Wealdstone 2 – 3 Yeading
Wealdstone
2 - 3
Yeading
IT might have been the right time to play Yeading, with their lucrative FA Cup match against Newcastle looming on the horizon. Their players might not have been fully committed for fear of injury and missing the “big one”.
The trouble is that this Wealdstone side are far too “nice” and allowed themselves to be bossed about by the visitors’ spoiling tactics.
Yeading scored through the unmarked Telemaque in the second minute before Stones had even woken up-the 20 yard strike from a right wing cross fizzing past Andy Carter’s right hand.
Slowly Wealdstone began to get forward and Jermaine Beckford’s bicycle kick was well saved by Preddie.
When Beckford, on a lengthy run and bearing down on goal, was felled by Saroya in the box a penalty was the obvious award. There was a serious case for Saroya’s dismissal, being the last defender, but referee Ingram only issued a caution, beginning an evening of curious decisions, usually favouring Yeading, that irritated Wealdstone players and fans alike.
Richard Jolly scored from the spot with some ease and now league leaders Yeading knew they had a game on their hands. Ingram’s continued leniency and failure to issue sufficient cautions for the Yeading spoiling tactics resulted in the game being always on the brink of boiling over from now on.
Yeading were superior territorially yes, but chances to score were very few. Former Stones favorite striker Marvin Morgan was largely anonymous all evening and was eventually substituted.
It was a moment of pure magic from Beckford that broke stalemate ten minutes into the second half. Picking up the ball on half way he turned, leaving his marker to chase shadows, and bore down on Preddie’s goal.
The finish, slipping the ball past the advancing keeper’s left hand, was exquisite.
Unfortunately the lead lasted for only a short space of time. Andy Carter in the Wealdstone goal is going through a bad time at the moment.
He is still in the top flight as a shot stopper, but several goals conceded by Wealdstone in recent weeks have been as a result of his hesitancy. Telemaque’s equaliser could be put into this bracket as the loose ball was hooked over the advancing keeper’s shoulder.
Stanley’s free-kick winner was a curling cross to the near post that eluded all defenders and Carter’s frantic scrambling to keep the ball out was unsuccessful.
So Wealdstone lost a league game for the first time in over two months, and losing to the top side is no disgrace, but it could have been so much more.
Harrow Times Steve Paull