CHERRY RED RECORDS COMBINED COUNTIES PREMIER NORTH
MONDAY 1 APRIL 2024
EGHAM TOWN 2 (0)
Ben Jordan (66), Armando Pires Costa (77)
RAYNERS LANE 3 (3)
Frank Keita (17), Elliott Buchanan (33), Josh Williams (44)

Hopes were not high and expectations were muted as an Egham Town side, facing losing a third double on the spin, entertained the expensively assembled leaders Rayners Lane side currently sitting atop CCL Premier North. The South Londoners, under the guidance of former Egham boss Gary Meakin, had won 4-2 in the early part of this season, going 4-0 up before David Lopes lashed home two penalties. Two changes of management later the Sarnies were down to the barest of bones with only three subs, one of them a goalkeeper. Lacking a recognised striker did not help either, but they showed spirit and determination with a second half recovery from what could have been a hammering.
From the off it was clear that Egham were not about to offer themselves as sacrificial lambs, playing with the sort of gusto that might have earnt a point at least on Saturday at Risborough Rangers. However, despite the urgent running of Jon-Jo Bates and Junior Ferreira De Paiva, the yellow-shirted visitors did not yield. Frank Keita forced Egham keeper Lewis Gallifent into a good save after 14 minutes, then slipped the ball into the home net when he met a cross from the left. Lane’s keeper Jack Smith, who seemed to be taking the Michael with the amount of time he spent in the first part of the opening period by sitting down, did get off his bum to deny Armani Morris. The same Egham player volleyed wide from Ben Jordan’s pass. Meakin’s men took a scarcely deserved two goal lead with a goal that came from a so-comical-it-was-almost-tragic turn of events as skipper Adam Humphries’ attempted clearance hit left back George Tucker in the face, Rio Connell raced into the space behind where Tucker should have been and crossed in low for Elliott Buchanan to score. Buchanan might have scored again but for an excellent challenge by Tristan Francois, and the visitors added a third from a quickly taken free kick that left the home rearguard standing as Josh Williams ran in and rolled the ball past Gallifent.
Nobody, apart perhaps from the Egham Town players, expected what unfolded in the second half. Absolutely determined to maintain a second half clean sheet for the fifth game on the trot, they denied Rayners Lane space and laid out their stall as early as seven minutes in when Armando Pires Costa whipped in a cross that was converted neatly by Junior Ferreira Da Paiva, only for a raised flag to still celebrations. Jordan had a 20 yard shot held by Smith, and, at the other end, Williams squared the ball to Keita, who landed the ball on the clubhouse roof. In the 66th minute Egham finally had reward for their showing thus far as Dan Brown slipped a lovely ball into Jordan, who lifted the ball up and over Smith and into the left side of the net. Oddly, there was little or no response from the divisional leaders and Egham made them pay. Tucker found Pires Costa with a perfect pass down the right wing and the recipient ripped past former Sarnie Callum Webb before cutting in and hammering in a cross shot that beat Smith all ends
up. Unfortunately the valiant Sarnies were not able to muster the equaliser that their enterprise deserved. There were, at the end, two incidents that besmirched the reputation of Callum Webb, who was always a very good player as a Sarnie, and not one, as he blatantly did today, to fall to the ground clutching his face, trying to con the referee into getting Pires Costa sent off. He clearly knew what he was doing; the smirk on his face spoke volumes. He should have been at least cautioned for simulation but referee Krandeep Grewal failed to do so. That was lucky for Webb, who did get a yellow for his injury time slice through the same Egham player, perhaps as retribution for Pires Costa exposing his lack of pace.
Egham have five games left, starting with Saturday’s trip to Harefield United. If they can reproduce the intensity of this performance then they should be able to rise from their current 10th place.
EGHAM TOWN: Lewis Gallifent, George Tucker, Rodney Dos Santos, Dan Brown, Adam Humphries (Captain), Tristan Francois, Armando Pires Costa, Ben Jordan, Jon-Jo Bates, Junior Ferreira De Paiva, Armani Morris. Substitutes: Callum O’Keeffe (Ferreira De Paiva, 80), Tremayne Moseley, Luke Daley.