Thame United Boxing Day Blues (Contributed)

Penn & Tylers Green 3, Thame United 2
BOXING Day?s match at Penn and Tylers green was a game that Thame United did not deserve to loose. They had more possession, created some good chances, had a perfectly good ?goal? disallowed and, although the referee offered little protection, maintained their discipline well against an unnecessarily physical Penn side. Due to Christmas commitments Thame were without some key players, including leading goal scorer Nathan Jack.

Thame started well but, against the run of play, Penn scored in the 10th minute. A cross from the right found home striker, Dave Keenan in space and he hit a well placed shot from 15 yards, beating Thame?s goalkeeper, Paul Searl. A few minutes later Graeme Catlin, forced a good save from the home keeper when he met a Ben Connelly cross with a strong header. Thame were having more of the play and it seemed only a matter of time before they equalised, but in fact it was Penn who, on 29 minutes, increased their lead. A cross from the left was met with a weak goal bound header from the unchallenged Andy Goddard. The normally reliable Searl fumbled the save and it was 2-0 to the home side. On 35 minutes, Thame?s Player/Manager Mark West met a corner with a good header which seemed to cross the goal line before being blocked by a defending hand but, despite Thame protests, the unsighted referee waved play on.

Thame pulled a goal back 15 minutes into the second half when Connelly made a good run to the right by line and pulled the ball back for Catlin to shoot home from 5 Yards. Again it seemed that Thame would equalise, but again it was the home side who increase their lead, this time by a break away goal, scored by substitute Dean Allen. Thame?s second goal came on 72 minutes when, following a corner, the ball fell to Lee Thompson who unleashed a 25-yard goal bound shot which the keeper parried, but Thame sub Matt Leach picked up the rebound to finish from close range. Penn were reduced to 10 men soon after when fiery substitute Gary Finch, who had come on in the 42nd minute, was dismissed for a second bookable offence. The final frenzied minutes saw Thame players push forward and create several chances, but they were unable to find the net, and it was the home side who took the points.

Thame United: Searl, Cowan, Watkins (Jewell), Thompson, Hocking, Boult, Connelly, Rhodes, Catlin (Ansell), West (Leach), Ricketts.