After 21 days and three postponements Thame United were finally back in action at the ASM Stadium and were about to start their 2026 campaign with the visit of Biggleswade FC in the Pitching in Southern League Division One Central. The two teams met less than a month ago when Thame visited the Eyrie Stadium and came away with a three two victory, thanks to an injury time winner. Manager Ben Williams made one change to the last team that faced Leverstock Green with Jack Tutton coming into the side and Ethan Lack moving to the bench, Lance Williams also returned to the squad but Greg Hackett was still out injured. After over night rain the pitch was still very heavy so a pitch inspection was arranged with one of the match officials who passed the pitch fit and confirmed the game could go ahead.

Thame got the game under way kicking from left to right with the sun behind them, and almost immediately had the perfect start after winning a corner on the right hand side, Fin Murray flicked the ball on at the near post but it was cleared off the line by a Biggleswade defender, the ball came out to Curtis Brown on the edge of the area but his shot was wide of the goal. Keeper Crowther was called into action early and made a good save pushing the ball out for a corner after the visitors won a free kick on the right. In the opening period Thame were guilty of giving the ball away and another sloppy pass in the midfield area lead to a Biggleswade free kick which after being delivered into the box was headed wide by the visitors captain and out for a goal kick. Biggleswade took the lead on 14 minutes and it had been coming, after Thame lost the ball in the Biggleswade half and a quick break down their left flank caught the Thame defence out of position, the ball is played into the box and is finished by the unmarked number 8, who had an easy tap in from the six yard line.

The home side had been kept relatively quiet with chances limited and although they were seeing plenty of the ball there was very little threat on the Biggleswade goal. On 20 minutes Curtis Brown picked up the first booking of the game for a challenge which broke up a promising break, Louis Walsh had a rare chance after a good run through the middle but before he could get his shot away the ball was intercepted and cleared. The visitors created another chance on 24 minutes with a shot being blocked after some good build up play. Thame Captain Mark Riddick became the second player into the book on 24 minutes for a late tackle again breaking up an attack. It was the visitors who were looking the more dangerous, another Biggleswade chance came after build up play on the left and the ball crossed into the box but the number 11 just couldn't stretch to meet the ball, a minute later the number 11 went into the referees book for a late tackle. There was more good build up play on the right from the visitors with the ball being worked into the edge of the Thame box where it fell to an unmarked number 9 but his shot was weak and trickled through to keeper Crowther. Thame started to come back into the game in the dying minutes of the half but fair to say the home side looked like a team that had played any football for three weeks and the visitors went into the break with a deserved 1 - 0 lead.

The home side made two half time changes Ethan Lack replacing Abu Khan at left back and Charlie Stow replacing Curtis Brown and started the second half much better, with much more intent than in the first and scored a deserved equaliser on 49 minutes, Jack Tutton won the ball in midfield played the ball to Dan West on the half way line, he played a slide rule pass inside the left full back for Harry Alexander to run onto into the Biggleswade box, as the keeper advanced he clipped the ball over the top of him and into the goal. Moments later Thame created another chance Jack Tutton forcing himself into the box and played a pass into the path of Harry Alexander who was running in on the right, but couldn't make a good enough contact on the ball and it dribbled through to the keeper. Dan West had another chance on 59 minutes after good work from Jack Tutton, winning the ball and driving into the Biggleswade half, and laying the ball off to West but his shot from out side the box was wide of the goal. Thame were now dominating the ball and was no surprise when they took the lead on 52 minutes, Harry Alexander with a through ball for Charlie Stow to run onto shrug off the centre back drive into the box and place the shot over the advancing keeper into the net.

Harry Alexander was causing the Biggleswade defence all sorts of problems and could have got a third on 65 minutes his run down the left and into the box and he played the ball across the face of the goal, just missing the advancing Mark Riddick and the far post before going out for a goal kick. It wasn't until the 80 minute that the visitors had a shot on goal, after a counter attack the number 2 run in on goal but his shot was straight at keeper Crowther, his first real action of the second half. The Thame back four of Tingey, Murray, Hall and Lack had managed the Biggleswade attack in the second half snuffing out anything that the visitors could throw at them. Thame forced two corners at the other end the second one seeing the keeper push away a goal bond header. Mark Riddick was shown a second yellow in the 86 minute for another late tackle which saw him sent off. Lance Williams replaced Louis Walsh for the remaining few minutes, with five minutes of added time the home side saw out the game relatively comfortably. It was a game of two halves with the home side dominating the second and were good value for the victory, which sees them maintain eight place with games in hand over the teams above them.

Goals

Harry Alexander (49 minutes)
Charlie Stow(52 minutes)

Starting Eleven

1 Matty Crowther
2 Callum Hall
3 Abu Khan (Ethan Lack 45 Minutes)
4 Fin Murray
5 Luke Tingey
6 Mark Riddick
7 Jack Tutton
8 Curtis Brown (Charlie Stow 45 minutes)
9 Louis Walsh (Lance Williams 88 minutes)
10 Dan West
11 Harry Alexander

Substitutes

12 Ethan Lack
14 Charlie Stow
14 Lance Williams
15 Ashley Moakes

Attendance 70