Monday 2 January 2012. Ryman League, Division One South.
Walton & Hersham 1 Merstham 1.
The disappointment of again failing to win as they played their first match of 2012 was tempered somewhat for Swans by other results going in their favour, resulting in the point gained moving them up to eighteenth place in the table, five points ahead of second from bottom Whyteleafe with a better goal difference.
Having started the match poorly and going behind to an early goal, their play improved as the first-half progressed, leading to an equaliser just before the break. The improvement was maintained in the second-half, and with a bit more good fortune in front of goal they could have gone on to a valuable win. With Michael Gordon missing, along with the still unavailable Graeme Purdy, Harry Smart came into the side, while young French forward Barkley Miguel Panzo was preferred to Dan Morris.
With their poor scoring record Swans need to get off to a solid start, not conceding so they end up chasing the game, but they failed to settle at all in the early stages, falling behind to a dreadfully soft goal after just thirteen minutes. Merstham’s Sam Tucknott was given yards of space to get away down the right, and he had the time to look up before crossing to Liam Wright, unmarked in front of goal, and he headed home with ease.
It took some time for Swans to begin to assert themselves on the game, and it was twenty minutes before they threatened the visitors’ goal. Victor Kiri got the ball to Phil Williams on the left, and he set off on a typical, pacey run before crossing low into the six-yard box, but Miguel Panzo just failed to get a touch in front of goal.
Swans’ play continued to improve, and after 39 minutes Morris was brought on for Miguel Panzo. With their determination to get back into the match before the break, with five minutes left of the half they almost paid the penalty for pushing forward. Shaun Elliott had got forward to the centre circle, but when he lost the ball Swans were caught 3 on 1 at the back as Merstham broke quickly through Wright. Fortunately for Swans Wright chose to go on and shoot instead of picking out a supporting teammate, and his shot went well over.
The miss was to prove vital, as the home side at last broke their scoring drought with the equaliser in the final minute of the half. Kiri got the ball inside from the right to Jerome Maledon 22 yards out, and he struck a low, left-foot shot just inside the right-post.
That was Kiri’s last contribution, as he had to be replaced for the second-half by Adriano Moraes.
The Brazilian almost made an impact after just three minutes of coming on, a fine, left-foot half-volley from 25 yards dipping just wide of the goal. Ten minutes into the half Williams made a terrific burst past defenders down the right from halfway before crossing to the far-post, but Elliott couldn’t quite get to the ball, and it was put behind for a corner. Two minutes later Williams repeated his surging run, but this time he got the ball across to Morris just outside the box, and Merstham goalkeeper David Wilkinson was at full stretch to just get his fingers to the ball to deflect Morris’s low shot wide of his right-post. Former Swan Wilkinson soon came to his side’s rescue again, making an instinctive save to fingertip over Williams’ close range, downward header when Elliott crossed from the left.
Wilkinson’s opposite number Rodney Chiweshe was soon making an equally fine save at the other end to keep Swans level. Tucknott crossed from the right to pick out Fabio Saravia at the far-post, and his header looked destined for the net until Chiweshe leapt superbly to tip the ball over. Midway through the half Dan Sintim looked unfortunate to concede a free-kick just outside the right-corner of the box for what looked like a 50/50 challenge, a yellow card for the Swans’ defender adding to the apparent injustice, and it took a fine tip over by Chiweshe to keep out Saravia’s kick. In their determination to push forward for a winning goal Swans were susceptible to the break, and when Tucknott got past Elliott on the right Sintim did well to get across to block the shot and deflect the ball behind.
With a quarter of an hour remaining a fine diagonal ball picked out Morris inside the left of the six-yard box, but the Merstham keeper just managed to block the ball behind at his near-post. Another close-in shot was blocked at the other post before Moraes got the ball forward to Williams inside the right of the six-yard box. Williams spun to get in a shot, but Wilkinson again managed to get his body behind the ball. Then in the final minute of normal time Williams was again unlucky when Wikinson was in just the right place to keep out his point-blank header. As the match entered stoppage-time some fine play by Elliott on the left ended with a ball in to the near-post for Morris to get a touch, but again Wilkinson managed to keep the ball out.
Swans’ Team: Rodney Chiweshe, Josh Webb, Shaun Elliott, Jerome Maledon, Dan Sintim, Stuart Derry, Liam Collins, Victor Kiri (Adriano Moraes 45’), Harry Smart (Josh Bonnett 68’), Barkley Miguel Panzo (Dan Morris 39’), Phil Williams. Sub. not used: Sheikh Ceesay. Scorer: Maledon (45’). Cautions: Webb, foul (55’), Sintim, foul (66’), Elliott, foul (76’).
Merstham Team: Wilkinson, Hamlin, Pearson (Clark 51’), Moriarty (Holland (90’), Broomhead, Gunner, Tucknott, Sesay, Wright, D’Sane, Saravia. Sub. not used: Folkes. Scorer: Wright (13’). Cautions: Gunner, kicked ball away (34’), Hamlin, foul (39’), Moriarty, foul (71’).