CHERRY RED RECORDS COMBINED COUNTIES PREMIER NORTH
SATURDAY 21 DECEMBER 2024
BERKS COUNTY 2 (1) Lawson Jones 2 (38, 82 pen)
EGHAM TOWN 4 (2) Ronan Hutchins (2), Zac Hawker (29),Harlem Hale 2 (67, 88)

Egham Town took their unbeaten run in League and FA Vase to 20 games with this win at Ascot United’s Racecourse Ground against Berks County. The sequence started with a 6-0 win against Saturday’s opponents, and this victory really should have been as straightforward.
Against a side perhaps not as good as the Hilltop outfit that the Sarnies whacked 11-0, an early lead was followed by some missed chances and, for the first time since the 2-2 home draw with Amersham Town, the concession of two goals.
Ronan Hutchins’ second minute drive, from Harlem Hale’s excellent pass, gave the visitors an early advantage that could have been added to but Hale hit the post with a deflected shot a minute later. There followed a Zac Hawker header over the bar from Callum Webb’s corner, Hale’s shot off Callum Connor’s pass clipping the post on the way out, skipper Reece Yorke heading over from another Webb corner and then Hale being denied by a tremendous save when one on one with keeper Harvey Rackley-Hayes. That save led to another corner, the ball was not cleared and Hawker scrambled the ball in for 2-0. It might have been three had Connor found enough heft on his attempted lob from a Hutchins pass, but then Egham paid for those missed chances. With Tyler Tobin unable to take up his duties in the Egham goal the gloves were handed to Hanworth Villa loanee Trent Carter-Rogers. He was not alone in not getting anywhere near County’s first corner, and Lawson Jones headed home. Connor Suckling dragged a presentable chance wide in the final moments of the half, much to Egham’s relief.
It took the arrival of Excellence Muhemba to add some zip to what had been a generally below-par showing from Jordan Berry’s team. Barely two minutes after replacing Hutchins, Muhemba collected the ball on the half way, skinning at least two home players and delivering an exquisite low cross that Hale was only too delighted to convert into a 3-1 lead. That lead was pegged back after Ben Peden was caught out in defence, and Jones scored easily from the spot. There was the unnerving possibility that the Sarnies might let this game slip away from them when Hawker picked up a straight red for an over forceful tackle with only a few minutes left, but Hale came to the rescue with a typical drive off Jordan Brown’s final ball in a sweeping move.
Egham Town: Trent Carter-Rogers, Callum Webb, Kyle Watson, Reece Yorke (C), Ben Peden, Ayoub Igozouln, Zac Hawker, Tyrique Tekasala, Ronan Hutchins, Harlem Hale, Connor Cullen. Substitutes: Alex Nolan, Excellence Muhemba, Luke Heneghan, Jordan Brown.