Dorking 0 Chertsey Town 2

The result was that Town’s initial Vase tie at fellow Combined Counties League side Dorking produced virtually no highlights or controversy.

Even the referee’s booking sheet remained blank, and was never likely to be sullied by either side, but manager Spencer Day will be satisfied enough, having had quite a few selection problems to solve leading up the match.

Steve Goddard and Stuart Bamford were still injured after the Epsom & Ewell match a fortnight previous.

Defence man Dean Inman was barred from the competition because he is a loan player, as was Steve McNamara, but in his case through a one match ban.

Although injured goalkeeper Liam Stone returned to the side after a two week break, striker Kevin Lock was also unavailable which meant that the spine of the side was profoundly compromised and a more defensive 4-4-2 formation had to be employed instead of the more adventurous three man attack.

Despite the reshuffle, the team played with cohesion and looked highly unlikely to get into any trouble, even if the football was somewhat prosaic.

Dorking produced only two moments of potential danger when the ball was twice flashed across the Chertsey goalmouth in the first half, but no forward ventured near enough to make the passes count.

The home side were completely blocked out after the break. Town were not much better in creating openings but still had a couple of efforts that momentarily looked potent.

An Ollie Treacher header in the first half that went wide and, after the interval, an Andy Crossley 20 yard strike that went the same way.

In between, two goals were scored and the simplicity of movement and execution provoked a wonder that more goals are not produced in football matches, and in particular this one.

The first, on 20 minutes came from a Matt Holley foray along the left touch line. He flighted the ball into the centre, to be met by the head of John Pomroy who directed it cleanly well wide of Dan Coote in the Dorking goal.

Although the chances seemed remote, the one goal advantage might have been slight enough for a way back for the host side but that vague thought was squashed in the 71st minute with goal number two.

It was constructed with equally clean lines. A corner kick from the boot of Pomroy on the left found centre back Jack Francis who stole in on the near side to head firmly home to make the remainder of the match a formality and allow three of the bench of all 16 year old substitutes to take to the field.

Jack Mazzone, David Lopez and Declan Gray all acquitted themselves well although the bite had gone out of the contest and in fact were involved with the best bit of football of the afternoon in a midfield sequence to brighten an otherwise frankly dour outing.

Even a late one on one situation set up for Andre DeLisser was greeted in sanguine mood as the pitch beat his attempts at recording a third goal when the ball rumbled and bumbled too wide on the pitted surface, illustrating how difficult it was to maintain full mastery, a recurrent theme witnessed throughout the afternoon.