MATCH REPORTS 2024/25 
- Match Reports by Chris Pullen -

Merstham 2-2 Burgess hill Town | Isthmian League SE | Saturday 12th October

 

There is one thing you can say about this Merstham side. They keep going right to the end. Despite being outplayed for large parts of this game, the Moatsiders snatched a point with a last-gasp equaliser deep into added time. They should have been dead and buried by then, given the chances that Burgess Hill created. But in football, if you don't put your chances away, it can come back to bite you. Merstham boss Jamie Decruz made two changes from the side that drew at home to Erith Town on Tuesday. He was able to welcome back Jude Molloy from injury and gave a start to Andy Somo up front. 

 

From the opening minutes of the game, the visitors not only dominated possession, but carved their way through the Merstham ranks with ease. Time and again, opposition players received the ball in acres of space and had all the time in the world to choose what to do next. Merstham's players were chasing shadows and looked a yard slower in thought and deed. On another day, they might well have found themselves two or three goals down in the opening twenty minutes, and no-one would have said that Burgess Hill didn't deserve it. They played some excellent football, but given the time and space they had to work with, it not only looked easy; it was easy. Merstham had a let-off in the 5th minute when Rob Tolfrey and Matt Drage had a horrible mix up both leaving the ball for each other. Brewer nipped in and tried to take it past Tolfrey. The Merstham keeper impeded Brewer but the referee decided it wasn't enough to give a penalty, and pointed for a corner, but we've all seen those given.  From the resulting corner there was a quite incredible sequence. In a crazy 10 seconds, Merstham defenders, mainly Jude Molloy, blocked shots on the line no less than four times! How the ball didn't go in was beyond belief as all four shots were good chances no less than 6-8 yards out. Credit the gallant defending, but Burgess Hill should have been in front. A minute later, another bit of poor defending and Tolfrey could only get a hand to a scuffed shot. The ball bobbled towards the net, but hit the post. Price, following in, had the simple task of putting the ball into the next from a couple of feet but in his haste somehow contrived to knock it wide of the far post. Another incredible let off for the Moatsiders. But in the 14th minute, their luck finally ran out as Brewer was on hand to fire a low cross from the right into the roof of the next from a yard out. It was no more than the visitors deserved. Merstham just couldn't get into the game and barely strung more than a couple of passes together in the opening twenty minutes. Vukojie should have added a second when he blazed wildly over from 12 yards. It took a full half hour before the Moatsiders finally started to get themselves into the game and at last offered a little bit of a threat going forward. But they had to wait until the 41st minute before Somo had their first shot on target, which Huk blocked with his legs at the near post. Somo had another rather tame effort a minute before the break when perhaps the better option was a ball to the fleet-footed Jenkins just outside him. The general consensus at half-time was that the Moatsiders were lucky to be only one down, and they could only get better in the second half.

 

That optimism lasted exactly 48 seconds of the second half. Bradley Wilson was dispossessed 30 yards from goal. The ball went wide to Vukojie who pulled the ball back for an unmarked O'Neil who had time to pick his spot and put the visitors two up. Burgess Hill looked dangerous from set pieces and almost got a third when Molloy somehow managed to get his head to a downward header and turn it up and against his own bar before the ball was hacked clear. The game was increasingly end to end as Merstham went forward in search of a goal, but left themselves exposed to quick counter attacks. The Moatsiders back four were working overtime to repel a series of Burgess Hill attacks and there were plenty of last-gasp tackles and interceptions to admire. Mertham got themselves back into the contest in the 62nd minute. Ollie Khinda started the move when he won the ball in the Merstham half. He surged forward, playing a couple of one-two's then got played in by Lawal and chipped a nice ball to the far post where Aaron Jenkins was aarriving at pace. The winger hung in the air and powered his header down and past Huk into the net to make it 2-1. There was another bizarre incident shortly afterwards. Molloy deep in his own box tried to control a ball but it bounced off his foot and was collected by Tolfrey.  The referee was probably the only person in the ground to think that it was a deliberate back pass and blew for an indirect free kick. The 'offence' was right in the middle of the goal, but the referee placed the ball wide of the right hand post. Both sets of players were suitably unhappy for different reasons. The free kick was blocked by the six-man Merstham wall and scrambled clear. Maccari and Brown entered the fray replacing Somo and Jenkins. Maccari had an immediate impact as his pace gave the Town defence some uneasy moments. With two minutes of normal time remaining, Decruz rolled the dice and brought on Gunner for Wilson and went to a back three. In the 94th minute Merstham won a corner of the left. It was an excellent ball in by Lee Lewis, delivered with in-swing and pace, inviting someone to go and attack it. Matt Drage did just that and his glancing header went in off a Town defender on the line to make it 2-2. Even then the drama wasn't over. In the 98th minute, Burgess Hill won a corner. Once again Cooper won the header and as it arrowed towards goal, there again was Molloy to kick the ball off the line before Lewis thumped it downfield. The Moatsiders were grateful to hear the final whistle but Burgess Hill must have wondered how they failed to take all three points.

 

Merstham: Tolfrey, Khinda, Molloy, Drage, Pointing, Wilson (Gunner 88'), Lawal (Maccari 65'), Oram (Lewis 55'), King, Somo (Brown 76'), Jenkins (Maccari 76')

Unused subs: Allen

Man of the Match: Matt Drage

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Merstham 1-1 Erith Town | Isthmian League SE | Tuesday 8th October

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At a rain-lashed Hybrid Fitness Stadium, Merstham had to come from behind to earn a point, but on the strength of their second-half display, they will probably think they ought to have taken all three. 

 

In difficult conditions, the players weren't helped by a match referee who dished out yellow cards like confetti in the opening twenty minutes, with four Merstham players booked and one Erith player seeing yellow too. The constant stop/start did little to help the flow of the game after a bright opening exchange, and a litany of free kicks and bookings ensured whatever rhythm there was quicky disapated. The game became very scrappy and neither side created anything of note in the opening half hour, although Merstham's wingers looked the most likely source of a breakthrough. Merstham did get some decent crosses into the Erith box, but time and again, the red-shirted defenders were first to the ball. Judging the pace of a pass on a slick surface wasn't easy, especially with a gusting wind and occasional downpours, so it wasn't too surprising to see the ball overhit on many occasions. Erith had begun to ask more and more questions of the Merstham defense down the left flank and in the 36th minute and simple overload led to Milton having the relatively simple task of firing past Tolfrey from eight yards. On the balance of play, Town probably just about deserved it. But in first half added time, Merstham drew level thanks to a well-taken goal by Aaron Jenkins. Picking the ball up wide on the left, the winger cut inside and from just outside the box, Jenkins unleashed a piledriver, which flew past the Erith keeper into the far corner. All square at the break.

 

Merstham came out of the blocks quickly at the start of the second half and upped the tempo of the game all over the pitch. Suddenly the visitors were finding it hard to cope with the pace of the men in amber and black and balls played over the top of their full backs for Jenkins and Lawal were creating all sorts of problems for Erith. On 47', Jenkins tested the keeper with another shot from 25 yards that Edwards did well to hold. Two minutes later, Ollie Khinda picked up a ball that was only half-cleared and his shot whistled past the far post. In midfield, Billy Oram and Bradley Wilson were running the show and a great through ball by Oram put Lawal through on goal. But Edwards did well to block the winger's shot with an outstretched leg. For the opening twenty minutes of the second half, Merstham ran Erith ragged and it seemed as if another goal was only a matter of time. But the Moatsiders couldn't convert their superiority into an all-important second. Gradually, unlike the weather, the Merstham storm abated and Erith began to offer a little more threat themselves. Merstham still looked dangerous and sub Michele Macari might have done better when another Oram pass put him through on goal, but his shot lacked power and Edwards blocked it comfortably. Lee Lewis, who replaced Sam King, very nearly produced one of his long-range specials with five minutes left, but his superb volley from 25 yards was brilliantly tipped over by Edwards. A foot either side of the keeper and Lewis would have been celebrating Merstham's second. On the stoke of full time, an Oram corner into the six-yard box caused mayhem and just when it seemed as though a Merstham shirt would turn the ball home, Erith just about managed to get enough bodies in the way to keep the ball out of the net and hang onto a point.

 

Merstham: Tolfrey, Khinda, Murphy, Drage, Pointing, Wilson (Gunner 90+4), Lawal (Maccari 65'), Oram, King (Lewis 75') Brown (Somo 65'), Jenkins

Unused subs: Rihoy

Man of the Match: Billy Oram

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East Grinstead Town 0-1 Merstham | Isthmian League SE | Saturday 5th October

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Merstham made it back to back wins with one of their best performances of the season so far. But quite how there was only one goal to show for all the attacking play from both sides is a complete mystery. If the final score had been 5-2 to the Moatsiders, that would have been a much more accurate reflection of the ninety minutes.

 

Merstham made just the one change from the side that beat Littlehampton, with Harry Murphy replacing the injured Jude Molloy, but with injuries and absences, the bench had only three outfield players on it and Jamie Decruz must have been keeping his fingers crossed that they weren't forced into making early changes.

 

On a glorious October afternoon, the game matched the weather, with both sides showing plenty of attacking intent. Merstham twice got around the back of the Town defence in the opening minutes and dangerous crosses were inches away from finding their man in the six-yard box. But East Grinstead had a glorious chance to take the lead in the 11th minute. A fierce shot from the edge of the box hit a Merstham defender. The referee deemed that the ball hit an outstretched arm and pointed to the spot. Without the benefit of VAR it was hard to tell if it was justified, but that didn't matter as Wilson stepped up to take the kick. He struck it well, low to Rob Tolfrey's right, but the Merstham keeper got fingertips to the ball, just enough to send it smacking against the post and away to safety. Almost from the opening minute, it was clear that Merstham's pace in the wide areas was going to create problems for the Town defence who had a torrid afternoon. On 20' a quick counter attack by the Moatsiders led to Olu Lawal finding Aidan Brown in the box, but his shot was blocked by a covering defender. But in the 22nd minute, some quick thinking by Harry Pointing led to the Moatsiders taking the lead. Merstham won a free kick deep inside their own half. Pointing looked up and saw Lawal making a run and hit a quickly taken free kick over the top of the home defence who were trying to play offside. The assistant correctly kept his flag down as Lawal sprinted clear. With just ex-Merstham stopper Mattie Pearson to beat, the winger cooly lobbed the ball over the keeper and watched it bounce into the net. East Grinstead almost immediately got back on terms as Tolfrey had to push away a shot from Lovatt low to his left. Merstham looked dangerous every time they went forward, and time and again beat East Grinstead's high line. But at the other end, another ex-Moatsider Omar Folkes was proving a handful and he helped create several promising situations for the home side. A combination of good defending and poor finishing at both ends was becoming the story of the afternoon. Just before the break, Merstham had two glorious chances to extend their lead, but if anything players were too unselfish and overpassed, as they tried to set up a team mate for an open goal instead of shooting themselves. Bradley Wilson did exactly that a minute before the break when he was 8 yards out with a clear sight of goal. In first half added time, Pearson did well to push a rasping drive by Aaron Watkins over the bar. 

 

The second half was more of the same with end to end football and chances at both ends. But quite how the Moatsiders did not add to their single goal lead was a mystery to all concerned. On 48', a good ball from Pointing released Lawal again, but the winger's shot flew into the side netting with more than a few Merstham fans behind the goal thinking it had gone between the sticks. On 50' a great overlapping run by Ollie Khinda resulted in the full back crossing the ball into the box and finding Brown's feet. But instead of hitting it first time, the striker took a couple of touches and then fired over the bar as he fell away.  Straight up the other end we went and and some quick passing by Town put Lovatt through on goal with just Tolfrey to beat. But the Merstham keeper stood tall and blocked with his legs. Next it was Pearson's turm to excel as Jenkins beat the offside trap once again and was clean through on goal. The winger tried to take it around Pearson, but the keeper did well to read his intentions and pluck the ball off his feet. Three minutes later, it was Pearson again to the rescue as he blocked a shot from Brown. East Grinstead's attempts to play a high line and catch the Merstham runners offside only worked occasionally. When it didn't, there were blue shirts pouring through on their overworked keeper. But it wasn't one-way traffic by any means, and Merstham's defence was working hard to deny Town a way back into the game. That became the pattern of the last twenty minutes. The home side threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Moatsiders. But the team worked their socks off to deny them space and counter-attacked with pace and purpose. There was a litany of chances for Merstham in the closing stages, but the final ball just lacked the quality to finish some great approach play. East Grinstead had a couple of half chances too, but their shooting was no better than their opponents and the game ended with just the one goal and a well-deserved three points for the Moatsiders.

 

Merstham: Tolfrey, Khinda, Murphy, Drage, Pointing, Wilson, Lawal, Oram, King, (Rihoy 86') Brown (Somo 69'), Jenkins

Unused subs: Gunner, Ellaway

Man of the Match: Billy Oram

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Merstham 2-1 Littlehampton Town | Isthmian League SE | Saturday 28th September

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A dramatic winner in the final minute of added time by Aaron Jenkins gave the Moatsiders all three points. It wasn't a game that will live long in the memory, but sometimes you just have to be grateful for the win and move on.

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Playing their first home game since August 24th, Merstham boss Jamie Decruz was able to welcome back Sam King from injury, but the team were dealt a blow when keeper Rob Tolfrey was ruled out with a foot injury. With back-up keeper Sam Allen also out injured, Merstham were grateful to Sutton United for the short-term and very last minute loan of Sam Roberts, who didn't put a foot wrong on his debut. After the disappointing defeat at Beckenham, Decruz made three changes with Lewis, Gunner and Somo dropping to the bench with King, Brown and Jenkins returning to the starting line up.

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Recently, the Moatsiders have got into a bad habit of conceding early goals, and did so again against Littlehampton. Defensively, it was a poor goal to concede. A simple chip over the top left Short in a footrace with Harry Pointing and the Town player easily outpaced the centre back. Drawing defenders to him, he pulled the ball back to where Yoro-Thomas was arriving at pace and the Town fullback drilled it off Roberts into the back of the net. Merstham a goal down with just five minutes on the clock. Aiden Brown had a chance to level things when he had a good shooting chance on 14' after a poor clearance, but the striker blazed his shot well over the bar. Merstham got into some good positions in the final third, but several times seemed reluctant to shoot. The crossing into the box also lacked quality when it was needed and Littlehampton were able to clear their lines with keeper Chisholm largely untroubled. The overall quality of the game wasn't great from both sides. Misplaced passes, poor touches and poor decisions were prolific. The game wasn't helped by a desperately poor performance from referee Pinchback. There were a number of curious or poor decisions but the worst was a truly dreadful tackle on Billy Oram that went completely unpunished. On another day, Oram could have had his leg broken. Littlehampton's players were happy to halt the Moatsiders with a series of niggly fouls and shirt pulls and as a result, little spats broke out all over the pitch as tempers frayed. Merstham didn't get a shot on target until five minutes before the break. Brown picked up the goal 35 yards out and ran at the back four before unleashing a powerful shot which Chisholm pushed away.  In first half added time, Merstham almost conceded a second. Again a simple chip over the top caused problems. Roberts came rushing out of his goal and just got to the ball before Short, but the ball squited away and Khinda did well to block the first shot before O'Toole tried to chip one over Roberts, but the keeper did well to tip the ball over the bar to ensure Merstham were only a goal down at the break. 

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The Moatsiders began the second half with more purpose and both Jenkins and Brown threatened early on. It was Brown who was instrumental in the equaliser on 62'. He controlled a ball into his feet from Drage, spun and played a neat one two with King, suddenly finding himself through on goal. As Yoro-Thomas came across the striker went down and three hundred voices were shouting for a penalty. Luckily for Merstham, as the referee was already waving it away, the ball ran kindly to Olu Lawal, who slotted the ball home from six yards. At that point, you would have expected the Moatsiders to grab the initiative, but as is becoming all too prevalent in football, Chisholm went down twice with mystery injuries to break up play and allow the Town manager to talk to his team. It's something that football needs to look at it as everyone knows the goalkeepers aren't injured, but have been instructed to go down, as Chisholm clearly was. Oram and Lawal had chances but both failed to get hold of their shots and were easily saved, while Khinda had a goal-bound effort blocked by a flying defender. At the other end, Matt Drage made a super last-ditch tackle as Jarvis threatened to score. O'Toole should have done better with a shot from the edge of the box with seven minutes left, but failed to trouble Roberts. O'Toole could have won it for Littlehampton in the 91st minute, but his effort from 18 yards was high, wide and not very handsome. Four minutes later, in the last of the five minutes of added time that had been indicated, O'Toole and Town were made to rue that miss. A corner from Oram on the right was cleared to the edge of the box. Matt Drage picked it up, swivelled and swung in a beautiful cross that was inviting a Moatsider to get on the end of it. Lawal did, and probably should have scored himself, but his header dropped perfectly for Aaron Jenkins, who was perfectly placed to find the next from a couple of yards out and send the home crowd wild.

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Merstham: Roberts, Khinda, Molloy, Drage, Pointing, Wilson, Lawal, Oram, King, (Somo 77') Brown, Jenkins (Vendrells 90+4)

Unused subs: Murphy, Lewis, Gunner

Greene King Player of the Match: Olu Lawal

Man of the Match: Matt Drage

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Beckenham Town 3-0 Merstham | Isthmian League SE | Saturday 21st September

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Merstham's fine run of form in August seems like a distant memory now, as the Moatsiders delivered a truly woeful performance at top of the table Beckenham. They were second best for the majority of the game, but in all honestly, Beckenham didn't need to do much to take the points. On an unseasonably warm September afternoon, the Moatsiders, with King and Greenwood out injured, brought Bradley Wilson back into midfield and there was a debut for Andy Somo up front. 

 

The game took a while to get going and neither side looked particularly threatening in the opening exchanges. Merstham began solidly enough and the opening 15 minutes was probably their best spell of the game, which probably tells you all you need to know about the remaining 75 minutes. Beckenham gradually began to get a grip on the game and started to take control of the midfield. They were aided and abetted by the Moatsiders, who struggled to put two or three passes together before giving the ball away. While the home side enjoyed plenty of possession, their final ball lacked quality and although they had a number of shots from distance, Rob Tolfey wasn't called into serious action. At the other end, Freeman, the Town goalkeeper could easily have borrowed a deckchair and enjoyed the hot sunshine. He certainly was needed for the majority of the 90 minutes. The first half ended goalless, although the Moatsiders were starting to defend a little desperately as half time approached. 

 

Beckenham started the second half as they finished the first. Unfortunately, so did Merstham. It came as no real surprise when Town went in front on 51', when Brisset fired into the roof of the net from an acute angle. One quickly became two as Brisset doubled the home side's lead with a blistering shot from 25 yards. Ten minutes later, Merstham were given a glimmer of hope when Ollie Khinda and Louie Theophanous got into a tangle and the Becks striker lost his head and threw the Merstham player to the ground, which earned him a straight red card. But just four minutes later, the ten men made the game safe as Townsend waltzed through an AWOL defence and slid the ball under Tolfrey to make it 3-0. Merstham huffed and puffed through the remaining minutes, but Beckenham keeper Freeman still hadn't made a save worthy of the name by the end of the game. Beckenham should also have had Belford sent off for a reckless, high, feet-off-the-ground, potential leg-breaking tackle with seven minutes left, but the referee deemed it only worthy of a yellow, which came as little surprise to anyone who's seen the standard of refereeing this season. 

 

Merstham: Tolfrey, Khinda, Molloy (Senior 63'), Drage, Pointing, Gunner (Jenkins 78'), Lawal, Wilson, Lewis (Vendrells 78'), Oram (Brown 59')  Somo (Henry 78')

Man of the Match: none

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Tonbridge Angels 2-1 Merstham | Emirates FA Cup | Saturday 14th September

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Merstham's FA Cup adventure came to an end at the hands of the National League South outfit in front of a crowd of 866, of which about 100 were cheering on the men in amber and black. But the Moatsiders bowed out with their heads held high after giving a good account of themselves. In fact, it was Tonbridge who were hanging on to their lead in the last 15 minutes, as Merstham put the home side under pressure after pulling one back. No-one would argue that the Angels were worthy winners over the ninety minutes, but they didn't have things all their own way. 

 

Merstham boss Jamie Decruz sprang something of a surprise by bringing back skipper Dean Gunner after injury and playing three at the back. Korrey Henry returned up front and Billy Oram started in place of Bradley Wilson.

 

For the third game in a row, Merstham conceded an early goal, this time after nine minutes. A corner kick from the right wasn't dealt with and the ball dropped kindly to Trevan Robinson who fired home from eight yards. At that point, Moatsiders fans could be forgiven for feeling pessimistic, as the two previous games had seen Merstham concede an early goal but then concede a couple more too. Tonbridge, with their tails up moved the ball around quickly and the Merstham players had to work extremely hard to stay in the game. Tonbridge almost added to their lead two minutes after the goal when a cross from Santos was headed against the bar by Lema. On 18', Tolfrey did well to push away a shot from Vincent and at this stage Merstham were very much under the cosh. But importantly, they didn't concede again. Gradually they started to get into the game and have a bit more possession of their own. Sam King had Merstham's first real chance on 32' but dragged his shot wide from 12 yards. Korrey Henry had a great chance 3 minutes before the break when good pressing won the ball back, but the striker couldn't get the ball out of his feet and by the time he did, his shot was blocked. On the stroke of half time, the Moatsiders suffered a blow when King fell heavily on his back and had to be replaced by Abel Vendrells.

 

Going in at half time just a goal down felt like a positive outcome given the sustained pressure the Moatsiders had endured for the first 25 minutes. But the optimism only lasted four second half minutes as Angels extended their lead, again from a corner. Fielding leapt highest at the far post and powered his header past Tolfrey to make it 2-0.  With Tonbridge not having conceded a goal in the previous four games, it felt a long way back for Merstham. Their cause wasn't helped when their was a nasty clash of heads on 20' and Matt Drage, clearly groggy, had to be substituted. With no defensive cover on the bench, Ollie Khinda moved into the back three and Ben Senior came on to play wing back. The game seemed to be heading for the inevitable home win when suddenly it burst back into life with a Merstham goal. An Oram corner was missed by the Angels keeper and looped off a defender invitingly for Harry Pointing to nod home from six yards with 76 minutes gone.  Suddenly the home crowd started getting nervous and that transmitted itself to the players. As the clock ticked down, it was Merstham who were on the front foot and playing their best football of the match. But Tonbridge defended well and despite some good possession and pressure, the nearest the Moatsiders came was a Lee Lewis special that fizzed just over the bar. The Merstham players were rightly applauded off by both sets of fans at the end.

 

Merstham: Tolfrey, Khinda, Molloy, Drage (Senior 65'), Pointing, Gunner (Jenkins 80'), Lawal, Lewis, Oram, King (Vendrells 45'),  Henry (Brown 57')

Unused subs: Allen

Man of the Match: Billy Oram

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AFC Croydon Athletic 3-3 Merstham | Isthmian League SE | Tuesday 10th September

 

For the second consecutive game, Merstham dug themselves a huge first-half hole. However, this time, albeit with some help from the referee, they not only dug themselves out of it, but could and probably should have taken all three points. But when you are three goals down after just 24 minutes, a point is no mean feat.

 

On an unseasonably cold, wet and windswept night, boss Jamie Decruz rang the changes. With Charlie Greenwood out injured, there was a debut for new signing Bradley Wilson, with Lee Lewis, Aidan Brown and Ben Senior all coming back into the starting line-up. But on the basis of the first 25 minutes, the casual observer might have thought that the eleven Merstham players on the park had never met before, let alone played together as a team. To say the Moatsiders were all over the place would be an understatement. The first goal was a case in point. A corner on the left saw two Croydon players go out to the corner flag. Only Jude Molloy went to meet them even though it took an age to take the corner. A quick one-two bypassed the lone defender and Diallo hit a low cross into the box, where it deflected kindly for McCarthy to fire through a forest of legs into the back of the Merstham net. If there was an expectation that might spark Merstham into life, that hope was extinguished three minutes later, when a simple give and go in midfield sliced the Moatsiders apart. As Rob Tolfrey advanced on the Pierrick, the Croydon forward threw himself dramatically to the ground. The referee, who was every bit as bad as the weather, adjudged that Tolfrey had made contact, although the Croydon player seemed to be going down before the keeper got to him. Whether it was a penalty or a dive was soon irrelevant as the spot kick was awarded and Pringle smashed it into the roof of the net. Two down in 14 minutes was an inauspicious start and it got worse when Tolfery pushed away a shot from Pringle, which unfortunately for the Moatsiders went straight to the foot of the Pierrick as the Croydon player followed in to slot the ball home. With a 3-0 lead after just 24 minutes, it looked like the points were already in the bag for the home side. The Moatsiders did give themselves a glimmer of hope when they pulled one back five minutes later. A corner from the right was won in the air by Harry Pointing and Aidan Brown was first to react to the loose ball, hooking it into the roof of the net from a yard out. On the stroke of half time came the moment that changed the game. Ex-Moatsider Gus Sow was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Ollie Khinda, which at the time looked harsh and having seen the video afterwards, it was just a very poor decision. So an eventful first half ended with Croydon holding a 3-1 advantage, but they were down to ten men. 

 

For some reason best known to the Croydon coaching staff, they decided to begin the second half sitting very deep and simply handed the initiative to the visitors with a lot of panicked clearances, giving possession back to the Moatsiders, which just invited wave after wave of Merstham attacks. The only real surprise was that it took the Moatsiders twenty minutes to score, as they spurned several chances as the ball fizzed around the Croydon penalty box. Olu Lawal was proving a real handful and time and again he beat his man or set up the overlapping Ollie Khinda to whip the ball into the box. It was a combination of good defending and pure luck that prevented the ball from finding its way into the Croydon net. Eventually the pressure told. Ben Senior popped up on the right for once and tried his luck with a shot from the edge of the box. That was blocked but the ball went straight back to Senior who spun and then hit a beautiful, curling shot just inside the far left-hand post to make it 3-2 on 64'. Only a minute earlier however, the Moatsiders had Tolfrey to thank as he denied Pierrick with a great block to prevent Croydon from going 4-1 up. Seven minutes later, Merstham were level at 3-3. A great ball out to the left wing released Senior. The winger fired in a low cross that zipped across the wet surface and Lawal, arriving at pace at the far post, finished from point-blank range. At that stage it seemed inevitable that Merstham would go on to win the game. But despite some heart-in-mouth moments for the home side, the nearest the Moatsiders came was when a Matt Drage free kick from 20 yards smacked against the foot of the post and rebounded to safety. It was that sort of game.

 

Merstham: Tolfrey, Khinda, Molloy, Drage, Pointing, Wilson, Lawal (Vendrells 78'), Lewis (Oram 46'), King (Henry 87'), Brown, Senior.

Unused subs: Gunner, Jenkins

Man of the Match: Olu Lawal

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Ascot United 5-0 Merstham | Isuzu FA Trophy | Friday 6th September

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After a fine start to the season, Merstham came down to earth with a bump in this FA Trophy First Round tie. Ascot's ground is set inside the Ascot racecourse, although on a murky and wet Friday night it was anything but picturesque. Thanks to Ascot's sub-standard floodlights, most of Merstham's supporters would have been spared seeing exactly how Ascot galloped into a four goal lead, because it was hard to see much past the half-way line. The murky conditions didn't seem to effect the home side however, as they took advantage of a Merstham side who gifted the home side with three first half goals, only missing bows and wrapping paper to underline how generous the visitors were. 

 

The Moatsiders actually started brightly enough and had the better of the opening 15 minutes. Olu Lawal caused some problems early on and it took a great block by Ascot's Lock to deny Korrey Henry after good work by Lawal in the 9th minute. Five minutes later, Lawal might have done better with a shot from 12 yards, but it was at a comfortable height for the Town keeper to push away. A minute later, Merstham's midfield and defenders did a passable impression of training cones as they allowed Anas to waltz through a static defence unchallenged and slot it past Tolfrey. Merstham's good start faded and they began to give the ball away cheaply all over the pitch, often opting for a difficult pass when there were easier options, or running into traffic needlessly. Town grew in confidence and looked dangerous going forward especially on the left flank and several times balls were dangerously whipped into the Merstham box. The Moatsiders still looked capable of pulling the goal back, that is until the 32nd minute. Harry Pointing, who was outstanding on Tuesday night, played a horrendous pass under no pressure across the face of his own goal straight to McCormack, who probably couldn't believe his luck, and accepted the gift to make it two. Bad went to worse five minutes later as the ball looped up in the Merstham box and while keeper and defender looked at each other, Anas nipped in and slotted it into an empty net. There was complete disbelief amongst the Merstham faithful as they watched their side implode. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. On the stroke of half time, Ascot scored the only goal that wasn't aided and abetted by the Moatsiders when Mason crossed for Tack to slot home. Four-nil at the break and the game was already over.

 

It wouldn't have been a surprise to have seen wholesale changes at the interval, as not one Merstham player was able to hold his hand up and say he'd had a good opening 45 minutes. As it was, Jamie Decruz opted to keep the same eleven on the field. It was a better second half performance, although Ascot were content to soak up the pressure and try and hit Merstham on the break. The Moatsiders had a host of chances and hit the woodwork twice and were guilty of several bad misses. Ascot rubbed salt into the wound with seven minutes left as Harris broke away and took his time before adding Town's fifth. The game ended sourly as Merstham's assistant manager Lee Matthews was shown a red card for giving referee Maros Valko his opinion on the match official's quite lamentable second half performance. While accurate, the referee's poor officiating didn't have any impact on the outcome of the game.  

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Merstham: Tolfrey, Khinda (Murphy 67'), Molloy, Drage, Pointing, Greenwood, Lawal, Oram (Lewis 65'), King (Brown 63'), Henry (Senior 70'), Vendrells (Jenkins 52').

Man of the Match: Olu Lawal

 

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East Grinstead Town 0-1 Merstham | Velocity Cup | Tuesday 3rd September

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Merstham maintained their fine early season form, with a hard-fought win against the Wasps in this Second Round Velocity Cup match. It was a much-changed Moatsiders XI that took the field, with the side showing eight changes from the team that started at Steyning on Saturday. But for all the changes, it was still a strong-looking side, with Sam Allen in goal and Jayden Barber both making their first competitive starts.

 

The game got off to a lively start and was end to end in the opening fifteen minutes, as both teams indicated a desire to win the game rather than see it as a useful run out. For the Moatsiders, the front three of Brown, Jenkins and Senior looked lively and there was a good chance after only two minutes for Brown and several half chances as the ball fizzed around the East Grinstead box. At the other end, a free kick led to the ball being smashed against the Moatsiders' bar on 11', with Allen helpless. But the Moatsiders suffered a blow a few minutes later, as skipper Dean Gunner limped off with a groin strain. That forced Jamie Decruz to shuffle his pack, as Ollie Khinda came on to play in central defence. Although Khinda and Harry Pointing were outstanding in central defence, that change seemed to unsettle the Moatsiders and they became far less effective as an attacking force. However, they should have had a penalty on 22' when Sam King had his legs taken away from him in the box and to everyone's astonishment, the referee, who had a very poor game indeed, waved play on. Another injury, this time to Jayden Barber led to another enforced change just before half time, with Olu Lawal replacing the defender, and Ben Senior shifted into the right back slot. King forced the Wasps keeper into a good save low to his right just before the break, but that was as close as the visitors came. While the Moatsiders had the best of the opening 20 minutes, East Grinstead grew into the game and were the better side as half time approached.

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The second half started much the same, with the home side looking more likely to break the deadlock, although Allen was relatively untroubled, as the back four mopped up most of the attacking threat. Then came another controversial moment on 56' when Lawal burst through and rounded the keeper, who clearly tripped him as he went past. Lawal stayed on his feet, but was off balance, and although the winger set up a shooting chance for Aiden Brown, by then defenders were back to block his shot. Another extremely poor decision by the match official. On the hour, Korrey Henry and Abel Vendrells were introduced and both had an immediate impact. On 68' the Moatsiders scored what proved to be the winner and the build up to the goal was worth the price of admission alone. Brown and Lawal looked completely boxed in, just inside the East Grinstead half and up against the touch line surrounded by four Town players. But magical close control, quick feet and deft touches between the two Merstham players left the four Wasps in the wake of Lawal as he sprinted towards goal. Cutting inside the last defender he fired his shot into the bottom left corner of the net. Two minutes later, Merstham almost doubled their lead as Vendrells closed down the keeper, who was taking far too long to clear the ball. He blocked the attempted clearance but agonisingly couldn't quite get to the loose ball before the angle defeated him and he could only find the side netting. Vendrells should have scored after he got on the end of a cross to the far post but failed to hit the target from close range. It looked more likely that the Moatsiders would add to their tally than concede, and Vendrells, Henry and Lawal all had further chances to add to the lead. East Grinstead applied some pressure in the clsoing stages but only created one chance of real note with a header that went over the bar with a few minutes remaining.

 

Merstham: Allen, Barber (Lawal 44'), Murphy, Gunner (Khinda 17'), Pointing, Lewis, Oram, King (Henry 59'), Brown (Greenwood 83'), Jenkins (Vendrells 59), Senior.

Man of the Match: Harry Murphy

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Steyning Town Community 1-2 Merstham | Emirates FA Cup | Saturday 31st August

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An own goal in the 91st minute was enough to see Merstham through to the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. It wasn't a vintage performance from the Moatsiders, but they did more than enough to deserve their win. As Merstham found when playing the league fixture earlier in the month, Town are an awkward side to play against. But they could and probably should have been out of sight before Steyning got back in the game with a scrappy equaliser in the 65th minute.

 

The Moatsiders were unchanged after the impressive win at Three Bridges and they started well. They almost went ahead in the 4th minute when Abel Vendrells hit the foot of the post after a Korrey Henry shot had been hacked off the line. But Merstham weren't to be denied and they went ahead in the 10th minute. Olu Lawal, who was a constant threat all afternoon, picked up a long pass from Matt Drage and cut into the box from the left flank. His cross low into the six yard box found an unmarked Korrey Henry who had the simple task of putting it into an empty next from a yard. For the first 25 minutes, Merstham were in complete control of the game, picking their passes and constantly asking questions of the home defence. But for all their possession and promising situations, they didn't really create a chance worthy of the name. Steyning grew into the game and began to enjoy some possession of their own, but rarely threatened. It wasn't until the last couple of minutes before the interval that the Moatsiders burst into life again. Henry had a shot saved by the keeper and the ball was like a pin ball in the Town box as both sides tried to get a telling touch. Then, in first half added time came a hugely controversial incident. Some delightful play on the left put Sam King through on goal. As he prepared to shoot, he appeared to be clipped from behind by the defender who was on the wrong side. The Merstham midfielder went down and the referee blew immediately. But to everyone's astonishment he gave a free kick to the home side and booked King for diving. It tells you everything you need to know when even the Steyning manager thought it should have been a penalty. At 2-0, the game would probably have been over but the referee saw it differently to everyone else in crowd of 138 (of which 90 were probably Merstham fans). 

 

The second half was a more even affair in terms of possession and territory. The big difference was that the Moatsiders looked threatening coming forward, while Steyning rarely threatened. But as so often happens in football, if you don't kill a team off, it can come back to bite you and so it proved with 25 minutes left. A free kick into the Merstham box wasn't dealt with for once and although a combination of keeper and defenders got in the way of a couple of efforts, the ball was eventually forced home to put the home side back on terms. The goal seemed to spark the Moatsiders and they responded immediately and on more than one occasion the ball flashed across the box, but there was no-one in blue and white to apply the finishing touch. Aiden Brown and Aaron Jenkins had entered the fray when Town equalised, and they asked different questions of the home defence. Jenkins, in particular on the right flank, got past his man more than once and put a couple of dangerous balls into the box which the home defenders did well to clear. Brown had a good chance with five minutes left but shot straight at the keeper. As the game moved into added time, and everyone was resigned to the thought of a replay on Tuesday night, Merstham grabbed a dramatic late winner and it was down to the pace and trickery of Jenkins. He beat his man and fired in a low cross to the near post. Town's Da Costa tried to clear it but it deflected off his boot and looped slowly towards goal. Time seemed to stand still as the ball continued its trajectory into the Steyning goal. The keeper hooked it back, but far too late as the ball had clearly crossed the line, which was duly signaled by the assistant. All the Moatsiders needed to do was to play out the last few minutes which they did without undue alarm to book their passage into the next round of the FA Cup. 

 

Merstham: Tolfrey, Khinda, Molloy, Drage, Pointing, Greenwood, Lawal, Oram (Lewis 83'), King (Senior 90+3'), Henry (Brown 65'), Vendrells (Jenkins 65').

Unused subs: Allen, Barber, Gunner

Man of the Match: Olu Lawal

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Merstham 2-1 Erith Town | Emirates FA Cup | Saturday 17th August

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A second half Charlie Greenwood penalty ensured Merstham will be in the hat for the next round of the FA Cup. But the Moatsiders really should have wrapped up the tie in the opening forty five minutes, when they had total control of the game and spurned numerous chances. As it was, they were made to endure a slightly nervy last half hour, although Erith didn't cause the home defence too many alarms.

 

It was clear from the outset that Erith's style was going to be in complete contract to the Moatsiders, with the visitors hitting long, high balls at every opportunity and looking to pick up the pieces. But Merstham got off to the ideal start when they went ahead in the nineth minute. A Greenwood corner was headed out, but only to the waiting Dean Gunner. The Merstham skipper caught the ball beautifully on the volley from 12 yards and it fairly flew into the far corner.  Two minutes later, Aaron Jenkins had a chance to extend the lead, but his effort drifted wide of the far post. Erith called Rob Tolfrey into action on 17' as the keeper made a good save with his left hand to deny Davidson-Phipps. But that was only a brief respite for the visitors as Merstham dominated both possession and territory and looked dangerous every time they went forward. In the nineteenth minute, first Billy Oram and then Aidan Brown had chances, and Brown especially will be disappointed he didn't take his. Olu Lawal tested the keeper with a low drive and then on 32', Oram had a clear sight of goal from the edge of the box, but blazed over the bar. Merstham had numerous promising attacking situations, but either the final pass or the shot lacked precision. Then in the 37th minutes, completely against the run of play, Town equalised. It came about thanks to a very fortuitous deflection that dropped perfectly at the feet of Taylor, who slid the ball past the stranded Tolfrey. There was a stunned silence around the Moatside and even the Erith players looked as though they didn't quite believe they were back on level terms, having been completely outplayed for 35 minutes. Merstham almost re-took the lead immediately as Ollie Khinda had a great chance after nice work on the right, but the defender sliced his shot badly wide. At the other end, Erith, buoyed by their goal came close to grabbing another when Dyer's dipping shot from 30 yards only just cleared the bar. Back came Merstham and two minutes before the break a typical Lee Lewis piledriver from 30 yards was parried uncomfortably by Town's keeper who did just enough to keep Brown from getting to the rebound first. Merstham fans spent the interval pondering how their side were only drawing the game 1-1.

 

The second half was a much more even contest, though Merstham still looked the more likely to find a way through. On 56', Greenwood, who was outstanding, especially in the second half, went on a trademark surging run. He played a great ball to the feet of Jenkins who cut in from the left and his low shot to the far corner was well saved by Taylor in the Erith goal. Then in the 63' minute, Lawal did supremely well to win a ball wide on the left that he was very much second favourite for. Having won it, he drove into the box and the hapless Erith full back lunged in from behind and took the legs of the Merstham winger. The referee had no hesitation and pointed to the spot. Up stepped the ever-reliable Greenwood who wrong-footed the keeper to put the Moatsiders back in front on 64'. For the remainder of the game, Erith huffed and puffed, but the Moatsiders rarely looked in trouble as Gunner and Drage marshalled the defence well. Both sides had their moments but there was a dearth of clear-cut chances and Merstham were content to manage the game and not take unnecessary risks to extend their lead. While it wasn't a great performance, it was good enough to get the job done and put the Moatsiders into the next round.  

 

Merstham: Tolfrey, Khinda, Molloy, Drage, Gunner, Greenwood, Lawal (Barber 90 +1'), Lewis, Oram (Senior (76'), Brown (Henry 71'),  Jenkins (Vendrells 71').

Unused subs: Ellaway, Pointing, Murphy

Greene King Player of the Match: Jude Molloy

Man of the Match: Charlie Greenwood

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Steyning Town Community 0-1 Merstham | Isthmian League SE | Saturday 10th August

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A Charlie Greenwood penalty early in the second half ensured the Moatsiders got their league campaign off to a winning start. But this wasn't a game that will live long in the memory. It was a scrappy game from start to finish and Merstham had to dig in and battle, especially in the final twenty minutes as the home side pushed for an equaliser. There was no question that the Moatsiders deserved the three points, but it was a poor game to watch with both sides giving the ball away all too frequently.

In the opening ten minutes, it was clear that Steyning's style of playing was in stark contrast to the Moatsiders. The home side were happy to pump high balls forward and try to pick up the pieces in Merstham's half. The stiff breeze at Merstham's backs ensured the ball held up in the air, making it difficult for Merstham's defenders to judge the flight of the ball. The high bounce of the ball from the old 3G surface didn't help and Merstham struggled to impose their brand of football on the game in the opening exchanges. That said, the Moatsiders had a glorious chance to take the lead in the thirteenth minute. A delightful Charlie Greenwood free kick found the head of an unmarked Aaron Jenkins eight yards out, but the winger nodded the ball the wrong side of the post. A minute later, Merstham were almost made to pay for that miss as Town's Killick put a header narrowly wide. As the half wore on, Merstham began to settle into the match and Lawal was a constant threat on the right flank. Jenkins too was causing Town's defence problems and on several occasions the ball flashed through the Steyning box or found a defender, rather than a Merstham forward. On 28', Brown did well to work a shooting position on the edge of the box, but dragged his shot wide. An injury to Sam King on 33' forced a change in midfield as Billy Oram came on to replace King. Merstham continued to threaten as the half wore on and won a number of free kicks in promising positions, as Town's defenders did whatever they needed to do to stop Merstham's wide men. But for all their pressure, the Moatsiders didn't create any further clear-cut chances, although a Lee Lewis shot from 25 yards just before the break went narrowly over the bar. The half ended goalless but with the Moatsiders on top.

There are times that you wonder what goes through the mind of some players. Steyning's centre back George Brown had been pushing and shoving Merstham's players from the outset and generally trying to wind them up. He had been spoken to by the referee more than once in the first half. With just six minutes gone of the second half, he got into yet another altercation with Aidan Brown and with both hands shoved the Merstham player to the ground in the middle of the box in an off the ball incident. Unfortunately for him, the referee saw it all. He booked the Town player and pointed to the spot. Charlie Greenwood's calmly-taken penalty gave the Moatsiders a deserved lead. The Steyning boss made his feelings very clear about Brown's stupidity and immediately substituted the player, who was cheered off by the Merstham faithful. But any hopes that Merstham would build on their advantage quickly subsided as the visitors gave a remarkably good impression of the England side at the Euros,. They began to sit deeper and started to give the ball away with alarming frequency. That gave the home side plenty of encouragement. As the half wore on, Steyning built pressure and for the final 20 minutes, the game was played largely in the Merstham half. There were a few half chances and a couple of heart in mouth moments for the Merstham supporters as the ball bobbled around in the Moatsiders box. But Merstham defended well and keeper Rob Tolfrey was only brought into serious action once when he came out to block a shot from Radley-Martin on 75'. Not a vintage performance from the Moatsiders, but three points on the road in difficult conditions represented a good afternoon's work.

Merstham: Tolfrey, Khinda, Molloy, Drage, Gunner, Greenwood, Lawal (Senior 90+2'), Lewis, King (Oram 32'), Brown (Henry 68'), Jenkins (Vendrells 68').
Unused subs: Allen
Man of the Match: Jude Molloy

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Merstham 7-0 Wick | Emirates FA Cup | Saturday 3rd August

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​Merstham cruised through to the next round of the FA Cup with a performance every bit as dominating as the scoreline would suggest. It was a superb all-round performance from the Moatsiders, who played with pace and purpose, and were clinical in front of goal, especially in the second half.

Merstham were quickly out of the blocks and the pace of Olu Lawal on the right flank, with Ollie Khinda in support, was causing the Wick defence all sorts of problems. It came as no surprise that Merstham's opening goal after just 8 minutes came from Lawal beating his man and pulling the ball back to Charlie Greenwood in the box, whose cross found Aiden Brown to fire home from six yards. Merstham were moving the ball around nicely in midfield and as soon as the ball found Lawal on the right or Aaron Jenkins on the left, the alarm bells were ringing loudly in the visitor's defence. Wick found it hard to keep possession and on the rare occasions that they did have the ball, the Moatsiders quickly won it back. It was no real surprise when Merstham extended their lead on 20' and it came from the same side as the opener, as Khinda and Lawal combined well before Khinda crossed the ball low into the six yard box. Sam King was waiting to turn the ball in with an audacious back heel from a couple of yards out. The only real surprise was that for all their domination, Merstham didn't really carve out more clear cut chances in the remainder of the half. There were several half chances but the final pass or the shoot lacked quality. Indeed, the Moatsiders were arguably finding things a little too easy and in the last 15 minutes, some of the passing got a little sloppy and the home side were guilty of looking for difficult passes rather than keeping the ball moving. The half ended with the Moatsiders two up, but the tie certainly wasn't over.

But just five minutes into the second half, the game was effectively over, as Merstham added a third. Again it came from the right side. A cross from Greenwood deflected off a Wick defender right into the path of Jenkins who headed home off the far post. On the hour mark, Khinda broke up a rare Wick counter attack and played the ball down the line for the effervescent Greenwood. A brilliant turn left the defender for dead and as Greenwood powered into the box, Wick's Thurgar, who spent most of the afternoon kicking Merstham players, bundled into him, and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Greenwood dusted himself down, and cooly slotted the penalty past the Wick keeper. Four nil down with another 30 minutes to play, Wick must have feared the worst. It didn't take Merstham long to add a fifth and what a goal it was. Ben Senior played the ball into King on the edge of the box. The midfielder laid it off perfectly into the path of Lee Lewis who smashed the ball into the top corner from 25 yards to make it 5-0 after 70 minutes. On 75' sub Abel Vendrells got free on the right and fired the ball into the six yard box, where Brown was lurking at the far post to finish from close range. Brown almost got his hat-trick when he was denied by a superb save by the Wick keeper. But Brown wasn't to be denied. A minute later, he won the ball, drifted inside of two defenders then fired past Belcher from the edge of the box for his third and Merstham's seventh.

Merstham: Tolfrey, Khinda, Molloy (Murphy 85'), Drage, Gunner, Lawal (Senior 69'), Oram (Vendrells 66'), Brown (Henry 81'), King, Jenkins (Lewis 66'), Greenwood.
Unused subs: Pointing, Allen
Man of the Match: Aiden Brown