Pitching In Southern League Premier Division South

Saturday 11th February 2023

Beaconsfield Town 2 Swindon Supermarine 3

Holloways Park - Attendance 96

Ram of the Match – Nathan Minhas  

Beaconsfield Town and Swindon Supermarine delivered a Five goal thriller bringing the total goals scored in their three home in 2023 to 19. Despite the entertainment on showless than 100 souls could be pried away from Saturday afternoon TV or the big Waitrose shop to lend their support to The Rams.

Unfortunately for Beaconsfield, it was the visitors who nicked it at the death when James Harding latched on to Henry Spalding's headed knockdown to poke home a 90th minute winner from Eight yards.

As has become a habit of kate Beaconsfield started slowly and found themselves Two down inside 12 minutes. 

First Zackariah Kotwicka's deft deflection of a right-wing corner at the near post picked up a second deflection on its way past Plumley who has beaten again in the 12th minute. Aaron Minhas was penalised for a foul just outside the box. Harry Spaldings kick was straight into the wall but the rebound fell kindly for  Joe Tumulty who directed a placed volley across Plumley, who seemed slow to react as the effort flew into the corner.

As we have seen several times this season The Rams do not panic in such circumstances and they didn't change the habit here. They gradually got to grips with the pace and press and energy of their opponents and started to impose their own style on the game.

Nathan Minhas came close and narrowly missed playing in Elliott Buchanan until the 28th minute when Callum Webb popped up with the sort of important and brilliant goals he chips in with two or three times a season. Letting fly from 25 yards sending a dipping effort over Josh Gould and into the top corner. 

The game swung from end to end as Beaconsfield pressed they looked more vulnerable than of late and with Conor McDonagh and Kotwicka proving a handful, Joe Tumelty, Henry Spalding, and Ryan Campbell made hay in wide areas picking up knock downs and second balls, and driving at the home defence. Tumelty almost extended the lead with a fierce cross-shot that dipped narrowly wide of the post.

At the other end Kyel Reid, Dan Bradshaw, and Sam Granville were their energetic selves and Nathan Minhas and Elliott Buchanan created opportunities but Supermarine defended valiantly and for the most part the blocks and deflections fell harmlessly and Gould dominated his area under the cross ball and preserved the slender lead.  

Half time 1-2 

Rams fans have grown used to their team asserting themselves in the second half of home games this season and they eventually did here but had to weather a bright start from Supermarine. The introduction of Toby Little added experience and composure under pressure, initially on the right flank before switching to the left where he was at his most effective.

Chances began to come for the Rams as their irrepressible passing and movement created space for Minhas, Buchanan, and Reid.

Nathan Minhas had the two best chances in the early going steering a cushioned header narrowly wide when he seemed to have done everything right and then firing narrowly over from an angle. Kyel Reid's effort stung the palms of Gould before finally in the 76th Minute Minhas latched on to a through ball in the inside right channel, advancing into the area before driving his cross shot past Gould and into the corner. 

At that point, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that The Rams would go on to win. 

Minhas popped up, this time in the inside left channel, before blazing his angled effort over the bar. Then Dan Bradshaw drove into the box and was faced with a choice of shot or cross.In the end, he didn't really do either, miscueing harmlessly across goal with Minhas unmarked Six yards, with the goal at his mercy.

 

The leading scorer then found himself wrestled down in the box, Mr Cresswell was unconvinced and then compounded the decision as kai Allsop latched on to the rebound before he to seemed to have been fouled if anything more blatantly than Minhas seconds before. 

Just as Home fans were settling for a draw up popped Harding to send the traveling support back to Wiltshire with a song in their hearts.   

On the one hand, you can feel for The Rams but in the cold light of a Saturday afternoon, if you keep giving the opposition one, and Two goal head starts, it will eventually catch up with you.

There's no time for sulking though as The Rams are back at Holloways Park on Monday evening for the visit of Reading in the Berks and Bucks cup quarter Final. Kick-off 7-45pm 

  

Beaconsfield Town :

Kie Plumley, Charlie Smith [Sub Toby Little 46], Callum Webb, Sam Togwell, Henry Hawkins, Aaron Minhas, Dan Bradshaw, Sam Granville, Nathan Minhas, Elliott Buchanan, Kyel Reid [ Sub Kai Allsop 71] 

Subs Not Used - Olly Sprague, Ravan Constable, Kai Allsop, Toby Little, Ben De Lacy-Turner,. 

 

 

Swindon Supermarine

Joshua Gould, Sam Turl, William Tunnicliff [Sub James Harding 39], James Edge, Malik Sesay, Matthew Liddiard, Henry Spalding, Joseph Tumulty, Conor McDonagh, Zackariah Kotwicka, Ryan Campbell.

 

Subs Not Used - Harry Williams, Leon Morrison, Tom Sharpe

Referee -   Alan Cresswell                                               

Assistants - Chris Binney - Matthew Childs

All images ©Neale Blackburn 2023

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