Thame United were back in action this weekend for their first away game of 2026 as they visited Creasy park to take on AFC Dunstable in the Pitching in Southern League Division One Central. The two teams have gone on different trajectories, after an injury time equaliser back in September which ended in a 2 - 2 draw Thame were sitting second from bottom on four points with Dunstable in fourteenth place with seven points. Since that game Thame are now eighth picking up thirty seven points, while Dunstable have only won three more points and currently sit bottom of the table on ten points. In the past few weeks there have been some changes announced at the club with long term manager James Townsend being replaced with an interim manager team of Tyler Dunnell, Mick O’Connor and Kev Souster taking over. There has also been a large turnover of players with none of the team that featured in the first game at Thame now at the club, so it was a very young side that faced the Red Kites.

Manager Ben Williams was forced into a change in midfield with Captain Mark Riddick serving a one match suspension after his two yellow cards last weekend, being replaced by Ethan Lack, Charlie Stow made his first league start replacing Harry Alexander who dropped to the bench, there was also a return to the bench for Leo Galpin recently signed after returning from his travels abroad. Dan West picked up the captains arm band for the match with Mark Riddick missing.

Thame got the game underway kicking from right to left in the first half facing into the sun, the pitch was in fairly good condition considering the amount of rain in the past few days. This was always going to be a tough task for a young and inexperienced Dunstable side and so it proved to be, such was Thame's dominance in the first half they will be disappointed to only go into the break three nil in the lead. The stats for the first half outlined the control the visitors had with fourteen shots and fourteen corners, whilst the home side could only muster one shot on target and one which went wide of the post. The tone was set on 9 minutes a poor goal kick from the home sides keeper was hit straight back with a first time shot by Charlie Stow which went just over the bar. The opening goal came on 11 minutes Jack Tutton with a corner from the left hand side was met at the back post by Dan West such was the height advantage of the Thame players it was an easy finish for the Thame Captain.

The only surprise of the first half was the length of time it took the visitors to score their second, but in fairness the young Dunstable keeper had made a number of good saves to keep the score down. Including an outstanding tip over the bar from a Jack Tutton shot from the edge of the area that looked like it was heading for the top corner. The home sides best chance of the half came on 26 minutes when the lively number ten had a volley from the left hand edge of the box saved by keeper Crowther, followed by a run across the edge of the area by the number seven but his shot was wide of the left upright. It took until the 42 minute for the visitors second, a long throw from the left by Callum Hall into the box was headed out by a Dunstable player straight into the path of Curtis Brown running into the box and his first time shot beat the keeper into the left hand side of the goal. The third came two minutes later from another corner from the right, after a bit of head tennis the ball fell to Charlie Stow on the edge of the six yard box, he laid the ball back to Louis Walsh on the edge of the box, he took a touch then placed the ball into the top right hand side of the goal with the keeper no chance of getting to the ball. There was one last chance of the half, Charlie Stow winning the ball back in a central position, driving at the goal but his long range shot was just over the bar and that was the final action of the half.

The second half kicked off and within two minutes of the restart the visitors had their forth some good work on the right hand side from Curtis Brown beating the left back and crossing the ball to the back post where Louis Walsh was waiting and volleyed the ball into the net. The tone of the second half very much replicated that of the first, with Thame pressing and creating chances and the home side forced to play on the counter attack when they won possession back, with the corner and shot count continued to rise. Louis Walsh was unlucky on two occasions not to get his hat trick with two good strikes one well saved the other just over the bar from the edge of the box. Thame made a double substitution on 66 minutes with Lance Williams coming on for Curtis Brown and Leo Galpin making his debut on for Fin Murray.

The fifth goal for the visitors came on 67 minutes, Lance Williams holding the ball up on the left hand side just inside the Dunstable half, turning and playing in Dan West, who ran into the box his shot hit the cross bar and rebounded out to Charlie Stow who’s goal bound shot was deflected into the net, for his second in two games. The home side scored a consolation goal on 75 minutes with the number 9 being played through between the two centre backs and ran in on goal and slotted the ball under the advancing keeper Crowther, a good finish from the number 9. Ashley Moakes replaced Abu Kahn on 72 minutes he and the left full back Callum Hall had spent most of the afternoon in the opposition half, with little defending needed. Jack Tutton had another chance on 82 minutes picking up the ball just outside the area and his shot went through a crowd of players but was well saved by the home teams keeper, who had made several good saves from the Thame number 8 who was unlucky not to be on the score sheet. The final action of the game came on 83 minutes with Lance Williams getting on the score sheet some neat play with Dan West who played him into the box and finished from the left corner of the six yard box under the advancing keeper. The game ended with the final score 6 - 1 to the visitors a brave performance from a very young and inexperienced AFC Dunstable side, but Thame got the job done and picked up another three points which moves them up to seventh in the table and extends their unbeaten run to seven games.

Goals

Dan West (11 minutes)
Curtis Brown (42 minutes)
Louis Walsh (44 & 50 minutes)
Charlie Stow(67 minutes)
Lance Williams (83 minutes)

Starting Eleven

1 Matty Crowther
2 Callum Hall
3 Abu Khan (Ashley Moakes 72 Minutes)
4 Fin Murray (Leo Galpin 66 minutes)
5 Luke Tingey
6 Ethan Lack
7 Jack Tutton
8 Curtis Brown (Lance Williams 66 minutes)
9 Louis Walsh
10 Dan West
11 Charlie Stow

Substitutes

12 Leo Galpin
14 Harry Alexander
14 Lance Williams
15 Ashley Moakes

Attendance 208