We needed the points to avoid the drop to the lower division of the Combined Counties League and were also keen to end a run of five straight home defeats at the Moatside. For the visitors it was an even bigger game as they were rooted to the bottom of the table and anything less than a win would leave them with a mountain to climb.

In terms of personnel, Charlie West kept his place at the expense of the returning Alex McKay, while Ben Hayward came in for Paul Gough. Mark Jarman came in up front originally ahead of James Cottee, but Martin Grant's non-arrival proved to be the key moment of the match as Cottee had a fantastic game, scoring one and making the other of our two goals amongst many other things.

Faced with three former Epsom players in Robbie Burns, Tony Cuff and Dave Tidy the game was fairly even to start with. Banstead got a shot on target in the eleventh minute but it was deflected away by West for a corner. Burns had a half chance ten minutes later but his run and flick from distance was tipped over the bar by our star performer from the Guildford game Nick Taylor-Greaves, who had a much quieter day today.

As the game went on we began to get stronger. On the half hour, a half clearance under pressure from Tidy went straight to the feet of Cottee, but his sidefoot volley from thirty yards went just wide of the goal as the keeper scrambled to make his ground. Minutes later Hayward glanced a header wide from a Jarman cross, and another good cross then came in from Jamie Summers but with Nathan Ayling stretching for the tap in, the ball was somehow knocked away by the heel of the defender for an incredible clearance.

However, our large group behind the goal couldn't help noticing that Jarman was playing out on the right wing, while one of the best wingers we have had at the club in recent years, Ramzi Bedj Bedj was playing alongside Cottee. Fortunately, Jarman moved more centrally just before half time and his excellent pass from that position put Cottee through wide of goal. He sidestepped a challenge and clipped the ball over the keeper for an expert finish in the 44th minute.

The Jarman - Bedj Bedj anomaly was corrected at half time and we came out for the second half in a very confident manner. Hayward had a shot blocked after Cottee had held the ball up well, while in the 50th minute Bedj Bedj sliced through two men on the left wing and from the bye line crossed just too strongly for the incoming Cottee who would have had a tap in otherwise.

Cottee was starting to run the show now, and he had a shot deflected into the air which Tidy was just able to reach, and moments later the busy Banstead keeper made a really good save at his near post to deny our flying striker again. Then Jarman got on the end of a great Summers cross but was a foot over the bar with his header. All of this, and the half was not yet ten minutes old.

This was a period of great dominance but as Guildford learned on Saturday, one-nil is a precarious lead. We needed a second and it came in the 57th minute, courtesy of a fantastic run by Cottee, who cut in from the right wing and beat two men before sliding the ball across goal for Hayward to tap in.

Cottee was in action once more with a flying header after 63 minutes but he was unable to direct it either side of the keeper who made a comfortable save, but the damage was done. Dominant in most areas of the park by this point, the opposition looked less and less likely to score, while in the 79th minute Cottee again hit the target with a low drive from outside the box, but Tidy was down to tip the ball wide.

Towards the end Antony Myers was unlucky with a shot that deflected just wide and by the end you could have argued that the 2-0 result should have been more.

I will finish by saying that we have three games left and it is worth getting along to watch James Cottee, as there is no way he can be playing football at this level for much longer. He was fantastic today and a great career beckons for this eighteen year old.

Team: Nick Taylor-Greaves, Jamie Summers, Jamie Hatfield (capt), Anthony Panayi, Charlie West, Carl Downs, Ben Hayward, Nathan Ayling, Mark Jarman, Ramzi Bedj Bedj, James Cottee.

Subs: Paul Gough for Ayling (72), Antony Myers for Bedj Bedj (79), Danny Amos for Hayward (90)

Booked: Paul Gough (89) - incredibly harsh

Attendance: 69

Supporters Player of the Match: James Cottee

Pictures: Top: Players and supporters celebrate after Ben Hayward (7) has just scored our second goal.
Bottom: James Cottee avoids a last ditch chaallenge before clipping the ball over the keeper from a narow angle for our opening goal.