Thamesmead’s Ryman North Play Off hopes are hanging by a thread after Cheshunt kept their own post season alive with a hard fought victory!

In difficult conditions, the Mead never really got going against the side going into the game were occupying the final Play off place, but yet still had the opportunities to at least have gained a point, but in the final analysis, the visitors just about deserved the victory even if their winning goal did owe much to the ever increasingly treacherous conditions under foot!

The visitors deservedly took the lead on the half hour as they had the better chances early on as firstly Hope beat Andy Walker to a free kick only to head over the bar before Hallett missed a golden opportunity when he headed over when unmarked.

Cheshunt deservedly took the lead on the half hour when Hallett bundled the ball home after Hope hit the underside of the bar from the edge of the box after a corner wasn’t cleared.  The lead lasted for less than five minutes.  Jay Porter’s free kick was blocked; Harrison Carnegie reacted quicker than anyone else before being crudely felled as he tried to force his way into the box – referee Brown ruled the foul was inside the area – and Paul Vines coolly sent keeper James May the wrong way from 12 yards.

It sparked the best period of the game that the home side enjoyed until half time as they went agonisingly close to taking the lead as Porter’s drive from the edge of the box was charged down by two defenders throwing themselves at the ball.

Lee Prescott drove in a free kick that whistled past the Cheshunt left post in the early stages of the second half which left May rooted to the spot before Walker nearly presented the visitors with the lead after completely misjudging a free kick that got caught on the wind and dropped in front of the diving Mead keeper, and as Walker spilled the ball (for probably the first time this season) following up Hope’s shot was charged down.

Theo Fairweather-Johnson then had a half chance that he shot straight at May before Hallett turned provider.  Chasing a long ball with Jack Barry, the striker was able to force his way through as the Mead skipper lost his footing on the ever increasing slippery surface.  Hallett then unselfishly squared for Adam Bolle to drive the ball high into the roof of the Thamesmead net.

It really wasn’t to be Barry’s day as late on he could have grabbed the Mead an unlikely point as he just couldn’t get enough of a touch on Prescott’s driven free kick as it rebounded towards him to turn it inside May’s left post.

Indeed the visitors would have won by more had Andy Walker not brilliantly denied Bolle late on, but by then sadly the Mead were beaten.  Twelve games left and the Mead are twelve points from the Play Off places albeit with a couple of games in hand!  Its a big ask, but as the great Jimmy Greaves (who incidentally celebrated his 76th birthday on match day) once said, “Its a funny old game!”  Difficult?  Yes!  Impossible?  Not yet!

THAMESMEAD – Walker, Glasgow, Porter, Mitchell (Butler), Barry, Gorbell, Precott, Vines, Gordon-Young (Duncan), Fairweather-Johnson, Carnegie

Subs – Spillane, Toms. Blaettler