COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION

EGHAM TOWN 1 (0) HORLEY TOWN 2 (1)

EGHAM TOWN SCORER: MATT GRAVES (73, pen)

The Non-Legue Paper summary for CCL Premier reported three dismissals in this match, and that Egham had won 2-1. If only. Sure, this was a better, more committed performance than the one at Guildford CIty (not hard), and the home team dominated the first twenty minutes, but when a large and inviting hole appeared down the middle of the park, former Egham man Michael Death took Danny Guscott's long pass in his stride and slid the ball beyond Lee Pearce. With leading scorer Matt Graves back after the shuddering tackle he took in the loss to Bedfont there was more movement in the attack, and Graves forced Stewart Delvin into a fine save after five minutes after Charlie McCarthy had flicked on Pearce's long punt. Another man back from injury, Adam Foulser, pulled an even better stop from Delvin, his looping header heading towards the top right corner before fingertips diverted the ball for a corner.

Referee Gavin Collins was a major participant in this game, starting with a caution for McCarthy for a knee high challenge with Danny Medhurst for a 50-50 ball. Medhurst was not deemed to be culpable - in fact, neither was. After the opening goal Foulser's caution for a similar challenge beggared belief, but Nathan Jupp was for his shoulder charge on Lee Pearce. (I know this sounds biased - read on!) Similarly the tussle between Anthony Oaks and John Eldred was marked by two more yellow cards, the Egham man apparently reacting to the Horley man grabbing Oaks in the gentleman's area.

The second half was but nine minutes old when Karle Andrews was fouled by Death (booked). When Graves was fouled on the edge of the area Oaks found Delvin in good form again, tipping the ball away. With half the half left McCarthy was subbed by Adie Barrance, and, as with the Bedfont game, Egham looked livelier thereafter, which sounds insulting for the hardworking McCarthy, but Barrance is a proven goalscorer. It will be interesting to see how he and Graves work together from the off. Five minutes later Graves went down in the area; not even I thought it was a penalty, but I was happy to see a chance for an equaliser. Graves took the spot kick, Delvin saved with a fine dive to his right, and Mr Collins awarded a retake for what he saw as encroachment. Graves walloped the ball in off the underside of the bar this time. The sides were reduced to ten apiece when Andrews retaliated (his own admission) to Darren Tidey's foul on him, the Horley man not going quietly. Barrance looped a header in from 12 yards, but it was ruled offside, as it looked likely that Egham would go on to win, but seconds after Oaks was replaced by Jake Rowley the amazing run Egham have of letting goals in after defensive substitutions continued. Luke Ragetti launched a free kick long from the right, and Guscott was allowed room to stab home the winning goal, with five minutes to go. Jamie Keith (whose name I got wrong, thanks to what was on the team sheets - I was using "O'Keefe") came off immediately (being saved for the trip on Tuesday to his old club, Cove?), For Kian Siabi. The cautions continued; no complaints surely about Wayne Noad's tired, rather than malicious, stretch to tackle Guscott, and, seconds after Tom Martin's header drifted wide of Delvin's right stick, Adam Pullen was dismissed (second yellow) for getting in the way of a quickly taken free kick.

EGHAM TOWN: Lee Pearce, Wayne Noad (c), Jake Galbraith, Jamie Keith, Tom Martin, Karle Andrews, Luke Muldowney, Anthony Oaks, Charlie McCarthy, Matt Graves, Adam Foulser. Subs:Adie Barrance (McCarthy, 66), Kian Siabi (Keith, 86), Neerav Patel, Tom Bentley, Jake Rowley (Oaks, 74).

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