Winning season opener for Thame United

FOR the first time in six years, Thame United secured three points on the opening day of the season as they defeated Milton United 1-0 in a game that United controlled from start to finish.

Not only did manager Mark West give full debuts to Henry Owen, Craig Faulconbridge and Nick Dugmore, he also introduced a new 3-5-2 formation. And it did not take long for the Thame players to adapt to the formation as they dominated the opening exchanges, albeit chances were few and far between. Indeed the best chance in the opening quarter came after only four minutes when a cross from Shannon Jesson beat the home keeper and came back off the post before being cleared to safety.

The next chance did not arrive until the 32nd minute when a free kick in to the box was met by the head of Ellis Hercules whose powerful header was pushed over the bar by Griffiths. Jesson then went close three minutes later with a strike that went wide of the goal, before United failed to take advantage of a goal mouth scramble in the 39th minute.

Henry Owen, who scored the winning goal for Thame on Saturday

With the game score less at half time, United eventually broke the deadlock three minutes in to the second half. A Jesson free kick from the right was met by a combination of Hercules and Owen with the latter getting the final touch and heading the ball beyond Griffiths. It was no less than United deserved and Ben Gray nearly extended the lead four minutes later, with a header at the far post pushed wide by a defender. Faulconbridge then forced an excellent save from Griffiths on 73 minutes, pushing a shot around the post from an acute angle, before a similar Jesson effort was also pushed wide on 85 minutes.

Indeed, it was only in the last five minutes that the home side put United under any real pressure – up until which time the back three of Owen, Hercules and Dugmore had marshalled the home strikers well. Even then Lee Farrow in the Thame goal, was rarely troubled as United held on for the three points.
Next up for United are Binfield, who visit the ASM Stadium on Tuesday night (11/08), 7:45pm kick off.

United:
Farrow, Evans, Dugmore, Hercules, Owen, Kedzierski (Stowe), Connelly, Jesson, Faulconbridge, Gray (House), Ricketts (Pykett).

Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division – Milton United 0 Thame United 1 – August 8, 2015.

SOURCE: Contributed by Jake Collinge