Match Reports

Chris Boothe's first game in the managerial hot seat proved to be one full of incident with nine goals, six of which being scored by Swindon's Mark Draycott, three disallowed goals and two penalty kicks but the end result resulted in yet another home defeat, our eleventh in our fifteen home games to date. Fielding a side that included three players making their debuts,we were immediately pushed back onto the defensive in the early stages by a Swindon side that included four players on loan from Swindon Town in their ranks. Swindon had the ball in our net after just three minutes when Draycott headed past John Armand but the goal was ruled out for offside. However, Draycott was not to be denied and in the eleventh minute he gave Swindon the lead as he turned home JP Mills's cross shot. We equalised just three minutes later when Dean Harper's emphatically headed home Keith Rowlands's. Draycott then had another effort ruled out for offside after John had parried Josh Jeffries's shot into his path but there was no escape for us in the twenty eight minute when Draycott headed home David Pratt's low cross at the near post. Draycott completed his hat trick five minutes later with Pratt again the provider to enable Swindon to go in at the interval with a two goal lead.

Daley Joseph replaced Kevin Wynter for us at the interval and Daley's first touch saw him volley the ball narrowly over the bar. This seemed to spark us into life and we pulled a goal back five minutes into the half when Keith calmy finished from close range after being set up by Victor Osobu. Dean, who had an outstanding game in our back line, then in quick succession hit the post and the bar with headers after in swinging corners from Sean James and Keith. From another corner by Sean, we drew level when Danny Edwards was fouled in the box and Keith rifled home the resultant spot kick. At this stage we looked the likely winners but our hopes were dashed in a three minute spell with Draycott scoring twice more, both goals being the result of defensive lapses on our part. We were thrown a lifeline when we were awarded another penalty kick but Lee Matthews in the Swindon goal guessed correctly and dived to his left to turn Keith's shot aside.Keith almost made up for his lapse with a long range effort that saw the ball whistle past the post with Matthews stranded. In the final minutes, after Draycott had had another effort ruled out for offside, he scored his sixth goal and then was denied even more by two brave saves by John from close range. Whilst the loss was a great disappointment, the spirit and commitment of the side gave hopes of better things to come.

For at least fifty per cent of our game at Winchester City, we harboured hopes of achieving our first League winning double of the season as we arrived at the half time mark leading by a goal scored by Warren Clarke, his first goal for the club in his fifty second appearance. However, two goals in the opening fifteen minutes of the second half swung the game Winchester's way and our fate was finally sealed when Winchester scored their third deep into injury time at the end of the game.

With the wind at their backs. Winchester had a lot of the possession in the first period but without ever really threatening our goal to the extent that John Armand did not have a direct shot to save throughout the half. We worked extremely hard in this first period and got a deserved reward when we took the lead in the twentieth minute of the half. Winchester failed to clear Antony Rowlands's free kick into their penalty area and Russell Mundy knocked the ball down into the path of Warren who volleyed it decisively past Dave Hook into the Winchester net.

Winchester came out in determined fashion after the interval and inside the first few minutes, John had his first shot to save as he safely gathered in Mark Gamble's low shot. However, a minute later he was left helpless as Dean Harper trying desperately to stop Mark Jones's cross from reaching Jamie Musselwhite coming in behind him only succeeded in turning the ball into his own net. A mistake by Antony then gave the ball away to Neil Champion who's cross to the far post was headed goalwards by Gamble but Sean James headed clear from our goal line. However, Gamble was not to be denied and when a good ball by Champion split our central defenders, Gamble raced clear to round John before firing into the vacant net. John was then carried off with a pulled groin muscle to be replaced by Paul Taylor between our sticks and ironically minutes later it was the Winchester keeper limping off, also to be replaced by a substitute keeper. Hard as Town tried, we simply were unable to unlock a resolute Winchester defence with the substitute keeper Mark Zawadski hardly tested and it was Winchester who completed the scoring, full back Josh Thomas, on loan from Bashley, volleying the ball home from close range.

Yeading made an excellent start with regular first teamer Michael Barima an immediate danger on the right flank and they almost took the lead in the tenth minute by Barima split our defence but Matt O'Connell, on work experience from Queens Park Rangers, fired wide of the far post as Paul Taylor advance to narrow the angle. However, O'Connell was not to be denied and offered a similar opportunity shortly after he made no mistake. We fought back strongly and a good ball by Lee McManus, who had replaced Victor Osobu after just eleven minutes, gave Danny Edwards a chance but he shot straight at Luke Blackmore between the Yeading posts.

Shortly after Edwards made amends for his miss playing the ball into the path of Warren Clarke, who scored for the second game in succession, firing the ball across Blackmore into the far corner. Before the interval, both sides had chances to take the lead, O'Connell lifting the ball onto the roof of our net as he won the race for a long ball from defence whilst at the other end, Edwards just failed to turn home Clarke's cross after a long free kick by Dean Harper had put Clarke free on the right.

We enjoyed much the better of the exchanges in the second half and took a deserved lead when from a low free kick by Antony Rowlands, Blackmore allowed the ball to slip from his grasp and Dean rifled the ball home. Danny then shot straight at the keeper when right through and Warren drove the ball just wide of the post with Blackmore stranded. We had a scare in the final minutes when the lively O'Connell again got behind our back four but once again he steered the ball wide of the far post. In what was an excellent team performance, special mention must be made of Antony Rowlands who gave 'a man of the match' performance for us.

Meeting our local rivals Hillingdon Borough for the first time this season, we suffered a narrow single goal defeat after a spirited and brave display and had we enjoyed just the little bit of luck that seems to have totally deserted us this season, we might well have returned home with at least a point to show for our endeavours. With a very strong wind at their backs, Hillingdon enjoyed a lot of possession in the opening stages but our back line coped well with the pressure and the only time that they really looked like scoring was when an in swinging corner by Chris Hibbs eluded the grasp of Paul Taylor, but Lee McManus was on hand to head clear from under our bar. Having survived this early spell we came more and more into the game and Ben Harris in the Hillingdon goal did well to block Danny Edwards's low shot after he had been put clear by a clever ball by new signing Dwayne Plummer. Dean Harper was then unlucky to see his header from Antony Rowlands's driven corner diverted over the bar with Harris beaten. On the stoke of half time, another dead ball kick by Hobbs saw Matt Kidson's flicked header drift just wide of our far post.

With the elements in our favour, we came out for the second half in determined fashion but suffered a major blow just one minute into the half when Plummer was sent off for an inappropriate remark to the referee after he had been booked seconds before for blocking an attempt at a quick free kick. With an extra man, Hillingdon began to build through mid field and it was from one of these moves that they took the lead. McManus pulled down Leon Nelson on the edge of our penalty area and from Hibbs's free kick, Paul made a fine save but the ball rebounded into the path of Danny Tilbury who hooked it back into our net. Shortly afterwards we replaced Lee and Danny with Jason Tucker and Steve Gallen and they both made an immediate impact, Jason in particular showing his class on the ball in the difficult conditions. We mounted a series of attacks and won a succession of free kicks and corner kicks bur were unable to break down a resolute Hillingdon defence, the closest that we came to scoring being when Harris turned Russell Mundy's header over the bar. In the final minutes when we were committed to all out attack, Hillingdon missed two golden chances to put the game beyond our reach. Firstly, Nelson who had rounded Paul on the edge of our area opted to try to score from an acute angle when an easy ball into our goalmouth would have provided a tap in for Tilbury and then Paul made a fine save to block Danny Bennell's close range effort.

In a dismal week that saw the club learn that Keith Rowlands would be out of action for the remainder of the season and that the Southern League had deducted a point from their meagre tally, due to the club not being able to prove that the allegation that they played an ineligible player against Lymington & New Milton back in November was unfounded, we were comprehensively beaten by a Chesham United side who in their three previous games had been heavily beaten, conceding thirteen goals and only finding the net once.

Surprisingly after our excellent defensive performance the previous Saturday at Hillingdon Borough, we decided in this game to start with just three at the back and this proved our undoing in the opening period of the game as Chesham cut through us at will and within twenty four minutes, they had established a three goal lead which we never looked like recovering from. It was clear in the opening minutes that Sam Byfield, given the freedom of Reynolds Fields, out on the Chesham left flank was going to cause us problems and after we had suffered two early escapes, one of these when Sean James appeared to trip Danny Burnell in our penalty area, Byfield set up Chesham's opening goal as Burnell turned his low cross past Simeon Charles from close range. After twenty minutes, we gifted Chesham two further goals in the space of four minutes. The first of these came when Jason Tucker tried to find Simeon with a back pass but only succeeded in playing the ball into the path of Enoch Boateng, who rounded the onrushing Charles before steering the ball into the vacant net. Daley Joseph then played the ball straight to the feet of Stuart Maynard who picked out Burnell, who might have been in an offside position, but there was no flag and Burnell scored with ease. At this stage it looked likely that Chesham would run up a cricket score but we began to get more into the game and held our own until the half time whistle. Warren Clarke replaced the injured Antony Rowlands at the interval. We enjoyed our best period of the game in the opening fifteen minutes of the second half playing some good possession football but without troubling Matt Niedzwiecki in the Chesham goal. Boateng wasted the best chance during this period, shooting high over the bar with only Simeon to beat. Simeon then limped off as he did in the earlier game at Chesham with Paul Taylor coming on and Paul's first touch saw him save well to deny Burnell his hat trick. The final thirty minutes was rather mundane with Chesham seemingly quite content with their three goal platform whilst we, despite winning several free kicks in dangerous positions, could not turn our territorial advantage into goals.Side: S.Charles, A.Rowlands, S.James, D.Harper, R.Mundy, D.Joseph, J.Tucker, D.Plummer, L.Charles, C.Baverstock and C.Metcalfe. Subs:

Any hopes that we had of winning some silverware in what has been a very dismal season finally ended when we were beaten 1-0 by Ryman Premier Division side Harrow Borough in the Semi FInal of The Middlesex Senior Charity Cup. However, against a full strength Harrow team, who just seven days previously had beaten promotion hopefuls Bromley 2-0, we gave an excellent account of ourselves and wish just a little luck, we might well have snatched an equaliser in the second half.

As was to be expected, Harrow dominated the early proceedings and we were fortunate in the eighth minute when Albert Adomah fired into the side netting after a corner had found him totally unmarked beyond our far post. Shortly after, a curling cross from the right wing by Daniel Neilson found James Bent's head on the left side of the six-yard box but Bent's header lacked any power and we managed to scramble to ball clear. Harrow took the lead on the half hour mark when Dean Harper delayed his clearance and then tripped Simon Richardson after he had been dispossessed. Bent made no mistake from the resultant penalty kick. At this stage it seemed to be only a matter of time before Harrow increased their lead with both Bent and Adomah causing us concern almost every time that they were in possession. Before the interval, Simeon Charles made a terrific save to turn Bent's shot over the bar and then was nearly caught out by a long clearance by the Harrow keeper when his hugh punt forward hit a bobble and bounced past Sean James, almost eluding Simeon's arms too. With Harrow having failed to capatalise on their first half supremacy we came out for the second half still very much in the game and immediately began to cause problems for the Harrow defence and Ashlee Jones, between the sticks for Harrow, was almost immediately in action making a good save from Charley Baverstock's header. Dean then had a header cleared from the line before Harrow's Bobby Highton was lucky not to receive a red card when he tripped Adilson Lopes who had a clear run to goal. We continued to enjoy greater possession and were then denied what would have been a deserved equaliser when Charley's header came back off the crossbar and the Harrow skipper, Wayne Walters, then blocked Charley's follow up shot, the ball rebounding just over the crossbar. We won a succession of throw ins and Warren Clarke, our 'man of the match',hurled ball after ball into the Harrow goalmouth but the opportunity to apply the finishing touch failed to materialise and it was a relief to Harrow when the final whistle went.

Our dreadfully disappointing season continued as we suffered our 26th defeat of the season as we slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Thatcham Town. In what was almost a replica of our display the previous Saturday against Chesham United, the game was almost effectively over as a contest inside the first twenty five minutes with Thatcham building a three goal lead. It is difficult to understand how the same defensive line up that played so well in the mid week game against Harrow Borough could look so frail during this opening period. Thatcham took the lead in the fourth minute when a long ball forward from Thomas Melledew found Sean Cook in an offside position wide on the right. However, the assistant referee's flag was not raised and Cook cut inside to steer the ball across Simeon Charles into the far corner. Seven minutes later we were two behind as Barry Elmore's corner high beyond the far post was headed back across goal by the unmarked Cook for the Thatcham captain Ricky Allaway to stab the ball home from close range. We failed to learn our lesson as we fell three behind when another corner from Elmore found Cook on the far post and this time it was Jamie Green who forced Cook's header into our net from close range. A minute later, Lee McManus replaced Victor Osobu, who was clearly not fit from the start. Thatcham should have increased their lead when a cross by Marion Nurse found Elmore in acres of space with only Simeon to beat but Simeon was equal to the task as he blocked Elmore's well struck shot with his legs.

With the wind at our backs in the second half and with Charlie Baverstock on in place of Danny Edwards, we enjoyed a greater amount of the play and Strudley did well to turn Charlie's shot around the post after good work by McManus, but Thatcham always looked dangerous on the counter attack and Simeon saved well from Marc Green before we did at last manage to find the net, when the referee surprised both sides by pointing to the spot when Charlie was challenged in their penalty area. Dean Harper made no mistake from the resultant spot kick but then added to our dismal day by getting sent off after the final whistle for an inappropriate remark aimed in the direction of the match referee.

Against Hillingdon, the game started at a furious pace with both sides almost taking the lead in the opening twenty minutes. The first chance fell to Hillingdon's Leon Nelson who beat Simeon Charles in a race to a through ball and chipped it past Simeon goal wards but Dean Harper got back to clear the ball to safety. A good move between Lee McManus, Christian Metcalfe and Danny Edwards culminated in Danny playing the ball into the path of Warren Clarke who's fierce shot struck the Hillingdon keeper Ben Harris are rebounded to safety. Simeon then made a good save from Nelson whilst an acrobatic save by Harris was needed to turn Lee's right footed drive around the post after a shrewd ball by Jason Tucker had set up the shooting opportunity. Hillingdon took the lead in the 25th minute when a good through ball by Kirby sent Blaise O'Brien racing clear to clip the ball past Simeon into our unguarded net. From a similar position, O'Brien then hit the post before Kirby put the visitors further ahead when he picked up a loose ball in midfield before scoring with a left footed shot across Simeon into the far corner of our net. Ten minutes from the interval we were denied what would have been a deserved goal when from a corner by Tucker, Russell Mundy sent a header past Harris only for the ball to be blocked by a defender who was clearly behind the goal line but the referee

Ten minutes into the second half we suffered a blow when Jason was ordered off following a clash with Bennell, but despite being down to ten men, we gained the upper hand mounting a series of attacks and only the woodwork prevented us from scoring following Naz Richardson's header from Christian' s cross, As we pushed forward, it seemed almost inevitable that Hillingdon would break away and score and so it proved as Sean James tripped O'Brien in our box and Gavin Brown easily beat Simeon from the resultant spot kick. Within a minute, the ball was on the spot at the other end as Harris pulled down Danny Edwards and Dean blasted home the spot kick for his sixth goal of the season. Try as we did, we could not find the net again and Hillingdon held on relative comfortably to their two goal cushion.

We began the game at a high tempo and almost took the lead in the eleventh minute when Naz Richardson pulled the ball back into the path of Charlie Baverstock, who drove the ball beyond the Marlow keeper Ian McTaggart but Steve Croxford was on the line to turn the ball to safety. Shortly after, McTaggart made a fine save diving to his right to deny Jason Tucker but he was left helpless by Jason's volley on the half hour mark after Charlie had picked out Jason on the left of the box. Up to this stage, Marlowe had rarely threatened our goal but Jermaine Roche, who had scored a hat trick against us in the earlier game, reminded us of how dangerous he could be with a left footed shot which clipped our bar before going over. Somewhat against the run of play, Marlow drew level in the thirty fourth minute when a precision free kick by Jeff Lamb to our far post was headed home by Adam Harman. There was no further score before the interval but we had a scare when Simeon, between our posts, dropped an in swinging corner by Lamb but Victor Osobu was on hand to hoof the ball to safety.

Simeon was the busier of the two keepers in the second half but we still looked the more likely side to score, with Danny Edwards shooting tamely at McTaggart when well placed and then the keeper turned Danny's good strike over the bar as he cut in from the left. Simeon then did well to block Roche's low shot with his feet at the near post whilst at the other end, a good ball by Christian Metcalfe set up a shooting chance for Victor but he fired the ball into the side netting. McTaggart then saved well to his right from Victor's cross shot and as the minutes ticked away so a stalemate seemed likely. With just two minutes remaining of normal time, Simeon made an excellent save diving low to his left to keep out Jack Smillie's strike and it was in the ninetieth minute that we got the reward that our overall display deserved. Our 'man of the match, Charlie, who's non stop efforts were an example to all, saw his shot beat McTaggart and hit the inside of the post . The ball rebounded to Christian who fired it goalwards where McTaggart did well to parry it but the ball bounced back to Danny who emphatically volleyed it back into the net to set off wild scenes of celebration of both players and spectators alike.

The game at Bracknell on a difficult playing surface produced few good passing moments and those that did mainly came from the home side who adapted better to the uneven surface. The first chance of the game fell to Bracknell's Garry Sargeant who cut inside Shane O'Connell but with only Simeon Charles to beat, he shot wide of the far post. Bracknell took the lead in the eighteenth minute when a fierce low cross from James Mepham took a wicked bounce just in front of Simeon and the ball rebounded off his chest out to Mark Anderson who hooked the ball back across Simeon into the far corner of the net. Ten minutes later we were fortunate not to fall two behind when Mepham from close range saw his goal bound shot strike one of his fellow players and the ball rebound wide of our goal. Our only real goal scoring opportunity of the half fell to Adilson Lopes from Jason Tucker's driven corner kick but Adilson failed to make proper contact with his head and the ball drifted well wide of the far post.

Six minutes into the second half, the woodwork came to our rescue as Sargeant's flicked header from an accurate free kick by Ross Watson beat Simeon but the ball struck the inside of the post and rebounded to safety. However, our relief was short lived as Dean Harper, who had been so strong at the centre of our defence, misjudged the flight of a long ball forward and as he tried to head the ball back to Simeon, he only succeeded in turning it into the path of Anderson who finished in style, lifting the ball over the advancing Simeon into our vacant net. Four minutes later, Anderson completed his hat trick when he was allowed to go on from an offside position to shrug off the challenge of Warren Clarke before steering the ball home. Paul McCarthy in the Bracknell goal then did well to block Charlie Baverstock's effort after Jason's through ball had put Charlie through on goal but this was the only real threat that we posed in the final period of play as Bracknell held on comfortably to their three goal lead

On a very hot afternoon we should have taken the lead in just the fifth minute when a good move down the right involving Jason Tucker, Charley Baverstock and Victor Osobu cut through the Newport defence but Victor failed to control the ball and the chance was lost. We took the lead in the ninth minute when a speculative effort from long range by Daley Joseph deflected off Newport's Ian Buckman wide of their stranded keeper Jamie Gray. The Newport defence looked vulnerable almost every time we attacked and we went further ahead in the eighteenth minute when Jason's through ball set Charlie clear and he brought his goal drought that dated back to 5th December to an end with an excellent finish. Victor then shot wide of the far post with only Gray to beat before Newport missed their best opportunity of the half to date, Dean Cole blazing his shot over the bar with only Simeon to beat. Five minutes before the interval we scored our third and the best goal of the game. Victor played the ball square to Daley who evaded a tackle before curling the ball into the far corner from fully twenty five yards, leaving Gray helpless. On the stoke of half time, a long ball forward by skipper Antony Rowlands was completely misjudged by the Newport central defenders gifting a clear cut opportunity to Jason but he shot wide of the near post with it looked easier to score.

We anticipated a more spirited effort from Newport in the second half but it was not to be and the opening twenty minutes of the half was a very mundane affair, with neither keeper seriously troubled. In the seventieth minute we went further ahead when a good move between Daley and Jason resulted in Jason sliding the ball into the path of Charlie who easily beat the the stranded Gray. In the very next minute, Danny Edwards was chopped down by Buckman as he moved into the Newport penalty area and referee Mr. Smeulders had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Charlie given the opportunity to score his first hat trick for the club, made no mistake with the spot kick. Simeon then made a tremendous save at the feet of Cole when it seemed if he must score to ensure that we achieved a rare clean sheet and with two minutes remaining, Charlie scored his fourth and our sixth with Jason once again the provider. The final whistle came as a welcome relief to our opponents but to their credit they stayed behind after the game for a couple of beers, before boarding their coach for what must have seemed a long journey back home

We made an excellent start to the game and dominated the opening fifteen minutes and should have taken the lead when a good move down the right involving Antony Rowlands, Charlie Baverstock and Victor Osobu culminated in Victor squaring the ball to the totally unmarked Danny Edwards on the far post but Danny fired the ball wide of the near post. Ten minutes later, from a fiercely driven free kick by Antony, Charlie got his head to the ball but was only able to direct the ball over the bar. Oxford then wasted a good chance when from a corner by Mark Bell, the ball reached Chris Harper who was only able to scuff his shot straight into the grateful arms of Simeon Charles. A cross field pass by Nas Richardson reached Victor wide out on the right and he cut inside but shot straight at Carl Wilkins in the Oxford goal. Against the run of play, Oxford took the lead eight minutes before the interval when a low cross by Bell found Kevin Chakaodza totally unmarked in the centre of our goal and he steered it wide of the diving Simeon into our net. Simeon then did well to block a fierce free kick by Alex Stewart. We fell further behind one minute into the second half and again it was a very tame goal. The ball reached Chakaodza to the left of our area and despite being surrounded by our defenders he was able to turn and get in a shot which Simeon should have saved but the ball crept inside him low down at the near post. Oxford enjoyed their best spell of the game after this goal but without being able to create any clear cut chances and we reduced the deficit twenty minutes from the end when Antony scored with a fine free kick from fully twenty five yards. Five minutes later we missed a gilt edged chance to bring the scores level. Victor and Charlie between them managed to cut the ball back from the byline into the path of Danny but with only Wilkins to beat, Danny failed to make proper contact with the ball and a relieved keeper was able to save. We kept plugging away and almost snatched an equaliser with two minutes remaining but again Danny was the guilty party after Naz had cut the ball back into his path.

After not winning a home League game for seven months, we recorded our third successive Saturday home League victory with a decisive win over play off contenders Andover. This win allowed us to move off the bottom rung of the League table for the first time since the end of September as we climbed above Beaconsfield Sycob on goal difference. However, to ensure that we do not finish on the bottom it is very likely that we will need to gain three points from our final two games of the season against Taunton Town and Didcot Town as it is very likely that Beaconsfield will beat Newport IOW in their final game of the season.

Andover gradually came into the game and won a succession of free kicks around our penalty area. Paul Taylor made a great save from Ashley Vine before Lee Chudy scored for Andover with a terrific free kick which entered our net via the underside of the bar and our far post. Victor then missed two good chances to enable us to draw level shooting wide with only Simon Arthur to beat and then shooting straight at Arthur from close range. We equalised ten minutes into the second half when an astute through ball by Christian Metcalfe sent Danny Edwards racing through to steer the ball past Arthur into the empty net. At the other end, Antony Rowlands made his only mistake of the game enabling Chudy to get in behind him but Chudy on his weaker right foot shot wide. Arthur then made a tremendous save to turn Danny's shot that was destined for the far corner around the post before we made two significant substitutions with Keith Rowlands and Russell Mundy replacing Leon Henderson and Christian Metcalfe with Keith joining Charlie up front. On another day, Paul Taylor might have been sent off as he pulled down Bobby Swayne yards from his goal but the referee deemed it only a yellow card offence, before we took the lead with fifteen minutes left when Edwards beat Arthur with another curling shot into the far corner. Five minutes from time our win was assured when 'man of the match' Victor Osobu cut in from the right before unleashing a terrific left footed strike low into the far corner of the Andover net. There still remained time for Andover's Dean Stow to hit the top of our bar with a good effort but overall there was no disputing that we were the better side on the day.

On a rock hard pitch, play was very even in the opening thirty minutes with us working hard to hold our own as Taunton strove to get their noses in front. The first real chance of the half fell to Taunton's Scott Thomas on the half hour mark but he blazed over the bar from a good shooting position. Minutes later an even better chance fell to Steve Cook, who had returned to Taunton after a mid season spell at Premier Division Chippenham. Cook was right through with only Paul Taylor to beat but Paul was able to block his shot with his feet and we managed to scramble the ball to safety.

With the slope in their favour in the second period, Taunton gained the upper hand and we were forced back onto the defensive for long periods. That we managed to keep them at bay was to a large part down to Paul in goal, but the back four of Antony, Dean, Russell and Sean all had excellent games whilst in front of them everybody was working as hard as they could. Three minutes into the half, we almost conceded an own goal when a low cross from Gary Fisher who had got clear down the right rebounded of Antony with the ball just going over our crossbar. Twelve minutes later, Fisher missed a great chance for Taunton when for the first time in the game, Dean allowed somebody to get the wrong side of him but Fisher shot aimlessly over the bar. Cook then shot over when well placed and with the minutes ticking away, Taunton introduced two attacking substitutes as they went in search of the winner but Paul came to our rescue saving from Cook after a mistake by Daley Joseph. In a rare attack at the other end, Victor Osobu outpaced Thomas and cut in across the edge of the penalty area but was squeezed out before he could get a shot .

After struggling along at the bottom of the table since late September, we finished what could be our only season in the Southern League with a tremendous final day victory at Didcot Town. This win ensured that we finished above Beaconsfield Sycob in 21st place in the League. April has been a tremendous month for us with four wins and one draw from the seven games that we played and had we been able to replicate this form earlier in the season we would have been well clear of the two relegation spots.

On an excellent playing surface at Didcot, we made a slow start with Didcot immediately in the ascendency with many of their moves involving Josh Kennett out wide on the right. Fifteen minutes had been played before we mounted our first serious attack when a good move involving Naz Richardson and Daley Joseph culminated in Danny Edwards driving the ball across the face of the Didcot goal. Kennett almost capitalised when Dean Harper delayed his clearance and was robbed by Kennett who fired just wide. We were then indebted to Paul Taylor for a great double save,as he blocked Andy Parrott's shot and then recovered to claw away Jack King's follow up header. More good work by Naz at the other end gave Charlie Baverstock a shooting chance but Charlie sent his shot wide of the far post. Paul then saved Kennett's close range shot with his feet before we took the lead seven minutes before the interval. A quickly taken free kick by Jason Tucker caught the Didcot back line unaware and Naz crept in behind them to prod the ball past Chris Webb in the Didcot goal.

Didcot introduced substitute Josh Malvany at the interval and he was immediately in the game pulling the strings in mid field and from one of his crosses, Parrott headed narrowly over our bar. Ian Concannon, a prolific scorer for Didcot was the second substitute used on the hour mark and he immediately wasted a great chance heading over from close range with only Paul to beat. At the other end, a cross shot by Daley Joseph was deflected just wide of the far post. Paul then made another tremendous save, this time from Paul Powell but four minutes into injury time Concannon fired home from close range after Paul had beaten away Powell's header. Straight from the kick off, Keith Rowlands who had joined the action in the 88th minute sped away down the left before firing the ball across the face of the Didcot goal where Victor Osobu pounced to drive it past Webb to bring our season to a stunning end.