CHERRY RED RECORDS
COMBINED COUNTIES PREMIER NORTH
SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2024
READING CITY 0 (0)
EGHAM TOWN 7 (3)
Jordan Brown 2 (14, 48), Ben Peden (22), Ronan Hutchins 2 (28), Harlem Hale (58), Luke Heneghan (61, pen)

Egham Town maintained their hold on top spot of the Combined Counties Premier North division with a very satisfying seven goal mauling of Reading City. Augmented by the return of classy left back Callum Webb (and, therefore “Callum’s Dad”!), signed from Rayners Lane, and with skipper Reece Yorke back from injury, the fluid nature of the squad was tested again. It would be tempting to say that this was revenge for last season, when City not only did the league double over the Sarnies but also knocked them out of the Premier Challenge Cup. However, both are very different teams now, with the Berkshire side not pushing for promotion (at least, not yet) and Egham having a demonstrably better campaign this time round. Only one Egham player from the side hammered 0-5 at Runnymede Stadium; Ben Peden, then co-manager with Adam Humphries, now so happy in his defensive role that he started this game as one of the side’s top scorers. In fact, he had the first opportunity for opening the scoring, heading just wide off Ronan Hutchins’ corner. With 14 minutes gone, Egham took the lead after pressing the home defence back and Jordan Brown, implored by the travelling fans to give the ball some welly, calmly steered his shot into the bottom right corner. The goal was greeted with the usual acclaim, and a spectacular skein of geese flying over Rivermoor Stadium en route to warmer climes. By the 21st minute the referee had ignored at least four City fouls that would usually attract a yellow card. The last one led to a corner, and this time the Hutchins-Peden combination worked a treat, Peden’s thumping header making it 2-0. Not to be outdone, Hutchins netted the third, effectively killing off the game as a contest as he ignored being fouled, and controlled the ball superbly on the edge of the box before unleashing a thumping drive that left Reading keeper Charlie York flatfooted. Bobbi Emery was the first to test Tyler Tobin in the Egham goal, a low drive in the 36th minute comfortably held.
Whatever team talk was given by the home manager was blown out of the water just three minutes after the restart. Egham pushed, Reading failed to push back, and Brown slammed the ball home off Harlem Hale’s precision pass. Two minutes later young Hutchins was at it again, finishing off a good break with another tremendous finish from the edge of the box. 5-0 with forty minutes to play; one had hopes of a record away win (anything better than 8-2). As it was the last two goals were on the tally sheet by the hour mark. In the 58th minute there was a scramble in the area, Harlem Hale rammed the ball into the roof of the net and joined Peden and Brown on six goals for the season. Luke Heneghan, on for Zac Hawker, and on the pitch for just a minute, was the gleeful recipient of a penalty award that seemed a little harsh, and, in walloping the ball past York, joined Hale and Peden at the top of the scoring list. It may seem odd that, with 47 league goals and another four from the FA Vase win against Colliers Wood United, the top scorers have just six apiece, but there are seventeen players on that list. It would have been good if the evocatively named Charlie George had added his name, but at least his one attempt was on target.
Next up is an extremely tough tie in the second round of the Isuzu FA Vase, against Haywards Heath Town. The Sussex side are at Step 5 and are, like Egham, top of their division, the Premier Sports Southern Combination. They have some pretty impressive stats: dropped only four points in 14 games; scored 35 and only let in 5; 3-0 results in their last two games, both away; let in more than one only once, and that was in August in a FA Cup tie they won.
EGHAM TOWN: Tyler Tobin, Samad Kazi, Callum Webb, Reece Yorke (Captain), Zac Hawker, Ayoub Igozouln, Ben Peden, Tyrique Tekasala, Ronan Hutchins, Jordan Brown, Harlem Hale. Substitutes: Soul Hale, Charlie George, Marley Anderson-Richards, Luke Heneghan, Alex Nolan.

56” Alex Nolan replaced Reece Yorke
59” Luke Heneghan replaced Zac Hawker
61” Marley Anderson-Richards replaced Ayoub Igozouln
61” Charle George replaced Ronan Hutchins
69” Soul Hale replaced his brother Harlem.