An away point from a game against a side lying fourth in the table might normally be cause for congratulations. However, with just five games left in the regular season and the play-offs within reach every point dropped is a cause for concern.
There were changes in Ware’s starting line up from the previous week’s win over Biggleswade Town with Leigh Rose sidelined by injury and Josh Okotcha sitting on the bench as Finlay Titchmarsh was given a start at right back. The loss of Rose was compensated for by the return of Jack Grosvenor after his second bout of injury.
In all Grosvenor has missed thirteen league games through injury. Truly an unlucky number leading to inevitable speculation on where the team might have been if his availability had not suffered. It would though be unfair to his team mates not to point out that his latest four-match absence has seen the side take maximum points.
Could they maintain the run against High flying Thame? When they set their mind to it the Blues played some good football but Thame aren’t on their own unbeaten run (now seven games) without good reason. They too had their moments, the most telling being what to the visitors was a soft goal, Mark Riddick playing a captain’s role by heading their second half equaliser.
For the rest Ware maintained a good hold on the game. After a start that saw them pumping high balls forward without much sense that there was a plan behind the strategy or even that it was a pre-set strategy at all, they settled to playing some good football.
Thame looked most dangerous when they broke forward. There were three such breaks in the first half, two requiring Ware to concede corners as they sought to safeguard their goal. Brayden Daniel, fast and skilful, was a worry and just past the half hour shot against Ware’s left hand post. Fred Burbidge could only look on as the ball cannoned back across the six yard area with no home player there to turn it in.
But there were close calls at the other end too, not least when early in the game the ball appeared to strike the wayward arm of a United defender. Old fogies like your correspondent still don’t consider these as proper offences, it was clearly accidental and no real advantage was gained. However, in the current world with the arm in an “unnatural” position aren’t these deemed to be handball?
Ware gained compensation five minutes from half time. A move which in its early stages involved good interchanges between Titchmarsh, Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo, Max Granville and Jack Taylor ended with Soulya-Oseknango carrying the ball into the Thame area. He laid it across the six yard box where Sam Mayuma, coming in from the left, first-timed it into the net.
Ware looked capable of extending their advantage before the break but the second half found the home side benefitting from a half time talk and clearly anxious to get back into the game. However, worries that Riddick’s equaliser would turn the game their way never materialised.
Both sides had their moments with Ware’s being more memorable, though not necessarily for good reasons. Thirty minutes playing time after Daniel had hit a post Josh Hutchinson did the same. It was the same goal but the other post. He turned and hit Taylor’s cross from the right on the half volley only to see the ball strike Matthew Crowther’s right hand post and rebound across the face of the goal.
As Ware looked for the deciding goal they had two more penalty claims. First when Sami Moutawafiq went down under a challenge from Curtis Brown and then, in added time, when Theo Ofori was brought down by Daniel West at the expense of a yellow card.
Ofori remained for more than ten seconds marking his position in the penalty area though it was of course where he fell and not necessarily where the offence occurred. That was harder to tell and the assistant referee held his ground when challenged on the location of the foul.
So it was a draw. The two sides could not be separated on the day any more than they can be over what is now sixteen meetings. It’s five wins and twenty seven goals each since their first match, a 2-2 draw in 1993.
Line-ups and cards
In a close fought match neither side felt the need to go beyond two substitutions in their efforts to influence the outcome.
Ware: Fred Burbidge, Finlay Titchmarsh, David Sota, Jack Taylor (Sami Moutawafiq 72mins), Jay Rolfe, Jack Grosvenor (C), Reece Beckles-Richards (Theo Ofori 68mins), Max Granville, Josh Hutchinson, Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo, Sam Mayuma. Unused subs: Johnny Allotey, Gabriel Ward, Josh Okotcha.
Yellow card: Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo 32mins.
Thame United: Matthew Crowther, Callum Hall, Curtis Brown, Ethan Lack (Gregory Hackett 60mins), Luke Tingey, Mark Riddick (C), Brayden Daniel, Jack Tutton, Louis Walsh (Charlie Stow 87mins), Daniel West, Harry Alexander. Unused subs: Abuzar Khan, Lance Williams, Finlay Murray.
Yellow cards: Jack Tutton 32mins, Luke Tingey 48mins, Daniel West 92mins.
