September 27, 2025
It was back to the bread and butter of league football for Thame after success in the FA Trophy last weekend, for which they were rewarded with an attractive Oxfordshire derby at home to step 3 Banbury United in the next round.
Today’s opposition were Stotfold, struggling in 18th place in the league table, but Thame were bottom having lost all four league matches to date !
Previous Meetings
Last season’s fixture at Thame was a fabulous game for the neutral. With fewer than 30 minutes left to play, Stotfold led by 4-0, but Thame amazingly stormed back to draw 4-4, including two goals in added on time. Fatbear was there to report on the match
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2025/02/thame-united-4-4-stotfold-att-106.html
The return match at Stotfold also ended with honours even, as this time Stotfold twice came from behind to draw 2-2.
Despite fighting against relegation in 2023/24, Thame did the double over Stotfold, winning 2-1 at home and 2-0 away.
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, although more recently the colloquial term “the fold” has become increasingly popular. Home is New Roker Park, which cost £2M to build and opened in 2020 after their original Roker Park ground was sold for housing.
Stotfold’s first season at step 4 was in 2023/24 where they finished a respectable 7th place, but last season the ended up in 17th place, two points clear of the relegation places, with an average attendance of 204.
Stotfold This Season
Stotfold had a disastrous start to their season, losing their first six matches in all competitions before beating Marlow 2-0 at home in their last outing.
The season began with a 0-4 home defeat to step 4 Redbridge in the FA Cup, after which league matches were lost 0-3 at home to Beaconsfield, 4-5 at Ware, 2-3 at home to Leverstock Green, 2-4 at Hadley before a 0-2 home defeat to Isthmian League Division One North Mildenhall in the FA Trophy.
The average home league attendance was 133 so far.
Stotfold Squad
Striker Henry Snee, who rejoined Stotfold in the summer after spells at Biggleswade United and Hitchin Town, was the top scorer with 4 goals, whilst another returning player, winger Luca Cardines, and who had played for Biggleswade Town, Kempston Rovers and Hertford, had found the net twice.
New signing ex-Potters Bar midfielder Richesse Mvioki scored on his debut against Marlow, whilst other recent signings to strengthen the squad after the poor start to the season included ex-Arlesey Town defender Hamid Sesay, ex Hitchin and Ashford Town forward Joseph Chidyausiku and ex-Biggleswade Town, Leighton and Cambridge City midfielder Sebastian Simpson.
Keeper Liam Gooch, defender Jack Brown and midfielders Alex Coppin and Mitchell Gooch were survivors from last season’s encounter at the ASM Stadium.
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.
The weather at the 15.00 kick-off was dry and cloudy, and the temperature was around 15 degrees.
Entrance to the game was £10 for adults and £5 for concessions, £3 for Under 16s, whilst under 5s went in for free. A large cup of tea cost £1.50. An online programme had been produced for the match.
Stotfold were unchanged from the side that beat Marlow last time out, whilst Thame made two changes to the side that beat Winchester. With keeper Matt Crowther suffering a serious looking shoulder injury in that game and likely to out for several months, Thame had moved to signed Johnny Pettitt on loan from Wycombe Wanderers. The other change was striker Lance Williams coming in for last week’s two goal hero Greg Hackett, who was missing today.
Stotfold were playing in a change kit of all purple, whilst Thame were in their usual red and black shirts.
Matchday Report
A one-minute silence was observed in respect of Chichester City’s Bill Vigar, who passed away during the week, after having suffered a head injury last weekend at Leyton & Wingate.
Immediately from the kick-off, Curtis Brown made a strong run to the Stotfold byline but his pull-back was cut-out by Mvioki. A long throw for Thame reached Williams, whose shot was blocked for a corner, to which Coppin was able to get a head to for another throw-in for the home side.
Stotfold won their first corner of the game when Coppin’s long cross-field pass was put out by Thame left-back Callum Hall with winger Dan Kemp lurking behind him. Cardines delivery sailed over the keeper and off a goal-kick.
The first chance of the game arrived in the 8th minute when Harry Alexander teed up Jenson Wright, whose 20-yard piledriver was pushed away by the diving Stotfold keeper. Gooch was called into action again a minute later, bravely diving at the feet of Williams to claim Brown’s dangerous looking low cross.
At the other end, Mvioki nicked the ball away from Dan West, but his 20 yard left-footed attempt was sent well wide of the goal.
A Thame long throw was headed on by Riddick but bounced into the arm of Gooch, shortly after which Stotfold’s Lewis Thomas was in the right position to intercept a low cross from Louis Walsh intended for Alexander.
The end-to-end nature of the opening stages continued when Kemp sent an inviting cross from the right wing, but Luke Tingay made an important sliding block at the near post to prevent Snee having a chance to finish. It was then the visitors’ turn to launch a long throw in the 6-yard box, which Pettitt tentatively pushed over the crossbar, and the corner was headed clear at the near post.
Both sides were struggling to make a breakthrough, and Alexander was denied by good covering defending by Seisay.
The first yellow card was shown in the 19th minute to Thame’s Mark Riddick, who appeared to have made a splendid tackle on Mvioki, but the referee thought otherwise. It looked like Thame manager Ben Williams also saw yellow for his comments after the card to Riddick had been produced.
Walsh then lofted a ball into the Stotfold area for Alexander, who went to ground very easily after a challenge by Olatunde Okeowo, and although there were some half-hearted appeals for a penalty, a goal-kick was given.
Thame were gradually getting on top, with some nice passing, but were failing to make much of an impression on the well organised Stotfold defence. Walsh did well down the left-hand channel but his ball into the area for Williams was cut-out by the outstretched foot of Thomas. Momentarily, it looked like the ball might sneak past the wrong-footed keeper, but fortunately for Stotfold, it went wide of the post for a corner. The set-piece was wasted, landing on the roof of the net.
Another long throw by Brown was headed out to Alexander, but his volley from 20 yards went a couple of feet over the bar.
A Stotfold break saw Kemp put a poor cross straight to the Thame keeper, and in the 35th minute Seisay scythed down Walsh for the first yellow for the visitors, but the free-kick was poor and easily headed away. Walsh was in the wars, being fouled twice more in quick succession.
A poor clearance from keeper Gooch went straight off for a throw to Thame, which Brown again sent into the mixer. A defender headed the ball away as far as Alexander just outside the area, but his goal-bound shot was blocked by Seisay a couple of feet off his goal-line for a corner.
Play was held up for several minutes after Okeowo landed awkwardly after trying to challenge Alexander, but fortunately the left-back was okay to continue.
Stotfold’s best chance of the game came in first half added on time. A bouncing left-wing cross from Cardines, was pushed away by the diving Pettitt only as far as Mitchell Gooch, who could only spoon high into the air, and Pettitt recovered to make the catch.
The last action of the half saw Thame’s Dan West receive a yellow card, for a handball whilst under pressure from Snee. The resulting free-kick was headed clear by Wright, following which the referee blew his whistle to end the first half
As the teams headed towards the dressing rooms, the scores were deservedly level. There had been some nice play from both sides but there had been few clear-cut chances.
Thame one made change for the start of the second half, with Abu Khan coming on for Williams, but taking the right-back berth, with Brown moving up front.
The opening 20 minutes or so of the second period were not great, with both sides’ main weapon being long-throws. For Stotfold, Coppin’s 25-yard shot went well wide but Pettitt was claiming Seisay’s long throws with increasing confidence although Thomas got his head to one throw, which Pettitt only gathered at the second attempt before a Stotfold attacker could poke in from close range.
For Thame, Tutton sent a 25-yard free-kick high over the bar, and Alexander beat Coppin three times and a couple of other Stotfold defenders on a mazy run, but was eventually disposed by Thomas. Walsh got past Brown to run into the Stotfold area but then lost control whilst bearing down on the keeper.
The most eye-catching piece of play came in the 62nd minute, and saw Khan run from close to the half-way line past four Stotfold players to be one-v-one against Gooch, but his poked shot hit the chest of the keeper and rolled off for a corner. A short-corner routine was messed up.
Alexander headed on a long throw, but it was cleared. When Thame reworked possession, Hall made a good run down the left, only to cross straight to Gooch.
With 65 minutes on the clock, Stotfold brought on the portly Chidyausiku to add some beef to their attack.
Thame finally found the back of the net in the 70th minute, but Brown’s smart header from Wright’s cross was chalked off for offside. Brown could have scored a minute later, being found in space inside the Stotfold area after Wright and Alexander had exchanged passes, but a poor touch enabled Seisay to take the ball away from him.
In an increasingly rare foray into the Thame area, Cardines volleyed over the bar after a long throw had been headed out to him.
The game’s controversial moment occurred in the 76th minute. Thame played a long ball down the left and substitute Ethan Lack was clearly standing in an offside position and stopped. Alexander looked to have timed his run perfectly, and the referee ignored the linesman’s raised flag and waved play on. Alexander ran on, drew the keeper and unselfishly squared the ball to Lack to tap into the empty goal. The referee then consulted with his assistant, and disallowed the goal and awarded a free-kick to Stotfold.
It was all Thame now, and Alexander did well to cross from the left to beyond the far post, but Riddick was unable to get his header on target. Walsh made a good run and found Brown inside the visitors’ area but Okeowo made a vital block. Thame recycled possession but Lack shot over the bar.
With 88 minutes played, Walsh found Alexander who released Brown to run at goal, but he wanted too much time and was unable to get a shot away. Alexander won the loose ball and fed Lack, but the deflected shot went into the side netting for a corner. Walsh’s delivery was headed away for a throw, from which Tingey headed on but Gooch was able to gather. Brown then got past Okeowo close to the byline but Thomas put the ball off for another corner.
With play having been stopped on several occasions due to injuries to Stotfold players, 10 added minutes were to be played, and Thame laid siege to the Stotfold goal.
Brown again got free on the right but his intended ball to the unmarked Lack was cut out, when perhaps he could have gone on his own. Khan was then wrestled to the ground near the corner flag, and Snee entered the referee’s notebook. Gooch though made a good catch from the free-kick.
The referee clearly warned Seisay not to go any further when taking a throw-in, the centre-back ignored the directive and stole a few more yards, resulting in the referee stopping play when the ball had entered play, and gave the throw to Thame.
Thame continued to pile on the pressure, and a shot from Walsh from just outside the area produced a top save from Gooch, not only diving low to his right, but holding onto the ball.
Just when it looked like the overworked Stotfold rearguard would hold on for a point, Hall crossed from left to right where Khan and Brown combined. The ball across the goalmouth was slightly behind Walsh, but the midfielder was able to spin and shoot left footed into the bottom corner past the despairing Gooch. 1-0 in the 11th minute of added on time
With there being more injuries in added time, the referee played another three minutes, but Thame were able to see out the closing stages without any alarms, for what was in the end a deserved victory, albeit tough on Stotfold who came so close to holding out.
Thame’s first points of the season took them off the bottom of the table, to be one of five sides, together with Stotfold, on three points.
Thame United : Pettitt – Brown, Tingey, West, Hall – Tutton ( Lack ), Wright ( Njogu ), Riddick, Walsh – Alexander, Williams ( Khan )
Stotfold : L. Gooch – Brown, Seisay, Thomas ( Bunyan ), Okeowo – Kemp ( Chidyausiku ), Coppin ( Peters ), M. Gooch, Mvioki ( Simpson ), Cardines - Snee
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