Chertsey Town 3 Molesey 2

Only one team change was made, forced by the work-related unavailability of skipper Steve Gibson, from the sorry midweek performance of just four days previous, but it seemed that completely different team was out on the park as Chertsey battled hard to grab all their in-form neighbours.

Steve Tyson was switched to right back which made space for Marcus Moody in the midfield.

His past couple of performances may have lacked sparkle but that was put firmly behind him as he emerged as one of Chertsey’s leading lights during an incident filled afternoon at Alwyns Lane.

The home crowd went home happy, and even the away support must have enjoyed the contest even if the edge was taken off with the final result.

The referee maintained a high profile throughout the game, starting in the seventh minute when he blew his whistle for a foul in the Chertsey box.

All players moved up field for the expected defender’s free-kick but he surprised everyone by pointing to the spot.

Grateful for the gift, James McShane took the penalty kick. Liam Stone saved the shot but Sam Lampard was quick to react and made sure the second time around.

Undeterred, Town hit back within two minutes.

A Steve Goddard free kick of some 35 yards, out dropped in front of the Molesey goalmouth where Jack Francis competed amongst a phalanx of defenders to get his head to ball and skim it home from quite close range.

The temporary disadvantage was thus dissolved and Chertsey pressed on to take most of the first-half honours.

Chertsey took the lead on 25 minutes, with the left-footed Ollie Tracher on the right curving in the ball on a high orbit.

The ball went to the far side, where Dean Papaili rose high and found the correct trajectory to deliver a looping header over everyone so that it dropped just inside the right stick.

Chertsey pressed further and tried to convert their growing advantage into a winning lead.

A thundering 30-yard Treacher free-kick was only just kept out by Wester Young in the Moles goal then John Pomroy saw his curling strike go wide.

A worrying pattern for Chertsey of not pressing home their advantage again emerged as the half time break halted play.

The second half again started brightly for Town. Pomroy won the ball in a critical position outside the Molesey area but steered his shot too wide.

But, then, the veneer of invincibility started to peel away from the host side as Molesey demonstrated their competitiveness to enjoy progressively more of the possession.

Whenever the ball spilled out of a tackle then it seemed that a visitor’s boot was first in the queue to collect.

Passes, especially, out of defence, became wayward and Chertsey were steadily being pressed back, but it must be said that even if the defence struggled to find their men with the ball, they were more than able to stop Molesey firing off their salvos.

Town’s inability to cleanly clear their lines at this point, coupled with Molesey’s growing confidence on the ball, eventually combined to produce an equalising goal.

It came in the 70th minute, when attempts at sweeping the ball up field failed and the ball was returned to the penalty area.

McShane fired at goal but the shot was parried by Stone and for the second time in the encounter, Molesey got lucky with the rebound.

This time Lewis Ackerman was on hand to knock home.

With the initiative in their favour, Molesey looked good to hold their position, at the very least even if Moody tried to reply within a minute of his side conceding with a rifled shot that was turned aside by Young.

But then movement from the bench put a big dent into Molesey’s ambitions when Kwabena Agyei came on for Pomroy.

His presence created an extra dynamic in the front line and within two minutes he had found the net.

With Molesey’s defence suddenly losing their concentration with thoughts of supporting their attack, space was afforded in Russian Steppes proportions as Chertsey countered.

Gavin Bamford raced in from the right and slipped the ball inside to Agyei who had time to thoughtfully nestle the ball into the corner of the net.

The game should have been put to bed five minutes from the end when another soft penalty was awarded, this time to Chertsey, when Bamford was being lent upon too heavily.

The same player took the spot kick but Young comfortably saved.

Reprieved, Molesey threw everything they had to snatch back another equaliser.

Their efforts provided for a nail biting finale with a succession of shots, but were all blocked off before they reached Stone.

This may have created extra entertainment which eventually came good for Chertsey but it was one piece of excitement that manager Spencer Day could well have done without as it was vivid reminder of how poor his side can be at finishing off their adversaries when the chance to collect comfortable points is regularly being spurned.

All in all, though, this was a very satisfying performance from a Chertsey point of view.

The football may not have been of the highest order but spirit and desire certainly was which was the more pleasing of the two considerations after the previous limp display.

Town are now potentially within three points of league leaders North Greenford United and two from second placed Camberley Town. It is getting tight there at the top.

FIXTURES

Wednesday, March 17 – Guildford City (Away) League Saturday, March 20 – Horley Town (Away) League