Suburban League Cup 1st Round,
Spratley's Meadow, Amersham
4th October 2008

The hosts' first shot on goal came on 25 minutes, when Henry Kawesa fired across Dan Cox's goal.  The lively midfielder also went close in the 32nd minute, firing over while Ashford were still adjusting to a new formation, having replaced the injured Jimmy Stanford with Sonny Russell.  However, the Tangerines should probably still gone in for tea a goal ahead after Jon Palmer had a shot hacked off the line, with George Baldock's attempt from the rebound saved.

Ashford started the second half like the proverbial express train and the tireless Palmer fired over the crossbar just 24 seconds after the rebound.  Moments later, Ashford had a good shout for a penalty turned down and had to make do with a corner, which was scrambled away.

And then... when things are going wrong for a side, it is the tiniest margins that can make the difference.  So it was here:  Fifty-six minutes into the match, a suddenly buoyant Amersham forced Dan Cox to make a save for the first time.  The stopper did well to block a one-on-one, but his defence could only half-clear the ball and Matt Coppock placed his shot beyond Cox's dive from 25 yards.  It was a hammer blow and the crowd could almost see the self-belief escaping from the Tangerines like air from a punctured balloon.  The lively Kawesa fired over the crossbar just seconds after his side had gone in front and with 59 minutes on the watch, the second goal came.

Frustratingly, it was similar to the first goal, in so far as Talshon Thompson was allowed to hit a shot from the edge of the penalty area while unmarked with Cox again powerless to keep the ball out.  Amersham had scored twice in three minutes and, while that did not reflect the balance of play, it was just about deserved - if only because they took their chances when Ashford hadn't.

Ashford rallied, with Matt Holley shooting wide, but Moses Phillips and George Baldock both found their way into referee Hyne's notebook - Phillips for dissent by action and Baldock for a ball-winning tackle that also left his opponent prone on the turf.  The young striker shrugged off his caution and created a fine opportunity for Symon James in the 75th minute.  James steadied himself and shot low into the net.

The metaphorical balloon re-inflated as Ashford suddenly saw a route back into the match.  James attempted to set Baldock up as he had been, but the youngster fired wide.  Similarly, a good passing move presented Martin Jackson with a tricky chance, which he fired over.  By this point, the match was being contested in near-darkness, but the floodlights did not come on.  Ashford pushed forward as the elements added further mischief with an angled rainfall and were denied two seemingly legitimate "goals" in the dying minutes thanks to a questionable offside call and a foul being called on the goalkeeper in slightly spurious circumstances.

Despite the defeat - the side's sixth in succession - there were a number of positives in this display.  For much of the game, Ashford looked dangerous going forward and played with the kind of confidence and belief we would look for from our players.  Additionally, losing in the League Cup is not as potentially damaging as losing another League game.  Despite the autumnal conditions, the green shoots of recovery may be starting to emerge.