Egham Town went into Lockdown 2 on the back of a defeat that should have been a victory but for a combination of missed chances, defensive errors and some truly awful refereeing.
Frimley Green did a league and County Cup treble over the Sarnies last season, all games in which they played reasonably well but did not have quite enough to seal victory. So it was tonight, with Luke Maguire the key figure of the night. After 10 minutes a run into the box ended with a shot against the underside of the bar, then five minutes later he put Egham ahead. Jake Sobolak and Adam Humphries caused problems for the home defence, then the latter laid the ball off for Maguire to slam the ball home from 15 yards. Frimley were allowed back into the game, though, as momentary inattention let them in right on half time.
Frimley should have been reduced to ten men two minutes into the second period when their No. 3 kicked out at Maguire. The referee saw the incident and did nothing. Soon after Maguire was flattened in the box but, as in the abandoned home game against Guildford City he saw the spot kick saved. Frimley took the lead a couple of minutes later, a square pass being fed back for a walloping shot that beat Sarnies keeper Josh Bramwell all ends up. So far so last season, 1-0 up to 1-2 down. Then Maguire took Jim Ward’s long pass on, beat a couple of defenders and scored superbly. With ten minutes to go Egham were a man light for the 4th time this season, Humphries needlessly pushing Zac Hawker in the back. There were covering defenders, so there was no way on this or any other planet except the ref’s that it merited a red card. It got a red card. Even so Egham might have take the lead again, this time through Sheridan Campbell, his flicked effort off a Jake Sobolak pass hitting the left post. That added impetus to the home side, who scored after Bramwell, who would have been better landing on the ball in an 87th minute attack, instead chose to try a clearance with his foot. The third Frimley goal mirrored the second. And yet, still Egham might have got something from this match of missed chances as Matt Kellett-Smith broke clear down the right with seconds left. Cutting in he hit something, a cross, a shot, bits of both perhaps but not enough of either and that was that. Four defeats against Frimley Green in four games in the last two seasons.
December 2nd is meant to be the last day of this lockdown, not that you would know at the entry to this game that there was so much as a bad case of the sniffles going round. I was not temperature-tested, nor was I required to scan on the Serco test and trace app (which we know is useless anyway, but still…) as I showed my pass. Egham will miss eight games, or more if the home game against Ascot United three days after the great sigh of relief does or doesn’t come to this benighted land. As no club will want to go back into action after a month of no training the chances are that at best the trip to Badshot Lea may see a return to something like normal. We hope. Those of you who pray, pray. Please stay safe. See you, we hope, in about a month.

Mark F