CHERRY RED RECORDS COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER 2019
RAYNES PARK VALE 3 (2)
Connor Turner (5), Tom Hartland-Goddard (22), Josh Ano (85, pen)
EGHAM TOWN 0 (0)

On 24 September Egham Town hosted Raynes Park Vale in the Combined Counties League Premier Challenge Cup, and, with a side mainly comprising fringe players and a couple of new faces, lost 0-2. This, with a more recognisably “first team” squad was, therefore a chance to make recompense for that loss and to move up the table from 10th against a home side with only one previous league win. Clearly, it didn’t go well.
Full back Justin Thompson was sick and was replaced by Lekan Ejinwunmi, who had not started a game since that League Cup reverse. Kiemon Robinson was available after missing the midweek 0-4 home reverse against Binfield in the FA Vase and leading scorer Anthony Thompson also claimed back his No 9 shirt. On a pitch that had taken two hard games on Saturday and Tuesday as Vale played twice against Wessex Premier side Horndean (the first game abandoned and the second drawn) Egham found it hard to play the ball on a surface that needed a trim. That, though, cannot be an excuse. After five minutes Ejinwunmi’s lack of game time became startlingly apparent as he was beaten to the ball and, after some neat passing between Tom Hartland-Goddard and Connor Turner the latter found the net from six yards. Egham found Hartland-Goddard and Dan Alderton problematic throughout the game, Alderton’s stature meaning he found winning midfield headers all too easy. Unfortunately so did Hartland-Goddard when a 22nd minute corner found him unwatched as a corner came in. His looping header was watched, though, by keeper Lee Wyatt as it dropped beyond him and into his left hand corner. Ready for the big fight back then? Robinson was denied a clear penalty as he ran into the box to collect Ben Peden’s industrial hoof down the pronounced slope for which Vale’s ground is well known. Not much assisted by an assistant who, from the off, was barely able to walk, let alone keep up with play, the referee waved play on as Marcus Dowdeswell sent Robinson sprawling in the box. In the five minutes before the break Robinson twice could have done better than finding the midriff of home keeper Dan McKerracher from close range.
Craige Tomkins replaced midfielder Prince Mbengui at half time, which gave some impetus to Egham’s attack, but, as in the Binfield game, there was no cutting edge. In the 58th minute the Sarnies had the ball pinging back and forth across the Vale box but McKerracher still was not stretched. Amin Belaid replaced Robinson and within seconds found Thomas, who did call the home keeper into action, and Jay O’Connell, who became more prominent as the game wore on, was unlucky with a dinked shot that just beat the far post. After some pantomime diving by Hartland-Goddard eventually saw him booked he reminded the travelling Egham handful of the score, which increased in the 85th minute after a needless push on Seanan McKillop in the box. Josh Ato converted the penalty. Egham kept trying to get on the score sheet, Craige Tomkins lobbing McKerracher and trying to collect his own pass but the ball was cleared, then Belaid had a shot saved.
Coming hard on the heels of a heavy home drubbing on Tuesday, which manager Tony Choules, before this latest loss, characterised as “a bad day at the office”, he and his backroom team have some work to do. Egham dropped down to 12th, with four each of wins and losses, and two draws. The next game is on Wednesday in the Surrey Senior Cup at Sheerwater’s temporary ground Woking FC, with the winners at home to Frimley Green, 2-1 winners at Tooting & Mitcham United. On Saturday Egham are at home to 14th placed Cobham in the CCL and on 29 October travel to Knaphill (16th).
EGHAM TOWN: Lee Wyatt, Andrew Whorms, Lekan Ejinwunmi, Ben Peden, Tristan Toney (Skipper), Adam Humphries, Jay O’Connell, Prince Mbengui, Anthony Thomas, Luke Maguire, Kiemon Robinson. Substitutes: Jake Sobolak (Humphries, 76), Craige Thomas (Mbengui, HT), Costa Rodrigues, Omar Hassan, Amin Belaid (Robinson, 61).