Chessington & Hook United 1 vs 3 Wembley

Quite how we are where we are remains a mystery, but the reality is that we are in trouble.

Buoyed by a starting line up that befits a team at the very least in the top half of the table we actually started quite well, and were untroubled by our opponents in defence and a threat going forward.
Whilst the game was a little scrappy we were winning most of the battles and the few openings that were being created were almost always by us.

The opening goal came at the mid point of the half and was scored by Robbie Burns, whose precise control and lob over the goalkeeper was a fine finish to a sustained period of pressure. In fact a similar chance that fell to the same person as the break approached may have been the turning point, as this time the visiting keeper athletically jumped to collect his lofted attempt to deny us a second goal.

With us very much in the ascendancy we had another reasonable opportunity with the last attack of the half when Harry Smart appeared to be free of his marker as he bore down on goal but a last ditch tackle averted the danger.

Whether nerves got the better of us who knows, but our second half performance was nervy and the positives from a resilient and effective first half showing was replaced with disarray.

Whilst we clung to our lead for the first quarter of an hour the warning signs were there.

We certainly sat deeper and were beaten to nearly every second ball, and the pressure under which the team is playing strangled any sort of fluency from our approach.

On the hour mark a catalogue of events / errors saw us concede a comical equaliser when Fisher and Leacock were caught wanting, and at that stage the tide had turned.

We continued to be on the back foot and the side unable to get going again had appeared to settle for a point.

Given that we had huffed and puffed our way to the final ten minutes it seemed at least that we would take something from the game, but slack marking from a corner saw us concede a soft second with a free header.

As so often happens in the face of defeat the shackles came off, and we had a real go at our opponents in search of an equaliser and you were left to wonder why we had not remained as positive as this at the star of the half. With several opportunities to ask questions of the Wembley defence we left ourselves open one further time, a risk worth taking, but a horrible bounce defeated Oldershawe and we were punished again, sealing a three one victory for our visitors.