On the back of a four match winning streak, Mark Molesley’s side put in a lacklustre performance at the SKYex on Tuesday evening as basement boys Didcot Town deservedly took all three points home with them courtesy of two second half goals that turned around a half-time lead given to United by Jerry Wiltshire. Manager Mark Molesley made four changes to the side that had won 3-2 at Beaconsfield a few days earlier with Jerry Wiltshire, Mo Bettamer, Charles Hagan and Luke Gambin coming in for Will Salmon, Steve Ngunga, Ferdinand Okoh and the suspended Ronan Silva. The visitors were straight on it from kick-off and should have done better in the first minute when a ball in from the right side found an unmarked Patrick Osborne on the edge of the box, he rushed his shot however and the effort was well off target. Two minutes later an opening for United saw Omar Rowe advance and despite getting fouled, referee Merchant played a good advantage and Rowe found Charles Hagan who was through on goal only to be denied by Leigh Bedwell in the Didcot goal who did well to spread himself and deflect the ball wide of the goal. Bedwell was again called into action in the 13th minute when Rowe was played through by a superb Louis Dunne throughball, the stopper again doing well to block the United man’s shot before the ball was cleared away. Four minutes later United had the lead, Luke Gambin fired a deep corner in from the left side, Jerry Wiltshire saw his initial header come back off the underside of the bar but the defender was quick enough to nod the bouncing ball home from close in for his first of the season (below right). While the visitors had more than their fair share of the ball, the only other half chance of the first period fell again to United as Mo Bettamer got his head to a corner from the right side but his effort looped up and just over the crossbar. With little else to write about in the lead up to the break we went in a goal to the good. The second half started much as the first had finished with little of nothing to trouble either goalkeeper however the visitors did earn a string of corners during that opening 20 minutes but the United defence and Jacob Adams held firm and no real chances came forth. Then suddenly on 70 minutes the visitors got a reward for their forward running efforts when Robbie Gallagher raced towards the by-line in the United box and went down under challenge from Cole Brown with referee Merchant awarding what appeared to be a very soft penalty indeed. On loan Forest Green Rovers man Murphy Bennett stepped up and smashed the ball past Adams to level the scores. This seemed to wake United from their slumber a little and in the 78th minute Ferdinand Okoh and Bettamer exchanged passes with the Bournemouth loanee trying his luck from 20 yards with a defenders outstretched boot taking the sting off the ball making it an easy grab for Bedwell. Almost immediately at the other end Adams was required to stop the Railwaymen taking the lead as substitute and Oxford United loanee Tobias Brenan hit s shot from fully 25 yards that the United ‘keeper did well to push around the post. We entered the final ten minutes still all square with another United chance coming as Rowe drove forwards and fed the ball to Ayo Faniyan, he played it wide to Steve Ngunga who cut inside and fired in a shot that deflected off James Glover before going inches wide of the Didcot goal. The killer blow was struck three minutes from time when for the umpteenth time a Didcot corner was curled in with the wind, Adams and the United defence failed to deal with it positively and as the ball dropped loose Luke Carnell smashed it into the roof of the United net to give the bottom side what in all honesty was a deserved lead. As we entered stoppage time United did have a massive claim for a penalty of their own when a Didcot defender appeared to take away Marvel Ekpiteta's legs but referee Merchant was adament that no foul took place and waved away the protests and therefore defeat it was with big spending AFC Totton up next for Mark Molesley’s side.
Report by Kevin Watts. Photos by Anthony Mills. Print the Teamsheet: Here.