CHERRY RED RECORDS COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER 2019
KNAPHILL 3 (0)
Jack French 3 (66 pen, 70 pen, 90 + 1 pen)
EGHAM TOWN 1 (1)
Own Goal (12)
Egham Town slipped to another CCL Premier defeat in their first ever competitive visit to Knaphill, making it four losses in the last five games. The Sarnies had taken the lead in the 12th minute after Jay O’Connell’s driven cross from the right wing was diverted into the net by home defender Callum Abraham-Barlow. It was an early vindication of using both O’Connell and, on the left wing, the equally nippy Amin Belaid to test the home defence. It should have had greater reward but Prince Mbengui missed a more than presentable chance soon after. Knaphill threatened with shots from Angel Zapata and Kane Fitzgerald before Belaid was denied when his rising shot was tipped over the bar by Jake Maddock. Luke Daley in the Egham goal was tested late in the half by Jack French’s powerful shot but it was French who had the better of it in the second half.
Belaid saw one shot blocked and one sail high in the 58th minute as Egham tried to quell a home team who were noticeably more determined after the break. The story of the second half was Daley v French, the home No. 7 winning 3-0 from the spot as Egham conceded three penalties. Differing views were aired about whether, in the build up to the awards, Egham players were fouled, whether the defending was sloppy or whether it was plain naivety on the part of the Sarnies when it was blindingly clear that the referee was hell bent on penalising any alleged defensive misdemeanour in the 18 yard box by giving Mr French a chance to whack spot kicks past Mr Daley. Had Egham’s leading scorer Anthony Thomas made it 2-1 from a very good opening immediately after the home side had levelled the score and probably the outcome would have been different. Thomas shot wide when Knaphill were 2-1 up, as he ran onto an O’Connell cross field pass for an angled shot that beat the right post, and Egham were further frustrated when Adam Humphries complained about being elbowed in the throat and was sin-binned for his troubles. Egham were finding it hard to get forward by this time and in injury time French completed an unusual hat-trick that will probably feature in the club’s highlights for this season.
Egham travel to Spelthorne Sports on Saturday.