Last game of the season for Thame United?

MATCH REPORT; Kintbury Rangers 2 versus Thame United 4

UNITED travelled to Berkshire on Saturday, April 25, 2009, uncertain as to whether the abandoned fixture with Penn & Tylers Green the previous Tuesday was to be replayed and if the Kintbury match represented the last game of the season.

Whatever the uncertainty, United knew they had to win to maximize the chances of a top ten finish and the potential for FA Cup football next season and they put in a polished, professional performance to comfortably defeat their hosts and end the season with only one defeat in their last thirteen fixtures.

United opened the scoring in the 11th minute when a Luke Ricketts cross from the right was taken down well by Stuart Barr on the edge of the box who turned and drilled the ball in to the bottom corner of the next. United had the ball in the back of the net again a minute later when Ricketts finished well, only for the referee to award a foul by Thomas Hoskin in the build-up to the goal. At this stage, United were comfortably in control, but there followed a mad couple of minutes as Kintbury turned the game on its head. First in the 23rd minutes a cross from the right was stabbed in to an empty net by Shaun Thorp for the equaliser, whilst a minute later Kintbury were awarded a penalty in controversial circumstances when Kintbury took a quick free kick whilst the referee was still in discussion with a Thame player following an earlier incident. Despite this, the referee allowed play to continue and a Kintbury player was fouled in the box, with Shaun Dyke converting the penalty.

It was not long before Thame equalized, Mitchell Meredith hit a perfect cross field ball to Ricketts who crossed first time to Hoskin who confidently swept the ball beyond the keeper. United then went ahead just before half time when Mark Jones found himself in space in the penalty area and drilled the ball beyond the despairing dive of the Kintbury keeper.

With five goals in the first half the second half was a bit of an anti-climax. Thame controlled the majority of the possession and defended well, effectively killing off the game in the 56th minute when Rhodes found Ricketts on the edge of the box, who placed the ball high in to the roof of the net.

Thame did find the back of the net again 10 minutes later when a Dave Hocking header from a free kick went in off the post, but the referee again pulled play back for an off-side decision. The remainder of the game passed by without incident as United left the field to warm applause from their band of followers.

Thame United ? Searl, Meredith, Newell (Way), Cowan, Hocking, El-Kassir, A.Rhodes, Barr Ricketts, Hoskin (Bloomfield) Jones.

Photo: Left to right – Mark Jones, Stuart Barr and Thomas Hoskin