Windsor 2 Egham Town 8

COMNBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
WINDSOR 2 (2) EGHAM TOWN 8 (5)
EGHAM TOWN GOALS: Charlie McCarthy 3 (6, 40, 52), James McShane 4 (18, 38 (p), 43, 81 (p)), Joshua Andrew (88)

This was set up to be a strange night of football at Stag Meadow. Windsor Chairman Keith Stott had juggled his figures, slashed his playing budget and in the process decimated his team. Top scorer Ryan O’Toole was never in the running for this one, the middle of a three game suspension, but his absence was matched by several others who have jumped off the Royalist ship, including a couple heading back our way. Windsor were forced to field a make-do-and-mend side, and the siege mentality they doubtless had gave them a fighting spirit that, if not for some rashness by their skipper Ben Harris, would have tested in-form Egham more. Indeed Harris’ two excellently taken equalisers were a marked cause for concern. Egham had taken a sixth minute lead in move sparked by the effervescent Tom Hedges, Charlie McCarthy pouncing on a quarter chance in the box to continue his excellent form since his return from Hanworth Villa. Unfortunately some slackness in defence let Harris in for a screamer that flew past Paul Borg two minutes later. Hedges created the goal that made it 2-1 with a superb run and pull back for James McShane to measure a sidefooted shot from 12 yards past Windsor keeper Darren Walsh. Shane Graham would have taken it to 3-1 but for some excellent cover by Anthony Page and Harris tested Borg with a shot from a half chance before levelling the scores again, this time converting a cross from the left by turning the ball in at the back post.
Seven minutes before the break came the pivotal moment of the game. McShane whipped in a corner, the Egham skipper Arran Taylor-Ives headed the ball goalwards and the Windsor skipper – Harris – reached up and punched it away. His appeal “It was straight at me ref” was clearly wrong – I heard him telling a mate after the game a version that was considerably closer to the truth. Off he went, and with it any threat Windsor might have posed. McShane smashed in the spot kick. Two minutes later McCarthy demonstrated again his knack of pouncing on loose balls in the box after Hedges had weaved his way into the box and driven a shot that Walsh could not hold. At 4-2 it began to look better, but 5-2 was better still, McShane’s stylish, curling 30 yard free kick punishing Windsor for fouling Hedges, and in so doing notching up a hat-trick.
The onus was on Egham now to improve their goal difference, and an Anthony Joseph break down the left followed by an inch perfect pass that McCarthy buried for his first ever hat-trick for Egham was not a bad way to go about it. 6-2 at Windsor; I am old enough to recall a 6-0 Athenian League win (season 1975-76) over Windsor & Eton, and you don’t have to be so old to recall W & E doffing us up 7-1 about 8 years ago, the latest in a run of sometimes appalling defeats at this ground; there were certainly a couple of 4s and 5s. Egham had at half time replaced Alex Rodrigues with Junior Wright and James Brown for Luke Muldowney. After his landmark goal McCarthy went off to give Brendan Matthew a run-out, and it was not long before he met a Hedges cross with a goalbound header that was well saved by Walsh. The seventh came after another dismissal, and again it was the man with the skipper’s armband who had to walk, Will Dunlop being punished for a “last man” foul on – again – Hedges. (I wonder how much turf he has eaten so far this season, given that defenders like to see him flattened.) McShane showed no mercy and took his tally to a rather wonderful four. Robert Lazarczuk was booked for fouling you know who, but maintained his poise and composure enough to pull off two spectacular goal line clearances when Walsh was well beaten. The second of these denied Josh Andrew, who in the 88th minute had another go, capping off a typically forceful and mazy run with a walloping finish to make it a very joyous 8-2.
On the way out of the ground I overheard a conversation between two of the Windsor coaching team, with the comment: Keep all the players on the pitch and that was never an 8-2 game.” No, it wasn’t, but Egham needed to show a ruthless streak. They had no real idea what they were facing. The news about Windsor is now well-known, but it would have been easy for Egham to come unstuck, and they made the most of the luck of the home side’s decreasing numbers. Another conversation had one guy saying we bullied Windsor; tough. It’s happened to us more than enough times and if we complained we were told that this is not a kindergarten.
Next up – South Park on Saturday and Badshot Lea on Tuesday, both at home. Lea beat us in the FA Cup and then recorded a fine home win against Folkestone Invicta in the next round.
P.S. - best away win in CCL since 07-08 when we won 8-2 at Banstead Athletic.

EGHAM TOWN: Paul Borg, Josh Andrew, Jake Galbraith, Arran Taylor-Ives (Captain), Alex Rodrigues, Luke Muldowney, Andrew Joseph, James McShane, Charlie McCarthy, Shane Graham, Tom Hedges. Subs: Brendan Matthew (McCarthy, 60), Enrico Rossoni, James Brown (Muldowney, HT), Matt Smith, Junior Wright (Rodrigues, HT).