Dorking Wanderers B 1 (0) v (2) 4 Godalming Town

Another three points to the Gees in a game where, on chances alone, four goals flattered the hosts, a young side who played some pretty football on the park but lacked a cutting edge. Being the second game in three days and with the little matter of playoffs ahead, Mo rotated the pack and the bench, giving all five substitutes from the Alfold match a start.

Ryan O’Sullivan, of course, in goal, and the defence lined up with Nana Afful and Malik Shittu as full backs with Shiloh Ndiulor returning to partner Rob Parrott at centre back. Behind striker Will May sat Deji Adeosun, Elroy Wealthyland, Mark Soares and Cameron Edwin, Cam wearing the captain’s armband for the day. Finally, and wearing 11 was Jonny Miller. My informant who wrote Jonny off for the season has been sacked, great to see him make an appearance on Saturday and to start this match.

Godalming started well and won an early corner which dropped just the wrong side of the crossbar. Mark Soares picked up a ball wide right, crossed into Cam, who set up Will May, Will’s shot going for a goal kick. With 8 minutes gone Will played the ball out wide to Mark, Mark’s ball in came off a defender and Will was on hand to smack it into the net for 1-0 to the Gees. Cam, set up by Will, had an effort blocked by the Dorking keeper. Malik Shittu played a ball from left to right to Mark Soares and Mark found himself well and truly upended by a late challenge. A free kick given but no card for the offender. Rob Parrott took the kick to Jonny Miller, Cam picked up the pass and saw his shot blocked, Nana played the ball back into the box, where it was cleared away.

Mark latched on to a ball from Deji, turned and shot, forcing a fine save from the keeper, the ball fell to Will who agonisingly hit the bar. The first two chances materialised for Dorking and were dealt with by Ryan who, from the second of them, started a move via Rob Parrott, through Jonny Miller, that ended with a Mark Soares shot being deflected out for a Gees corner. Mark was brought down again (no card) and the free kick, taken short to Rob, saw another Will effort rebound off the keeper.

31 minutes had passed when Cam won a corner and he was on hand in front of goal to glance home the Gees’ second goal, Will’s header sending it back across to him from the far post. A frustrated Malik stuck out a hand to a ball heading out of play while all alone on the far left touchline in the Dorking half. That yellow card, kept snugly in the referee’s pocket while Mark Soares was being taken out earlier, leapt in action to punish the handball.

With 4 minutes to the break Cam Edwin pulled up and was unable to continue. Not at all what we wanted to see, and James Mansfield took the field to replace him. A flurry of action at our end just prior to the halftime whistle saw Ryan called on to make another save and at the turnaround it remained 2-0 to Godalming.

The eleven finishing the 1st came out for the 2nd half with Deji Adeosun now wearing the captain’s armband. Shiloh won a great tackle at the back before feeding the ball to Jonny Miller, Mark Soares picked it up and his shot was deflected to James Mansfield who brought another good stop out of the Dorking keeper. Rob Parrott won the ball and brought it out of defence where his pass to Will May left the Dorking defence in tatters, but Will’s shot went wide of the post. Next up from the back was Nana who, on 54 minutes, won and got the ball forward to Will, who set up James Mansfield for a great finish and 3-0 to the Gees.

Nana came forward again but was taken out with only a free kick for his trouble and on the 60 minute mark we saw Jack Sherwood sent on to replace Malik Shittu. Dorking had enjoyed much of the possession in the half but didn’t trouble the Godalming goal until around the 70 minute mark when they broke through and placed their attempt wide. Louis Lindsay came on for Mark Soares just after. The ball appeared to bounce up and hit Deji’s arm in our box during the next Dorking attack, no penalty and very little in the way of Dorking appeals either. But it was soon to be 3-1 when a ball over on the right of our area wasn’t dealt with and they took full advantage, lashing in a good goal from a tight angle. Will saw another chance go wide before James Mariner and Ollie McAleese came on for Nana Afful and Deji Adeosun with 8 minutes left. Louis Lindsay made a great challenge to break up some fancy Dorking passing across their backline and found himself on goal with only the keeper to beat, the keeper saving at the expense of a corner. James Mansfield took the corner and scored, maybe courtesy of the keeper’s flailing arm at the far post. The consensus on the touchline was that it was James’ second goal of the game, and Godalming’s fourth.

Whether it’s something related to the 4G pitch or not, Louis Lindsay was next to need treatment. He made his way to the sideline and the Gees carried on and saw out the game with 10 men. Bar needing the intervention of Jack Sherwood on one occasion to clear a ball off the line, after an otherwise uneventful last few minutes the final score remained 4-1.

5 days until the last league game of the season, all those players who took a knock today and Deji Alabi, who was watching, are making good noises about their recovery times. Looking at the table after today it’s all going to the last games for everyone else around us except, probably, for ourselves. We will, bar a goal fest of epic proportions on Saturday, finish third with a home semi-final on Tuesday 29th.

One game at a time and it’s Uckfield next, at Home Saturday 3pm.

COYG’s