Sandhurst Town v Abbey Rangers
Combined Counties Premier South
Today wasn’t one of my best day’s since starting this little project a couple of years ago. This Saturday I’d foolishly decided to try to head to Colliers Wood on a day where England were playing New Zealand in the November Internationals at Twickenham, and guess where I had to attempt to travel through? Yep, Twickenham. A schoolboy error that now has me checking my other scheduled November fixtures.
I set out only to find out that the train I’d planned on using was cancelled due to a “lack of crew” meaning when the next one came it was rammed solid with no chance of getting on. This is what happens when thousands of people try to get to a rugby game along with regular Saturday football fans on one line, and the inept train company can’t arrange for staff to man said trains. Disabled people and families with prams etc hoping for a nice day out in London, had absolutely zero chance of travelling, leaving some very frustrated people on the platform.
I waited for the next train to come along but it was the same again, like sardines in there and you’d need a crowbar to have a chance of getting anyone on board. At this point I gave up on my scheduled game and went for a pint to calm down. I contemplated just giving up on football for the day but looking at the fixture I saw both Camberley and Sandhurst were at home and both I could get to on a local bus. I decided on Sandhurst as they were playing Abbey Rangers, a club I’ve been to many times in both men’s and women’s football since starting this project two plus years ago and enjoyed the company of their fans. It would be a good opportunity to catch up.
Arriving at Bottom Meadow around 2pm and I found the guys from Abbey and had a quick chat and catch up before heading for food. I ordered a hot dog and to say it was a disappointment would be an understatement. A tasteless processed to death sausage similar to the cheap mushy ones you get in a can for a quid, in a roll too small for the hot dog. To be brutally honest, the brioche roll was the best bit about it and I ended up throwing most of the meat and just eating the roll, an expensive roll at that coming in at £4.50!
Onto the game, both teams have young sides that like to play football so it promised to be a good game. I did find out beforehand that there was an FA “observer” as the assessors like to be called now, was at in the stand so as you can probably imagine every slight foul or offside call was met by a whistle or furious flag waving from the officials.
One such occasion led to a goal being chalked off which looked a poor decision from the assistant. Abbey won a free kick which was swung to the far post by Jerry Antwi, Jordan Ikala beat his defender to the ball and got a header in which somehow evaded Hugh Scott in the Sandhurst goal, only for it to be ruled out for offside.
At the other end a corner reached a totally unmarked Eddie Cooper near the penalty spot but his header was weak and easily hacked clear. This brief flurry of goalmouth activity didn’t continue for long. Both sides were playing some nice football in a very competitive manner but neither having the ability to unlock the opposition’s defence in the first half hour.
The visitors did make a couple of decent openings, first a lovely reverse pass from Alfie Burton picked out the run of Luke Robertson but he dragged his shot wide. Next, a first time ball on halfway from Antwi played in Ikala down the left, he ran to the byline and flashed a ball across the six yard box which was just in front of Robertson with Burton getting a touch at the far post but again wide of the target.
At the other end, a long ball down the right flank was chased down by Ornildo Shehu, he controlled and passed it back to Adam Maadini who curled a cross into the box where Maurice Black got a touch in front of the defender only to see it drift wide of the far post.
The first half ended in a stalemate despite some good passing football, with the visitors making the clearer chances.
H-T: Sandhurst Town 0 Abbey Rangers 0
The second half started in much the same vein, frantic football but with little end product. In the early stages the closest we came to opening the scoring was Rangers Burton hitting a shot from 30 yards out which the Fizzers keeper was able to watch fly over the bar and a Finlay Warren shot from the edge of the area which went straight into the arms of Scott.
In the 59th minute the deadlock was finally broken. A free kick was floated into the Sandhurst area which was won by Tanaka Gabaza who controlled and managed to get a shot away under pressure which Scott got down well to down to his left but couldn’t get a strong enough touch and the ball crept over the line. 0-1
The game got a little tetchy as Sandhurst tried to get back into it but it was the visitors who looked more likely to score on the break. Warren coming closest after picking up the ball in the D and running past three defenders to the corner of the box before firing a shot straight at Scott.
The hosts won three corners on the spin as they tried to get back into the game but all were dealt with well by the Rangers defence. The second half continued with Sandhurst pushing forward without really testing Shay Honey in the Abbey goal, in fact I don’t recall him having to make a save all game.
The closest the home side came to drawing level was a shot from distance after a good run from second half substitute Shane Qoloni which went wide and a snapshot by Cooper from 30 yards which flew over the bar.
Abbey Rangers ended the game with captain Robertson taking the ball into the corner several times very effectively to see the game out and give the visitors a deserved three points from this hard fought contest.
Sandhurst Town 0 Abbey Rangers 1
After the game had finished and a steward had stopped doing his best to antagonise the away support, I found out for the second week running Ipswich had conceded a goal in added time to add the insult to injury on this finest of days.
At least the bus turned up on time on the way back…