Chertsey Town 2 Bedfont 4

Chertsey Town’s silverware ambitions were reduced further in the most dismal fashion in this EL Records Premier Challenge Cup tie for, having quickly built a stylish two-goal lead, they totally capitulated and were deservedly dumped out at the quarter final stage.

It was not as if they were not warned. Bedfont were the Alwyns Lane visitors two weeks previous and came back from the dead in that exchange to force a league draw.

It was the same Chertsey line-up that played so competently against Bedfont only three days before this sorry showing.

So it was quite a mystery how the attractive Dr Saturday Jekyll could have so quickly turned into the horror of Mr Tuesday Hyde.

The first quarter of the game was all Chertsey’s and it was no surprise that a two-goal lead had been established but the euphoria did not last.

The first goal came on eight minutes, when Steve Goddard finished off a move from the right with a strike from 10 yards.

Dean Papali put his new side two up on 17 minutes with a run through the heart of the Bedfont defence, finished off by slotting the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

Job done then, semi-final here we come! Well, no actually.

It should have been but then the game began to turn.

It was only the acrobatics of Chertsey goalkeeper Liam Stone that somehow stopped Bedfont from immediately pulling goals back, with Julius Mngadi running riot with his speed and movement.

He had a shot stopped by Stone then lobbed the ball wide, followed by another strike that the overworked goalkeeper cleared with his feet.

Chris Drake then joined in with a volley that went wide.

Meanwhile, Chertsey did very little to stop the rot and it was little wonder that Stone was angry with his defenders come half-time, when Bedfont must have thought their chances had come and gone.

Surely Chertsey could not play so badly in the second half, but they did.

The usual form is for a side to survive such a ropy time unscathed is to neutralise the situation then perhaps go on to win the contest.

Instead, Bedfont continued the second half in the same vein as the latter end of the first with enthused and mobile football that completely overawed all Chertsey departments.

Two Chertsey half-chances of sorts really did not look like stemming the tide.

Stone worked hard to keep Bedfont at bay from minutes 22 to 49 but the dam broke on 50 when a half-cleared corner kick was knocked back to the far post where Liam Hinds nodded home.

In came Mngadi with a swerving strike to force Stone into action again but he could not stop the striker in the 75th for his side’s equaliser.

The hope for the home crowd that Chertsey could reverse the course of the game was soon shattered.

Only five more minutes went by before the visitors took the lead, this time through Mark Nicholls and the penalty spot.

Stone was left stranded as Mngadi broke through and was forced into a desperate lunge at the ball, but mistimed with fatal results.

With little indication that Chertsey would break back, Bedfont underlined their dominance with a fourth goal three minutes from time, through the boot of Drake as Town were again split apart.

The performance was perhaps Town’s worst of the season but at least it did not affect their league championship challenge, unless a hangover later in the week sullies their prime target for the season.

FIXTURES:

Saturday 13th March – Molesey (Home) League

Wednesday 17th March – Guildford City (Away) League

Saturday 20th March Horley Town (Away) League