September 30, 2025
After securing their first league points of the season last Saturday with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Stotfold, Thame had an opportunity to add to that with the Tuesday night visit of AFC Dunstable. After starting the season with just one home fixture in their opening 7 matches, Thame were now playing their third home game in a run of six consecutive home matches.
AFC Dunstable were in 15th place in the table, with three more points than Thame but from two more games played. Thame were third from bottom.
Previous Meetings
Fatbear was in attendance for last season’s meeting between these two sides, also played in mid-week, when Dunstable came from behind to score two goals in the last 5 minutes plus added time to achieve a 3-2 victory in a thoroughly entertaining game for the neutral.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2024/10/thame-united-2-3-afc-dunstable-att-112.html
This would be the third time this fixture had been covered in these diaries, with the 1-1 draw on New Year’s Day in 2022 also being featured.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2022/01/thame-united-1-1-afc-dunstable-att-165.html
Thame and Dunstable have been in the same division since the 2017/18 season and overall Dunstable have had the edge. Thame had won just two of seven home matches, with two draws, and Dunstable had lost only once at home in 6 meetings, with two draws.
AFC Dunstable
Founded in 1981, they are not to be confused with Dunstable Town, the side George Best briefly played for in the 1973, and who are currently in the South Midlands Premier Division. The two sides both play at Creasey Park. Their nickname is the ODs, which stands for Old Dunstablians, their previous name, and not a reference to drug overdoses !
At the time of last season’s visit to the ASM, AFC Dunstable were owned by Varsity Nine, who are described as “a sports management company that specialises in delivering services for high performing players and student athletes”, which explained why everyone in their squad was 23 or younger. In November 2024, ownership of the club was moved to a private limited company, and is now run by a committee, although the focus on young players has continued.
Last season, AFC Dunstable finished in 14th place, with an average home attendance of 149.
AFC Dunstable This Season
Dunstable arrived at the ASM stadium with a 1-3-3 record. The season commenced with a 2-2 home draw with Northwood Town, which was followed with a 1-0 victory at Welwyn Garden City and another home draw, this time 1-1 against Hadley.
The first defeat came at the hands of Enfield, 2-5 away, then another, 1-2 at home to Milton Keynes Irish after which a 1-1 home draw with Beaconsfield Town was recorded. On Saturday, Dunstable subsided to a 0-1 loss at Hitchin Town with a red card to left-back Carmicheal Uchenna.
AFC Dunstable had been unlucky with their Cup draws, coming out of the hat second on four occasions. In the FA Cup, Harwich and Parkeston were vanquished 4-1 but AFC then exited the competition 0-1 at Tilbury.
In the FA trophy, Maldon and Tiptree were beaten 1-0, after which revenge was obtained over Enfield for the defeat in the league, with a 3-1 win. Dunstable finally had a home draw in the next round, where they will host step 3 Folkestone Invicta.
Dunstable’s average home league attendance this season is 113.
AFC Dunstable Squad
Ex-Holmer Green and Aylesbury Vale Dynamos striker Sean Duodu is now dual registered with step 2 Slough Town, and was the top scorer in all competitions with four goals. Striker Timothy Okwusogu played for Ware last season and had found the net three times this season.
At 23 years old, ex-Newport Pagnell Town defender Ben Lynch was the oldest player in the AFC Dunstable squad whilst centre-back Harry Riley played 11 matches for Thame in 2023/24.
Midfielder Maks Jarzabek had previously played for Beaconsfield Town and Aylesbury United whilst right-back Joshua Clark-Anderson was formerly part of the MK Dons Academy, and attacking midfielder Avtandil Akhsiashvilli hails from Georgia and was with Beaconsfield Town last season.
From the squad that featured in last season’s encounter, midfielders Tali Jallow, George Joyce, Kyle Brooks, and forward Tommy Blennerhassett were also involved tonight. Left-back Khyan Frazer-Williams, who was outstanding in last season’s meeting as a 16 year old, has now signed to be part of Crystal Palace’s Academy.
Matchday Information
According to AA Route Planner the journey from Dunstable to Thame is 26 miles and should normally just under 50 minutes.
The weather at the 19.45 kick-off was dry and the temperature was around 13 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.
Dunstable made four changes to the side that started at Hitchin, with Sam Carmen taking over between the sticks, Mwita Mgoyo coming in at centre-back and Jarzabek and Bruce Nsang in midfield. Jallow, Avtandil and Shawn Joseph dropped to the bench. Thame made two changes to the side that beat Stotfold, with starts for Ty Njogu and Abu Khan.
Dunstable were in sky blue shirts with white sleeves, black shorts and sky blue socks. The white numbers on the back of their shirts were not easy to see from a distance ! Thame were in their usual red and black shirts.
Matchday Report
Thame kicked off and almost immediately Khan was fouled near the right-hand touchline. Harry Alexander’s in-swinging free-kick bounced near the six-yard line and keeper Carmen fumbled. Dunstable were unable to clear the loose ball and a shot from Louis Walsh was blocked for a corner. The visitors’ defending at the corner was unconvincing, but the ball was eventually cleared.
Walsh then ran past Okwusogu and passed to Alexander, but his curling left-footed effort drifted wide of the far post.
The first on target shot arrived in the 9th minute. Callum Hall’s long throw was headed on by Mark Riddick, but Alexander’s stabbed shot went into the arms of the keeper.
Dunstable had their first attempt on goal in the 12th minute. A right-wing cross found Okwusogu unmarked at the far post but the header was totally mis-timed, and headed off towards the corner flag. It was a great chance wasted.
Play went down the other end and Walsh delivered a fierce cross but unfortunately for Thame, it went behind the two attackers bearing down on goal.
A nice flowing move from Dunstable then ended with Brooks’ cross-cum-shot flying high and wide across the goalmouth.
With 24 minutes on the clock, a suspiciously looking offside Brown ran onto a cross-field pass from Walsh and managed to get a cross in before the ball went out of play. Jenson Wright shaped to volley from 12 yards but completely missed the ball.
Two minutes later Carmen, under pressure from Riddick, dropped an over-hit cross from Khan. Dunstable were able to clear the loose ball but Thame lumped it back to the edge of the area. Riddick, with his back to the goal, held the ball up. Alexander took the ball away from him and burst into the penalty area and with just the keeper to beat, finished smartly. 1-0 after 26 minutes.
Walsh then sprayed another cross-field pass for Brown to scamper to the byline but his cross was put-off for a corner by Mgoyo. Alexander’s in-swinging delivery put pressure on Carmen but the keeper was able to punch away from under his crossbar. Khan sent the loose ball high over the bar from 30 yards.
Thame should have doubled their lead in the 34th minute. Njogu won possession as Dunstable tried to play out from the back and played the ball to Brown, who played a low ball across the goalmouth. Walsh, 8 yards out, failed to make contract, and a golden chance went begging.
Dunstable’s first serious effort of the match game two minutes later, but a good strike from Jarzabek was tipped over the bar by Thame keeper Pettitt. Thame cleared the corner and Walsh ran onto a long ball out of defence. With Uchenna trying to cover, Walsh spotted Carmen well out of his goal area and attempted to chip into the vacant goal from distance, but the ball sailed a yard over the bar.
Dunstable again attempted to play out from the back from the goal-kick and Brooks appeared to be very fortunate when he fell to the ground when challenged by Alexander, who was then clear on goal with just Carmen to beat. However, the referee judged that a foul had been committed on the Dunstable player.
A couple of minutes later Alexander won possession just inside the Thame half and played down the right-hand channel. Brown got past Uchenna but Mgoyo was covering and forced Brown wide, and good defending saw him block the cross at the expense of a corner. Mgoyo was again in the right place to concede another corner when Thame attempted a short corner routine.
Thame continued to dominate and Walsh went on a mazy run down the left and played the ball across goal from the byline. Wright’s effort was blocked at close range and the rebound fell to Brown, whose attempt from the bouncing ball went back across goal but high and wide. It was another good chance that Thame had failed to take advantage of.
Dunstable enjoyed a brief spell of pressure as the game moved into first half added time. First, a cross from Clark-Anderson went straight to the Thame keeper. Blennerhassett then ran at the retreating Thame backline and fired a foot or two wide of the post from 20 yards, with Pettitt holding a watching brief. The visitors then penned Thame into their area but good defence ensured there were no further chances.
Thame headed to the dressing rooms with a deserved 1-0 half-time lead, which perhaps should have been greater. They had looked physically stronger and won nearly all of the 50/50 tackles, with Njogu catching the eye with his ability to break-up play and calmly offload to a team-mate to launch an attack. Dunstable had looked good in patches but had rarely threatened until the close moments of the half.
Whatever was said in the Dunstable dressing room at half-time seemed to have had an effect, as the visitors made an impressive start to the second period. Okwusogu made a strong run down the left and then cut inside for a 20-yard shot that stung the hands of Pettitt, who gathered at the second attempt. Blennerhassett then spun on the edge of the area, but his effort lacked power and rolled several yards wide.
Walsh showed good vision for Thame to play another splendid cross-field ball in to the acres of space on the right to which Brown ran into, but good defending by Uchenna resulted in a goal-kick. Jazarbek then became the first player to be shown a yellow card after hauling Brown to the floor as Thame attempted to counter-attack from inside their half.
Uchenna continued his good play with a strong run down the left-wing and his pull-back reached Blennerhassett, but the left footed shot on the turn from 12 yards was screwed wide. It was Dunstable’s best chance of the game so far.
Brown was then shown a yellow card for taking too long at a throw in, after which Wright teed up Walsh for a 20-yard drive which was pushed away by Carmen, and Wright was flagged for offside when he tried to latch onto the rebound.
Dunstable thought they had grabbed an equaliser when Okwusogu’s 25 yards swerving effort looked to have deceived Pettitt, who was going the wrong way, but he was able to stick out an arm and deflect the ball over the bar.
Substitute Jallow picked up a loose ball and made a surging run into the Thame area but was stopped by a superb tackle by Dan West, and Okwusogu send the rebound high over the bar. Jallow then selfishly attempted to score from 30 yards, only for it go high and wide, when there were several better options.
At the other end Walsh got past Clark-Anderson but from a tight angle opted to shoot, sending the ball high and wide across goal.
After some scrappy play on the edge of the area, Okwusogu saw another shot blocked. Jallow then attempted another selfish effort from 25 yards, this time nearly sending the ball out of the stadium. Several of his team-mates were not impressed !
In the 68th minute Uchenna did well to prevent Khan from shepherding the ball out for a Thame goal-kick and passed to Okwusogu, who this time shot wildly over the bar. Another good move from Dunstable ended with another shot from Okwusogu being blocked.
Dunstable were now on top but were looking pretty toothless in attack.
With 77 minutes played another good move from the visitors ended with Blennerhassett shooting a couple of yards over the bar, shortly after which, Jallow ran through two would be tacklers and surprisingly opted to pass rather than shoot, and Okwusogu was the beneficiary, this time turning and shooting left-footed into the bottom corner for the equaliser. 1-1 after 78 minutes.
Dunstable were looking the side more likely to go on to win the game, and Uchenna broke down the left but Jallow’s weak shot from the edge of the area was easily saved by Pettitt.
Thame won a corner, but Riddick’s header at the far post was a routine save for Carmen. Dunstable then took play down the other end, and Avtandil’s chip across the goal from a tight angle struck the crossbar and bounced away to safety.
Avtandil played a pass to Blennerhassett after a probing run, but the shot from the edge of the area was weak and Pettitt had another regulation save to make.
Thame won another corner, which was taken by Jack Tutton, and Riddick rose the highest at the far post to head home from 6 yards. It was against the run of play, but Thame now led 2-1 after 83 minutes.
Avtandil made another good run for the visitors but Dunstable were unable to line up a shot for anyone and Khan was able to clear.
As the game moved into added on time, Clark-Anderson won a corner for Dunstable after good defending by Khan. Thame were desperately hanging on and were hitting it anywhere. When Dunstable had a throw-in midway inside the Thame half, every Thame player was defending inside their area. The ball was thrown short and a Dunstable defender launched the ball high into the Thame penalty. Keeper Pettitt decided to come to claim the ball but hopelessly misjudged it, and was caught in no-man’s land. The ball came off a Dunstable head and looped slowly into the vacant net. Brooks was credited with the goal and it was 2-2 after 94 minutes.
There was still time for one last attack by Thame, but after cutting in from the left Greg Hackett’s blazed effort was closer to the corner flag than to the goal.
At the final whistle a draw probably the right result. Thame were much the better side in the first half, whereas Dunstable were the better team in the second period, and although the equaliser came deep into added time and had a strong element of good fortune, it felt deserved.
With results elsewhere this evening, Thame had slipped to second from bottom. Dunstable moved up a place to 14th.
Thame United : Pettitt – Khan, Tingey, West, Hall – Njogu ( Monroe ), Riddick, Wright ( Williams ), Walsh ( Tutton ) – Alexander, Brown ( Hackett )
AFC Dunstable : Carmen – Clark-Anderson, Lynch ( Jospeh ), Mgoyo ( Addy ), Uchenna – Nsang ( Avtandil ), Brooks, Joyce ( Jallow ), Jarzabek ( Lucas ), Okwusogu - Blennerhassett
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