COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2019
EGHAM TOWN 3 (2)
Anthony Thomas 2 (9, 90+ 2), Luke Maguire (34)
BANSTEAD ATHLETIC 3 (1)
Paolo Giamettei (19), Antonio Dembele (89), Nathaniel Willliams (90)

Egham Town were perhaps lucky to get a point from this hard fought draw after again failing to put the game to bed when they were on top. It certainly showed that Tony Choules and his team have some work to do to get them further up the CCL Premier table than the 17th place they still occupy. Of course having some idea what your team will be come Saturday would be useful. Three players (goalkeeper Sam Freeman, centre back Kayode Conteh and midfielder Kiemon Robinson) apparently contacted Choules by text on Wednesday to advise him they would miss this match so they could play in a six-a-side tournament in Italy. It meant that the Egham boss had to ring round for replacements. He signed keeper Lee Wyatt (Leatherhead) and midfielder Jay O’Connell, who played for the Sarnies a couple of seasons ago before getting injured. Jake Sobolak was also signed. In Wyatt he found a keeper somewhat taller than Freeman, thus limiting the chances of the Sarnies conceding lobbed goals. That Egham opened the scoring with a lob, nine minutes in, gave the watching faithful great delight, Anthony Thomas finding the net as the Banstead defence failed to deal with early pressure. Banstead’s keeper Ben Parslow was also a debutant, signed hours before kick-off. Despite his less than towering stature and evident youth he did very well for his manager, former Egham Town and Staines Town forward Carl Taylor.
Banstead had come to Runnymede Stadium pointless and goalless in four games. It was therefore obvious that at least one of those stats would end in this game; Egham cannot stop conceding goals. So it was that when Banstead forced a corner that was cleared only to the edge of the area it would be Paolo Giamettei, who was in Egham’s squad early last season, who fired past Wyatt with a superb finish. Giamettei had apparently been saying prior to the game that Banstead’s players hardly train and had only one pre-season friendly. It didn’t look as if they were some rag tag rabble. They worked hard throughout, and won’t be bottom for much longer on the strength of their showing here. Egham needed to force their way back into the lead and should have retaken the lead from Ben Peden’s back post header off a Thomas corner, but he mistimed his leap. In the 34th minute Luke Maguire restored the advantage with a 25 yard thumper after a run from the centre circle, making it three excellent finishes in two games. As the half time break approached Peden did well to block David Awolomo’s shot as Athletic regrouped again.
Egham can’t be happy with their second half showing. This is where the absence of the speedy Robinson was most sorely missed as they seemed unable to break almost total possession domination by Athletic. That said, the home goal did not look to be in too much danger. From this writer's point of view there just seemed be very little going on down the "right" end of the pitch. It took half an hour before they put the Banstead goal under any threat, Prince Mbengui seeing a low shot blocked by Parslow, and Omar Hassan firing a half chance over soon after. Lukan Ejinwunmi had to go off injured after a heavy challenge, Kildane Tesfu his replacement, then Zaine Gangadeen came on for Mbengui. Then Banstead scored twice in two minutes. The equalizer came off a mistake by Wyatt, trying to play the ball out from the back. Antonio Dembele must have thought “Ta very much” before drilling the ball into the far corner. Egham attacked from the restart, Maguire’s shot was blocked, Banstead broke, Justin Thompson fouled Dembele and after the free kick was not cleared Nathaniel Williams put the A’s ahead. What was pleasing was that Egham failed to buckle after this disappointment. O’Connell formed an unlikely link-up with Tesfu in a delightful one-two, dancing round static defenders and from Tesfu’s low, measured cross Thomas slid in to make it 3-3.
Egham travel to Holmesdale, fifth in Southern Counties League Division One, in the Buildbase FA Vase Second Qualifying Round on Saturday, with the replay, if needed, at Runnymede Stadium on the following Tuesday. Holmesdale play in the same division as FC Elmstead, Egham’s opponents in the last round.
With 21 teams in the division it was to be Egham’s turn to be kicking their heels on 21 September but this has changed. CB Hounslow were due to play Badshot Lea, who won at South Park yesterday in the Emirates FA Cup, so instead CB Hounslow will be playing us at the CB Hounslow Sports Club, Green Lane, Hounslow.
EGHAM TOWN: Lee Wyatt, Lekan Ejinwunmi, Justin Thompson, Ben Peden, Tristan Toney (Captain), Connor Channon, Jay O’Connell, Luke Maguire, Anthony Thomas, Prince Mbengui, Omar Hassan. Substitutes: Zaine Gangadeen (Mbengui, 81), Tyler John, Jake Solobak, Kildane Tesfu (Ejinwunmi, 77).