Familiar pattern against Milton United for Thame

MILTON UNITED 2, THAME UNITED 1 – Match report.

If you were a betting man this is the result that you would have gone for, given that in each of the four previous meetings with Milton over the last two seasons Milton have run out victors 2-1.
However, on Saturday (27/09), it looked like a different result was on the cards after only two minutes, when Thame striker Tom Goffe received the ball from Mark Jones 25 yards from goal and, without a defender in sight, calmly rounded the advancing keeper and slotted the ball home from a narrow angle.

Whilst Thame nearly extended their lead 10 minutes later, when Sam Cowan headed just wide from a corner, Milton were gradually coming back into the game and on 19 minutes Searl did well to turn a Lee Keyes volley around the post. Two minutes later Keyes turned Nik Rhodes 30 yards from goal and went around Mitchell Meredith before slotting the ball in to the bottom right hand corner of the goal, giving Searl no chance.

The momentum was now with Milton and Searl did well to turn a free kick over the bar in the 38th minute.

The second half continued in much the same vein, with Matt Miller and Goffe causing the home defence problems and Milton dangerous on the break. The winning goal arrived in the 64th minute when Thame lost the ball in midfield and Milton played the ball out wide. The deep cross from the left was met by the unmarked Gary Hartley who confidently headed the ball in to the back of the net from five yards.

The goal stirred Thame back to life and for the remainder of the game Milton were on the back foot as Thame searched for the equalizer. The best chance came in the 76th minute when, in the space of 30 seconds, Matt Miller first saw his shot blocked, substitute Thomas Hoskin followed up to see his effort cleared off the line, before a third effort from Hoskin was wide of the goal. The last chance for Thame came in the 86th minute when debutant, William Wallace, hit a goal bound volley from the edge of the box that the Milton keeper acrobatically tipped over the bar.

Although Thame have now fallen at the first hurdle of the Challenge Cup for the second season in a row against Premier Division Milton United, they will have taken a number of positives from the game, and will be looking forward to a return to league action at Finchampstead on October 4.

Thame United: Searl, Graves, N.Rhodes, Meredith, Jones (Green), A.Rhodes, Cowan, El-Kassir (Hoskin), Goffe (Catlin), Miller, Wallace.