Cheshunt 2-3 Rugby Town

Southern League Premier Division

Saturday, 3rd December 2005

Attendance | 114

Town continued with their recent good form by turning round a two-goal deficit at Cheshunt to record their sixth league victory of the season, lifting themselves up to 13th place in the table in the process.

Manager Billy Jeffrey was forced into one change from the side that battled to victory against Merthyr Tydfil the previous week, giving a debut to recent signing Tim Wooding in heart of the defence in place of knee injury victim Steve Farmer.

The game started slowly, with neither side looking likely to break the deadlock in the opening exchanges.  Chris Tullin had the best of the early opportunities for Rugby, when he saw a first time effort easily saved by Michael Kalli in the Cheshunt goal and then shortly after should have done better with his shot when he cut inside from the right.  Delroy Gordon also had a chance cleared from the line, after he had met a corner from Steve Evans.

Cheshunt top scorer George Gregoriou represented the major threat from the home side, and he fired narrowly over from 25 yards in the 19th minute.  It was no surprise, when on 33 minutes, it was Gregoriou that finished off a well-worked Cheshunt move involving Danny Jones and Lloyd Opara, stroking the ball past an unsighted Farhad Afandiyev from the edge of the penalty box to give his side the lead.

Cheshunt 's and Gregoriou's second came just seven minutes later and was highly fortuitous in its nature.  Jones launched a hopeful shot towards goal, which struck the back of Gregoriou's head on the way through and then looped agonisingly out of Afandiyev's reach into the net.

Rugby grabbed a lifeline just before the half-time with another goal that had more than a slice of good fortune about it, when Delroy Gordon's deep cross from the right hand touchline following his fine run deceived Kalli and sailed into the top corner.

Rugby dominated the game for most of the second half, and shortly after the break, Michael Hegarty fired over from just 10 yards when found by a Stone cross.  Substitute Danny Williams - on for the injured Willis Francis - provided significant impetus on his introduction, and after darting run down the left he brought a fine low parried save from Kalli, with striker Kevin Slinn only just unable to capitalise on the resulting loose ball which was cleared by Cheshunt captain Nicky Gyoury.

Kevin Slinn made amends on 68 minutes when he slid in on another cross from Stone and directed the ball across the Cheshunt line to bring the scores level at 2-2.

The Valley continued to press forward in numbers and worry a shaky-looking home defence.  On 77 minutes they gained reward for their pressure when Cheshunt failed to deal with a long ball forward, and Williams seized on this hesitancy to release David Stone, who for the second week running, coolly rendered the finishing touches to provide the decisive moment of the game.