Match Report by Allan Mitchell
Hemel have played all four sides who were occupying the bottom four places in recent weeks with varying degrees of success. Prior to this fixture they had won one, drawn one and unceremoniously lost one of the fixtures, with the defeat coming on Saturday away at Hungerford Town. Manager Brad Quinton was keen to get that three nothing reverse out of their system, but as with the other games, Chippenham came to Vauxhall Road determined to leave with at least a point and they set themselves up to frustrate the Tudors from the start. The first half was a forgettable 45 minutes and I actually found myself with nothing to note during the period. Neither side created any chances or efforts on goal. The only thing to mention was a late injury to striker Kaylen Hinds who had to leave the pitch on 45 minutes. The unfortunate Hinds was taken off via a fireman’s shoulder carry from one of the Henel backroom staff and replaced by Arnold Matshazi.
Chippenham survived an early scare in the second half when George Williams fired in Hemel’s first shot on target but Will Henry saved well. They then took the lead on 51 minutes when ex Tudor Craig Fasanmade was given far too much time and space in the six yard box and he planted his header into the bottom corner to make Hemel’s increasingly desperate task even harder. It was the perfect start to the half and they returned to their task of keeping the Tudors out, packing their defence and restricting them to a couple of long range efforts that Henry dealt with superbly.
With time running out and deep Into injury time, Hemel were given a free kick 25 yards out on the right. It was lifted into the packed penalty area and Luke Holness just managed to get a flick onto the ball, it cannoned off a player in the six yard box and ended up in the bottom corner, much to the relief of the fans behind the goal. It was difficult to work out who got the final touch but Charlee Hughes was claiming the goal after the game, so that’s one for the match video to cast some light on. There was just time to restart before the referee blew her whistle and the points were shared. It was a tad harsh on Chippenham but it has to be said that a draw was a fair reflection on a poor game that neither side deserved to win on the day.
Next up is high flying Havant who will no doubt play a more expansive game which may suit the Tudors more as they head into a busy period over the coming weeks.
Hemel: King, Castiglione, O’Connor-Ajayi, Roberts, Westbrook (Holness) Williams (J) Morgan Griffiths, Poku (Mukendie) Williams (G) Hinds (Matshazi) Hughes. Subs not used: Lewis, Brown.
Attendance 288.
Tudors Man of the Match: Josh Williams.