23 April 2011

With the deletion of Leyton’s playing record this result is Ware’s best of the season and makes it three wins in a row as the Blues enjoy something of an Indian summer in the league. By contrast Thamesmead are on a miserable run that has seen them pick up just two points in their last 13 league outings.

The reason was not hard to find in this match as the visitors had plenty of possession and pressure especially in the first half, and played well as a team but failed to capitalise by scoring goals. By contrast Ware only fitfully showed their ability in combination but were rescued by four goals of individual excellence, with Ryan Wade’s 9th minute opener a clear contender for goal of the season.

Before that Thamesmead had already let one chance go begging as Lea Dawson fired over when clear in the six yard box. Five minutes later the visitors Scott Mulholland was moving the ball out of his half when Wade, seemingly revelling in his midfield role, robbed him of it, turned and sent a forty yard shot over Sam Mott to give Ware the lead.

Undeterred, Thamesmead kept pressing with one shot in particular going just over the bar before Gabriel Momodu missed in exactly the same way as Dawson though his was at least a more difficult chance.

But Ware still had their moments and when Leigh Rose was fouled after 39 minutes on the edge of the box Daryl Mitchell stepped up to score direct from the free kick, low to Mott’s left.

On a hot afternoon with no relegation to worry either team that might have been it but the visitors then produced a simple goal almost straight from the restart that had their coaching staff wondering why they had struggled so badly up to that point. A couple of passes and a good run by Momodu saw him go through Ware’s defence like a knife through butter and the shot to Obey Morefu’s right was little more than a formality.

Thamesmead had no further luck in the second half and slowly the home side took hold of the game. Emiel Aiken for one had a number of good runs at the visiting defence but always seemed to take the ball too far before releasing it, too often to a waiting defender. Once he took the ball to the edge of the area and looked to be about to pull the trigger but the safety catch must have been on and another chance went begging.

But in the 82nd minute the lanky midfielder produced what the fans have been patiently waiting for when he was again put clear on the edge of the box and this time steered the ball past Mott into the bottom corner of the net.

There was relief all round for the scorer and the team as surely now the three points were safe. Perhaps the relief showed itself in Ware’s play which produced a fourth goal in added time when Max Mitchell volleyed home.  It might have brought a fifth had Mott not palmed over Davie Edmee's fierce effort and then finger tipped Wade’s shot away almost from behind the line.

Ware: Murefu, Clemo, Kemble, Friend, Sargent, D Mitchell (Protheroe 75 mins), Aiken (Edmee 83 mins), Rose (Malimabue 65 mins), Wade, M Mitchell, J Berry