Saturday 17 September 2016. Cherry Red Combined Counties League, Premier Division.
Raynes Park Vale 2 Walton & Hersham 3.
Swans picked up another three points as they maintained their unbeaten league record, but this was far from a convincing performance against a struggling Vale side. They were twice pegged back after taking the lead, conceding two goals in the league for the first time this season, but a goal five minutes from time finally saw them through.
They kicked-off playing up the pronounced slope and soon won a corner on the left after Jake Newton had made a strong run forward before finding Victor Asombang. From Charlie Ten-Grotenhuis’s kick Jamie Thoroughgood had a far-post volley blocked for another corner.
Swans took the lead after just six minutes as Jamil Okai was played clear through the middle to neatly slot past home goalkeeper Alex Sykes from the edge of the box.
Vale quickly had a chance to hit back as they got in a dangerous cross from the right, but Malachi Thomas was stretching at the far-post and his header went over. But they did equalise after a quarter of an hour when Gab Adesina was judged to have been fouled just outside the box. Swans will not feel happy that Thomas was allowed to drive the free-kick past the wall and into the bottom, left corner.
Midway through the half Vale’s Nathan Lewis got down the left to send the ball high across the goal-face with two teammates coming in at the far-post.
The home side went close to conceding an own goal as a back-header went just wide, and from Ten-Grotenhuis’s corner the ball went high across goal. Okai did well to play Jake Newton into the right of the box, and his cross was just cut out. Elliott Simpson then sent over a cross from the left that dipped just wide of the far-post.
Swans were fortunate with three minutes left to the break when Thoroughgood’s attempted clearance struck Adesina and let him into the left of the box, but Lea Van Sullivan and Howard Newton combined to deny him an opening.
In the final minute of the half Swans won a corner on the right, and Jake Newton put a near-post header wide from Ten-Grotenhuis’s kick.
Swans made a double change for the second-half, with TJ Nkoma and Jordan Wisdom-Muir replacing Simpson and Benoni Kabuiku.
With five minutes of the half played Liam Beach made his first save, the Swans’ keeper taking Thomas’s low shot from the left at his near-post.
Okai nodded the ball on when Ten-Grotenhuis crossed from the left, but Wisdom-Muir volleyed weakly wide at the far-post. Just before the hour Swans went close to regaining the lead when Ten-Grotenhuis played a free-kick into the box. The ball was cleared to Nkoma 25 yards out, and he set himself before striking a terrific shot that Sykes just got a hand on to deflect the ball onto the crossbar and over.
With twenty minutes remaining the home side went close when Thomas swung in a corner from the left, and Beach just got a hand to the ball and it was cleared at the far-post.
Scott Todd had replaced Asombang for Swans, and he was soon volleying a cross from the right to find Nkoma on the left, and he got to the byline to have a cross just cleared at the near-post. But just a minute later Nkoma again got to the left byline, and this time his cross was met by Okai, who had a shot blocked, but Wisdom-Muir followed up to drill the ball home and restore Swans’ lead.
Ten-Grotenhuis took a free-kick from out on the right touchline, and Sullivan put a good volley over from close to the penalty-spot.
Swans had looked like having the win sealed, but with seven minutes of normal-time remaining they were shocked by the home side equalising for the second-time. Ben Jordan had only just come on for Vale, but his first contribution was to meet Victor Okanowu’s right-side cross at the far-post to score.
Swans only took two minutes to restore their lead however, as Ten-Grotenhuis took a corner from the right and Thoroughgood was at the far-post to head home.
Thomas had a free-kick from the left for Vale that was cleared away before, in the final minute, he had a chance to equalise for the third time. A shot was blocked on the edge of the box, and the referee awarded a free-kick for handball, despite Swans’ players being no more than a yard away. There were thoughts of Thomas’s early free-kick that had found the net, but this time he drove the ball wide of the left-post.
Swans had a chance to increase their lead in stoppage-time when Nkoma again got to the byline on the left to cross, but Wisdom-Muir was just denied in front of goal.
Swans’ Team: Liam Beach, Corey Haywood-Roye, Howard Newton, Jake Newton, Lea Van Sullivan, Jamie Thoroughgood, Benoni Kabuiku (Jordan Wisdom-Muir 45’), Charlie Ten-Grotenhuis, Jamil Okai, Elliott Simpson (TJ Nkoma 45’), Victor Asombang (Scott Todd 70’). Subs. not used: Matt Rose-Hazel, Sam Bates. Scorers: Okai (6’). Wisdom-Muir (73’), Thoroughgood (85’). Cautions: J. Newton (87’), Sullivan (90’), Todd (90’).
Raynes Park Team: Sykes, Williamson (Okanowu 75’), Lewis, Lucraft (Harland-Goddard 65’), Dowdeswell, Fraser (Jordan 83’), Amaju, Brimah, Adesina, Norton, Thomas. Subs. not used: Spencer, Youngsam. Scorers: Thomas (15’), Jordan (83’). Cautions: Dowdeswell, Fraser.
