Chatham vs Maldon & Tiptree FC

Maldon & Tiptree visited the well-appointed Maidstone Road ground seeking to avenge an opening day of the season 1-0 defeat inflicted on them by Chatham Town but it was obvious from first sight of the pitch, which had not seen a mower for some time, that any attractive football would be at a premium. Manager Mike Flanagan was able to name an unchanged team from the one which had put in an impressive performance against Romford in midweek.

Players enter the field of play..

The visitors kicked off in damp conditions and Junior Luke broke down the right but his cross went behind. As early as the 4th minute the home side were forced to make a substitution when Jamie Lawrence replaced captain Brad Potter who appeared to have suffered a muscle injury in the pre-match warm up. Maldon & Tiptree enjoyed the early pressure as Ross Wall fired an effort straight at keeper Roberts after 10 minutes and then only 3 minutes later the same player was unlucky when he narrowly failed to beat the advancing Roberts as he attempted to reach a through ball from Sos Yao. Both teams were guilty of giving the ball away on a difficult surface but the home side took the lead against the run of play on 15 minutes when a cross from the right by Watson was met with a powerful header from Joe Fuller and, although Scott Stevens managed to get his hands to the ball, he was unable to prevent it entering the net at the near post.

Keeper Stevens, who failed to save the header.

Maldon & Tiptree continued to enjoy the majority of the possession without managing to create many clear-cut opportunities but on 20 minutes, when Junior Luke was held back on the right, Dave Collins’ curling free kick was met by Adam Flanagan but he was unable to get enough power in his header. Reece Morgan was getting through a lot of work in midfield for the visitors and he put a long-range effort over the bar on 25 minutes as the home defence retreated to leave him unchallenged. Ollie Berquez seemed to have been targeted for some special treatment by the home side as referee Potter spoke to Chatham’s Lawrence and Watson for late challenges on him in the space of only 6 minutes, but the game was being played in a good spirit with both defences on top. On 37 minutes Ross Wall fired narrowly wide of the far post after an impressive move involving Luke, Berquez and Morgan and, as Maldon & Tiptree ended the first half in control, Adam Flanagan, attempting to score for the third consecutive game, could only put a header from another free kick from Collins straight into the grateful arms of home keeper Roberts for what was the last chance of a disappointing first half.

Half-time: Chatham Town 1 Maldon & Tiptree 0

The second half started as the first period ended with the visitors enjoying the majority of the possession but their final ball was poor and they were unable to threaten the home goal. On 50 minutes an uncharacteristic poor ball out of defence by Ian Cousins allowed Chatham’s Matt Jolly to find the dangerous Gary Tilley on the left but his cross was too deep for both Watson and Fuller. Junior Luke should have equalised for Maldon & Tiptree only two minutes later when he was left free on goal on the edge of the area but his attempt to lob the advancing keeper dropped narrowly wide of the far post. On 54 minutes Chatham’s Matt Newman was lucky to avoid a booking for blatantly pulling back Sos Yao to prevent the strikers run on goal from a deep position. In an isolated break-away, Tilley got behind the visiting defence on the left but he fired narrowly wide of the far post.

Junior Luke...

Sos Yao gets his foot in.

Newman was fortunate to just reach a through ball ahead of the Yao to concede a corner on 57 minutes but Dave Collins’ kick was easily cleared. On the hour mark the home side enjoyed their best period of play of the game and, when Cousins was adjudged to have fouled Fuller on the edge of the penalty area, Tilley’s free kick was blocked by the defensive wall and from the resultant corner Chris Hill’s powerful header was blocked and the ball was eventually scrambled clear after a second corner. In their search for an equaliser Maldon & Tiptree were guilty of giving the ball away and Chatham were beginning to look dangerous on the break but, ironically, the visitors equalised after a period of Chatham pressure. On 66 minutes, Collins and Cousins combined on the left of defence to clear the ball to Jack Stevenson who released Sos Yao who outpaced defender Hill and beat the advancing Roberts to put the ball inside the far post. Joe Pearman immediately replaced the impressive Reece Morgan for the visitors but Chatham responded as Stevens had to be alert to reach a through ball ahead of Fuller and then Jason Barton fired a first-time effort narrowly wide.

On 71 minutes Sos Yao had an ideal opportunity to give the visitors the lead when he was again through on goal but, after taking the ball past the advancing goalkeeper, he slipped as he tried to put the ball in the net from an acute angle and could only hit the side-netting. A minute later, former Maldon Town favourite Jack Jeffery replaced Fuller for Chatham and he almost had an immediate impact when he put a header from a free kick narrowly wide of the near post. On 75 minutes a weaving run from Stevenson took him past several Chatham defenders but his final shot went narrowly wide with Roberts beaten. Leon Antoine replaced Ross Wall on 78 minutes and 3 minutes later the home side should have taken the lead when Luke lost possession on the halfway line allowing Tilley to break. His cross found Watson unmarked at the far post but he sliced his effort wide of the target from close range. Chatham’s Barton was booked for dissent on 83 minutes for kicking the ball away after being given offside and both sides had chances in the closing minutes as first Yao put an attempted lob straight at the keeper on 86 minutes and then Jeffery fired over the bar 2 minutes later at the other end. A minute from the end of normal time, Chatham’s Lawrence received a yellow card for a late challenge on Collins and, in the first minute of time added on, Ollie Berquez received similar punishment for a foul on Jeffery.

Full-Time: Chatham Town 1 Maldon & Tiptree 1


Attendance: 117

Chatham Town: Roberts, Laker, Barton, Solly, Hill, Potter (Lawrence), Watson, Hales, Fuller (Jeffery), Newman, Tilley. Subs not used: Mollah, Kessell. 

Maldon & Tiptree: Stevens, O’Rawe, Collins, Stevenson, Flanagan, Cousins, Luke, Berquez, Wall (Antoine), Yao, Morgan (Pearman). Subs not used: Saltwell, Coyne.

Maldon & Tiptree Man-of-the-Match : Reece Morgan