Croydon 2 - Bookham 4

Saturday 12 September 2009
Cherry Red Records Football league Premier Division
Croydon FC (2) 2 (Grant Cunningham 36 pen, Micah Banton 45)
Bookham FC (0) 4 (Terry Conlon 50, Chris Woodward 52, Matt Connor 65, Matty Read 80)
Only clichés can sum this match up, it’s a funny old game – certainly, a game of 2 halves – definitely – and Croydon were left sick as a parrot with Bookham over the moon.
It seems as if Croydon used up all their luck coming from behind with only 10 men to beat Molesey in midweek because it indubitably deserted them in the 2nd half of this game. Bookham with only a couple of points to show for their endeavours this season looked a rabble but still came away with all the points.
It wouldn’t have been so bad from a Croydon perspective if it hadn’t been for the fact that the Trams put in their most composed and controlled spell of football all term to go 2 nil up. At half time they had the match sewn up, you wouldn’t take a bet – but 2 moments of magic later their fragile confidence dissolved and there was no way back.
Croydon weren’t exactly dominant but they were doing enough when they took the lead, Grant Cunningham had seen an effort fly just wide early on and Tim Murdoch made Bookham keeper Chris Peak work with a powerful free kick.
The goal when it came in the 36th minute was out of nothing, Cunningham sent the ball out wide to Steve McNamara but it bounced up and hit a defender on the arm, it was an involuntary action on the edge of the box but even soft penalties count and Cunningham sent Peak the wrong way from the spot.
A couple of minutes later a fantastic pass from Murdoch nearly allowed the Trams to double their lead when he found McNamara who laid the ball of for Kevin Sefaah who’s shot was blocked and trickled agonisingly wide.
At the end of normal time in the 1st half Croydon did score again, another fabulous cross from Murdoch picked out Micah Banton who controlled the ball with his chest, wrong footed the Bookham defence and screwed his shot into the opposite corner.
In stoppage time, great battling from Cunningham set up McNamara who running in at full pelt hit a fierce shot that must have missed by a whisker – if that attempt had gone in maybe Croydon could have hung on, but it wasn’t to be.
Nothing much changed after the break except that Bookham scored 2 exceptional goals. With 5 minutes gone, there looked no danger when Terry Conlon received the ball but he just lashed it in from some distance giving Michael Holder no chance.
Then 2 minutes later and before Croydon could get their breathe back, Bookham scored again a brilliant diagonal cross field pass picked out substitute Chris Woodward who turned his man in the box and flashed a shot past Holder, it was a very well worked goal but Bookham had done nothing like in the whole of the rest of the match.
The Trams were shell-shocked now and had little answer although Bookham’s play didn’t rise to any great heights. Sefaah and Cunningham did combine nicely at one point but Sefaah’s resultant shot flashed over as he was closed down.
Bookham took the lead in the 65th minute and didn’t look like relinquishing it, another penetrating cross field pass allowed Matt Connor to get in at the far post and with Holder seemingly as little hesitant of his line, he squeezed the ball past the keeper and into the net.
Although substitute Bill Chincharo had a shot that Peak had to scramble away, Croydon had no real response and in the 80th minute they conceded a goal that summed up their season so far when they allowed Matty Read to run the length of the pitch evading half hearted challenge after half hearted challenge before slipping the ball past Holder.
To compound Croydon’s misery Tim Murdoch was sent of in the dieing minutes when he received a second yellow card for what looked a routine foul. If he had kept his mouth shut he wouldn’t have received the 1st one for dissent.
Croydon’s game against Egham next week has been postponed as they have FA Vase commitments. Normal service is resumed on Saturday 26th September when the Trams host Dorking.
Croydon: Michael Holder; Lewis Goddard; Darren Delgrado (Billy Chincharo 70); Aaron Smith (Aaron Walker 45) (Rhod Davis 70); Rob Bartley; Sam Groombridge; Steve McNamara; Tim Murdoch; Grant Cunningham; Micah Banton; Kevin Sefaah.
Sub not used: an Akpoveta
Simon Hawkins