Croydon 4 Egham Town 2

COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
SATURDAY 5 2013
CROYDON 4 (0) EGHAM TOWN 2 (1)
Egham scorers: Jamie Read (36) Brendan Matthew (53)
Egham Town’s winning sequence of seven league games was derailed at the home of the Trams as a resurgent Croydon gave the league leaders a second half thrashing. Jamie Read, in scoring his 16th of the season for the Sarnies, had put the visitors 1-0 up at half time, but he also managed the somewhat odd double of also putting the home side in the lead later on.
Croydon, who are next in line for Egham in the League Cup (5 February, Runnymede Stadium), had their keeper Francis Ameyaw to thank for an instinctive, one handed save from a Brendan Matthew header after the first third of the match had passed by in fairly uneventful style. Six minutes later Louis Chandler-Joseph showed what he can do with the ball when the opportunity arises, beating two stiff tackles before slipping the ball to Matthew, whose low cross from the right was met by Steve Coultas. Ameyaw could not hold the shot and Read fired high into the Croydon net. So far so not bad, and it looked as if Egham were going to be able to do what they did against Sandhurst Town, namely just enough to keep the winning streak going. Such hopeful thoughts were given a jolt three minutes into the second period as Sean Rivers rose to head home past a curiously static defence. Hope was resurrected again as Matthew took on and beat a couple of challenges on the left wing before cutting inside and curling in an absolute beauty round Ameyaw to restore the lead on 53 minutes. The next 37 minutes were not good for Egham. Josh Cover (62 minutes) hammered in a 30 yard shot that took a slight deflection on its way past Paul Borg and Karl Doughlin would have made it 3-2 but for a superb save by Borg, but that led to the corner kick that led to another corner kick that Read met with a header into the Egham net. That left fifteen minutes for Egham to do something about the situation but it was the Trams rather than the Sarnies on top now and they wasted a good chance and were denied another by Alex Rodrigues clearing off the line. Croydon made it 4-2 as a quick break was finished off by Cavell Poleon taking on Paul Borg and sliding the ball in. After the uncomfortably narrow win over 21st placed Sandhurst Town the players were made to do “doggies”; playing in a sports arena with a running track round the pitch the temptation must have been there to repeat the dose after this.
Egham will have to do considerably better against Guernsey, who come visiting on Saturday. Both games against the Channel Islanders (last season in the League Cup, after extra time) and this season’s trip to Footes Lane saw Egham lose 2-5, so they will be hoping that striker Reis Stanislaus has recovered from the flu by then. Before that, though, is the trip to Imber Court on Wednesday in the Third Round of the Surrey Senior Cup against Metropolitan Police who are currently 12th in the Ryman Premier. In the League Guernsey drew 1-1 at Molesey, for whom James McShane (who said he would never go back to Molesey, but whose defection to Chipstead from the Egham was shortlived) scored, and Badshot Lea lost 2-3 at Horley Town, maintaining Egham’s eight point margin at the top of the CCL Premier. Epsom & Ewell have taken over 3rd place on goal difference over Guernsey after a 5-2 win over Ash United.
EGHAM TOWN: Paul Borg, Louis Chandler-Joseph, Joel Jacobs, Arran Taylor-Ives, Alex Rodrigues, Luke Muldowney, Tommy Hedges, Steve Coultas, Brendan Matthew, Jamie Read, Luke Craig. Subs: Jim Ward, Patrick Craig (Coultas, 63), Enrico Rossoni (Luke Craig, 76), Jacob Lambe (Matthew, 82).