance, During this time meeting with a Marvell corner but heading over. Yet another save by Borg then preceded a header off the line by Bartholomew. Egham were getting the ball forward but there was no penetration until Lee Pasmore finally found a telling pass for Marvell to slip the ball under the advacing Dorking keeper. It could still, though, have been worse for Egham but for a goalline clearance by Jake Galbraith and Dorking wasting a late chance.
There was talk a few weeks ago of new faces in the squad. With players seemingly missing on a fairly regular basis and the bench looking consistently threadbare Egham need to bolster the squad before the signing window closes on 31 March or see their best season in the CCL slide away into disappointment. The Sarnies have twelve games remaining, six in March and six in April. The next two games are at home, on Saturday 3 March against Horley Town, and on 6 March against Croydon.
EGHAM TOWN: Paul Borg, Dan Hartlebury, Jake Galbraith, Ken During, Paul Bartholomew, Luke Muldowney (capt.), Lee Pasmore, Louis Chandler-Joseph, Dale Marvell, Brendan Matthew, Tom Hedges. Subs: Tom Brunton (Chandler-Joseph HT), Jake Josling, Josh Henry, John Hamsher.