Pre-Season Match,
Weston Green Sports Club, Thames Ditton
28th July 2008

The early chances all fell to the Tangerines, with new striker Lewis Wombwell having a number of opportunities to score.  The Moles weren't without the odd shot on goal, and hit the side netting in the twelfth minute. In the fourteenth minute of the match, Ashford boss Mick Snowden made the first of a total of twelve substitutions when he replaced Danny Byron - so effective for the Reserves at the weekend - with Tom Betts.  Truly, if Sven Goran Ericsson were much taller and slightly more hirsute, his name would be Snowden!

It must be said, though that Ashford took the lead soon after this initial change, when a Ben Karedebi pass found Wombwell, who lopped the goalkeeper from an acute angle.  Four minutes later, Betts sent in a cross from the right flank which was only half cleared.  The rebound fell to Dwayne Lowe-Simms, who finished smartly to leave his manager looking like a tactical genius.  (Which, of course, as a multiple Championship winner with both the First and Youth Teams, he is - Ed)

The Moles rallied briefly after this setback and had a series of corners in which they won the header every time, without troubling stopper Dan Kennard.  Indeed, it might have been 3-0 through a Tom Snowden cross shot before Kennard gifted the "home" side their first goal of the evening in the 36th minute.  The otherwise assured goalkeeper was caught in two minds when dealing with a back-pass, and a heavy first touch allowed an onrushing forward to crash the loose ball past him.

If that was supposed to be the start of a Molesey renaissance, clearly no-one had told the boys in blue, who scored twice more before the interval to go 4-1 up.  Ashford's third goal came on 39 minutes when Lowe-Simms was found by a pinpoint pass to the right flank and took the ball past three defenders before cutting inside and finishing venomously across goal.  Four minutes after that, Ashford stretched their lead further when a twenty yard shot from Betts was parried, only for Wombwell to lash the rebound into the net.  It might even have been 5-1 by the interval, as a 45th minute free kick was cleared off the line.

Ashford made six substitutions at the interval, including the reintroduction of Danny Byron and the replacement of goalkeeper Kennard with Dane Buss.  However, Town did not seem unduly perturbed by the reshuffle and dominated the opening minutes of the second half.  It took until just before the hour mark before the Surrey side regained a toehold in the match with two free kicks that both flew over the bar.

With sixty-four minutes on the watch, Ashford supremo Snowden again shuffled his pack with rolling substitutes, but this time rather than creating a goal for his team, it cost them one.  With the visiting defence still reorganising, a deep Molesey cross was headed back towards Buss, who was caught flatfooted and watch helplessly as the ball sailed over his head for an own goal.

Ashford stuck to their policy of ensuring all of their squad got sufficient game time, but conceded a further goal when a home striker ran onto a long pass and lobbed it over Buss to make it 4-3.

With the defecit reduced so dramatically, it might have been expected that Molesey would throw everything at their visitors, but it was in fact Ashford who finished stronger, missing four chances before scoring the decisive goal in the 87th minute.  Danny Byron found George Jennings, whose defence-splitting pass was received by Wombwell, who beat the despairing 'keeper to the ball and steered home not only his hat-trick goal, but also his side's winner.

All in all, this was a good workout that Ashford could have won far more comfortably.  A similarly lackadaisical performance at home to Kingstonian will surely see them punished.