Swans 4 Godalming Town 2

Tuesday 3rd November 2020.        Cherry Red Combined Counties League, Division One.

Walton & Hersham 4    Godalming Town 2.

Swans go into the second Covid-19 lockdown on top of the table after making it ten wins out of eleven home matches in all competitions by beating a resilient Godalming side in this rearranged fixture. They will hope the interruption to the momentum they have built-up will be of the minimum, as they are in a rich vein of form and playing terrific football. For the second time in their last five matches they had to come back from 2-0 down at home, but it is testament to their skills and determination to win that the deficit always looked insufficient to see their opponents home. Indeed the win should have been done and dusted before the two goals were conceded, as Swans created enough opportunities to put them into a comfortable lead, but a mixture of missed chances, more than a little ill-luck, and determined defending by the visitors denied them.

Swans were straight out of the blocks, and a clever back-heel by Sonny Black got Harry Mills to the byline on the right to play the ball low across, and Alex Kelly to have a shot blocked on the line. An excellent ball from the left by Reece Brewster found Mills on the right, and he combined with Kelly to play Dominic Ogun forward to cross to the far-post, where Godalming’s Sam Wade just got his head to the ball to deny Darren Simpson.

With just under ten minutes played Swans were denied a clear penalty when Sean McCormack was brought down at least a couple of feet inside the left edge of the box, but the referee awarded a free-kick just outside. Godalming goalkeeper Adrian Giles punched the ball away from McCormack’s kick, and Stuart Baldwin was able to get down the right before playing Max Hustwick through to the byline. Hustwick played the ball in low to find Mills, who clipped a chance wide of the right post.

The visitors were then grateful to their keeper for denying Swans a fine goal. Mills laid the ball back from the right to Baldwin outside the corner of the box, and he struck a terrific left-foot shot that Giles kept out of the far, top corner with a superb save. Ogun surged past his marker on the left before striking a shot that was deflected behind for a corner on the left, and from McCormack’s kick Joe Hicks got in a header that was cleared off the goal-line by a defender guarding the far-post. Another superb pass by Brewster picked out McCormack on the left, and when he got the ball over, Ogun put another fine chance wide at the near-post. An even better chance fell to the same player when Kelly found Mills on the right to play the ball first-time into the edge of the 6 yard-box, where the unmarked Ogun volleyed over.

Godalming had rarely been out of their own half, but with 25 minutes played they had a free-kick 35 yards out, which Darren Wheeler drove straight through to Liam Allen in Swans’ goal, and two minutes later the visitors took a surprise lead. Mills appeared to be fouled close to halfway, but play was allowed to continue, and Godalming were able to get Josh Ogunsey into the right of the box, where the Division’s joint leading scorer cleverly made room to open up the chance and plant a left-foot shot past Allen.

It took less than ten minutes for Godalming to double their lead, and again the goal came out of the blue. A free-kick was again awarded 35 yards out, and Swans seemed to be caught unawares when Wheeler took the kick quickly, the ball creeping just inside the left-post with Allen wrong-footed on his line.

Swans needed a goal before the break, and they duly scored one with five minutes left of the half. Simpson was found in the left of the box, and he laid the ball across for McCormack to drive it inside the right post.

Mills had switched to the left, swapping wings with McCormack, and he made another terrific run before crossing into the box, but the ball was cleared away. It was then McCormack’s turn on the right, a superb piece of play resulting in him driving the ball low across the 6 yard-box, where both Ogun and Kelly were waiting, but remarkably neither were able to get a touch in front of goal. The half ended with more fine play by Mills on the left, but again no-one was able to get on the end of his cross.

Swans started the second-half where they left off in the first, and forced three corner-kicks inside the opening five minutes. Yet another great diagonal pass, this time by Hustwick, found Mills on the right, and he cut into the box to drive in a shot that Giles blocked on his line. Black’s cross from the right was then just inches too high for Simpson at the far-post.

Something had to give in the visitors’ box as they were put under continuous pressure, and seven minutes into the half McCormack’s driven cross was handled, and a penalty awarded. McCormack drove the kick past Giles to level the match at 2-2.

Godalming regrouped, and for a while frustrated Swans’ attempts to get a winner, which almost came with just over twenty minutes remaining. Another diagonal pass to try to find Mills on the right appeared to be too long, but Mills made a remarkable run to prevent the ball from running over the byline and out of play. He then hooked the ball over to Ogun, who put another good chance wide.

As the match entered the final quarter of an hour it began to look a possibility that Swans would not get the win they deserved, but the visitors had found no answer to the penetrating wing-play of McCormack and Mills. And it was the superb Mills who set up what proved to be the winning goal. McCormack switched play from left to right with another terrific raking pass to Mills on the other wing, and when he drilled the ball across Ogun made no mistake this time as he tucked it home.

Two minutes later Swans effectively made the points safe with their fourth goal. This time it was Hustwick who provided the defence-splitting pass to Mills on the right. Mills teased his marker before spotting Simpson’s run into space to the far-post, and a chipped pass with the outside of his right-foot picked out his teammate, who bundled the ball over the line.

Godalming to their credit had done their best to frustrate Swans, but now they found themselves chasing the game, and they had an opportunity with a free-kick on the edge of the box, but Ogunsey drove the ball over.

Swans continued to look for more goals however, and when substitute Zach Dainkeh found Mills on the right, he cut inside to force keeper Giles into a save. Simpson followed up to have a shot blocked. The final opportunity fell to Kelly in stoppage-time, but Giles was well-placed to take his shot from five yards outside the box.

Swans’ Team: Liam Allen, Stuart Baldwin, Sonny Black (Tom Henzi 72’), Reece Brewster (Zach Dainkeh 81’), Joe Hicks, Max Hustwick, Harry Mills, Darren Simpson, Dominic Ogun, Alex Kelly, Sean McCormack (Owen Coleman 81’). Subs. not used: Dan Taylor, Youcef Azzouz. Scorers: McCormack (40’ & 53’ [pen.]), Ogun (76’), Simpson (78’).     

Godalming Town Team: Giles, Wade (Francis 82’), Morris, Boultwood, May, Davidson-Townsend, Blanchard (Carter 80’), Osideko, Young. Ogunsey, Wheeler (Greenaway 54’). Subs. not used: Scott, Muresan. Scorers: Ogunsey (27’), Wheeler (36’).