Persistant Reigate Priory battle to Trojans victory against the run of play

Hants/Surrey Regional League

Reigate Priory 4

Trojans 3

A much changed Priory scraped a valuable win against the team above them, despite the absence of several regulars including captain Matt Bennett.

Reigate looked flat in the opening minutes and it was only the strong defending of Chad Hunter and Matt Thompson that kept Trojans at bay.

The first 15 minutes barely saw the ball leave the Priory half as the defence soaked up attack after attack, with Trojans failing to get the final shot away

As is so often the case, the team that had not had the majority of the ball then scored, after Reigate broke quickly on the counter attack for Matt Puddephat to smartly finish.

Reigate were then unlucky to concede a short corner with only two minutes of the half remaining, and the Trojans drag flicker duly wrong footed keeper Henry Williams to level things at half-time.

The second half started with a much better tempo, and Reigate played themselves into the game, although Trojans still enjoyed the better of the territorial advantage.

Trojans took the lead after the ball hit Hunter's foot on the line, resulting in a penalty stroke being awarded and scored.

This did little to settle Priory nerves, and it was therefore fortunate that Reigate equalised quickly through stand-in captain James Chesterton.

The next goal went the way of Trojans after a short corner routine was worked well to create some space, and took an unfortunate deflection off a Reigate defender.

Again, Priory responded well, with player/coach Simon Owen smartly finishing into the bottom corner.

It was then testimony to the attacking line that when the ball was played long in the final few minutes that Chesterton was able to latch onto a through ball, to round the keeper and finish from an acute angle.

Reigate: Williams, Hunter, Thompson, Childs, Smith, Puddephat, Porter, Owen, Short, Chesterton, Van Pelt, Cobb.