Chesham United 3-0 Woodford United

[Simon N]

Chesham:

1. Richard Hayward
2. Lewis Laws
3. Sam Ledger
4. Steve Obeng
5. Ollie Adedeji
6. Mark Lambert
7. Dave Fotheringham (booked 45 mins)
8. Steve Wales (goals 12 (pen), 84 mins)
9. Leon Archer (goal 70 mins)
10. Chris Bangura
11. Dom Marsala

Subs:
12. Danny Burnell (for Archer 74 mins)
14. Jack Pattison
15. Adam Parker (for Bangura 80 mins)
16. John Kyriacou
17. Danny Talbot (for Marsala 71 mins)



Chesham overcame dreadful conditions and a hardworking Woodford side to earn a comfortable win. Although there was an element of good fortune in their opening goal, Chesham never looked like being pegged back and wrapped up the points with two quality goals in the final quarter.

Chesham’s starting line-up and subs bench were unchanged. Considering the amount of rain over the previous two days the pitch was in excellent condition, but there was a strong wind blowing straight down the ground from the Meadow end and Woodford had it in their favour in the first half. In the third minute Lewis Travers hit a free kick from the visitors’ right and Tom Fountain’s effort was tipped over by Richard Hayward, but it was Chesham who took the lead in the twelfth minute. Leon Archer broke down the left and was heading for the by-line when he was upended by keeper Joe Haynes, and the referee gave a penalty although Chesham fans behind the goal agreed that the offence took place outside the area. Haynes was booked and Steve Wales’ penalty just beat Haynes who got a touch on the ball but could not keep it out. In spite of the wind disadvantage Chesham carried the greater threat in the remainder of the half, although both sides struggled in the conditions. Midway through the half Leon Archer and Chris Bangura combined to set up Steve Wales whose shot was blocked. As half-time approached a cross from the left by Neil King flew across the Chesham box and Sam Ledger got an important touch to get it away, but Chesham came back and a cross from Lewis Laws was touched on by Dave Fotheringham and Haynes saved at the near post.

Dave Adams took over running the line in the second half after one of the linesmen injured a calf muscle, but the home fans had little chance to jeer his decisions as most of the play took place in the Woodford half. In the seventh minute a shot on the turn by Steve Wales came off a defender and Haynes was forced to dive to save. A cross from Dom Marsala found Leon Archer at the far post who headed down and back across the goal, then another Marsala cross was controlled by Archer but Haynes saved the resulting shot. Marsala again found space on the left and crossed and Bangura and Steve Obeng had shots blocked, but in the 70th minute Chesham killed the game off with a second goal. Steve Wales’ ball forward was laid off by Chris Bangura into the path of Leon Archer who beat Haynes with a neat finish from 15 yards. Steve Wales wrapped up the scoring six minutes from time with a fine solo goal, running straight through the Woodford defence to shoot into the corner of the net from just outside the area. In the fourth minute of stoppage time Woodford had their only worthwhile attack of the half, when Nick Gordon controlled a cross from sub Oli Manoocheri, but Richard Hayward came out to parry.