COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
Saturday 4 August 2012
Sandhurst Town 0 Egham Town 3 HT 0-0
Egham Town scorers: Jesse Atiase (46), James McShane (p) (52), Jamie Read (58)

J'S FLUID PERFORMANCE SEES OFF FIZZERS

Egham Town recorded their first ever opening day success in the Combined Counties League with an excellent second half performance at Bottom Meadow against Sandhurst Town. Egham's rejigged line-up were understandably finding their feet in the first half but sped out of the blocks in the second.
John Hamsher, Wayne Noad and Colin Bartholomew had done a trawl of local sides for new faces to take the club on from last season's 4th place, and in the starting XI Josh Andrews, Jesse Atiase, Jamie Read, Shane Graham and James McShane all made their debuts for the Sarnies, and in the second half Junior Wright joined them. Matt Smith replaced Lee Pasmore in the first half, while the third sub, Charlie McCarthy, made an eye-catching return to Egham's colours. Talking of colours, new sponsorship from
saw the team take on their first fixture of season 12-13 in a smart new kit.
The first period was not much of a spectacle and it took ten minutes before either keeper had something to do, Read's 20 yard shot being held comfortably by Sandhurst's Ryan Kemp. An early injury to Pasmore did not disrupt the ever increasing control Egham were getting on the game, the Fizzers being restricted to one clean header by Glen Faircloth, easy for Paul Borg. The blue shirts of the visitors spent more time in the opposition half than in their own, but the final pass was missing. Most evident though was the eagerness of the team to push forward and to use their skill to get past a determined Sandhurst side.
Whatever was said at half-time in the Egham changing room had an explosive effect on Atiase, who from the restart hared down the right wing before cutting inside to rifle a low, angled shot past Kemp. He celebrated with an Olympic class somersault. That was the spark for a second half in which Egham were even more dominant, and seven minutes later neat interplay led to Sandhurst panicking at the back and Jack Thompson fouling Graham. McShane took the kick, which squeezed over the line under Kemp's dive. McShane followed his goal by creating the third with a forceful run into the box before squaring the ball for Read who scored comfortably. Three goals in thirteen minutes had secured the three points, which led inevitably to a couple of substitutions. McCarthy and Wright replaced Atiase and Read, slotting immediately into the same attacking groove. Wright made an immediate impact with a careful pass that McShane backheeled towards goal but Kemp smothered the shot. McCarthy then came to the fore, intercepting a poor pass by central defender Josh Watkins but he was unlucky with his thumping shot which hit the inside of the far post before being cleared. Egham's Andrews was instigating attacks with his forceful, eye-catching running, cutting inside from the right to set up chances. Tom Hedges, on the other wing, also cut inside and hit a 30 yarder that slapped the bar. There was controversy towards the end as Paul Borg, who will doubtless have far more involved games this season, pumped the ball long for McCarthy who was judged marginally off before thumping a shot in . His verbal reaction got him cautioned, but the same words from a home player went unpunished. Then, as the game neared its end, Hedges was clearly flattened off the ball but the referee chose to book the victim instead of the perpetrator.
The 8-0 shellacking Croydon suffered at Division One Champions Guernsey and South Park's 4-0 home win against Camberley Town put Egham third on the opening day, and on Tuesday they will be looking to take their fine performance into a home game against Colliers Wood United, who went down 1-2 at home to Cove.
The other games saw Ash United and Horley Town fail to score, just as Windsor and Epsom & Ewell did at Stag Meadow. Promoted Bedfont Sports lost at Badshot Lea 3-2, the same score seeing Dorking winning against Hartley Wintney, also promoted from Division One. Farnham went down 1-3 to visitors Molesey, Hanworth Villa, who edged past Egham on the last day of last season for 3rd place, beat Chessington & Hook United 2-1 and Wembley, much in the news over the close season with their star signings for FA Cup games, won 1-0 at Raynes Park Vale. Egham face CCL One Westfield on Saturday, at home, in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round before they face Guernsey on the 18th. The Tuesday in between has been set aside for replays. The forthcoming games will be contested by a squad that looks as if it could impress, and has talent such as unused subs Robbie Burns (a prolific marksman who used to specialise, it seemed, in scoring against Egham), and James Walters. Messrs. Hamsher, Noad and Bartholomew also have the talented Brendan Matthew, Louis Hedges, Louis Chandler-Joseph, Dan Hartlebury and Alex Rodrigues to call on.

EGHAM TOWN: Paul Borg, Josh Andrews (MOM, Jake Galbraith, Lee Pasmore, Aarron Taylor-Ives, Luke Muldowney, Jess Atiase, Tom Hedges, Jamie Read, Shane Graham, James McShane. Subs: Matt Smith (Pasmore, 19), Junior Wright (Atiase, 66), Charlie McCarthy (Read, 66), Robbie Burns, James Walters. (7/16 x J! (plus John H)).