Weather plays it part in Thame United defeat (Contributed)

MATCH REPORT: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 – Thame United 0, versus Wokingham & Emmbrook 1.

IN a game played in atrocious conditions on Tuesday evening, United will feel hard-done-by not to have secured a point against second placed Wokingham & Emmbrook. The difference between the two sides came as early as the second minute when prolific striker, Richard Bland, collected a miscued clearance from Thame keeper, Paul Searl, before seeing his effort from 15 yards take a deflection off defender Lee Thompson and beyond Searl in to the roof of the Thame net.

With the strong wind behind them, Wokingham continued to put pressure on the Thame goal and should have extended their lead in the 12th minute, only for Bland to mis-hit a shot in front of goal with Searl out of position.

Wokingham nearly regretted the missed opportunity when first Dave Hocking went close in the 15th minute, before Tom Hoskin capitalised on a through ball, rounded the keeper and saw his effort from an acute angle go just wide. Five minutes later and a strike from Bland came back off the Thame post before the last meaningful action of the half saw a Mark Jones header from an Adam Rhodes cross well saved by the visiting keeper.

The second half was a similarly even affair, with Wokingham hitting Thame on the break, and Thame seeking to probe an opening through the Wokingham defence. The woodwork again came to the rescue of Thame in the 65th minute when a free kick came back off the bar, whilst Ben Connelly also hit the woodwork for Thame shortly afterwards, with Tom Hoskin unlucky from the rebound.

Thame’s manager Mark West, came on with ten minutes to go in an attempt to secure a point from the game, but Wokingham held on to gain three points in their quest for promotion. In the end, the difference between the two sides was the ability of Wokingham to create and convert chances in the final third of the field.

United have another tough game at home (AFC Wallingford; 3:00pm) against unbeaten Binfield on Saturday, March 7.

Thame United ? Searl, Newell, Meredith, Hocking, Thompson, Cowan (Rogers), Rhodes (Rowley), Jones, Connelly (West), Hoskin, El-Kassir,