Ware 1 Thamesmead Town 2
10 September 2011
THAMESMEAD escaped with all three points from Saturday’s bottom-of-the-table clash, although their cause was aided by the hosts being reduced to nine men for the second home game in a row.
Things were looking good for Stuart Nethercott’s side when Tom Querry put them into a 10th minute lead, but the dismissals of Dave Bastian and, somewhat harshly, Vince Rispoli left the home side facing an uphill struggle.
New signing Syrus Gordon partnered Ricci Crace up front, while Shane Branch-Gilkes and Ted Clark started in the middle of the park in place of suspended pair Jon Stevenson and Danny Johnson.
Thamesmead goalkeeper Sam Mott was forced to make a low save in the seventh minute after a Dave Bastian cross ricocheted off skipper Lewis Tozer and looked destined for the bottom corner of the net.
However, Mott could do nothing to keep out Tom Querry’s 10th minute free kick. After Ted Clark had been tripped outside the box, Querry curled a left-footed shot around the wall and inside the far post with the keeper well beaten.
The hosts set about trying to protect their lead, but they came unstuck on 23 minutes with some lapse defending.
A corner was swung into the box, finding the unmarked James Donovan at the back post. He nodded the ball back across goal with Danny Penny firing in a header from six yards among a crowd of bodies in the area.
Three minutes later, Ware left-back Dave Bastian was cautioned for a deliberate hand-ball when stretching to reach a high ball in the midfield, a booking that would prove costly later in the half.
SUPERMAN: Goalkeeper Obey Murefu rises to punch the ball clear (PIC: Phil Friend)
With 40 minutes on the watch, Bastian received his marching orders for a tough challenge on Thamesmead’s Jake Burnham, despite winning the ball.
A large-scale fracas ensued with Ware’s Ricci Crace booked for his part in the altercations. The referee bizarrely saw fit to book Thamesmead’s David Noel, who appeared to act as one of the peacemakers, as well as Ware midfielder Shane Branch-Gilkes.
HEADS UP: Vince Rispoli heads the ball away (PIC: Phil Friend)
The half-time whistle went soon after, but tempers soared again on 67 minutes.
Advancing to punch a high ball clear, Ware keeper Obey Murefu clattered into the back of team-mate Jordan Bostock, who went to ground with an apparent head injury.
With the Ware players screaming for the match to be held up to allow the right-back to be treated, Thamesmead’s Danny Penny fired a shot towards goal which was blocked on the line by Vince Rispoli.
With Bostock still down, the referee adjudged Rispoli to have handled the ball and awarded the visitors a penalty, sending Rispoli off in the process.
Rikki Cable stepped up to take the spot kick, but he was denied by an excellent save low to his left by keeper Obey Murefu, the ball being pushed away for a corner.
However, just as the nine-man hosts thought they could re-group on level terms, the corner was swung in and Penny headed home his second goal of the match.
To their credit, the depleted hosts never gave up the pursuit of an equaliser.
Substitute Michael Elliott helped to shore up the defence in the closing stages, while Jack Friend ventured forward to assist the strikers.
The nearest Thamesmead came to scoring again was when Cable sent a low shot towards goal on 84 minutes, but it proved little bother for keeper Murefu.
Ware: Obey Murefu, Jordan Bostock, Dave Bastian, Shane Branch-Gilkes, Jack Friend, Vince Rispoli, Darrelle Russell (sub: Michael Elliott, 68), Ted Clark, Syrus Gordon (sub: Ben Andreos, 55), Ricci Crace (sub: Leigh Rose, 77), Tom Querry. Subs not used: Lewis Taylor, Bert Greenwood (GK).
