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Ardley United  2   Thame United  3

Ardley United 2 Thame United 3

Jake Collinge31 Jan 2016 - 19:58
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https://www.thamefootball.co.u

Sometimes games take a while to get going. Not this one. After only two minutes both sides had scored.


First on the score sheet were Ardley, after Ade Talabi picked the ball up on the wide left, before squaring to Elias Katsoloudi whose effort was enough to beat Farrow in the Thame goal. United, however, went straight down the other end and equalised as Ben Connelly sent in a low cross and Andy Gledhill finished from close range. The next 20 minutes saw the home side edge the game as Talabi continued to cause the United defence problems. That said, United were not without their chances and on 23 minutes Ellis Hercules saw an effort come back off the post and in the ensuing goalmouth scramble United could not force the ball home.

The second goal eventually arrived for Thame on 27 minutes. Gledhill did well to rob Chris Jackson on the wide right, before pulling the back to the penalty spot where Dan West had timed his run to perfection, hitting a first time effort that gave Butler in the home goal no chance. And just before half time the lead was extended further as a David Lynn corner found Hercules at the far post who deftly beat his man before firing his effort, via a deflection, in to the back of the net.

The second half initially lacked the goalmouth action of the first half. However, after an hour United were reduced to ten men as Aiden Bailey was adjudged to have fouled Reece Bayliss as he was through on goal and, as the last man, the referee pulled out a red card. United initially cleared the resultant free kick, but the ball was crossed back in to the box and Katsoloudi headed wide of Farrow to get the hosts back in to the match.

Thoughts turned to defending for the remainder of the match and United did that with relatively ease, the only opportunity being a header from Luke Cray in the 90th minute that cleared the bar.

The three points lifts United back in to the top half of the table, with tough games to come at home against Kidlington on Tuesday in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup (7:45pm kick off), and Highworth Town at the ASM Stadium next Saturday.

United:
Farrow, Evans, Lynn, Hercules, Bailey, Ashworth, Connelly, Gledhill (Jesson), Gray (Dugmore), West, Ricketts.

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