- Apologies, the heading above is fed from Football Web Pages and shows the wrong result. I have issued a correction to FWP and am waiting for it to be acted upon. SK.
It’s clearly unwise to draw too many conclusions from an end of season match with nothing at stake. Yet, in the last thirty minutes when Ware largely had the better of things, there appeared to be an inability to convert some very good chances. Paul Halsey took that on board when speaking after the game about his disappointment at his side’s goalless last two games.
In these sides’ six meetings there has been only one game, Ware’s 3-0 win here last season, when any team has scored more than one gaol. Not that there weren’t some good moments in this contest making it more than a pointless exhibition in front of the Rams biggest crowd of the season.
The club’s ground is cut off from the town it represents by the M40 making a journey there by car, involving a complicated route via the motorway services, pretty much essential. For many this is probably something of a deterrent. However, offering reduced prices for this game was enough, along with the weather, to bring out the home fans and the entertainment sufficient not to have put them off coming again.
From Ware’s point of view this was particularly true of the last half hour when they did everything but score and really should have taken a point back home with them. Like their manager, they will rue their inability to convert a number of chances mostly supplied by Sam Mayuma who had one of his best games since returning from injury.
One of his best half-games would be more accurate as he was one of four players brought on at half time. Halsey had decided before kick off to rotate his available players for this last chance to give them a run out. So, that did suggest some elements of a soulless friendly game about this contest but both teams looked ready for it. Halsey himself said after the match that he was disappointed with the result and had wanted the points as much as he does for every match.
Beaconsfield looked the more determined in the first half. They were quicker into the tackle than Ware, closing the visitors down and forcing their passes to go astray. Ware had their moments but produced nothing to worry seventeen-year-old Ezekiel Ifekoya making only his second appearance in the Rams goal.
Theo Ofori did well to cut in towards goal on the by-line but his cross was too near the goal and no Ware player was close to it whilst Sami Moutawafiq’s shot after half an hour went wide.
At the other end Fred Burbidge couldn’t get to a cross early in the game but the home side failed to make the most of the opportunity. They did give him more to do just past the midpoint of the half as he tipped a low shot round his post for a corner.
The Rams got their goal six minutes in to the second half. Perhaps distracted by an injury to the head for Recham Esprit the defence seemed to have only half an eye on a developing attack. Esprit was off the pitch and available for treatment so the referee clearly felt it was right to play on. The result was that Manu Oke-Williams had more time and space than he might have had to shoot low past Burbidge.
The main image from the rest of the half was of Sam Mayuma cutting past the home defence out on the left and putting crosses over into the penalty area. One was just too high for Johnny Allotey to get anything on it in front of an open goal, another just behind Allotey who was again in a good position. Gucci Soulya did get the ball in the net but Rechan Esprit was given offside in the build-up before Esprit himself hit the bar with ten minutes left.
The best chance however came just five minutes from time when another Mayuma cross was met by Josh Hutchinson in front of goal only for his header to be turned over the bar by Ifekoya’s superb one-handed save.
As Ware pushed forward they were exposed at the back and the home side cracked the goal frame on one occasion whilst Ollie Turner won’t want to be reminded of his shot blasted wide from in front of goal.
At the end Halsey was left looking to the future and a chance to regroup before the next season when he hoped his side wouldn’t be dogged by so many injuries as this time.
Line-ups and cards
Ware: Fred Burbidge, Gabriel Ward, David Sota, Sami Moutawafiq (Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo 45mins), Josh Okotcha, Jay Rolfe, Theo Ofori (Sam Mayuma 45mins), Jack Taylor (Max Granville 45mins), Reece Beckles-Richards (C) (Josh Hutchinson 45mins), Rechan Esprit, Johnny Allotey. Unused sub: Finlay Titchmarsh.
No cards were issued to Ware.
Beaconsfield Town: Ezekiel Ifekoya, Charlie Smith, James Dobson (C), Mark Nisbet, Luke Neville, Jack Asiri (Jack Warne 35mins), Ollie Turner, James Davies (Mirko Jovanovic 55mins (Striker Williams 76mins)), Matthew Harriott, Tyler Webb (Nnaemeka Anyanwu 66mins), Manu Oke-Williams. Unused sub: Tommy Dymott.
Yellow card: Mark Nisbet 53mins.
