crucial encounter

April 9th, 2022

April 9th, 2022. After the embarrassing capitulation to Balham the Vale faithful who travelled to The Hub were hoping to see some sign that a Force 10 hair drying from boss, Josh Gallagher, had fired up the team from SW20 enough that, this time, they’d at least turn up to the game... Of course no-one knows if the walls of the Grand Drive dressing room really did echo to the sound of the gaffer going full postal but what WAS clear very early in this crucial encounter with was that this was not the team that rolled over so weakly to their fellow South Londoners a week before. It was true that Walton & Hersham didn’t have to do much. In the stands fans were discussing what was required for the home team to get the promotion they were after and one thing was clear - a win would see them go up. For Raynes Park this was a display of what the team can be - Reece Wiliams-Bowers battling with the W&H defence like a man possessed, Seanan McKillop playing like a rock, Nes Bellikli turning the opposition inside-out. For twenty minutes the silent W&H crowd watched as, to the sound of constant noise from the visiting fans, RPV appeared to be just getting their sights in before opening the scoring - it was only a matter of time and in the first ten minutes Nes Bellikli pulled a shot wide and an exquisite Louie Downey lob was just tipped over the bar by the W&H keeper. Unfortunately this exercise in one-sided football hit the buffers on the 14th minute when the referee awarded The Swans a penalty so soft he could have put a Flake in it and called it a 99, but, and this was a lesson that the Vale defence need to learn - contact in the area