At first glance this may have looked like a mismatch between Ware, looking for a fourth consecutive win, and their opponents hoping to avoid a third heavy loss on the run. Yet Marlow, bemoaning the absence of as many as eight first teamers, kept Ware on the hop for the first 45 minutes and beyond.
As in their previous match at Enfield, Ware had to bide their time, wearing down their opponents before taking control of the match. The difference between the teams was slight but telling. Raids up both wings suggested the visitors could open up the Ware defence but in the end they caused little trouble in the final third.
Max Woodford, on his way to a third consecutive clean sheet, was required to make one good save in the first half, blocking a close range shot with his body. Only then did we see the assistant raise his flag to indicate offside and realise that any goal wouldn’t have counted anyway.
There was another good chance for Marlow five minutes from the break but Woodford wasn’t called into action. Good work by Jamal Branker ended with a ball into the area but Naheer Nawaf shot wide from a good position.
With Sami Moutawafiq unavailable Max Granville made his first start since the defeat to Hadley but this was the only change from the 4-0 win at Enfield. As a result, Ware were playing with confidence after a slow start.
Long passes across the pitch to unbalance the Marlow defence have become the norm and players seem able to anticipate such changes in direction. At the same time these are complemented by close range and instinctive one-twos that show a team that is currently at ease with itself and each other.
So, in a close encounter it was not entirely surprising that Ware gained an advantage mid-way through the half. Rechan Esprit seized on a loose ball from Nawaf, took it into the area before crossing into the six yard box where Reece Beckles-Richards converted under pressure from Alfie Agar.
Speed and constant effort seem to be other features of Ware’s game. Herbie Townsend’s sprint back from an attack to play his part in defending a Marlow counter was a good example. There is a lot of commitment in this team at the moment.
Just as in the Enfield game this paid dividends in the second half as Ware slowly started to take control. A second goal was key to emphasising this and it came just before the hour. Beckles-Richards was the scorer again getting on the end of Jack Grosvenor’s header from Townsend’s free kick to guide the ball in from close range.
Two more goals followed. At the mid point of the half Theo Ofori, picking up Esprit’s pass, cut between two players into the penalty area. He turned back for a better angle but was blocked so deftly lifted the ball over two more defenders and keeper Ryan North who got his finger tips to the ball but not enough to affect the outcome. Instead, the ball dropped into the net for what might have been assumed was the goal of the match.
As it was, Sam Mayuma would take that award four minutes later. He brought the ball forward from his own half, cut into and across the penalty area where three defenders seemed to be closing him down. So he shot from just inside the eighteen yard line and sent the ball into the top of the net.
The result kept Ware in fourth place in the table with a game in hand on two of the three above them. Their total of 24 league goals is the highest in the division and at an average of three a game is equal to pace setters Leighton.
It’s looking good at the moment but Paul Halsey’s remark after the game that not all the teams in the division will miss the chances that fell to Marlow needs to be borne in mind. Woodford has yet to concede a goal since joining the club but he’s dependent to some extent on the defenders in front of him. They will all face a further test at Welwyn Garden City on Tuesday.
Lineups and crime sheet
Ware: Max Woodford, Finlay Titchmarsh, George Alfieri, Max Granville (Gabriel Chapps 71mins), Jack Grosvenor (Bendie Idikayi 79mins), Josh Okotcha, Theo Ofori, Herbie Townsend, Reece Beccles-Richards (Caiden Remy-Dee 71mins), Rechan Esprit, Sam Mayuma. Unused sub: Josip Jevdjic.
Yellow cards: George Alfiei 2 minutes, Jack Grosvenor 56 minutes, Reece Beckles-Richards 64 minutes.
Marlow: Ryan North, Mohamed Yaxye, Jacob Wilson (Nicolay Popov 89mins), Jamal Branker (Sam Garofalo 80mins), Alex Salmon, Chris Ovenden, Naheer Nawaf (Chayce Grant 79mins), Flavio Gyawu-Kyem, Alfie Agar (George Brough 76mins), Kwesi Ntim, Calvin Gitiba. Unused sub: Charlie Samuel.
Yellow cards: Alfie Agar 34 minutes, Mohamed Yaxye 57 minutes.
