Cobham fight back to draw 1-1 as Ascot drop vital points
Disjointed Ascot United drew 1-1 against a spirited Cobham side on Tuesday evening, further denting their early promotion hopes. In a match the home side expected to win, they took the lead soon after half time courtesy of James Richardson, only to be pegged back on the hour-mark by lively winger Danny Campion’s breakaway goal.
Both sides’ league matches this season had yielded four goals per game so it was somewhat surprising that this game produced just two, although the odds were still in the home side’s favour against their mid-table opposition having come into the game on a three-game unbeaten streak.
The first half was a fast-paced affair, and it was the returning Harrison Cliff who pulled most of the strings for Ascot, who enjoyed the lion’s share of possession.
That said, Cobham threatened at each end of the half. Firstly, when Ben Senior slipped the ball in from a breakaway for Campion, who shot low to the left of Sam Gray only for the dependable home keeper to get down well and make the save. And, just before the break defender James King lofted the simplest of balls over the top for fellow defender Craig Lewington, who should have done better than shoot straight at Gray.
In between that, Richardson shot over on the turn, George Lock’s thumping effort was tipped onto the underside of the bar by Lee Norman and Lock again struck just wide after a good move saw Cliff play in Taylor Morgan to tee him up, but Ascot also drew blank and it remained goalless at the break.
But, Richardson gave the home side an early lift in the second half when he ran across the defence onto a through ball before dragging a left-footed shot across Norman and into the net.
However, Cobham retained their optimism and duly levelled when Campion galloped into acres of space and thumped a powerful volley past Gray; 60 minutes played and all-square once again.
Defender Dan Bailey might have nodded his side back into the lead from Richardson’s cross fifteen minutes from time only to scuff his header wide as team-mate Harry Laflin also challenged, but Cobham still posed a threat and substitute Callum Wilson screwed wide when well placed two minutes later.
Stand-out player Campion became a sit-down player when he was sin-binned for dissent in the 82nd minute, all-but-ending his air-time as only three minutes of injury time would later be played, but credit to Cobham as they looked more likely to score in the closing stages, even if both they and Ascot failed to muster a clear chance.
Ascot will take seven days to regroup before their next fixture, also giving them time to try and find their missing jigsaw piece – if it is elsewhere than the treatment table.
Ascot United: Gray, Lock, Haworth, Denton, Evans, D. Bailey, Laflin, Cliff, Davies (Hodges 75’), Richardson, Morgan (Andrady 60’). Subs unused: Masters, Ellis
