Chippenham 1
(Mehew 83′)
United 0
There was a setback for United on Tuesday evening, as a late goal condemned The Gulls to defeat against Chippenham at Hardenhuish Park.
Despite dominating the match for large periods, Tom Mehew’s late goal saw Chippenham steal all three points in Wiltshire.
Fresh from winning the Manager of the Month award for January, boss Paul Wotton made two alterations to the side that ran out 3-2 winners at Dover last Tuesday, with injured defender Jordan Dyer replaced by Ed Palmer, whilst Munashe Sundire took over from Dan Hayfield in midfield. New loan signing from Exeter City, Ed James, took his place on the bench.
A competitive first half failed to provide much in the way of goalmouth action, although it was The Gulls that bossed the territorial stakes.
That being said, it was The Bluebirds who nearly broke the deadlock just before the break, as Ezio Touray forced a fine low save from James Hamon, before Sam Dreyer was in the right place at the right time to clear his follow-up effort off the line.
Goalless at the change of ends.
After the restart, it was Wotton’s men that went with a whisker of a breakthrough.
Substitute Louis Dennis found enough space inside the penalty area to fire a shot past Will Henry, only for the woodwork to deny him the game’s opener.
That set the tone for the second half, as Torquay backed the home side up against their own goal.
Jordan Young went within inches of punishing a misjudgement from Henry by sliding the ball past the Town keeper, only for the custodian to recover in the nick of time.
Another sub, Dylan Morgan, was the next to go close, as he saw his header from a Young corner cleared off the line, with Morgan’s solo mission to open the scoring seeing a 20-yarder tipped over by Henry, before his next effort from a Young cross saw him volley wide.
Young saw another shot miraculously cleared off the line moments later before United were hit by a real sucker-punch on 85 minutes.
A deep cross from the left went across the face of goal, and with no-one dealing with it, it was left to sub Mehew who prodded the ball home.
United pushed and pushed, but they just couldn’t break through, as Town were left to celebrate a famous victory at Hardenhuish Park.
Onto Maidenhead at Plainmoor on Saturday..
CHIPPENHAM TOWN: 1. Will Henry, 2. Lewis Colwell, 3. Freddie Grant, 6. Luke Haines (c), 8. Jake Evans (34. Callum Wood, 85′), 9. Harry Parsons (14. Olaf Koszela, 73′), 10. Tom Owen-Evans, 11. Ezio Touray (31. Anointed Chukwu, 66′), 16. Caine Bradbury (4. Tom Mehew, 70′), 18. Reece Fleet, 20. Will King (32. Sol Wanjau-Smith, 61′).
SUBS NOT USED: 19. Canice Carroll, 22. Henry Sady.
Yellow Card: Touray 57′, Grant 65′
UNITED: 1. James Hamon, 3. Jay Foulston, 5. Sam Dreyer (c), 6. Munashe Sundire (7. Louis Dennis, HT), 8. Jordan Young, 9. Cody Cooke (27. Matt Jay, 80′), 16. Ed Palmer, 18. Matt Worthington, 23. Kieran Wilson (11. Dylan Moragn, HT), 24. Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, 26. Jordan Thomas (20. Dan Hayfield, 66′).
SUBS NOT USED: 2. Denzel Akyeampong, 13. Matt Wonnacott (GK), 22. Ed James.
Yellow Card: Lo-Everton 63′
