Best Performance of the Season By Thame United (Contributed)

MATCH REPORT – Thame United 3, Shortwood United 0; Saturday, March 24 – League game.
THAME United, who are in 18th league place, delivered their best performance this season on Saturday when they convincingly defeated 7th placed Shortwood United. Manager Mark West, who was appointed in January, has transformed the team who have only been beaten once in their last six games.
The first 20 minutes was fairly even with chances at both ends. Thame than started to pressurise the visitor?s goal and had a good chance on 28 minutes when, following a corner the ball was played to Matt Graves, in space, 10 yards from goal, but his shot was wide. The Thame pressure paid off in the 41st minute when Ben Connelly played a chipped ball into the path of leading goal scorer Nathen Jack who finished confidently with his right foot from eight yards. Shortwood could have equalized two minutes later, when Chris Greenough was through on goal but the courageous Thame keeper Milan Barisic dived at his Greenough?s feet to clear the danger.
The home team increased their lead in the 45th minute when a corner was cleared to Connelly who hit a strong goal bound shot from 20 yards, which was deflected off of Graves to beat the Shortwood keeper.

The visitors came out fired up after the break and the pressure was on Thame but the home defence coped well, and the spectators were soon treated to some entertaining end to end football. Both teams had penalty appeals turned down and both keepers were kept busy with Barisic on top form. Shortwood changed their formation to play with three men up front but could not penetrate the much improved Thame defence. Thame?s 3rd goal came in the 79th minute and it was a beauty. Jack, who had just returned to the pitch following an injury and was clearly in pain, picked the ball up at the halfway line, beat his marker and ran at goal before hitting a powerful, well placed, shot from 30 yards low into the right hand corner of the goal. Job done!

Shortwood are a talented team who were always capable of coming back but Thame richly deserved this win, and to claim what is only their third clean sheet of the season.

Thame United: Barisic, Ansell, Da Silva (Watkins), Saulsbury, Matt Higgs, Boult, Graves (Rickets), Rhodes, Jack (West), Moore, Connelly.

Thame travel to 15th placed Highworth Town next Saturday (31st). Their next game at Highworth Stadium is on Easter Monday when they are ?away? to AFC Wallingford.