Tuesday 4 February 2003

Ryman League, Division One South

Banstead Athletic 0 Walton & Hersham 4

Swans put on a superb performance at a bitterly cold Merland Rise to crush the home side with four stunning goals.

A downside for visiting supporters however was the news that Paul Harkness will be leaving Swans to try his luck with Conference club Farnborough Town. Harkness, along with several others, had a fine game and his contribution to the side will be sorely missed.

With Alan Dowson suspended, Walton made one change from the side that had performed so well at Horsham.

Rob Wimble returned up front, with Wes Goggin dropping back and Harkness playing in a deeper role on the left.

Despite traffic delays resulting in late arrivals and a minimal warm-up, Swans soon settled and began to pin Banstead back in their own half.

However it was the home side that had the first attempt on goal when Cormack made space 20 yards out before putting in a good right-foot shot that Tony Tucker did well to turn over. But after 19 minutes Swans took the lead with a splendid goal.

Neil Lampton, who left his poor debut match a distant memory with an excellent performance, fired over a fine cross from deep on the right to find Ross Pickett to the left of the Banstead penalty-area.

Pickett found Harkness on the left by cleverly back-heeling the ball first-time, and Harkness composed himself before driving the ball past keeper Borg with an angled, left-foot shot.

Francis Dolan then fed Lampton, who split the home defence with a fine ball down the middle to Lee O�Donnell, who was just prevented from getting a shot in by Borg. But after 28 minutes Swans doubled their lead with a goal that was even better than their first, and would grace any level of football.

An excellent pass from Sean Thurgood found Lampton on the right, and he left two defenders trailing before firing the ball across to Wimble. The Walton youngster cleverly laid the ball off to David Cory to the left of goal, and he thumped a right-foot volley from 15 yards past Borg, who barely had the chance to move.

Beale almost responded immediately for the home side, but after getting past Adam Thompson and firing in a good effort from the edge of the box, he was denied by a fine save from Tucker, who dived to push the ball round his right-post.

With five minutes to go before the break Pickett and Goggin combined well, allowing Goggin to get in a fine shot from 25 yards that drifted just over the far, top-corner of the goal.

Swans made a double substitution for the second-half, with Thompson and Wimble being replaced by Jamie Laister and Reggie Savage.

Greenaway almost capitalised on a free-kick from Beale for Banstead, but Swans broke straight to the other end, and when Cory played Savage in, Borg did well to block his firmly struck shot.

Cory was then played in to a similar position by a fine long ball from Thurgood, but again Borg blocked the shot. Banstead then proceeded to have their best spell of the match, putting Swans� defence under some pressure, but the shackles were broken by a tremendous run down the right by Lampton, with Savage just being denied from getting on the end of his cross.

But after 66 minutes Lampton played the ball to Harkness on the left, and he left his marker trailing before cutting the ball back for Savage to lash a first-time, left-foot shot just inside Borg�s right-post from the edge of the six-yard box.

Banstead went close to reducing the deficit when Dennis hit the ball on the half-volley from Finnie�s long throw, but his effort dipped just over Tucker�s crossbar.

But with time running out Swans scored another tremendous goal to seal the win. Tucker cleverly rolled the ball out to Lampton, midway inside his own half, and he set off on a surging run down the centre of the pitch.

Then after exchanging a quick one-two with Savage, Lampton drilled a shot past Borg with the outside of his right-foot and in to the top-left corner from just inside the box.

Match Statistics

Walton Team: Tucker, Dolan, Thurgood, Thompson (Laister 45), Lampton, Goggin, Wimble (Savage 45), Pickett (Blackman 80), Cory, O�Donnell, Harkness. Subs. not used: Frontin, Gindre.

Goalscorers for Walton: Harkness (19 mins.). Cory (28 mins.). Savage (66 mins.). Lampton (87 mins.).

Cautions: None.