Rugby Town 3 Egham Town 1

CALOR ONE CENTRAL
SATURDAY 22 MARCH 2014
RUGBY TOWN 3 (2) EGHAM TOWN 1 (1)
Egham Town scorer: Mo Harkin

It would be kind of convenient to say that it took a trip to Calor One Central leaders Rugby Town for Egham Town to see their ten match unbeaten run come to an end, but in conceding as many in 90 minutes as they have since the turn of the year it would be more truthful to say that this loss was largely self-inflicted.
Still without leading scorer Ryan O’Toole, injured since the win at Slough Town, and travelling up to Warwickshire without influential midfielder Marcus Moody, Egham could be forgiven for being tired in mind and body after Thursday’s excellent 2-0 win at Ryman One South side Walton & Hersham in the Surrey Senior Cup Quarter-Final. The Semi-Final is on Wednesday, and Egham will have their work cut out – it is away to Skrill Premier Woking.
Egham were adrift after just six minutes. Arran Taylor-Ives tried to head back to his keeper, Jamie Norris, the ball did not reach its target and Greg Kaziboni nipped in to hit the ball hard enough to prevent Sarnie skipper Luke Muldowney from blocking it on the line. Egham dug in, regrouped and after 36 minutes got the equaliser they deserved. Muldowney’s deep free kick from the Egham right came off a defender, and when Rugby failed to clear Andy Crossley’s corner kick the ball fell to Mo Harkin, who drove his shot past two men on the line. Unfortunately another mistake – this one a real howler, the kind you hope doesn’t end up on Facebook – gave the Midlanders the lead again. A long punt upfield should have been easily dealt with by Norris but he was standing outside his box, forward of it and to the left side. Knowing he could not use his hands he had to try to head the ball clear, jumped, missed completely and saw the ball fall at the feet of 33 goal David Kolodynski, who added to his total with ease. Louis Chandler-Joseph almost equalised with what would have been a fluke after a 25 yard shot looked like it was clearing the stand but instead dropped like a stone and smacked the top of the cross bar.
In the first moments of the second half it looked as if Norris’ error was still playing on his mind as he sort of shovelled a straightforward clearance away, but six minutes later it was clear he’d refocused with a very good save from Seb Lake-Gaskin’s 20 yard drive. Egham were on the rack now, and grateful that Kaziboni missed a sitter after Lake-Gaskin’s cross shot found him sliding in at the back post. In the next minute Kaziboni was off the pitch , red carded for a ludicrous and dangerous lunge at Norris, just below the rib cage. Referee Neil Davis had no hesitation in sending him off, and the home crowd then spent the rest of the match airing their bovine stupidity by calling Norris a cheat every time he got anywhere near the ball. Pity they failed to do so when Lake-Gaskin dived in the Egham box; fortunately the ref did his duty. Trouble was, by that time Egham had gone 1-3 down. The goal showed in a nutshell the value of quick, decisive and incisive play at speed, and came, annoyingly, after Calvin Thomas delivered the best shot on goal Egham managed in the second period. That shot cannoned off the knee of Alex Gudger for a corner, taken by Crossley, and was not cleared particularly well by a Rugby defence that throughout had looked creaky. Egham did their usual playing the ball round trying to find the perfect pass, Harkin was dispossessed on the edge of the home box and the ball was launched crossfield out to Richard Blythe on the left wing. He sped goalwards, passed inside and Justin Marsden was able to turn shoot past Norris. Quick, skilful and clinical. Egham made changes, without success, and in the last minute Ryan Lake mistimed a header at the back post, off a Reis Stanislaus cross, thus wasting a chance to reduce the deficit. Uxbridge won so go one point ahead of Egham Town, who drop to 11th place.

Mark