Town win by odd goal in three!

After the outstanding midweek performance at Milton United, the first meeting between the two teams this season was a scrappy affair not helped by a poor playing surface that would have benefited from a cut.

However, a goal two minutes from full time by defender Dan Jewell gave Town maximum points as they won their sixth game from the last seven outings to remain in fifth place on the fringe of the promotion race.

The opening ten minutes saw no goal mouth action with the nearest either side coming to creating a chance was Rayners Lane when penalised for off side on a couple of occasions.

With winger Adam Jeffrey gradually getting more of the ball Town look threatening but too often they were lethargic in the penalty area as the ball was cleared by the visitors defence. It was one clearance from a Jeffrey corner and Warren Baxter header that allowed Rayners’ Chris Arens to counter attack and take the ball around Oneal Garnes only for the goal bound shot to be cleared off the goal line by Jewell on thirteen minutes.

Buoyed by this Rayners took the initiative were playing the good passing game and were rewarded six minutes later when Lee Gardner was allowed to run unchallenged into the penalty area to control and volley a cross pass Garnes to open the scoring.

Despite Town struggling to pass the ball effectively, they did create chances the best falling to Paul Holloway who saw Craig Nicholson tip the shot away for a corner from their one on one while Jewell also was denied by Nicholson for another corner and Henry Durrant’s effort went wide.

Rayners also had opportunities to extend their lead but Tom Farrell headed wide while Ollie Leslie weakly shot at Garners with just the home keeper to beat.

The opening period of the second half was played in a similar fashion the first. Jamie Fairchild’s goal ward pass narrowly evade the one coming Nick Edwards while Rayners saw a shot fly over the home cross bar.

With half an hour remaining Town started to find their passes resulting in their play becoming more dangerous with Jeffrey proving a handful on both flanks. A stretching Sam Cripps was unable to make contact with a Fairchild cross while Richardson made an outstanding one handed save from Edwards’ goal bound header.

As the second half wore on Rayners tied as it looked like their defeat on Wednesday evening in the Middx Intermediate Cup final caught up with the players and Town’s pressure was reward on sixty seven minutes when a low cross from the right by Jeffrey was met at the far post by Fairchild to bundle into the net for the equaliser.

Ollie Leslie wasted his opportunity to restore Rayners’ lead with a quarter of an hour remaining when after rounding Warren Baxter he stumbled with just Garnes to beat in what was the visitors last chance of the match.

Dominic Mackenzie shot straight at Nicholson with the whole goal at his mercy and saw claims for a penalty turned away as a defender fell to his left to stop MacKenzie’s shot with his chest when many thought the ball was handled, while Richard Thomas headed wide following a foul on Paul Holloway, before David Sexton needlessly fouled Matt Godwin on the edge of the penalty area from which Jewell drove the free kick past Nicholson’s right for the decisive goal.

A busy week for Town sees them at Finchampstead on Tuesday before entertaining Newbury on Thursday.

Garnes, Jewell, Thomas, Edwards, Nightingale, Baxter (Godwin), Jeffrey, Holloway, Fairchild, Cripps, Durrant (MacKenzie), Subs not used: Varndell, Sawyer, White

Attendance: 46