In a game of limited chances, it took a 90th minute strike for the hosts to stop an injury hit United bringing home maximum points after Ronan Silva had struck against the run of play in the first half. With Manager Mark Molesley deprived of the services of influential midfielders Omar Rowe, Michael Fernandes and Luke Gambin it was up to other squad members to step up and in my opinion the whole side certainly did that after a number of indifferent results recently. In this respect late additions to the squad Lindrit Beqiri and Ellis Lawson took places on the bench which was only 80% full. After kicking off some six minutes late for reasons unknown, the hosts won possession immediately from United’s kick-off and with just 12 seconds on the watch Oliver Balmer saw Jacob Adams off his line and tried a lob from 35 yards that the United stopper did superbly well to tip over at full stretch while backpedalling. With the pitch extremely bumpy it was hard to play football on the ground which suited the hosts up and at them approach however it was a neat pass on the ground that set up another opening for Winchester on 24 minutes as Tommy Wright collected the ball on the edge of the United box and curled a shot in that looked destined for the top corner but for another top notch tip over by Adams. Three minutes later with our first serious attack of the half United took the lead, again using the on the floor approach. Ayo Faniyan collected the ball centrally and played it forwards to Ronan Silva on the left corner of the box, he promptly moved inside and fired a low shot across Luke Cairney’s dive into the far corner of the host’s net. The final two openings of the first half both fell to the home side. A 36th minute corner picked out Trevor Caborn at the near post but he headed wide and a few minutes later another Patrick Nolan throw-in was bombed into the United box, collected by Caborn but his effort was deflected wide with Adams calmly claiming the resultant corner and the half closed out with United a goal ahead. The second half started in quite cagey fashion with the first real chance not coming until the 71st minute when a Roger James centre was met in the middle by Silva but his header was inches too high to trouble Cairney. Eight minutes remained and United will rue not getting a toe in where it matters, Faniyan cleared away a Winchester corner from by his own post and United surged forwards with James released down the right side, his low driven centre into the six yard box evading the in-coming Faniyan and Norman Wabo with a defenders boot getting to the ball first to clear the danger. The hosts looked to have squared things up in the 86th minute when a loose ball deflected to substitute Warren Bentley who advanced and with only Adams to beat placed his shot wide of the upright and United’s lead remained. Well it remained but only for another four minutes as a couple of chances to clear were scuffed leaving Simba Mlambo to fire past Adams to earn his side at this stage a point but nine additional minutes to find a winner. In fact the additional nine minutes saw very little in the way of chances and it was points shared at the Charters Community Stadium. At this point I would like to offer all and sundry a very happy Christmas and look forwards to seeing everybody at the SKYex for the Boxing Day local derby against Hanwell Town.
Report by Kevin Watts. United Man of the Match: Jacob Adams.