November 5, 2022
Today’s entertainment on Bonfire Day was a match between the bottom two sides in the Southern League Division One Central.
Thame United started the season well, winning two of their first three matches, both away from home, but are since on a run of 8 defeats in 9 matches, with just one point, a 2-2 home draw with Berkhamsted. All the losses have been closely contested encounters so it is not the case they are second from bottom because they have been thumped every week.
David Pearce scored in each of the opening three games, but has only found the net once since whilst midfielder Greg Hackett has three goals to his credit.
These diaries last reported on Thame when they played their first pre-season friendly and the departures of forwards Ryan Blake and Lynton Goss and keeper Craig Hill during the close season is clearly being felt after their 8th placed finish last season. The long-term injury to centre-back George Gilmore hasn’t helped either.
Thame have taken steps to address their slide with the mid-week signing of evergreen striker Jefferson Louis, who featured in these diaries last month playing for Risborough Rangers. Louis played for Thame as a teenager so doesn’t add to his 43 clubs !
Barton Rovers finished 15th last season but only registered their first league victory of the season last Saturday with a 3-1 home win over Hertford Town. However, they slumped to a heavy 0-5 loss at Berkhamsted in mid-week in which ex-Thame star Ryan Blake claimed a hat-trick. Previously Rovers had lost 8 of their 10 league matches, with just two draws.
Forward Kit Brown was a substitute for Hertford Town when they drew at Thame last season and was on the bench again today for Barton, and ex-Corby, St Ives and Hitchin striker Urijah Gordon-Douglas was Rovers’ top scorer with three goals.
I have been to Rovers’ Sharpenhoe Road on one occasion, visiting in 1995/96 to watch an FA Trophy tie against Crawley Town. In front of a crowd of 331, Crawley ran out 3-1 victors, with David Speedie, ex-Chelsea and Scotland International, and Raphael Meade, ex-Arsenal, Sporting Lisbon and Brighton, amongst the scorers for the Red Devils.
This was the third time I had witnessed Barton playing in Thame. In 2002/03 Thame won 1-0 at their old Windmill Road stadium in an Isthmian League Division One North fixture, but in 2018/19 Rovers ran out 2-0 winners at the ASM stadium in front of 75 spectators.
Rovers are located in the village of Bedfordshire village of Barton-Le-Clay, which is 6 miles north of Luton. The journey to Thame is around 35 miles and takes on average just under an hour.
Temperature at the 15.00 kick-off was 12 degrees with the weather damp and grey but with rain forecast.
Mixing my metaphors, Thame started like the proverbial train on fire. In the second minute, Hackett put Abu Khan clear but the youngster’s shot was kept out by keeper Joshua Mollison outstretched leg. After reworking possession, Pearce shot from the edge of the area only to be denied by a diving save, and Mollison produced an even better save to block Louis’s follow-up at close range.
Massingham’s long ball out of defence put Louis clear down the right, but his cross was just too high for the diminutive Khan, and then in the fifth minute Pearce saw a shot from the edge of the area tipped onto the bar and over by Mollison.
A minute later Rovers responded with a dangerous cross from the right that Kieran Hamilton just failed to get on the end of.
The next chance came in the 15th minute, when Pearce’s free-kick was headed down by Massingham only for Louis to turn and smack over the bar from 8 yards. A minute later there was a scramble in the Thame penalty area, before the home side eventually cleared. The resulting corner was delivered beyond the far post but Martel Powell couldn’t get his header on target.
Rovers were slowly starting to get a foothold into the game and a promising run by Akinbusoye was halted by a cynical foul just outside the area, but no yellow card was shown. Lewis Williams’ left footed free-kick was brilliantly turned around the post by Thame keeper Josh Hill.
With 26 minutes on the clock, another flowing move by Thame saw Louis and Pearce combine to release the overlapping Thorne but the full-back’s cross was again just too high for Khan. Louis and Pearce combined again a minute later but the shot from Pearce was blocked.
Rovers were forced into a substitution after 35 minutes as Sutton came on to replace the injured Kian Wilkes, and they then had their best spell of the half. Another attack ended by another foul on the edge of the area but this time captain Conor Clarke’s free-kick was straight at the wall and the chance was wasted. Full-back Ryan then saw his long range effort deflected a few feet wide.
The first goal finally arrived in the 40th minute. Louis’ flicked on header reached Pearce, who found Hackett in space on the left and the midfielder slid the ball past Hollison to make it 1-0 to Thame.
The home side nearly added a second two minutes later. With Khan having switched from the left wing to the right, his cross was met by Pearce 6 yards out but was blocked by a defender. Despite loud appeals for handball, the referee waved play on.
Rover then created their best chance of the half. Lewis Thomas’ header from a free-kick from Williams seemed destined for the top corner but Hill brilliantly tipped over the bar with a flying, diving save.
As the drizzle started to fall, Thame nearly scored again in added on time but as everyone stopped after Hackett went down in the area, Pearce rounded the keeper only to be denied by a last ditch tackle for a corner.
At the interval Thame would have been wondering how they only led by one goal and as the elements worsened the floodlights came on.
Barton had the first attack of the second half, as Adeoti-Ajiboye released Akinbusoye whose shot was saved at the near post, but the flag was raised for offside. Thame then responded with a counter attack that saw Khan’s pass find Hackett in space on the left, and after cutting back onto his right foot, his shot was deflected over the bar. To the bemusement of the Thame players and most of the crowd, the officials awarded a goal-kick. Pearce then sent a scorching shot just wide as the keeper watched on.
On the hour mark Thame keeper Hill made a scrambling save after a shot on the turn from Hamilton after Adeoti-Ajiboye’s effort from the edge of the area had been blocked. However, Thame continued to dominate and again Louis and Pearce combined for Pearce to skip round his marker and force Mollison into another fine diving save. Dan West then made a surging from half-way but saw his 25 yard thunderbolt tipped over the bar by the Barton custodian.
The ex-Hitchin keeper was finally beaten for a second time in the 70th minute. This time substitute Harlem Hale’s perfectly timed run onto a pass from West beat the offside trap, and after rounding the keeper, Hale unselfishly squared the ball to leave Pearce a simple tap-in from 2 yards.
With the points seemingly in the bag for Thame, the game fizzled out over the last 20 minutes. Louis blazed over from 20 yards, and Pearce and Hale combined from a short corner for Hale to have left-footed shot again tipped over the bar by Rovers man-of-the-match Mollison.
The final action saw Rovers substitute Crowter shot wildly over after a good move a couple of minutes before the end.
At the final whistle, Thame were deserved winners and moved up to fourth from bottom. Barton though remained propping up the table.
Thame United : Hill – Thorne, Massingham, Murray, Peake-Pijnen – Khan ( Hale ), Tutton, West, Hackett ( Mepham ) – Pearce ( Beadle ), Louis
Barton Rovers : Mollison – Ryan, Clarke, Thomas, Williams – Akinbusoye, Adeoti-Ajiboye, Powell, Wilkes ( Sutton ), Hamilton ( Crowter ) – Gordon-Douglas.
Online Programme : https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/files.pitchero.com/clubs/13461/9emn5NLfSCiwQB7yDkPJ_Barton%20Rovers%2005%2011%2022.pdf
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