Great Wakering Rovers 2 – 1 Wealdstone
Great Wakering Rovers2 - 1
WealdstoneApparently, luck evens out over a season. By my calculation, we must be due a bit more in our favour as yet again a game we should have won was lost. Not to take anything from Great Wakering as they took the opportunities they were gives, while all Wealdstone could muster was one goal from about a dozen attempts.
Yet again Stones lost players before the kick off when Danny White was called away due to a family bereavement and Jason Shaw suffered a reaction to his recent hamstring injury and was also unable to take part, so a re-jigged side saw Martin Carter and Dave Ryan in the centre of defence with James Fisher returning at right back.
Stone started brightly enough and had an early chance when Tilbury had a shot blocked, before on 16 minutes, good work from Morgan created an opening and he shot home from ten yards to give Stones the lead.
All seemed to be going Wealdstone’s way with Swaysland and Morgan both seeing attempts saved, until on the half hour when the home side were awarded a corner. It hung in the air as it came across the goal with Andy Carter only able to follow it as it fell to the unmarked Wilson at the back post, and he headed home the equaliser from the first real chance to home side had created.
This seemed to knock Stones and for the rest of the half they created little, but they did hold firm at the back.
Stones started the second half much brighter and they were in control of the possession for long periods, again creating half chances – Swaysland, Tilbury, Jolly and Morgan all had attempts on goal but only Swaysland really troubled Hudson, but it seemed that Stones were the only likely scorers.
With one or two strange decisions for both sides from the referee there was little flow to the game, until what seemed to be a foul on Courtnage well into the Great Wakering half went unpunished. The ball was played forward and Richard Jolly covering back unfortunately gave the home side a penalty with a clumsy challenge, Ewers scoring from the spot on 70 minutes.
The game continued in a similar vein with half chances created for Wealdstone and little from the home side but they had done enough to hold on to the three points.
Wealdstone: Andy Carter, James Fisher (b29 s70 Lee Gardener), Rob Courtnage (s76 Carl Hunt), Mark Burgess, Dave Ryan, Martin Carter, Tommy Williams, Richard Jolly (b69), Mickie Swaysland (s76 Jermaine Beckford), Marvin Morgan (16), Danny Tilbury (b36) Subs not used: Tyronne Hercules, Andy Myhill