Surbiton Town FC came up against Charnwood Cavaliers, a side they faced in a volatile pre-season fixture last season. Surbiton capitalised on the impressive ball-moving mantra that they exhibited last week and were impressive in the early stages, leaving the Cavaliers little option but to attempt to intercept the short and intricate passing of the Surb.
Despite this positive start, Charnwood were winning the ball at times and utilising their go to long-ball to find their dangerous target man up top – acting as a warning that either team could take an early lead.
About 10 minutes into the game Tom Keely, playing in a 2 up front alongside Charlie Banks in a 3-5-2 formation, played a one-two with the aforementioned and darted into the Charnwood box. His aggressive pace forced a penalty for Surbiton as Keely was tripped inside the box, leaving the referee Paul Dowell little choice but to point to the spot.
Having won the penalty, Keely stepped up to convert the chance and duly done so, calmly dispatching the ball to the right of the goalkeeper who remained stuck to the spot, Keely later remarked that was the first penalty he had converted for in excess of a decade – thus serving as a relief for all.
15 minutes later a Charnwood attack earned them an equaliser out of the blue. A cleared ball bounced through to a Charnwood midfielder who won two 50/50 tackles before smashing the ball towards the net on a half-volley. The result was a spectacular goal that looped over stand-in goalkeeper Kieran Sweeney, who had been an assured presence thus far.
Just another few minutes into the game and a set-piece for Charnwood earned them a 2-1 lead against the run of play. The recipient was able to head in a floated set-piece into the back of the Surbiton net, with the defenders offering little in the way of an aerial battle – an unfortunate and all too regular occurrence for the boys.
The Surb remained undeterred and attempted to force an equaliser of their own, they came close as Ryan Geer nodded past the post and a series of long throw-ins made for a nervous Charnwood defence. Following this increased pressure, Shortt was replaced by Kieran Topson, who was making his second debut for the club following an unsuccessful trial for Priest Hill. Topson entered into the fray and was a commanding presence alongside Snowdon on the right, offering a series of overlaps as the half drew to a close.
A half-time pep-talk from captain Joe Crawley proved effective as the Surb mounted further pressure during the second half – alongside a shift in playing positions. Charlie Banks took a breather and the long-awaited return of Aaron Charles finally arrived as he took a much more advanced position up-front. Kieran Sweeney stepped into the midfield and his namesake, Aaron Sweeney took over between the sticks, meaning captain Joe Crawley fell back into the back-three and attempted to dictate from deep.
The changes proved positive as Chris Brown, who had an excellent game in the centre of midfield, was able to knock home an equaliser after the ball was sent fizzing across the box with 65 minutes played.
Aaron Sweeney proved to be a reliable back-up goalkeeper option and was confident in playing a ‘sweeper-keeper’ style that the modern game seems to be gravitating towards.
Despite this, a Charnwood shot from the edge of the box took a nasty deflection and squirmed in off the palm of Sweeney’s outstretched hand to bobble into the Surbiton net who were disappointed to have not closed down on the edge of the box.
With the score now at 3-2, the Surb had 10 minutes to find an equaliser and were able to do so following a fantastic long-range effort from Kieran Sweeney who acted as a catalyst in the Surbiton midfield. Having rounded 2 players the space opened up for the midfielder who struck a shot that almost went through the goalkeeper’s arms and into the roof of the Charnwood net.
In the closing stages Charnwood seemed to tire much quicker than Surbiton who were able to try and force a winner. Ultimately, the winner never came but a few close chances show that the Surb always maintain an attacking intent. Most notably, a shot from Kieran Topson out wide sailed over the goalkeeper and struck the underside of the crossbar before being cleared from danger – leaving the final whistle to blow and leave the game tied at 3-3.
Although disappointed to not have sealed the winner, the Surb can take plenty of positives from a match in which they played against a side that is 4 leagues their superior.
Matchday Squad: K. Sweeney, N. Murphy, S. Bennett, A. Sweeney, D. Shortt, L. Snowdon, R. Geer, C. Brown, J. Crawley, C. Banks, T. Keely, K. Topson, A. Charles.
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