Southall v Ascot United Men

Report

ASCOT LOSE CRUCIAL SOUTHALL GAME

 

Yellamen surrender lead and drop into relegation zone

 

Ascot United slipped to defeat against Southall on Wednesday evening. Having led early-on, their lead lasted only four minutes before a second half penalty condemned them to a 2-1 defeat, leaving their Isthmian League position in a precarious position.

 

Proverbial six-pointer for both sides

Wednesday’s match was at least a must-not-lose, and preferably a must win for The Yellamen, although away form was not on their side with just two league wins on the road all season.

 

The match was, however, given an added edge by the fact that the 20^th-placed hosts knew they would leapfrog Ascot with a win, pushing themselves temporarily out of danger whilst also dumping The Yellamen into the drop zone for the first time this season.

 

But this was not the ignominy the hardy-band of travelling supporters at Bedfont Sports Ground expected; the question was could they take record their first league win in two months.

 

A goal a piece in cagey first half

The home side were quickest out of the blocks and almost took a seventh minute lead when defender Fumiya Elliott’s speculative effort cannoned back off the face of Kie Plumley’s crossbar.

 

But in their first attack, Ascot struck a tenth minute opener when Tyrone Shiham ran onto Sean Fraser’s through ball, and his control on the volley took the ball past ‘keeper Milan Czerwonka, leaving him with the easiest of tap-ins.

 

But Southall were level four minutes later when livewire Bright Slaw was just too strong for Troy Murray, drove into the box from the right and squared for Dan Roberts, who took a touch before swivelling and firing into the bottom right.

 

Plumley then twice got down well to deny Ryan Hope’s awkward free kick and then Slaw’s follow up in the 18^th minute, before Slaw teed up Dan Hector in acres of space, but he fluffed his lines when it was easier to hit the target.

 

Ascot rarely threatened until Shiham fashioned space for a shot that deflected off defender Azeez Alabi two minutes before the break – the ball could have gone anywhere but fizzed wide for corner – but Ascot were still indebted to Plumley in first half stoppage time to claw Roberts’s curling effort away when it looked destined for the top left hand corner.

 

Positive second half start quickly erodes

The Yellamen made a good start to the second half even if chances were at a premium – Kai Allsopp a stand-out player for the visitors in looking to drive forwards – but he and his side struggled to make an impression on the home defence which was superbly marshalled by impregnable Hope.

 

Slaw was a constant threat for Southall down the right and gave Troy Murray a torrid evening, and when he escaped down the flank once again in the 69^th minute, both Murray and covering David Oupoh couldn’t thwart him legally – a penalty the result – and Roberts stepped up to tuck it left-of-centre.

 

But Czerwonka’s brilliant, diving save with his ‘other hand’ clawed away Babs Dehghani’s curling effort that looked destined for the top right-hand corner in the 75^th minute in what would have been a stunning equaliser for Ascot; if the home side stay up by a matter of points in the end-of-season mash-up then they might look back at that moment.

 

Ascot threw on all of their substitutes in a desperate attempt to rescue something, and their evening got worse when one of them – Lucias Vine – was himself replaced after coming off worse in an aerial challenge with Czerwonka, clearly in distress holding the front of his neck and chin.

 

Five added minutes on top of ninety yielded little else, other than mercy to escape the driving rain and cold.

 

At this point, the reality is the season is only going one way and something needs to happen to arrest its direction.

 

Ascot United: Plumley, Sankoh, Murray (Traore 83’), Fraser, Le Paih, Allsopp, Oupoh (Vine 77’ (Mott 90’)), Dehghani (Harry 77’), Pache, Shiham, Kamara (Osbourne 88’).

 

Venue: Bedfont Sports Club

Attendance: 83

Weather: 4c, rain

Ascot United MOM: Kai Allsopp

Entertainment: 2

Away fans estimate: 15

One-word summary: Sad