Tuesday 7 September 2010.
Ryman League, Division One South.

Walton & Hersham 1 Bognor Regis Town 1 .

Swans stuttering start to the season continued as they had to settle for a point from their second home league match, drawing 1-1 with a good Bognor Regis Town side. After going behind to an early goal, for much of the first-half they looked unlikely to salvage anything from the match, but a much improved and determined second-half display deservedly secured them a draw. With Matt York having had eight stitches put in the cut above his right eye that he picked up at Eastbourne Town the previous Saturday there had to be a reshuffle in the side, Louis Clark filling in both of York’s roles of central defender and skipper, and Clark had a fine match.

Bernard Asante also was moved up front, with Ryan Lake able to return from injury at left-back. An early corner taken by Lake from the right swung across the visitors’ goal-face and just wide of the far-post, but Swans fell behind after just eight minutes. Phil Turner had just tested home goalkeeper Dean Ruddy with a shot from the right, when Bognor won a corner on the left. Ben Johnson took the kick and Swans’ defence failed to get the ball clear, allowing Turner to score from close-in. It could have been 2-0 when Ruddy could only push away a free-kick driven in from the right by Johnson, and Dean Maynard drove over from ten yards out.

Bognor keeper Craig Stoner just got fingertips to the ball to put it behind at the far-post when Lake sent over a dangerous free-kick from the right. Swans’ best chance came after half an hour when Bernard Asante latched onto a slack Bognor pass on the left to set off on a good run. Asante sent over a fine cross to the far-post, but the ball was just too long for Ray Powell, and he could only direct his header wide. The visitors still looked the more likely to score, and after Turner had driven a shot wide from 25 yards, he put another chance over after Ruddy had made a fine block on the edge of his area when Jason Prior got through. In the final minute of the half Prior got in a header from another Johnson left-side corner, but it was fortunately straight at Ruddy on his line.

Scott Todd was soon causing problems for Bognor in the second-half with his tricky runs, and he won a free-kick just outside the box on the left after being crudely brought down. Todd took the kick, and when the ball came out to Lake his long-range effort was blocked, and Powell put the rebound over. Johnson’s free-kick for Bognor from the right-edge of the box dipped over, before Swans’ equalised twenty minutes into the second-half. Todd was again tripped on the left after getting past Stuart Axten, but this time the offence was in the penalty-box, and Powell gave Stoner no chance with the spot-kick.

Swans were now playing their full part in a fine game, although Bognor had a half-chance when Jon Maizetti sent over a cross from the right and Prior put a header wide. With ten minutes remaining a deliberate handball by a Bognor defender did not result in a yellow card, although Todd was booked for his protests. It seemed the Bognor player was one of those cautioned earlier, so being fortunate to remain on the pitch. As the match entered the final five minutes, Ruddy saved at his near-post when Matt Whitehead drove in a shot from the left, but it was Swans who looked most likely to snatch a winner, and Powell put a far-post header over when Todd crossed from the left. It was then left to Maizetti to deny Powell with a fine tackle as the Swans’ player broke clear.

Swans’ Team: Dean Ruddy, David Baker, Ryan Lake, Troy Oham-Strachan, Louis Clark, Antonio Simeone, Nick Barnes, Scott Todd, Ray Powell, Bernard Asante, Avun Jephcott. Subs. not used: Bryan Neulube, Adrian Butler, Callum Donaghey, Frank Wilson, Felipe Marques De Lima. Scorer: Powell, penalty (65’). Cautions: Jephcott, foul (62’), Todd, dissent (81’).

Bognor Team: Stoner, Maizetti, Whitehead, Fraser, Bond, Axten, Turner (Rutherford 74’), Birmingham, Prior, Maynard, Johnson. Subs. not used: Marshall, Pointing, Rayner, Wood. Scorer: Turner (8’). Cautions: Maizetti, Axten, Birmingham, Prior.