Non-League and Academy football writer

Southern Combination Football League Division One side, Chessington & Hook United, faced one of the finest sides in the Southern Amateur Football League Division 1, in Nottsborough 1sts, on Tuesday night, at Chalky Lane. This was a Surrey FA Saturday Premier Cup quarter-final tie, and it promised to be a really interesting game of cup football. Chessington & Hook United are currently in fifth place in the Southern Combination Football League Division One (step 6), after 33 matches played. Nottsborough’s first team, who only last Saturday won the prestigious SAL Senior Cup final, are currently in second place in the SAL Senior Division 1 standings, after 15 matches played. It was Nottsborough who would progress into the semi-finals of this competition, winning 3-0 on penalties, after the game had finished 2-2 in regulation time. During the opening minutes of this match, the home side would take the lead. As following a pass that was played in behind the Nottsborough defence, their outrushing goalkeeper, Ben Lancaster, would try to clear the ball, ahead of the onrushing Asher Maliki. However, his clearance would come to the Chessington & Hook player, who continued forward following a rebound, into the Nottsborough penalty area, from where he finished low into the almost empty goal, 1-0. 

After the home side had started this game at a better intensity, it didn’t however, take Nottsborough too long before they started to grow in to the game. Following some good work in midfield from their midfielder, Joe Molloy, he would play a pass out to Dan Barber, on the right flank. Barber would then cross the ball in to the centre of the Chessington & Hook box, finding James Taylor, whose looping headed effort was gathered by Sanghyun Baek. A couple of minutes later, and from a similar move, Nottsborough would draw level. Following a bit of an error a couple of  moments earlier, Dan Barber would pick the ball up on the right-hand side of the pitch. His well delivered cross would pick out James Taylor, who headed the ball into the goal, 1-1. After having really improved, Nottsborough would then take the lead, soon after. This goal came courtesy of some great work from Kai Beck, who showed good persistentce with the ball, to drive forward with the ball down the left-hand side of the pitch. Kai Beck would then enter the home team’s penalty area, before cutting inside with the ball, on to his right foot and past a defender, before tucking the ball in to the right-hand corner of the goal, 2-1.

Chessington & Hook United would respond quickly to going behind for the first time in this game, going on to get a leveller. The equaliser was scored by Sangjoon Baek, who picked the ball up on the edge of the Nottsborough penalty area, before taking the ball just inside of the box, working the space well under pressure, and then finishing low into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 2-2. David Hallam’s Nottsborough side would finish the second half well, however. Dan Barber’s whipped free-kick effort from 28 yards out, would hit the top of Sanghyun Baek’s crossbar on its way over, and then a couple of minutes later, James Taylor would flick the ball on to Kai Beck, who would take the ball forward to the edge of the home side’s box. But, Kai Beck’s resulting effort would go over the goal. There was a long uneventful spell during the second half, although in my opinion, Nottsborough were looking the more likely side to regain the lead, but, Chessington & Hook were defending their penalty area well. 

After Nottsborough player Will Daly’s whipped free-kick effort from out on the left flank, and around 20 to 25 yards out from goal, was well tipped over by Sanghyun Baek, the very impressive Dan Barber, would then deliver a good corner-kick into the penalty area, moments later. Barber’s delivery was cleared away by a defender, but only as far as Dan Hanson, inside of the box. Hanson’s resulting effort would deflect off a defender, and go narrowly wide of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post. Nottsborough were really pushing for a late winner, and they came close to getting a late winner, after James Taylor had played a quick one-two pass with Kai Beck, before receiving the ball on the left-hand side of the home team’s penalty area. However, Taylor’s resulting lofted effort over the outrushing goalkeeper, would also go over the goal. Just before the end of regulation time, Laurie Smith would get to a long free-kick into the Chessington & Hook penalty area, but, his headed effort went wide of the goal. On to penalties we went.

Nottsborough would take the first penalty, with James Taylor clinically finding the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, to make it 1-0. Chessington & Hook’s first penalty was then saved by Ben Lancaster, before Will Daly made it 2-0 to Nottsborough, from the spot. Ben Lancaster would do really well to keep out the next penalty, before Kai Beck excellently found the roof of the goal, with an excellent penalty, 3-0. Ben Lancaster would make the decisive save straight after, to his right, to keep out Sangjoon Baek’s penalty, as Nottsborough went through to the semi-finals of this prestigious competition. I thought that Nottsborough deserved to win this cup tie. Last Saturday’s SAL Senior Cup final having gone to penalties, would have been very testing for Nottsborough, but they did well on Tuesday, to overcome a good Chessington & Hook United side, to once again demonstrate the real quality of the SAL. Nottsborough played some good football tonight, and they also made it difficult (particularly during the second half) for Chessington & Hook to create good goalscoring chances.

Regarding my player of the match award on Tuesday, and despite impressive and influential performances from Dan Barber, Kai Beck, and Will Daly, to name only some of the Nottsborough players, I’m going to award it to Nottsborough midfielder Joe Molloy. He worked tirelessly in the central areas of the pitch, breaking up the play well, but, also doing well with the ball, as well. It was an all action performance from Joe Molloy, in this important match. My Chessington & Hook United player of the match, was their number nine and second goalscorer, Sangjoon Baek.