24 September 2013
Match Day 8
Rugby Town 2-2 Chertsey Town
Lewis Bergin (11)
Curtis Bateson (82)
When you're top of the league and the team that's second bottom in the table comes to your grounds, you have every right to expect three points. We got only one tonight, and it took a late equalizer to accomplish that much.
Perhaps a bit of a letdown was inevitable, after Saturday's Trophy tie and rivalry match rolled into one. Still, I'd have liked to see us put the match to bed early.
It looked like we might do just that, when
Lewis Bergin lashed in a
Justin Marsden corner to stake us to an early lead.
Then, just before the hour mark, Valley captain
Andy Gudger made a horrible diagonal pass, deep in his own end. Jon Collins intercepted it, and two quick passes put the ball at the feet of striker Charlie Bagnall, who scored easily. Before long, the Curfews took the lead through substitute Don Connor.
I instructed the team to dial up the offensive pressure, and it worked.
Alan Jenkinson, on for an injured Marsden, played in
Curtis Bateson to level the score. We continued to scrap for another goal, but the Curfews weathered the storm.
We'll surely lose the league lead, once the other teams play their eighth matches.
Rugby Lineup: Bevan, Dalhouse (Austin), Bergin, Midgley, Gudger, Myles, Blythe, Lake-Gaskin (Dacres), Marsden (Jenkinson), Taylor, Bateson.
Around the Town
Ruddock Yala: D (C), age 21
We added another center half to our collection but, unlike Bergin and
Tyler Guy, Ruddock is going to stay around. We've signed him to a pay-as-you-play deal. He comes to us from Harrow Borough (Isthmian Premier), where he wasn't getting much time. He'll get some with us; he's fit, he knows the art of marking, and he's good in the air.
Ruddock can fill in at right back and at defensive midfielder, too, making him even more useful.