Comfortable win at Swindon for Thame United

AM Print & Copy Hellenic League Floodlit Cup – Thame United 6, Swindon Supermarine Reserves 0; Tuesday, October 06, 2009 – Match report:

THAME United comfortably defeated Swindon Supermarine Reserves at Wallingford on Tuesday evening in a Floodlit Cup fixture. The visitors play in the Hellenic reserve league enabling Thame manager, Mark West, to rest some key players for this fixture.

The opening exchanges were fairly even but then Thame started to gain the upper hand. The turning point of the match came after 20 minutes when Thame?s Aaron Rogers was fouled, just outside the penalty area as he ran at goal. The referee, perhaps harshly, dismissed the visiting centre half, Dave Glover, judging that he was the ?last man?. Adam Rhodes took the resultant free kick, and beat the keeper, by placing his shot in the top left hand corner. Five minutes later it was 2-0 as Sam Cowan hit a beautiful 35-yard volley over the keeper?s head. On 30 minutes, Rogers ran at goal on the left, and created enough space to, square the ball to the unmarked Mark Jones who finished confidently from 15-yards.

Thame controlled the second half, although it was 80 minutes before the lead was increased, but then the floodgates opened. Goal number four came from a corner which was headed in from close range by substitute, Stuart Braun. Soon after, Thame goalkeeper, Paul Searl, who had been a spectator for much of the game, was forced to make an outstanding save from a strong 20-yard shot. With five minutes remaining Rogers did well to control a ball played ?over the top? from defence, before running at goal and finishing well from 15-yards.

The final goal came in the last minute. The back-in- form, Ben Connelly, who throughout the game had supplied a steady stream of crosses from the right, beat two men and hit a 20-yard shot, from an acute angle, easily beating the demoralised visiting keeper.

Thame United: Searl, G Way, Meredith, Barnett, Higgs, Cowan (El-Kassir), Connelly, A Rhodes, Jones (Braun), Rogers, Baylie

United are away at Finchampstead on Saturday 10th October. The next game at Hithercroft Stadium is on the 17th, when Penn & Tylers Green are the visitors.