Division One (East)
Binfield 0 Chalfont Wasps 2
Saturday, 19 April 2003
No Eggs-travaganza as Moles are stung by Wasps!
Visiting striker Marcus Fearon gladly accepted two Easter 'gifts' to condemn Binfield to a home defeat. Two slip-ups by home keeper Courtenay Isaacs, in the opening minutes of each half proved enough to separate the two teams in an otherwise even contest.
Fresh from a resounding midweek win over RS Basingstoke, the ?Moles? had a score to settle with Chalfont, as it was there that Binfield suffered their heaviest defeat of the season in what turned out to be former boss Glenn Duggleby?s last game in charge. Isaacs returned in goal replacing Strong, who had looked solid in midweek. Skipper, Mark Baker, also reclaimed a place in the back four, with Hume absent. The defensive re-shuffle saw Keough move to right back and Williams to left. Kellaway retained his place on the right of Binfield?s midfield with Lee dropping to the bench.
A strong, cold wind and hard, dry pitch created a dustbowl effect at times, making conditions very difficult for both sides to play any controlled football. Binfield made the early running, forcing a corner on the right after four minutes. Harris, fresh from his two goals on Wednesday, arrived unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box, but his header flew straight at Burton in the Wasps goal. On seven minutes, Wasps went ahead with a goal from nowhere. A through-ball intended for Fearon was deflected to the right of the Binfield area, producing a snap shot at goal which looked ?meat and drink? for Isaacs. Was it a combination of the uneven bounce, the wind or half an eye on the advancing Fearon that caused the handling error from the Binfield keeper? We?ll never know, but Fearon was the ?jonny-on-the-spot? to volley home as the ball rebounded to him off the unfortunate Isaacs. Binfield attempted to reply immediately. From Keough?s cross Baker found McCoy but the striker?s shot was deflected for a corner. The closest the home side came to getting on level terms saw a speculative lob that almost deceived Burton with the high bounce. Chalfont were clearly content to rely on the pace of Fearon upfront on the counter. The diminutive striker broke free on the left, but this time Isaacs was alert to the danger, racing from his area to slide-tackle the ball to safety. Binfield were beginning to get the better of the midfield exchanges and, on 24, Harris spread it wide for Keough to advance down the right wing. The full backs? cross found McCoy?s head, but the effort was just wide of the right hand post. Immediately, the ball was back in the Wasps box; this time McCoy did well to keep the ball in play and Harris arrived on the edge of the box to flash a shot wide. Gilbert shot high over for the visitors on 25 and then became the first of the series of yellow cards for over-eagerly contesting a challenge on halfway. Day's free kick found Baker?s head, but the ball flew agonisingly across the face of goal and wide. Just past the half-hour, Haverman?s bustling run was halted illegally thirty yards from goal. Withers? free kick came to nothing, but the ball fell invitingly to Kellaway on the right edge of the box. The striker?s first-time shot on the bounce flew just wide of Burton?s right-hand post. Binfield were creating the best chances and should have levelled on 32 minutes. A disputed corner on the left was chipped towards goal by Withers. The ball deceived everyone in the flight and cannoned back into play off the far post, sitting up invitingly for Baker to head into the unguarded net. Amazingly, the ball sailed over the crossbar when a goal seemed certain. The skipper redeemed his miss at the other end on 41 minutes with a superb last-ditch sliding tackle on Fearon, as the Wasps striker looked clear to score. Fearon then latched on to another loose ball before the break, lashing a fierce left-foot volley over the bar. On 43 minutes, neat build-up play involving Keough and Withers saw the ball moved wide to Williams. The left back fed Flowerday, who in turn put McCoy on the ball. Binfield fans? held their breath waiting for the pile driver to follow, but the shot was partially blocked this time, allowing Burton to make the save. Binfield were pressing hard towards the interval. Isaacs long kick found Flowerday, but his cross was too high for Havermans. Then McCoy set up Harris on the edge of the box again, but the shot was just wide once more.
Half Time: 0 - 1
Expectations were high for another second-half comeback, similar to that which had destroyed Basingstoke in the week. However, on 51 minutes another calamitous goal set Binfield firmly back on their heels. There seemed little danger as Day headed a long ball back towards Isaacs. Once again, Fearon did not give up the lost cause and got his reward. Isaacs hesitated to collect the ball, close to the sideline of his area. As the ball ran towards the goal line for a corner, Isaacs once again hesitated to clear the danger. Fearon stole the ball and set off along the line towards the empty net, finishing with a cheeky back-heel to rub salt in the wounds. Once again, Binfield attempted to recover. Williams broke down the left and crossed to Kellaway on the far side. As the ball came back into the box, Havermans was dispossessed for a corner. Harris attempted another long-range effort, receiving from a throw-in on the right. This time his right-foot volley sailed comfortably wide. Wasps continued to hit back on the counter. Fearon got the better of Day, for once, setting up Crook for a shot wide of Isaacs left-hand post. On the hour mark, Binfield suffered another body-blow when McCoy was forced to limp out of the action, to be replaced by Lee. A recurrence of an ankle injury picked up at Penn a few games ago saw Binfield?s goal threat considerably reduced. Despite being two goals to the good, the Chalfont manager, Franks, found himself dismissed from the dugout by the referee. At this level it seems too easy to simply walk around the perimeter to continue coaching, which is exactly what he did! Not quite in the spirit of the laws of the game! Kellaway?s burst down the left produced a good cross towards Havermans, but again the danger was cleared. Binfield were now struggling to manufacture any clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. Keough saw yellow for a blatant obstruction on 65 and was joined in the book by Kellaway on 72. This time the challenge seemed innocuous enough, but the visiting physio was intent on making a big deal of it, sufficient for the referee to eventually caution the young Binfield striker. Williams, too, saw yellow on 83 and was joined a minute later by Fearon as the game became an increasingly scrappy affair. Leishman and Jones, briefly, joined the action replacing Withers and Flowerday as the game drew to a close. In injury time Keough?s free kick found Baker at the far post, but the header was straight at the keeper.
A disappointing start to the Easter campaign then and a draw probably would have been a fairer result, but for Binfield?s generosity at the back. Chance to get back to winning ways with the visit from Milton on Easter Monday.
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