February 4, 2025
This evening saw the rearranged fixture between Thame and Stotfold, with the scheduled match in December being postponed due to the bad weather from Storm Darragh.
This was now a meeting of 6th vs 17th and a win or draw for Thame would move them above Barton Rovers and into a play-off position. Stotfold need the points to move further away from the bottom three.
Thame United Update
These diaries last featured Thame in late November when they beat local rivals Aylesbury United 4-0. Since then wins were recorded against Beaconsfield Town ( A 1-0 ), Leverstock Green ( H 4-0 ), Leighton Town ( H 1-0 ), North Leigh ( H 3-1 ) and Kidlington ( A 2-0 ) whilst defeats were suffered at Barton Rovers ( A 0-3 ), Berkhamsted Town ( A 0-2 ) and Hadley ( A 0-3 ), all sides in the top 5 in the table. There had also been a 2-2 draw at Welwyn Garden City, whilst three consecutive games were postponed between Christmas and early in the New Year due to a waterlogged pitch, a frozen pitch and fog !
On Saturday Thame won 2-1 at Hertford Town with a winner in the 88th minute.
Thame now had a 16-1-8 record, and 8-0-3 at home, to be behind 5th placed Barton Rovers on goals scored, but tonight was their game in hand. Harry Alexander was still their top scorer with 12 goals in all competitions, followed by Curtis Brown on 9 and Dan West with 7.
One recent signing for Thame was ex-Aylesbury Vale Dynamos, Aylesbury United, Hereford, Kettering and Tamworth striker Ty Deacon, who had found the net three times since joining.
Stotfold
Stotfold is a town in central Bedfordshire with a population estimated at just under 10,000 and located between Biggleswade and Letchworth Garden City.
Its football club were founded in 1946 and are known as The Eagles. Home is New Roker Park, which cost £2M to build and opened in 2020 after their original Roker Park ground was sold for housing.
When the non-league pyramid structure was created, Stotfold played in the Spartan South Midlands or the United Counties Leagues. In 2022/23, they were runners-up in the Spartan South Midlands Premier Division and then won an inter-step play-off at Dereham of the Eastern Counties League to achieve promotion to the Southern League Division One Central for back-to-back promotions.
In their first ever season at step 4, Stotfold finished a respectable 7th.
Stofold This Season
Coming into tonight’s match Stotfold possessed a 6-4-13 record, but only 1-2-7 away from home. The win was at Leighton Town ( 4-3 ) whilst a 2-2 draw with achieved at Beaconsfield Town, and then on Saturday at King’s Langley ( 1-1 ). Home victories were recorded over Aylesbury United ( 1-0 ), Welwyn Garden City ( 3-2 ), Hertford Town ( 1-0 ), Kidlington ( 3-2 ), Leverstock Green ( 1-0 )
Stotfold began the season with three defeats, conceding 10 goals in the process to go bottom of the league, but two wins and draw then saw them move out of the bottom four. A later run of three wins and a draw saw Stotfold rise to 14th by mid-November.
After the draw at King’s Langley at the weekend, Stotfold were now on a run of one win and three draws in their last 10 league games and had 5 consecutive away defeats prior to Saturday’s draw.
In this year’s FA Cup, Stotfold beat Takeley of the Essex Senior League ( step 5 ) 1-0 at home before exiting the competition 0-2 at step 3 Hashtag United of the Isthmian League Premier Division. In the FA Trophy Stotfold exited at the first hurdle on penalties at Leighton Town after a 0-0 draw.
Stotfold’s top scorer so far this season was Haroon Meriai with 6 goals in the league, followed by Joseph Sellars-West with 4, who was formerly with Dunstable Town, whilst ex-Boreham Wood, Farnborough, St Albans City and Wealdstone midfielder Matthew Ball had also found the net 4 times.
Keeper Liam Gooch was in his 6th season with Stotford and had played for Cambridge City and Kettering, defender Dan Sears was previously with Hitchin Town, whilst defender Callum Kane was previously with Baldock Town.
Centre-back and assistant manager Ryan Frater had previously featured in these diaries, having to go in goal for AFC Dunstable at Thame in January 2022 after a red card to the Dunstable keeper.
Stotfold had scored only 22 league goals, with only rank backmarkers North Leigh having scored fewer.
Stotfold’s average home attendance so far this season was 209, the 7th best in the division.
Recent Meetings
Despite their struggles, Thame did the double over Stotfold last season, winning 2-1 at home and 2-0 away. Like this season, the first attempted for Thame to host Stotfold was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
Matchday Information
According to AA Route Planner the journey from Stotfold to Thame is 47 miles and should normally take one hour twenty minutes down the A418 via Aylesbury.
Admission for today’s game was £10 for adults, £5 for OAPs, £3 for Under 16s and free for the Under 5s. A pint of Poretti was £5.10. Unusually, no teamsheets were available at the turnstile.
The weather at the 19.45 kick-off time was dry and 8 degrees. Venus was shining brightly in the clear sky !
Thame played in their usual kit of red and black striped shirts with black shorts and red socks, whilst Stotfold were in all purple.
Thame made two changes from their side that started at Hertford with Finlay Murray replacing the injured Leo Galpin, and Harry Alexander swopped with Curtis Brown.
Stotfold also made two changes as Meriai replaced Ball whilst Patrick Matejko, on loan from Barnet, came in for Robbie Buchanan.
Match Report
The match started four minutes late, with there being no particular urgency from the officials to get the game underway. Neither side seemed capable of keeping possession in the opening couple of minutes but Stotfold created the first chance in the third minute as centre-back Aaron Diviney sent a long ball down the left hand channel for Codi-Lee Spavins to chase, and the forward cut back inside onto his right foot, but his low shot from the edge of the area was parried by Thame keeper Matt Crowther.
Thame looked to immediately respond, and Braydon Daniel was found in space on the left but his dangerous looking cross was cut out. However, the crowd didn’t have to wait late for the first goal of the game. A Stotfold free kick into the Thame penalty area wasn’t dealt with and with keeper Crowther in two minds, Spavins latched onto the loose ball, rounded the keeper and drove home from close range past the defender on the line. 0-1 after 5 minutes.
Almost straight from the restart Daniel burst past two defenders into the Stotfold area and passed to Deacon, who was crowded out on the 6 yard line. The loose ball reached Ethan Lack, who was fouled 20 yards from goal to give a free kick to Thame. Dan West stepped up to take, but his low drive was straight at keeper Gooch, who made a regulation save. Shortly after, left back Oscar Lucey got to the byline but his cross was headed away by Diviney.
The game’s controversial moment occurred in the 10th minute. The referee clearly got in the way of Thame’s Lack as he was about to take possession, but rather than blowing for a drop ball, the referee allowed play to continue. As the Thame players stopped, Stotfold launched a ball forward to put Ashley Kersey clear, and the centre-forward coolly finished past Crowther. Despite the protests from the Thame players and bench, the goal stood so it was 0-2 with 10 minutes played.
The frantic pace to the game continued as Alexander released Thame right back Joshua Stranks on the right wing and his ball across the 6 yard line evaded a group of players, took a slight deflection and then struck Daniel to go off for a goal-kick.
Daniel was prominent on the left wing for Thame and looked to have the beating of Stotfold right-back Jack Brown, and another run and cross was again cleared by Diviney.
Jack Tutton’s free kick from the left into the Stotfold area saw Gooch flapping unconvincingly but Stotfold gained possession and set off on a quick counterattack, which floundered on the edge of the Thame area. Thame went on an attack of their own which ended with a good tackle on Lack by cenre-back Alex Coppin.
The end-to-end play continued as Stotfold left-back Callum Kane went on a strong run out of defence, and although he was fouled, the referee played a good advantage as Kane got up with the ball and continued his run into the Thame area, where he went to ground again, but thankfully for the home side, the referee ruled no penalty.
After 19 minutes Deacon got past two defenders to get to the Stotfold byline but his inviting ball across the goalmouth cried out for a Thame player to be at the far post for a tap-in, but no-one was there.
A minute later Stotfold should have extended their lead, but Kersey wasted a great chance and shot straight at Crowther when unmarked 8 yards out. Thame then carelessly lost possession and Matejko ran from inside his own half into the Thame area, and his low cross reached Spavins beyond the far post, but his shot was saved by Crowther low down at his near post.
Daniel then outmuscled Brown to get to the Stotfold byline, but Coppin intercepted his low ball into the danger zone. A minute later a dangerous low ball in from the left from Lucey needed Diviney to stick out a foot to put out for a corner before Alexander could finish. The corner was played short, and Alexander’s floated ball into the 6-yard box was met with a good punch by Gooch under pressure, and on the edge of the area, Deacon couldn’t do anything with the loose ball.
Another rapid Stotfold counter-attack in the 26th minute saw Spavins in a promising position on the edge of the Thame area but Stranks made an important tackle. At the other end Daniel again beat his marker to cross from the left-hand byline but the ball evaded a crowd of players in the centre of the goalmouth and then hit Alexander to roll off for a goal kick.
Three minutes later Stotfold coughed up possession in their own half, and Daniel released Lucey, but a heavy first touch sent the ball off for a goal kick.
Stotfold’s Meriai and Spavins then neatly combined but a curling cross from Spavins was well claimed by Crowther.
Daniel again did well on the left, but again Coppin was in the right place to clear the cross. In the 32nd minute a free kick from Lucey was met with a good header from Riddick, but Gooch was equal to it with a fine save diving to his left, but the linesman’s flag was raised for offside.
Stotfold made a substitution in the 35th minute as Brown left the field to be replaced Tommy Reynolds. It wasn’t clear if the right-back was injured, or if this was a tactical decision in an attempt to counter the influence Daniel was having for Thame.
A minute later Meriai went on an impressive run from close to the halfway line and sent a 25-yard thunderbolt arrowing towards the top corner, but Crowther produced a fabulous save, diving high to his left to push the ball one handed over the bar for a corner and to prevent Thame falling even further behind. The set piece was cleared and Meriai lobbed the ball high back into the Thame area, where Kersey outjumped Crowther to win a header, but the ball went wide of the post, although Murray was on hand to shepherd the ball off for a goal kick.
With 39 minutes played Daniel and Lucey again combined on the left, but again the ball across the face of the goal was crying out for a far post tap-in, but again the chance went begging.
The first yellow card of the game was brandished in the 40th minute when Reynolds scythed down Daniel as the Oxford City loanee was off on another threatening run. However, Stotfold were again soon on the counterattack with Matejko and Spavins, and although Stranks made a good tackle, the goal-bound shot from the loose ball took a deflection to go off for a corner. When the corner was partially cleared, Mitchell Gooch did well to keep possession and tee up Meriai but the shot from 20 yards went high and wide.
In a recurring case of deja-vu, Daniel again beat his man and crossed from the left, and again, no-one was at the far post for a tap-in. As the game approached the half-time interval, Alexander’s free kick from the right-hand touchline was punched away by Gooch, but only as far as West on the edge of the area, who volleyed a few feet wide.
In added on time Jack Tutton did well to cut in on the left to have a shot, which was blocked, and after a scramble Deacon saw a close range shot blocked by the Stotfold keeper, but with the goal at his mercy, Riddick hit the bar with the keeper on the floor.
The breathless first-half then saw another lightning counter-attack from the Eagles, but after getting into a dangerous position on the right wing, Matejko’s cross was poor and Lucey was able to divert the ball back to his keeper.
At the half-time whistle, Stotfold led by two goals but it could easily have been 6-6 ! Thame seemed to have little answer to the visitors’ rapid counter-attacks, but on the other hand, Daniel was a threat every time he received the ball but with Thame starting with only one out and out forward, the far post tap-ins went begging, as well as hitting the bar from virtually an open goal. It looked obviously that there would be more goals in the second half, so the game was far from decided.
Thame made one change at the break, with Lack being replaced by Greg Hackett but it was the visitors who started the second half better. A cross from the right from Reynolds found Matejko unmarked 6 yards out, but his volley crashed back from the bar with Crowther beaten. Riddick’s sloppy pass then allowed Kersey to run into the Thame area, but he was denied by some good defending. Thame went down the other end where Deacon did well in the left-hand channel, but Daniel was just unable to get a decent contact to the pass towards the near post, and the ball rolled through to the keeper.
Stotfold then fashioned a lovely move involving Matejko and Kersey to put Spavins in space inside the left-hand side of the Thame area, but the striker’s left-footed effort was saved by the legs of Crowther.
With 54 minutes played, Daniel predictably beat Reynolds and delivered a cross to beyond the far post, which was met by Hackett who headed back across the 6-yard box, but Alexander could only put his right footed shot on the turn over the bar. It was a great chance to get Thame back in the match.
It looked to be a costly miss as three minutes later Kersey skipped past a half-hearted challenge from Tutton and spotted the unmarked Mitchell Gooch, who fired home from just inside the area into the keeper’s bottom right hand corner. 0-3 after 57 minutes.
Thame looked to have fallen apart as the unmarked Meriai’s left footed shot was well pushed away by Crowther, but the offside flag was raised against Kersey as the striker moved in to put away the rebound.
Thame introduced the veteran Jefferson Louis in place of West, but the immediate impact was another goal for the Eagles. A long ball put Spavins clear to slot past the Thame keeper. There was a strong suspicion of offside, but the young linesman was well behind play so was unable to make a decision. It was now 0-4 with 62 minutes on the clock, and game over.
Thame scored what appeared to be a consolation goal a minute later as Louis at the back post got on the end of a long free kick by Tutton from the right-hand touchline, and the ball squeezed inside the post. I’m not sure how much the evergreen striker knew about it, but the score was now 1-4 after 63 minutes.
The game’s second and final yellow card was shown to Kersey for what was probably dissent after a free kick was awarded to Thame near the half-way line.
Stotfold were not content to sit back on their commanding lead, and another flowing moving, this time involving Gooch and Matejko released Spavins, whose shot hit the post. Although the follow-up found the back of the net, Kersey was judged to have got a faint touch to the rebound but was standing in an offside position, so despite the protests from the Stotfold players, the goal was chalked off.
Louis was having an impact up front for Thame and his flicked header found Deacon, who spun past his marker to have a 1 on 1 with the keeper but could only shoot straight at the keeper’s body. It was another great chance for Thame squandered.
Back down the other end of the pitch, Matejko was too strong for Tutton but after receiving the pass, Buchanan shot high and wide from 20 yards.
Tutton then played an incisive pass to release Daniel, but keeper Gooch made another fine save to deny Thame. A free kick from Tutton was then met by Ricketts but the header lacked power, and Gooch made a comfortable save. However, the visitor’s defence was caught napping when Deacon was left unmarked to finish from 6 yards, with the ball possibly going through the keeper’s legs. It was now 2-4 with 9 minutes remaining and Thame had a glimmer of hope.
Rather than the 4-5-1 formation they started with in the first half, Thame now appeared to be playing 3-2-5 as they poured forward desperately in search of more goals. Stotfold briefly stemmed the tide by winning consecutive corners, the second of which was cleared after a scramble, but Thame were soon back laying siege to the Stotfold goal.
Two long throws were headed clear, Brown shot well over the bar from 25 yards, then Daniel sent a cross into the mixer which Gooch did well to punch away under pressure from Louis. Hackett’s corner was met by Deacon, but the goal bound header was headed away for another corner by Reynolds a couple of yards from his line. Thame were penalised at the subsequent corner to give the visitors some breathing space.
Daniel and Deacon combined on the left and the ball into the 6-yard box was touched on by Louis, and fell to Hackett at the far post. A goal seemed inevitable, but Gooch produced an incredible diving save to keep out the attempt from Hackett, much to the disbelief of the home supporters. With the clock now at 90 minutes it seemed as if that was the last chance for Thame to stay in the game.
Louis won another header to put Daniel clear in the left-hand channel but as Gooch came off his line to narrow the angle, Daniel unselfishly squared the ball to the unmarked Hackett, who this time was able to put the ball into the empty net. 3-4 with 91 minutes played.
The Stotfold players were now arguing amongst themselves as Thame surged forward. Daniel and Deacon interchanged passes, but for once the cross from Daniel was poor and sailed over the bar. In a frantic finale, Daniel’s header from a Brown cross was headed off the line. Daniel retrieved possession and his ball across the goalmouth produced another fine save from Gooch from Riddick's header, and the loose ended up at the feet of Brown at the far post who gleefully smashed the ball into the unguarded net. 4-4 after 94 minutes.
There was barely time for the restart as the referee brought a dramatic and pulsating game to an end. It could quite easily have finished 10-10 ! Stotfold would be devasted to have lost a four goal lead and conceding three goals in the last 10 minutes, but they did not look like a side 5th from bottom in the table, or the league’s second lowest scorers. Their pace, movement and passing upfront caused the Thame defence no end of problems that they couldn’t handle, and only some fine saves from Crowther and the woodwork on two occasions prevented more goals.
After being second best for most of the match, Thame got out of jail thanks to their barnstorming finish and moved upto 5th in the table.
It was a fantastic match for the neutral, but the defensive coaches for both sides would probably be pulling their hair out. Bizarrely for an 8 goal thriller, both goal-keepers had outstanding games !
Link To Online Programme : https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/files.pitchero.com%2Fclubs%2F13461%2FmqKWG9BToyiYzJcCi75D_Match+Day+Programme+Stotfold.pdf
Thame United : Crowther – Stranks, West ( Louis ), Murray, Lucey - Alexander ( Brown ), Tutton, Riddick, Lack ( Hackett ), Daniel – Deacon
Stotfold : L Gooch – Brown ( Reynolds ), Coppin, Diviney, Kane – Matejko, Blower, M Gooch ( Buchanan ), Meriai – Kersey ( Sellers-West ), Spavins ( Donnelly )
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