Beaconsfield Town 3 v 1 Egham Town

Saturday 30th December 2017
Southern League East Division
Holloways Park, Beaconsfield
Admission: £8.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 116
Match Rating: 3

After planning to go to visit Hamble Club in the Wessex League today, those plans were scuppered when I woke up too late, at 9.30, probably due to the lurgy I’ve been suffering from, to make it in time by train. It may well have been a blessing in disguise, avoiding the stress of constantly checking Twitter to see if the game was still on – due to heavy rain in recent days and overnight, games were falling down like ninepins. From a quick scour of the fixtures on the truly superb Groundhopper App, the match at Beaconsfield attracted me the most, and after checking Twitter for confirmation that the game would not be in any doubt, I headed to Buckinghamshire.

Holloways Park is about a two mile, 40 minute walk from Beaconsfield train station. The ground is found down a short lane opposite Beaconsfield Motorway Services, before spectators enter the ground through a turnstile block in on corner of the ground. Situated immediately adjacent to the M40 motorway, this is never going to be place of peaceful tranquillity, but it is a neat, smart ground with decent facilities for step 4, and with plenty of bright club signage to give the place identity. The clubhouse is situated behind the goal closest to the entrance, and overhang from this brick building covers a terrace, the low roof giving quite an intimate feel to it. Straddling the half way line is an all-seater stand, although slight inclines between rows means are not the best from there. Either side of the stand there are a couple of uncovered steps to stand on, with a rail to the rear. Behind the far goal there is a modern metallic stand situated immediately behind the goal, while there is just hard standing along the remaining length. No hot food was available today, but it was pleasing that admission was a very reasonable £8, much more like what it should be at Step 4, in contrast to the relatively astronomic charge of £11 asked for at Lewes on Boxing Day. It was a relief that Beaconsfield Town still issue printed programmes (the Southern League are allowing clubs to only publish their programme online as a download this season), and the 28 page programme was sufficiently informative.

Both sides are having good seasons so far, and are in the mix for at least a play-off berth, if not automatic promotion. Beaconsfield were in fifth place, having won 13 and drawn three of their 22 league games so far, with a seven point cushion inside the play-offs and just three points adrift of an automatic promotion spot. Egham Town wherein eleventh place, having won nine and drawn five of their 21 league games.

On a dry, overcast and very mild afternoon, the home side opened the scoring on 13 minutes. A header from a corner hit the bar, and Alexander Cathline stabbed the loose ball home through a crowd of players. Egham came close to equalising on 23 minutes when a free kick heading for the top corner was tipped over at full stretch by the keeper. Beaconsfield then came close on 26 minutes when the striker just got to the ball before the keeper to strike the ball goalwards it a defender cleared. On 34 minutes, Egham drew level. The ball was lofted upfield for Brendan Matthew to run onto and he cooly lobbed the ball over the keeper into the net. But Beaconsfield retook the lead three minutes later, again the initial shot came back off the woodwork, and Goldy Capella tapped the loose ball home.

Beaconsfield retained their slender lead at the break, and the second half was even for long periods, which suited the home side, and they extended their lead on 65 minutes. A drilled low diagonal shot was parried by the keeper into the path of Capela, who tapped the ball home. Although the visitors tried to mount attack, particularly in the closing minutes, they never really looked like pulling a goal back, and Beaconsfield claimed what was, in the end, a pretty comfortable win.