Stourport Swifts 1-1 Chesham United

[Simon N]

Chesham:

1. Richard Hayward
2. John Kyriacou
3. Sam Ledger
4. Lewis Laws
5. Ollie Adedeji
6. Steve Obeng
7. Dave Fotheringham
8. Steve Wales (goal 23 mins (pen),booked 77mins)
9. Leon Archer
10. Chris Bangura
11. Dom Marsala

Subs:
12. Darrell Cox (for Bangura 82 mins)
14. Jack Pattison (for Marsala 66 mins)
15. Danny Burnell
16. Alex Duffy (for Laws 34 mins)
17. Adam Parker


For the third successive season this fixture finished in a 1-1 draw. After 15 minutes Chesham were a goal down and had not been in the game, but once they equalised they nullified the home threat and looked the more likely winners in the second half.

There was one enforced change to the starting line-up, John Kyriacou coming in for the suspended Mark Lambert with Lewis Laws switching to the centre of defence. The pitch, although a bit bumpy, was at least reasonably dry. Stourport started the game much better and pinned Chesham back in their own half early on, and took the lead in the tenth minute. A long ball towards the home right was intercepted by Sam Ledger on the edge of the area, but the ball rolled across the box and straight into the path of Chris Mortlock who scored off a post. Chesham gradually fought their way back into the game and Ledger strode forward to fire in a 30-yard shot that home keeper Jamie Moore held at the second attempt. Midway through the half Steve Wales’ right-wing corner came to the far post where Ollie Adedeji challenged and the ball bounced down and up onto a defender’s arm, at a distance where he could easily have got his arm out of the way. Referee Sian Massey was well placed to award the penalty and Wales comfortably beat Moore from the spot. The rest of the half was largely uneventful, although Chesham were forced to reshuffle just after the half-hour mark following an injury to Lewis Laws. Dom Marsala switched to the right and John Kyriacou to the middle of defence with Alex Duffy making an impressive debut on the left.

In the opening seconds of the second half Dave Fotheringham was badly injured by an over-the-top tackle that the referee missed, but this was out of keeping with the game as a whole. Chesham went on the attack and Steve Obeng pulled the ball back from the by-line on the right and Alex Duffy was just put off by a challenge as he was about to shoot. Stourport had a good chance soon after when a high ball was headed down to Jamie Insall who sliced his effort wide from ten yards, but that was the last time that the home side threatened. Midway through the half Alex Duffy’s flighted free kick came to Sam Ledger who headed firmly downwards and Nathan Jukes, standing virtually on the line and facing his own goal, somehow managed to get the ball over his own bar. Shortly afterwards a neat build-up involving Jack Pattison and Leon Archer saw Steve Wales race clear down the left and, in spite of being forced wide, Wales managed to hook the ball goalwards and Jukes headed off the line. In the 78th minute Wales chased a long ball downfield, won possession from two defenders and curled in a shot that hit the bar and bounced down but did not cross the line. Stourport still had their moments but Chesham defence kept them out comfortably, and still had time for one last effort on goal. In the fourth minute of stoppage time sub Darrell Cox got his head to Steve Wales’ corner but Moore made a fine save to claw the ball away, whereupon the referee immediately blew the final whistle.