Late Abbs Freekick Steals Win

Both teams came into the game on the back of weekend defeats with the Greens making three changes from the side that lost at Thamesmead Town as Andres Gutierrez and Dan Brown both returned whilst there was a debut for recent signing Conor Clarke.

Despite both sides having procession of the ball in the early stages it was the hosts that created the better chances. The game was only two minutes old when Bolle headed over before Fagbohun made a run into the area from the right, getting between two visiting defenders before seeing his shot come back off the near post. The hosts had a penalty decision for handball against Gutierrez turned down after fourteen minutes, but as play continued Templeman got down to push O’Brien’s shot around the post. It was from the result Tajbakhsh corner the Ambers opened the scoring with Adam Bolle climbing to head home. However with their first meaningful effort at goal, Soham equalised three minutes later when Abbs played the ball into the area for Dan Brown to run onto, taking it wide of Williamson before rolling into an empty net from a tight angle. A minute later Cheshunt were back on the attack with Bossman receiving Edgerley’s ball to place across goal. Midway through the half Edgerley curled a freekick over the bar, before Williamson made a low save to keep out Clarke’s strike from the edge of the area moments later. With ten minutes remaining Tajbakhsh cut in from the right to fire over, before Stanley shot wide with just Williamson to beat and Payne headed wide from a corner. The hosts delivered a number of balls into the area in the closing stages, however the Greens managed to deal with these to go in at the break level.

The start of the second half continued in the same way as the first with the hosts creating the better of the chances as Fagbohun fired across goal while Tajbakhsh placed at Templeman from distance and Payne volleyed wide. Just before the hour, following a break from a Soham attack, Fagbohun delivered the ball in from the right with it coming back off the roof of the bar with Davis clearing. Soham gained the advantage in the 63rd minute when Prada played the ball into the area to Brown, who after taking a touch, sent his shot wide of Williamson for his second goal of the game. However like the first half, within five minutes the score was again levelled when Tajbakhsh collected the ball on the edge of the area to send it to the right of the box where James Edgerley powered an angled shot across goal with the ball going in off the inside of the far post. Both sides started to make changes as Payne headed against the bar before a well-timed Gutierrez challenge denied Fagbohun getting in a shot with the ball being deflected behind for a corner. With less than ten minutes remaining, Fagbohun poked a shot wide of the post before Gent met Asensi’s cross with Williamson gathering the ball on the floor, while Brown fired another shot wide of goal. As the game entered stoppage time, Soham were denied what they thought was the winner when Williamson spilled Brown’s ball with Stanley following up to convert from close range only for the goal to be disallowed by the referee for a foul on the keeper. Napier then cut into the area from the right to send the ball towards the back post where Brown was denied his hat-trick by the keeper. However just when it looked like the two sides would share the points, the Greens stole the victory when Joey Abbs fired an unstoppable freekick into the top corner of the net from 25 yards out, leaving Williamson rooted to his line with only seconds of the game left.

The victory was only Soham’s second in the last six outings and ends a run of consecutive defeats, leaving the Greens sixth in the table.

Soham Town Rangers
J. Templeman, S. Davis, C. Clarke (M. Hall 78), A. Gutierrez, J. Gent, J. Asensi, D. Prada (D. Napier 86), V. Torres (M. Bromwich 71), J. Abbs, L. Stanley, D. Brown
Unused: A. Luque

Cheshunt
G. Williamson, J. Clemo (A. Anderson 80), T. Llewellyn, M. Sem, L. Payne, J. O’Brien, J. Edgerley (D. Hicks 86), A. Tajbakhsh, A. Bolle, J. Fagbohun, A. Bossman
Unused: T. Adewumni, J. Osey, S. Sheed-Ryan

Score: (1-1) 2-3

Goals
STRFC: D. Brown (17, 63), J. Abbs (90+4)
CFC: A. Bolle (14), J. Edgerley (68)

Cards: None

Attendance: 118