An improved performance but no points

Uhlsport Hellenic League – Premier Division – 9th December 2017

United gave one of their best performances in recent weeks but came away with nothing due to be punished for two mistakes in the final fifteen minutes of what was an entertaining match with both teams creating chances.

From the off United were positive being caught offside in the opening minute. This was followed by Pele Hagger cross field pass finding Liam Wilson who in turn passed to Jaydyn Englefield who saw his shot pushed away for a corner by home keeper Dan Lawrence. Lawrence was again in action in the tenth minute punching the ball clear under pressure from Haydon Richardson following a Sam Guze cross.

Alex Reed was called upon to dive full length to concede a corner from Sam Collier in the twelve minute which was cleared for another corner which saw United counter attack and the lively Englefield seeing his shot beat Lawrence only to be cleared of the goal line.

Ashley Ledger was flagged off side in another United attack before Collier fired over after eighteen minutes of play. Reed pushed a Harvey Scholes shot over the cross before Englefield made another positive run into the host’s penalty area and shooting.

The opening goal came after twenty six minutes when Callum Samuel-Harman broke free of a square back line to beat Lawrence in the home goal which was followed two minutes later by Lawrence conceding a corner from another Englefield shot and then denying Idris Kamara from the resultant corner kick.

Englefield and Collier both fired free kicks over the cross bar followed by the upright denying Dale Richards an equaliser ten minutes from half time and Reed making full length save for another home corner.

The half ended with Englefield firing at Lawrence from a Ledger free kick.

The home team started the second half stronger but their first attempt on goal did not come until the fifty second minute when a free kick was fired straight at Reed with United responding a minute later when cross was headed wide by substitute Marvin Hinds.

Both Englefield and Callum Samuel-Harman on the left flank enjoyed good first halves being positive in their running at the home defence. The visitors survived a penalty scare against them after sixty one minutes followed by Samuel-Harman’s good run resulting in an over hit cross, Town’s Lewis Waldron shooting wide and Idris Kamara making a timely challenge to concede a corner all in the space of a four minute spell.

The equaliser came on seventy four minutes when United lost possession on the half way line and the resulting attack seeing Reed parry a shot only for Steve Yeardley to poke the loose ball into the net. Four minutes later a United attack broke down and the resultant counter attack saw substitute Ryan Withers score what was to be the winning goal.

United responded strongly with Lawrence denying Hinds and Englefield seeing another shot cleared of the goal line, this time for a corner which was immediately followed by aa second corner when Mitch Cooper’s header was deflected out of play.

With the game being stretched Reed denied Collier in a one on one with three minutes remaining, Ledger had a free kick cleared to safety and Joe Barley denied a third home goal with a goal line block as the match entered the ninetieth minute. The final chance went to Woodley’s Wilson who hit the side netting two minutes into stoppage time.

Reed, Barley, Hagger, Ledger, I Kamara, Cooper, Englefield, Guze, Richardson (Hinds), Wilson, Samuel-Harman