Suburban League Premier Division,
Short Lane Stadium
3rd March 2009

This was a strange evening in more ways than one.  The visitors have had a traumatic season, suffering damage to their clubhouse and struggling on the pitch.  The Saturday before this midweek fixture saw their First Team Manager resign and so their Reserve and Youth Team Manager was running the side.  That led the Blues to request a postponement, an idea that found no favour either here at Short Lane or with the League.  That wasn't because we wanted to make life difficult for our opponents - it was because we had played only nineteen of our thirty-four League matches and it's now March.  There was a need for both sides to get this game played simply to get the season finished.

The situation wasn't helped by the heavens opening long after the visitors had set off on a difficult journey that saw one of their cars break down and another arrive late, meaning Dunstable started the match with ten men and although they got up to eleven, they were unable to call on any substitutes.  It got worse for the visitors in the fourth minute, when a 20 yard shot from George Baldock slipped through Nick Gardner's hands and gave Ashford the lead.

The weather was appalling, and the visitors were playing into the strong wind which, coupled with the driving rain, was making playing football increasingly difficult.  However, Keiran Coughlan put a shot just past the post for Dunstable in the 25th minute.  However, Ashford doubled their lead seconds later, when a swift counter attack found Teddy Kimbamboudi, whose low shot was too well placed for Gardner to keep out, although the young stopper did get a hand to it.

Jimmy Brazil shot across the face of goal for Ashford after Baldock set him up, but it was the Blues who pulled a goal back in the 35th minute, when a cross from Coughlan was headed home by Robert Newman.  However, in the 37th minute, Ashford went 3-1 up when a free kick caused havoc in the goalmouth and Baldock headed into the net.  Dunstable might have pulled a goal back in the final minute of the first half, but Terry Billy's shot struck his own player.

With the wind at their backs, the visitors pulled a goal back just two minutes after the restart when a Coughlan cross was deflected in at the near post.  However, Ashford looked likelier to get the next goal, with Baldock and Brazil each going close twice.  However, Ashford did not test Gardner sufficiently, and were very nearly made to pay for it as Dunstable staged a late rally.  First, Newman fired wide and then Frederick Obiri forced an 86th minute save from Dane Buss.  Shortly afterwards, a Dunstable corner caused chaos in the penalty area while in the second minute of stoppage time only a Lloyd Welsh challenge prevented