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Thame United 3  Thatcham Town 3

Thame United 3 Thatcham Town 3

Jake Collinge17 Sep 2016 - 21:32
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An enthralling top of the table encounter ended with the points shared, as Thame United maintained their unbeaten start to the league campaign.

United reverted to a 4-4-2 formation with Calvin Evans coming in to the side at the expense of striker Ken Feyi, but with the team otherwise unchanged from the side that defeated Ardley United in midweek.

The early exchanges of the match were frenetic with three goals scored in the first ten minutes. The opening goal went to the visitors as Shane Cooper-Clark found the corner of the net from an acute angle, but United struck back on 7 minutes when Lynton Gross did well to turn and shoot from the edge of the box. Rackley in the Thatcham goal could only parry the shot in to the path of Andy Gledhill who made no mistake when presented with a near open goal.

The same combination worked three minutes later with Goss, whose pace was causing the visiting defence problems, driving the ball across goal for Gledhill to slide-in and finish at the far post. At this stage, United were in the ascendancy with Goss, Gledhill and Ben Connelly all having opportunities to extend the lead whilst, in the space of a minute, two penalty shouts for United were waved away by the referee.

However the visitors gradually got back in to the game and, for the final fifteen minutes, were the most likely side to score. That they did two minutes before the break when a corner was headed goalwards by Cooper-Clark. United captain Connor Hayes looked to have it covered, but an inexplicable bounce (or was it a stray hand) took the ball beyond Hayes and in to the corner of the goal.

With the game level at half-time, the visitors started the second half brightly and were awarded a penalty on 55 minutes, with Dan West penalised for shirt holding. Cooper-Clark completed his hat-trick, send Craven the wrong way from the spot. United then pressed for the equaliser, with the pace and movement in the front line continuing to trouble the visiting defence. On 70 minutes, and after a good move down the Thame left, the ball found its way through to Tom Ashworth, who was clipped just inside the box. The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. Gledhill stepped-up and sent Rackley the wrong way, completing his own hat-trick and making it 19 goals in only 10 appearances this season.

He very nearly added to that tally five minutes later when his effort from the edge of the box beat Rackley but was cleared off the line by a retreating defender. Goss then saw an effort go over the bar when well placed and, despite the increasing pressure, United were unable to find the winning goal.

Next up for United is a trip to Royal Wootton Bassett Town on Saturday in the FA Vase.

United:

Craven, Dugmore, Lynn, Hayes, Ashworth, Feyi (Harrison), Connelly, Goss, Gledhill, West, Evans (Gray)

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