Parkway suffer midweek away defeat to a clinical chesham side
Chesham v Parkway | Match ReportWritten by Graham Lloyd - March 2023
In a rearranged fixture as a result of the original game being postponed on a Saturday in December due to a frozen pitch, Parkway made the long midweek trip to 4th placed Chesham United. Parkway were looking to build on Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Harrow Borough with the hosts hoping to halt their 7 match winless run and remain in contention for a playoff place. Parkway made 3 changes to Saturday’s game with Sam Borthwick called up at short notice to replace Jordan Duffey in goal, their 3rd different keeper in 3 successive games with Toby Down and Aaron Goulty starting in place of Mikey Williams and Jack Crago respectively.
On an excellent playing surface Parkway started brightly forcing a corner in the 1st minute after good build up play between Rio Garside and Harrison King. Parkway continued to look sharp and Garside and King combined well again in the 9th minute with Dante-Astor Baptiste forced into early action by gathering a low cross played into the 6 yard area. Play continued to be fairly even with Borthwick doing well to save a deflected long range shot on 11 minutes. The game continued at a high tempo with Borthwick again called into action in the14th minute pushing away a header from a corner on the right. With Parkway set up to play on the counter, a long ball in behind the hosts defence saw Garside go clear with his shot being blocked for corner. Parkway continued to compete well and Dan Rooney and Ryan Lane linked well in the 17th minute to force another corner which was well defended.
After an encouraging opening spell by Parkway, Chesham gradually began to control the midfield exchanges with their high intensity pressing game and on 25 minutes they won the ball in midfield and broke clear with Karl Ollyide’s shot from around 20 yards being deflected for a corner. They then took the lead on 27 minutes after Parkway had conceded possession on their left allowing Tobias Braney to race clear along the right and lash a low angled drive beyond the diving Borthwick.
Chesham now looking the more dangerous side then won a free kick around 30 yards out with Frankie Sutherland firing well over before they doubled their lead on 37 minutes. A long throw in from the right into a crowded 6 yard area was not fully cleared with Ricardo German picking up the loose ball, twisting and turning on the edge of the 18 yard area and bending his shot around Borthwick.
Chesham continued to dominate midfield with Parkway being forced on to the back foot and unable to create too much forward momentum or penetration with the Chesham defence dealing comfortably with a series of long balls and Baptiste remaining relatively untested.
Approaching half time, Chesham continued to apply pressure forcing 2 more corners which were well defended with the hosts reaching the break in the ascendancy and looking comfortable.
After a bright opening 20 minutes by Parkway during which they competed well and created a couple of half chances, Chesham began to dominate and look the more threatening and clinically finished a couple of their chances to deservedly lead at the break.
Chesham UnitedPlymouth Parkway
4 - 0Full Time |
Parkway made a double substitution at half time with Crago and Williams replacing Billington and Down respectively in a bid to claw their way back into the game.
Again they started the half brightly forcing a couple of early corners which were easily defended but it was the hosts who increased their lead and probably sealed the game on 57 minutes.
Parkway conceded possession midway in their own half with a sloppy pass which was intercepted by Braney who slid in the strong running Ollyide who powered home a shot across Borthwick into the far corner.
Parkway did well to respond and almost pulled a goal back after a period of pressure saw a shot cleared off the line. However on the hour Chesham went further ahead. with almost a carbon copy of the 3rd goal.
Parkway again conceded possession too easily in their own half allowing German to go clear against a retreating defence and bend his shot into the bottom corner from around 15 yards for his 2nd goal of the game. German was replaced by Zak Joseph shortly after with Chesham continuing to control the pace of the game not allowing Parkway time on the ball with their high pressing with Parkway being restricted to playing long balls from the back, too often overhit and easily defended.
The pace of the game began to drop with Chesham looking to retain possession and Parkway continuing to compete well but unable to gain any meaningful possession or offer any real threat.
On 67 minutes Joseph fired well over from 30 yards as the hosts continued to dominate with a rare Parkway break on 70 minutes seeing a Crago shot blocked. Jeanmal Prosper then made a strong run forward from deep with Parkway doing well to defend his cross as they continued to come under pressure.
On 76 minutes Chesham made a double substitution with Omar Rowe and Jordan Edwards replacing Jordan Gibbons and Steve Brown respectively. With Chesham remaining in control and looking to slow the pace of the game, this allowed Parkway to push forward a bit more and on 80 minutes a strong run down the right by King saw his cross find Tom Bath whose shot was blocked for a corner with Austen Booth’s near post header going narrowly wide. However Chesham almost increased their lead further on 82 minutes after a mistake at the back allowed Ollyide to go clear one on one with Borthwick who pulled off an excellent save to deny the powerful striker.
The final few minutes of normal time plus the 3 added minutes saw a couple of Parkway attacks come to nothing as the hosts comfortably saw out the game with the final action seeing Rowe curl a shot just over.
Despite starting both halves well and working hard throughout, Parkway were second best for much of the game and never really came to terms with a strong, well organised Chesham who dominated midfield, pounced on Parkway mistakes, defended strongly and finished clinically to run out deserved winners.
Parkway were not at their best nor allowed to be and can have no real complaints about the outcome. They remain in 11th place, relatively safe in mid table, and now have a short recovery period before travelling to Devon neighbours Tiverton Town on Friday evening.
Tiverton are in 12th place 5 points behind Parkway having played the same number of games and will come off the back of a 3-2 penalty shoot against Tavistock tonight in the semi final of the Devon St Lukes Challenge Bowl.
Match Info
Chesham United:
1 Baptiste, 2 Prosper, 3 Rolfe, 4 Ridley, 5 Brown © (Edwards 76), 15 Gibbons (Rowe 76), 7 Braney, 8 Sutherland, 20 German (Joseph 63), 10 Ollyide, 11 Hippolyte-Patrick.
Substitutes:
6 Casey (unused), 9 Edwards, 12 Rowe, 14 Joseph, 16 Clayton (unused).
Plymouth Parkway:
1 Borthwick, 2 King, 3 Lane ©, 4 Down (Williams 46), 5 Rose, 6 Booth, 7 Billington (Crago 46), 8 Rooney, 9 Bath, 10 Garside, 11 Goulty.
Substitutes:
12 Hall (unused|), 14 Williams, 15 Crago.