Windsor & Eton 1 – 1 Wealdstone
Wealdstone1 - 1
Windsor & EtonWindsor Knot
Wealdstone snatched a last minute equaliser to get a point from this game, yet for one person, it could have been so different.
Wealdstone started brightly and dominated the game from the start, all be it at first making little of their possession, while Windsor were limited to attacking on the break, the Stones defence coping ably with a limited attack. As the first half progressed, Wealdstone’s chances improved, Hercules had a shot well saved, Hammatt hit the post and Fergus Moore saw a header go just wide, a number of other half chances being saved by the visiting goalkeeper. Signed that afternoon this was his Senior debut, as the regular Windsor custodian was ill. With no disrespect intended, as the match wore on he was found to punch weakly, he had problems kicking and his handling could also have been better, but more and more he proved that in front of goal he could and would get something on the ball to make a save.
If Stones finished the first half frustrated at not having scored, then matters were only to get worse in a second half they almost entirely dominated, Windsor limited to two chances, which was two more than in the first half. Stones had been foiled by the home keeper, Hammatt on three or four occasions, Moore, Shaw. Tilbury, Wright, Swaysland and Hercules all having the opportunity to break the deadlock, but it was the visitors who scored first, on 77 minutes.
Tilbury was beaten in a challenge in midfield and the ball was played wide for Boot to run on, his square ball to Palmer was struck first time from 25 yards into the back of the net with Carter well beaten. It was Windsor’s first real attempt on goal in the match, and it sparked even more pressure from Stones, who finally equalised through a Horner header from a corner in the 90th minute.
Stones too cold have won the match as there was still time for an excellent save from another corner, and a valid looking penalty appeal was turned down by the Referee. By the same token, another Windsor breakaway saw them hit the post with a second shot late in the half.
The result shows a 1 – 1 draw, the statistics would have given Andy Gray a field day – Wealdstone had 15 corners to Windsor’s 1 and must have had a similar number of shots on goal, Windsor replying with two. Even Windsor Manager Dennis Greene felt that the sore could have been 6 or 7 goals to one but for his ‘keeper.
Wealdstone: Andy Carter, Danny Tilbury, Fergus Moore, Kevin Ramsay (b49), Richard Horner (90), Andre Scarlet, Daniel Wright (S69 Ricky Pither), Jason Shaw (s81 Olatunji Bamgbola), Mick Swaysland, Bryan Hammatt (b60), Tyronne Hercules, Sub not used: Matt Perry