Godalming Town 0 (0) v (1) 1 Tunbridge Wells – FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
Back to the Bill Kyte Stadium at last for the first home game of the season. The fact that the game was on at all in these tropical times is down to that Rock n’ Roll Combo ‘Pete and the Waterers’ and their efforts to revive the sacred turf.
It has been eight years since Godalming Town last appeared in the FA Cup, bowing out at this first stage in an abysmal 5-0 defeat at Horndean, the game over as a contest in the first 15 minutes I seem to recall. Not the same score from this one thankfully but it ended in defeat all the same.
Teams can name seven substitutes and use five at this stage of the Cup and Mo managed six, numbers depleted by the injury that Rob Parrott picked up on Tuesday and Cam Edwin’s suspension. Stephen Douglas was in goal. Nana Afful, Elliot Creely, Evan Kelly and Ethan Fifield lined up in a four-man defence. Jav Waugh started in centre midfield alongside Captain, Deji Adeosun and Sam Thomas while Mark Soares and Mal Thomas sat behind Deji Alabi upfront. The bench comprised Jonny Miller, Conor Stillwell, Sam Fernley, Shane Johnson, Dan Boyden and Danilo Carvalho.
The third minute saw Jav Waugh play a ball directly in to the Tunbridge Wells area. Their keeper fluffed his clearance which fell to Mal Thomas outside the box inviting him to try his luck from distance, but the ball went wide of the left hand post. The next action had Sam Thomas play in Mal who crossed to Mark Soares and, as Mark challenged the keeper to be first to the cross, he was inevitably penalised for some infraction or other. Elliot Creely took a free kick which fell into the path of Deji Alabi, but the keeper cleared for a throw.
Ten minutes in and we saw the first attempt on goal by the visitors when a Gees free kick broke down and allowed them to attack down our left, the finish was thankfully poor. The next Tunbridge move came down the other wing where no one was on hand to convert the cross that came over. Back up the Road End Mark went on one of his wide runs goalwards but hit his shot over from a tight angle. Mark then won the Gee’s first corner after Jav played him in, and he also got his head to the corner, but the ball went wide.
It was a tight game, but I thought the Gees were well in it until the 21st minute when a Tunbridge man broke wide down our left. For my money he meant to cross it but disappointingly the ball went in at the near post, 1-0 to Tunbridge. That is the 3rd game from three where we have been in the contest until conceding the opener during the same period of the first half. Things again went flat from the men in yellow after the goal and Tunbridge won their first corner on the 30 minute mark. A better Gees move was initiated by Elliot finding Deji Alabi, it cycled between Mark, Ethan, Deji again and Mark before Mel took a shot which was wide of goal. Of the three sides we have played, and with no disrespect to them, I thought Tunbridge the least inventive and the half petered out into a long ball affair which better suited their game plan. One more effort from Mark set up by Sam Thomas went wide and brought the half to a close.
No changes for the Gees at the restart. Sam Thomas broke down the right, but no one was on hand to meet the ball. Deji Alabi played in Nana on the same wing but the ball in sailed over the bar. Tunbridge went up the other end and put their first effort high as well. Changes came on 64 minutes in a double substitution as Ethan and Jav gave way to Jonny Miller and Shane Johnson effectively leaving three at the back. Jonny immediately lifted proceedings, winning the first Gees corner of the half, picking up a ball from Evan Kelly and playing a 1-2 with Mal. Elliot’s head was first to the corner, but he could not get enough purchase on the ball. Stephen saved from a Tunbridge corner and his ball up field saw Sam marginally offside when Jonny played him through. Both Sam T and Deji Alabi left the field to give way to Sam Fernley and Dan Boyden.
Tunbridge headed wide from a corner as the Gees were struggling to get both on top of the game and to create a clear cut chance. Deji Adeosun caught a yellow card for stopping a Tunbridge man as they broke away picking up a Gees free kick that came to nothing. A string of visitors’ substitutions broke the play up further and we all spotted that, unlike the Knaphill game, there was no card for the Sub who was up and away while his mate coming off was still 20 metres shy of the touchline. Dan went on a long chase, played in by Mal, but a defender just got to the ball first. Injury time saw Deji Adeosun bench bound to give Conor Stillwell a cameo appearance. There was still time for one last Gees corner and for Sam Fernley to be given yellow when he was just as much sinned against as sinning in a challenge. One last effort created by Jonny Miller was begging for any number of players to take a shot which never came.
Three defeats and no goals in as many games is new territory for this ‘group’ while for the older fans it’s an unwanted trip down Memory Lane. There’s enough in this squad to know things will pick up for the better. Tuesday’s trip to Tooting is off, their FA Cup replay taking precedence and that’s probably no bad thing while the games come thick and fast.
Next, we are on our travels again. Saturday 15th August a 3pm kick off at Imber Court vs the Met Police.
COYG’s