Slough 1st XI 0 - 2 Sonning 1st XI

Sonning came off the back of their first defeat of the season against West Hampstead, looking of course for a win, but mostly for an added discipline and desire which went missing for the opening 40 minutes in their previous fixture. Slough always represent a stern test, especially on their home turf; with a fairly unique surface that can take some adapting to and a robust approach to the game.

Sonning had lost Adam Pusey through injury, but regained Mark Dobbie after a few weeks away, while Jack Mason came back into the side. Neil Pursell also made a start at right back, leaving Sonning with a strong team on the day. The away side started very brightly, with all the early attacking threat coming from them. Matt Sloper and David Painter created plenty of opportunities on the left, with James Lockhart and Pursell working the right and winning plenty of early free hits as Slough struggled to cope with the pace of play.

Jonny Partenheimer got a couple of early strikes away, forcing the keeper into a good save on one occasion, before losing a couple of balls into the surrounding shrubbery on others (those fences simply aren’t high enough!), but eventually the pressure told. Mark Dobbie, Ollie Waddington, and Chris Hinton were relentless in midfield, with Tom Sampson and Paul Brown keeping the ball pinging around nicely, and as Slough struggled to break out of their own half, they became frustrated and a rash challenge on Jonathan Sharp led to the first short corner of the day. Partenheimer converted an absolute peach of a flick on this one, leaving the keeper no chance whatsoever; pace and accuracy combined. 0-1.

Sonning kept the pressure up, winning a couple more penalty corners, and limiting the home side to a couple of half chances. At the break it remained 0-1, and although coach Ali Raza was pleased with the performance levels, he left Sonning in no doubt that 1-0 is the most dangerous scoreline. So, while remaining disciplined and not allowing Slough space to attack into by chasing the game, another goal was required before the game would be secure.

Sonning started the second half on the back foot. Slough’s movement picked up, their hitting accuracy improved, and they have a couple of tricky wingers who look to beat their man at every opportunity. But keeper Alasdair Allan was forced only into some routine saves and clearances and never really looked flustered (for once). Sampson and Sloper in particular put their bodies on the line on a number of occasions here to keep the clean sheet in tact.

Sonning eventually worked their way back into the game, and they had a numerical advantage on a few occasions. Not needing too much of an invitation, around the 50 minute mark, Lockhart worked a 1-2 with Jack Mason, high on the right wing, before finding a defender’s foot. Sonning worked a beautiful routine from the top, from Ian Gallagher to David Painter, and the score was 0-2.

With the result relatively secure, Sonning focused in the last 15 minutes on keeping their clean sheet. A yellow card to Mark Dobbie in the dying stages put a bit of added pressure on, but for the most part it was routine, and 0-2 it finished.

Next up, Bicester at home in the National Vase in just 24hrs, before Phoenix & Ranelagh’s league visit to the Doombar Arena. Saturday 28th, 3pm, #COTN.

Goalscorers: Jonny Partenheimer, David Painter
MOTM: Not sure
DOTD: Mark ‘of the dump’ Dobbie