Croydon 2 - Dorking 2

Saturday 26 September 2009
Cherry Red Combined Counties League
Croydon FC (2) 1 (Billy Chinchouro 10, Rhod Davis 19)
Dorking FC (1) 2 (Dan Clayton 11, Phil Page 63 pen)
Dickson Gill has been promising to give youth it’s head and he was true to his word in this match with 8 of the Croydon starting 11 under the age of 20. And they didn’t let him down either, showing great spirit throughout and only succumbing when their lack of match hardness told.
There was some trepidation when Gill presented his new look side with 6 players getting their 1st start for Trams this season and with another debutant yet to come off the bench, but their bright and attractive play and competitive enthusiasm soon put a smile on the face of the often frustrated Croydon supporters.
It didn’t hurt that Dorking are having a pretty poor start to the season but in any case they were chasing shadows in the early part of the game as the Trams passed and moved with great alacrity. Jake Pitt was especially effective, pulling strings in midfield like a seasoned pro.
Pitt had already set up Micah Banton for a shot on the turn that went just wide when Croydon surprised everyone and took an early lead.
One of the debutants, Dexter Babalola, swept the ball wide to Billy Chinchouro on the left; he took a touch and drilled a shot into the net at Dan Coote’s near post. Perhaps the keeper could have done better but it was a confident effort.
The lead only lasted a minute before Dorking equalised for the 1st time, an awful mix up left Dan Clayton with the simple task of shooting into a unguarded net, it was a soft goal but the sort of situation that will happen less regularly as the team beds in together.
It hardly seemed to matter as the Trams regained the lead after 19 minutes with a fabulous goal from Rhod Davis. Lewis Goddard played a ball into the striker in the penalty box, there didn’t appear anywhere for him to go but he turned on a sixpence and drilled a shot past Coote with the outside of his boot.
Croydon certainly had the best of the 1st half, Dorking were fortunate to scramble a Banton effort of the line as he managed to head Chinchouro’s cross towards goal from a seemingly impossible angle. And Davis nearly scored again when he once more turned his man in the box and shot, this time his drive zoomed just over the bar.
Beautiful play between Jensen Grant and Davis set up Chinchouro in stoppage time, he looked certain to score but was thwarted by a desperate last gasp save.
In the 2nd half Dorking came inexorably back into the game as Croydon’s tyros began to tire. The pressure mounted an the Trams were saved a couple of times by the welcome sight of the linesman’s flag but eventually the visiting team broke through. The referee had a couple of chances to blow up as fouls by both team’s proceeded Phil Page’s theatrical tumble in the box, there was contact but a mal was made of it. Page stepped up and put the ball past Cupit.
In truth Croydon were hanging on in the end, they only had a Chinchouro effort in the 2nd half to counter Dorking’s progressive play, although neither side created much in the way of legal clear cut chances and it looked that a draw would be a fair result.
Then in the last minute the Dorking defence opened up and Davis flew one on one with Coote, only to be brought down by the keeper’s outstretched hand, it was a penalty but a harsh one as Davis’s touch had been too firm and he was never going to catch up with the ball if he had rounded the keeper.
Grant was elected to take the kick and it looked for all the world as if he had scored but his shot hit the post and rebounded to safety and justice was done.
With a little added maturity the Trams would have had the ammunition to win this game and that augurs well for the future, another bonus was the fact that the game was played largely free of the petty bickering that has seemed to blight recent Croydon teams.
Next Saturday sees the Trams visit Horley for another league match, let’s hope they can build on the positives that have come out of this one.
Croydon: Dean Cupit; Lewis Goddard (Asher Colbourne 69); Mohammed Shugoa; Jensen Grant; Rob Bartley; Tehouotell Ritipadem; Jake Pitt (Irfan Amir 89); Dexter Babalola; Rhod Davis; Billy Chinchouro; Micah Banton.
Subs not used: Jon Doherty; Brett Law.
Simon Hawkins