Guernsey 5 Egham Town 2

COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
SATURDAY 18.08.12
GUERNSEY 5 EGHAM TOWN 2
Egham Town scorers: James McShane (2), Josh Andrew (20)
This was a saga and a half, this first ever time Egham Town have had to fly to a competitive fixture. Four intrepid Sarnies set off on Friday: a closed road, a diversion back to Chertsey, a choc-a-bloc M25; we hoped that this was a prelude to a pleasant weekend. We met the team and team management, grabbed a bite to eat and headed off to the plane. Mike told us that the hotel we’d be allocated was not the best. He was proved correct. Jimmy was not happy; he’d already been chuntering on the way down about the M25 and then he saw the plane we’d be flying in. Then, sat in said Flybe plane, we heard that an aircraft that had just landed also dumped a load of hydraulic fluid on the runway and we would be delayed. The time of the delay became crucial because Guernsey airport closes at 21:15 so the Captain said he had to put in a request to have the closing time moved back. He succeeded, clearly, because had he not we would have put forward a case for not playing. It might have helped, in the long term. We landed at 21:30. We were then transferred by bus from Guernsey airport to the St. Margaret Lodge Hotel, and after finding our rooms the players had something to eat, at about 22:15, and they were not best pleased, as what they got was watered down soup, some pizza and some pasta, all for the sum of £12.95 per head. The Sarnies stayed clear of the sumptuous feast and after necking several pints of cider, Bud and Baron lager (I think – I don’t touch the stuff) between us our very nice barman rustled up some chips for us, gratis. I had the distinction of sleeping in my own room, the players and management were doubled up and Mike, Jim and Badger would have shared one room had Badger not decided to spend at least part of the night crashed out in a chair on the landing.
In the morning Badger was awake enough to enjoy a morning dip in the small swimming pool, as did a couple of the players. The kick off was at 13:30 , so the arrangement was for a 10:00 brunch. “No fried food” was the order, so we got fried bacon, fried egg, fried sausage and about two dozen baked beans each, with tea, coffee, cereal and juice. I have had worse, a lot worse. There were comments about the hotel, in the light of the warning from Mike, after he had read notices on Trip Advisor. There is a fine line between “shabby chic” and down at heel, and this place definitely favoured the latter. All the furniture needs replacing and I would have said my bed was poor (far too soft) had I not had a skinful before head hit pillow. The sheets were clean, the bath clean and the shower worked pretty well (plenty of oomph), which was all I really needed, personally, but others said their baths were dirty. Having done the hotel review we watched the utter dreck that is Soccer AM and then got the bus through Guernsey’s narrow streets to Footes Lane.
I didn’t know what to expect as even Guernsey diehards seemed to cavil at the state of their stadium, but I was impressed. The award winning stand would certainly suit many a higher ranking non-league ground, and the size of the crowd, 954, meant that the running track round the pitch, usually a deadener for atmosphere (Croydon Arena, for instance), did nothing to diminish the sense of occasion. We few Sarnies were treated very well by Guernsey FC officials, who could not have been friendlier and more welcoming. Then the game began…

MATCH REPORT

“So what’s this new player like then, this AJ?” I had asked John Hamsher before the match. “He’s a winger. He’s played for Carshalton and Tooting. You won’t see the best out of him for a game or two ‘cos he hasn’t done a lot of pre-season training.” AJ – Anthony Joseph, started on the right wing. Wore the No. 7 shirt in a line-up that read:
1. Paul Borg 2. Josh Andrew 3. Jake Galbraith 4. Aarron Taylor-Ives (Capt.) 5. Luke Muldowney 6. James Brown 7. Anthony Joseph 8. Jesse Atiase 9. Charlie McCarthy 10. Shane Graham 11. James McShane. 12. James Walters 14. Tommy Hedges 15. Jamie Read 16. Matt Smith
99.99% of 954 people looked on stunned as Egham started the match on fire. Our only other match against the Channel Islanders was in the EL Records Premier Challenge Cup Quarter Final last season (of course) and we had turned 0-1 to 2-1 with two well taken goals by Brendan Matthew. Then Ryan Zico-Black levelled from the kick off and in extra time we fell apart and lost 2-5. Unfortunately that collapse was mirrored at Footes Lane.
Two minutes into the game Guernsey’s defence made a mistake that led to an Egham free kick. James McShane had fancied himself as the first scorer, and was right to do so with an exquisite free kick that left Chris Tardif flat footed as the ball sailed past him. Two brilliant saves from Paul Borg kept the score at 1-0 to us, Ross Allen, the talisman for Guernsey, denied both times. On 17 minutes, though, Egham were forced into a substitution, Jesse Atiase having to go to a local hospital after a stiff block tackle that had an initial prognosis of damaged knee ligaments. The young winger, with three goals in three games, had settled in well on his return to the Runnymede Stadium, and hopefully his clear desire to return to full fitness will be rewarded. Matt Smith, an entirely different kind of midfielder, replaced him, but still Egham had the early momentum and Josh Andrew took advantage of some dozy defending to cut in from right back before hammering a shot into the roof of Guernsey’s net after 20 minutes. We had been warned at Sandhurst Town that Guernsey like to play multi ball, and I had just commented to Mike that it was working well for them when it worked very well indeed. Here’s a question: the man in black, standing between the two dugouts and holding the subs and “time added on” board – who is he? Is he a Guernsey man, in which case why is he doing the display board when that usually goes to a fourth official? What official position is that then? It is clear, in fact, that his leanings were towards the Islanders as he scooped a ball forward for a quick throw in that left us dawdling and gave Allen a chance for a hammer of a shot into Paul Borg’s net. 1-2 – could we hold out with a lead to half time? No, because the referee misread Jake Galbraith’s tackle on Dave Rihoy and gave the penalty that allowed Allen to fire home the penalty that made it 2-2 with barely any time left before half-time. That was about it for Egham, alas. The loss of a crucial cog in midfield and the concession of a penalty that never was meant Egham heads down, Guernsey heads up and the second half was almost a procession. All praise Paul Borg. He had made several magnificent saves, blocks and interventions in the first period, and continued to defy Guernsey when they got past our defence.
Jamie Read replaced Charlie McCarthy up front after the break, and Shane Graham went off five minutes later with Tommy Hedges his replacement. Guernsey ratcheted up the pressure, and even a clash of heads did not stop Allen tormenting our back four. This is how the match was summarised on the Guernsey site:
Guernsey FC have beaten Egham Town 5-2 in the Cherry Red Records CCL Premier Division despite going 2-0 down in the first half.The visitors went 1-0 up when James McSane (sic) scored a quick free kick. It wasn't long until Egham had doubled their lead after a superb individual effort from Joshua Andrews (sic, again). But GFC's star striker Ross Allen got the Green Lions back in the game when he powered home following a Jamie Dodd long throw.Man of the Match Dave Rihoy was taken down in the box just before the interval and the referee awarded a penalty. Allen made no mistake from the spot to pull the sides level. GFC were the superior team in the second half. Dominic Heaume glanced in a header to make it 3-2. Rihoy got himself on the scoresheet too, and Heaume got his second to make the final score 5-2. The attendance was 954.
I’ll leave it at that – for me the only highlight was managing to rile a whole section of the stand by calling the 3 a cheat for diving in the box, with the score 2-3. The referee must have thought so too; he booked him. The site does not mention that the fifth, the goal that agonisingly made the score the same as last season’s result, took a horrid deflection leaving the heroic Borg wrongfooted.
John Hamsher rued his team’s luck, and mentioned players not doing as they were told as a major factor in this heavy defeat. Jesse came back, on crutches, with physio Phil, we were fed and then more winding through the island for a flight that took off an hour late. Cue more Jim grumbling.
Guernsey take 5th slot, two above Egham. The next game for Egham Town is on Tuesday against Wembley, whose public profile has risen with their FA Cup activities. Hopefully we will not be facing Claudio Caniggia and his fellow stardust Cup heroes.
The schedule for the weekend has been changed after our FA Cup progress against Westfield. We face Badshot Lea at Godalming Town’s Weycourt ground; Godalming are at home on Saturday so we play on Sunday, which, if memory serves, is the second time we have played on the Sabbath. Vague memories are surfacing of a game on a Sunday during the time of the infamous three day week in 1974. Kick off on Sunday is at 15:00, and as a result the game at Stag Meadow against Windsor has a new date, which is Monday 10 September.
Mark F, 19.08.12