Egham Town 7-1 Molesey

Taken from Egham Towns Website

EGHAM TOWN 7 (4) MOLESEY 1 (0)

Egham Town scorers: Kemo Maphela (32), Jamie Read 3 (34, 38, 56), Brendan Matthew 2 (38, 80), Joel Jacobs (87).

Egham Town emerged from their enforced hibernation with their table-topping position threatened but still intact. Facing them were old rivals Molesey, who were sitting in 7th place. Egham had won 3-0 at Walton Road earlier in the season so it was expected that they would come looking for revenge. The thing is, it didn’t happen that way. Egham had not played since being turfed out of the Surrey Senior Cup at Met Police on 9 January, while the Moles had last played on the 26th with a 2-2 draw at home to Ash United. The visitors were, therefore, less ring rusty but the first 25 minutes were sterile, a midfield tussle with no chances to speak of. The turning point was a goal line clearance by Egham skipper Arran Taylor-Ives, tidying up on his goalline after keeper Paul Borg had come out to tackle on the edge of the box and seen the ball sent goal wards by Lewis Ackerman.

In the midfield stalemate there had been for Egham two players who stood out: Brendan Matthew and new signing Kemo Mephela. Matthew was buzzing, aware for sure that fit-again Reis Stanislaus was on the bench, while Mephela impressed from the start with his strength in the tackle, his skill, his touch and, after 32 minutes, his eye for goal, taking a pass from Matthew, holding off a defender and spinning to drive the ball beyond Wester Young from near the penalty spot. Two minutes later Jamie Read, top marksman with 16, took a Tommy Hedges pass in his stride, sidestepped Young and fired in no. 17. Four minutes after that it was 3-0, Reid out jumping Young, who made a questionable decision to try to punch clear, the ball dropping inside the right post. By this time the Molesey defense were a bag of nerves, scared to tackle in the box and feeble in their challenges outside. This timidity afforded Matthew a chance from a Luke Craig pass, and his strength and speed opened up the Moles rearguard once more, the finish, like Read’s first, slammed in at an angle past the beleaguered Young.

Few things are certain, but it can be guaranteed that no-one expected a half time scoreline of Egham Town 4 Molesey 0. Home fans were happy that, at this point, they had kept a clean sheet and were happier still when another pass by Luke Craig destroyed Molesey’s back line, Read racing clear to lift a magnificent shot over Young, stranded in the six yard box. 5-0 up with 56 minutes played obviously promised more, which came, but without two of the three scorers. Mephela had pulled up with what looked like cramp, and Lee Passmore took Read off. Read had commented at half time that he was sure the substitution would take place in the first half, so poor had his performance been, but then he started scoring. Now he was saying he could have scored four or five. Against a defence this porous that was a strong possibility, but after Molesey had racked up a few cautions for overdoing the physical stuff they managed to get one back, some inattentive defending at a corner allowing Ross Chalke to score from close range. Egham were miffed at letting one in and upped their game in response. Stanislaus, on for Read, linked with Matthew in a break that, for a few seconds, appeared to have been cleared, but the defensive jitters got the better of them again and from Stanislaus’ pass Matthew hit another angled shot past Young, who made a bad afternoon worse by diving over the shot. Ten minutes remained, and with three to go a foul on Hedges was punished in full with Joel Jacobs’ 25 yard free kick that arced past Young’s outstretched left hand, the left back registering his first goal for Egham Town. But for Matthew electing to pass to Stanislaus in lieu of going for his own hat-trick when the shambles that was Molesey’s defence again disintegrated it could have been 8-1. Molesey boss Steve Webb was not present to see his old club dismantle his current one so comprehensively. He would have been horrified; this is their record defeat in the Combined Counties League.

Egham have won 18 and lost 5 of their 23 games. This win, equal in goal difference to the 8-2 at Windsor (but more satisfying for being against 11 men throughout), was crucial in holding onto top slot as other sides in contention, bar Badshot Lea, Cove and Guernsey, all won. Badshot Lea were thrashed 4-1 at home by a Windsor side who have done just what I thought they’d do after they lost 3-1 at the Runnymede Stadium, which is to improve, and they have notched 9 wins and two defeats (Guernsey and, oddly, Chessington & Hook) in the subsequent eleven league games. They sit now in third place, but have played four games more. Epsom & Ewell won 3-2 at home against Dorking, and are a point adrift of Egham, who have two games in hand over the Es. Croydon (3—2 at home to Camberley Town) and South Park (3-0 at Ash United) leapfrogged Molesey, who are now 9th.

Egham follow this with a home game on Tuesday against Croydon in the 3rd round of the EL Records Premier Challenge Cup. Croydon were the last side to play Egham before stuffs white and wet intervened, overturning Town’s 1-0 and 2-1 leads to win 4-2. The winners are at home to Wembley or Raynes Park Vale:

1 Horley Town, Colliers Wood or South Park v Mole Valley SCR 12/3
2 Egham Town or Croydon v Wembley or Raynes Park Vale 19/2 (if Egham)
6/3 (if Croydon)
3 AFC Croydon Athletic v Guernsey or Epsom & Ewell 20/2
4 Sandhurst Town v Cobham or Hanworth Villa 12/3

On Saturday it is an away game to Chessington & Hook United’s Slopy, sorry Sandy Lane ground. This game tends to produce goals, Egham winning 8-3 last season. Season 2006-7 saw Egham win 7-3 and in 10-11 lose 5-6 from 4-1 up.

Statto moment: Including this one Egham have now done 29 doubles in the CCL against 12 conceded.

EGHAM TOWN: Paul Borg, Alex Rodrigues, Joel Jacobs, Arran Taylor-Ives (captain), Jim Ward, Luke Muldowney, Luke Craig, Tommy Hedges, Brendan Matthew, Jamie Read, Kemo Mephela. Subs: Reis Stanislaus (Read, 57), Stephen Coultas (Mephela), Patrick Craig (Muldowney, 74), Jacob Lambe.

Mark Ferguson