Wealdstone 1 – 3 Aresley Town
Wealdstone1 - 3
Arlesey TownA disappointing day for Stones, as they were well beaten by a their visitors, who were in control throughout the match.
Arlesey started brightly and kept up the pace as the game progressed, ruling the midfield and limiting Wealdstone to occasional breaks forward to relieve pressure on their own goal, their two wing backs in particular giving Stones defence a torrid time. Matters weren’t helped when Andy Carter suffered and injury in the fourth minute, but had to play on as this was the first time this season Stones have not named a goalkeeper among the subs, with Godfrey injured and Leary expected to play for the reserves.
After a number of early misses, Arlesey took the lead on 24 minutes when Houghton beat Fisher and took the ball to the byline. His cross was met by Richards, his header saved by Andy Carter, but he could only push it onto the post. Wayne Cort reacted first to the rebound and volleyed home from two yards.
This did inspire Stones best spell of the match but with the midfield being out-hustled and out paced, the long ball’s over the top were not the easiest to control on a wet surface, both Morgan and Swaysland chasing well but often failing to keep the ball in play. Each did make one excellent chance for the other from similar moves as they broke wide and hit low crosses into the box, Morgan, sliding in only inches from Swaysland’s cross, and Swaysland meeting Morgan’s cross with a half volley pushed onto the bar and away by the visiting keeper when he really should have equalised.
Stones did get them selves back into the game on 41 minutes, when with Swaysland and Morgan pushing on, a strong challenge from Ryan saw the ball feed to Courtnage, he looked up as if to cross but with the keeper moving to cover, he chipped the ball into the net at the far post from 20 yards.
The lead was short lived as within a minute, Houghton who was having an outstanding game broke through three or four challenges, jinxing one way and then the other, before striking a low shot home to restore the visitors lead.
The second half started in a similar vein until the ever involved Houghton seemed to head butt Mickie Swaysland at a throw in and he was dismissed.
This did give Stones more of the play, but with the re-organised defence of the visitors playing so solidly, they could not make the breakthrough and Arlesey scored their third on 61 minutes. A cross was only partially cleared by the struggling Carter and the defence seemed static as it was returned to the net.
Stones did continue to press bur were limited to half chances, as their unbeaten home record in the league slipped away to the deserved winners.
Wealdstone: Andy Carter, James Fisher (s70 Danny Tilbury), Dave Ryan, (s45 Matt Perry), Rob Courtnage (41), Matt Carvell, Martin Carter, Billy Amarteifio, Jason Shaw (b29, s75 Ben Alexander), Marvin Morgan, Mick Swaysland, Robin Tucker, Subs not used: Tyronne Hercules, Jermaine Beckford.