Town stung by Wasps

Town’s young side with eight of the starters being twenty one years or younger can take great heart from this performance that was only decided seven minutes from time and saw Chalfont resort to the long ball as the match progressed to force Town onto the defensive.

The opening twenty minutes belonged to the home side as the visitors struggled to get out of their own half. As early as the eight minute Matt Brookling cleared of his own goal line while a series of Chalfont corners kept the pressure on the Town defence.

The prolific Fred Tripp opened the scoring in the ninth minute when he was allowed to receive the ball in the penalty area with his back to goal, turn and shoot low to Ben Tanner’s right.

The best Town could muster in the early stages was a shot from distance that went over the cross bar from Jordan Goddard following a good move by Dominic Sharpe.

A pause in the game due to a Chalfont injury enabled manager Stuart Hamblin to change tactics which had the desired effect with the defence playing higher up the field and the lively Sharpe seeing more of the ball.

Town thought they had a life line on thirty eight minutes when Matt Bennett’s free kick found James Pheby whose cross was handled for a penalty. Unfortunately DeShawn Whittaker saw his kick parried away for a corner by the keeper low to his left.

Despite Town’s better play Chalfont remained a threat especially through Tripp who was thwarted on more than one occasion by Tanner.

The second half saw Town play good football with Whittaker a constant threat to the home defence and the midfield looking to get forward at every opportunity though the efforts of James Pheby, Matt Leigh and Jordan Goddard. With Brookling and Craig Blissett solid at the back Wasps did not look like scoring until the eighty third minute when a long ball counter attack saw a cross into the unmarked Tripp to head home the winning goal.

Next up for Town is champions elect Milton United who visit East Park Farm on Easter Monday, 3.00 pm kick off.

Tanner (Brown), Neate (G Davies), Bennett, Pheby, Blissett, Brookling, Sharpe, Goddard, Whittaker, Groves, Leigh Unused sub: Southgate

Attendance 24