23/4/2008

Sport

Football - Defeat leaves Cobham on the brink

Cobham                       1       
Sandhurst Town        2

NEEDING a win to maintain their hopes of staving off relegation, Cobham made a perfect start to their match with Sandhurst Town at Anvil Lane on Saturday.

With their first attack, Dan Rousell and Shane Rideout combined well to set up captain Mark Remnant, who volleyed home left footed from the edge of the box and gave Cobham the lead.

However, the home side’s lead lasted just two minutes as Sandhurst equalised from a free kick in controversial circumstances.

The place kick was floated to the back post where goalkeeper Peter Ruggles looked to have made a safe catch.

However, a subtle nudge in the back from a Sandhurst forward was enough to dislodge the ball from his grasp and Grant Nesbitt stabbed home from close range to level the score.

The game continued in the same attacking fashion as the half progressed with both sides creating chances.

After nine minutes Cornell Mckoy teed up Andy Dalhouse who saw his shot well blocked by a visiting defender.

Dalhouse turned provider a few minutes later, spinning  sharply in the Sandhurst penalty area and cutting back to Dean Pitcher, whose shot flashed over the crossbar.

Cobham continued to put the visitors’ goal under pressure and Sandhurst struggled to cope with the pace of Mckoy and Rideout. It took a good defensive header to prevent Rideout restoring Cobham’s lead as he shaped to volley home a cross at the back post.

Ruggles was called into action on the half hour mark as Sandhurst attacked, parrying a low shot.

The rebound fell kindly to Ross Hogston, but he fired over the bar from close range.

Cobham finished the half strongly, with Dalhouse and Mckoy combining well, only for McCoy's cross to evade Rideout at the far post.

At half time Scott Day replaced Mark Remnant who  aggravated a groin strain in  may be his last appearance of the season.

The home side’s hopes of avoiding relegation were dealt a blow at the start of the second half as they failed to deal with a free kick.

With the defensive wall seemingly misplaced, Nesbitt slotted the ball into the net, with Ruggles rooted to the spot, to score his and Sandhurst’s second goal.

Cobham went close to equalising just before the hour mark when the impressive Rideout latched on to a poor punch from Andy Ewen in the visitors’ goal and lobbed the ball back over the keeper’s head from 35 yards.

However, luck was not with the Anvil Lane side and Rideout’s effort hit the cross bar before bouncing into the safety of Ewen’s arms.

The chance was Cobham’s best of the half, but they continued to search for goals until the final minute, pinning the visitors into their half.

Sandhurst defended well, however, soaking up Cobham’s pressure and restricting the home team to long range efforts.

Intent on hanging on to their lead, the visitors starting wasting time from the 80th minute.

But run the clock down they did and Cobham could do nothing to prevent time running out on their final home game of the season and, it now seems likely, their position in the Combined Counties Premier Division.

First printed in: News & Mail Series