First Team Match Reports - Season 2002-2003 7/9/02 Charlwood 2 St Andrews 3 A hard pitch, a light ball and good quality oppostion all contributed to a shaky start to the new season for Charlwood. Newly promoted St Andrews adapted to the conditions best and tore into the home side from the kick off. It therefore came as no suprise when some good build up play resulted in the ball being slotted home past Bradley Styles for the openener inside 15 minutes. A second goal arrived shortly after with only some woeful finishing from the centre forward preventing a third. Charlwood at last began to come alive with around 10 minutes of the first half remaining. An Aaron header from a Tony Silva cross was as close as they came to scoring however. An injury to Jason Stevens meant an enforced change to the second half as he replaced Stiles in goal who in return moved to the centre of defence. A rejuvinated Woods came out firing in the second half. One of numerous long throws by Dan Morgan unsettled the visitors defence and Jason Andersons flicked header looped over the keeper to make it 2-1. Charlwood continued on the offensive enjoying much off the ball without seriously threatening an equaliser. Half chances for Silva & substitute Anthony Cousins went askew as the ball refused to bounce kindly in and around the box. To add insult to injury, St Andrews broke away to score with 10 minutes remaining. With time running out a thunderous 25 yard half volley from Robbie Turnbull found the top corner to bring the deficit back to one goal. It was however, too little too late for Charlwood. 14/9/02 Charlwood 2 Continental Stars 1 Another obligatory slow Charlwood start handed a quick, strong away side the lions share of the early part of this game. Only some battling defensive play ensured that this pressure did not translate into goals. Woods gradually worked their way back into the game and indeed took the lead when Jason Stevens reacted quickest to tap the ball home after a Dave Porter header had crashed back off the post. A fortunate Charlwood lead at the break wasnt enough to save them from a half time roasting from co-manager Anthony Cousins. With their ears still ringing, the home side took to the field and in identical fashion to the first half proceeded to invite Continental onto them. Within minutes of the restart the equaliser came. A long range strike through a crowd of players seemed to decieve keeper Bradley Styles and found the bottom right hand corner. With the game all square a scrappy second half ensued with any fluent Charlwood movement generally halted by an overzealous Stars linesman. With time running out, the referee at last chose to ignore yet another dubious bout of flag waving as George latched onto a clever through ball from Martin Betts. With only the keeper to beat, a sidestep to the left and cool finish from a tight angle gave Charlwood their first points of the season. 21/9/02 Hawker 1 Charwood 1 The first away game of the campaign against another freshly promoted side saw Charlwood come away with a share of the spoils. Co-manager Roundy plumped for an attacking 3-4-3 formation which in the early period looked to have paid off. Widemen Maguire and George got forward well to support the front three and it wasnt long before chances were created. Tony Silva went close with a cross/shot that drifted wide and Jason Andersons long range effort went closer still. The deserved lead eventually came after a Silva flick on from the keepers kick was met by George who stroked home for his second goal in as many games. So far so good. Almost immediately however, Charlwood decided to switch off and the pattern of the game began to swing dramatically. Hawker came out for the second half in determined mood and Woods wasted no time in following the script. A rearguard action allowed the home side to dominate proceedings and although creating some chances the inevitable leveller eventually came. Some poor defensive organisation left Sean Tuesly marking a man mountain from a corner who gratefully accepted the chance to loop a header over the keeper. With this the game fizzled out as neither team showed enough desire to go on and win the game. 28/9/02 Charlwood 2 Cheam Village Warriors 2 Back on home soil, Charlwood looked to improve on last weeks erratic performance against a familiar Cheam side who always provide stiff if irratable opposition. Woods started well in a hard fought encounter and opened the scoring when Lee Cornwell rose to meet a corner forcing a good save from the keeper only for Neil Maguire to finish well from close range on his debut as a striker. The game was never likely to be a one goal affair, and so it proved as Cheam struck back early in the second half with an instinctive 25 yard strike through a crowded area leaving the keeper with no chance. A second set piece then saw Charlwood regain their lead through another powerful Cornwell header and three points looked to be heading the home sides way. Cheam then continued to turn on the charm, managing to to pick up 5 bookings along the way to their eventual equaliser. An ambitious looking shot cannoned off the keepers chest and into the path of the on coming centre forward who accepted with obvious glee. Points shared, and in the end probably a fair result. 5/10/02 - Croygas 2 Charlwood 2 Another week, another 2 goals and another point gained from a Charlwood team that are rapidly becoming draw specialists. The afternoon began badly when an already depleted side, through injuries and absentees, then lost Dave Porter to a late fitness test. Add that to the fact that two players (who shall remain nameless!) turned up 5 minutes before kick-off and the scene was set for a difficult 90 minutes. As things transpired however, Woods got off to flyer and had the home side on the back foot from the start. George was unlucky with a dipping shot onto the underside of the bar and Dan Morgans long throws were always a threat. Lee Cornwell twice came close with headers and Tony Silva ran out of room when clean through allowing the keeper to save. On one of the rare occasions that the linesmans flag stayed down, Anthony Cousins was stopped in his tracks with only the keeper to beat by the referee who called his own offside decision leaving Charlwood with nothing to show for their first half dominance. Croygas started the second half with renewed vigour and took the lead against the run of play. Within 5 minutes Charlwood were level. A deep corner was met by Jason Anderson who's looping header found Silva with a thumping volley from 15 yards to make it 1-1. Having found their feet again Woods began to get the game by the scruff of the neck and it wasnt long before Cornwells persistence finally paid off with a well directed header low into the corner of the goal. The referee then allowed the home side a way back into the game. Seconds after booking a continually whingeing centre forward he then awarded the same player a dubious penalty when goalkeeper Jason Stevens was adjudged to have knocked him over whist collecting a cross. Croygas scored from the spot and Charlwood had to settle for a point when surely three were deserved. 12/10/02 - Charlwood 0 Woodmansterne 1 Charlwoods four game unbeaten run came to an end with a dissapointing result against one of last seasons better sides. A weakened home team lacking in height faced one of the tallest sides in the league and got off to a nervous start. Some poor defending led to a free-kick being awarded on the edge of the area. The resulting shot beat the keeper as it sailed into the roof of the net. This pattern of play continued for the first 15 minutes until the hosts began to settle and play their way back into the game. Charlwood chances were restricted to a Robbie Turnbull effort from long range and a Brad Styles shot which was well saved by the visiting keeper. Woodmansterne could count themselves unfortunate however, not to be two goals to the good when their striker lobbed the keeper only for the ball to cruely bounce over the bar on the hard ground. The second half began much brighter for Charlwood with half chances falling to Sean Tuesley and Rob. On another day Tony Silva could have had four. The first a well struck shot straight at the keeper after a poor defensive header. The second a half volley from a Stuart Floyd cross which arced onto the bar. A header from a Robbie Turnbull freekick went wide when really he should have scored and finally a shot well saved after a Tuesley nod down. For the second week running then Charlwood come away with less that they deserved. The last word though, must go to probably the worst refereeing performance ever witnessed. This was best illustrated when after a being punched and stamped on by someone twice his size, Sean Tuesley was warned by the referee not do do it again?! 19/10/02 - AFC Ewell 4 Charlwood 0 Having started the previous weeks game so sluggishly co-manager Bradley Syles decided on a pre-match team workout. It seemed to do the trick as Woods came out in lively fashion creating some good chances. Stuart Floyd and Steve linking well up front with good support on the flanks from George and Silva. Then, some 30 minutes into the game, Charlwood did their infamous disappearing act. Ewell scored on the counter attack and the visitors decided to give up the ghost. Some firm words from Brad and Roundy at the break couldnt raise a disheartened Charlwood side and if they were unlucky to be behind in the first half they more than deserved what they received in the second. Players stood around waiting for others to do the job while Ewell rattled in 3 more goals at will. A very lacklustre performance, against average opposition, who wont put four past many teams this season. 26/10/02 - Charlwood 0  Tadworth 3 Tadworth arrived at that ground with no kit having left theirs in the pub. Charlwood handed them a spare one and then duely handed them three points to go with it. A reasonable start without creating too many clear cut openings was halted when the Tadworth full back smashed an unstopable half volley into the the top corner. Neil Maguire pulled up and had to be replaced within 20 minutes before Sean Tuesley exited in similar fashion on the half hour. Charlwood continued to battle without ever causing the away side too many problems before conceding a second right on the stroke of half time. The second half got underway with Charlwood now down to their bare bones. Tony Silva sent Stuart Floyd away who crossed unsuccessfully for Cousins when shooting was probably the better option. Silva then scuffed a half chance wide before Woods were reduced to ten men when Pete Turner withdrew through injury to leave it ten versus eleven and effectively the game was over. Tadworth added another to their tally leaving Charlwood to lick their wounds for the third week running. Things need to start improving, and soon, if Woods are to avoid another dissapointing season. 7/12/02 - Chipstead Old Boys 2 Charlwood 0 After five weeks without action Charlwood were welcomed back to competetive football with an unenvious trip to the windswept, boggy and considerably sloping pitch of pitch one, Purley Way. With a bare eleven players cobbled together woods took to the field in this Surrey Cup 2nd round contest against a Chipstead side from division 3 who had already accounted for the exit of 1st division Sutton HIgh in the previous round. The game began scrappy and continued in that vein for most of the 90 minutes. Charlwood, kicking up hill for the first half, managed to keep the scoreline blank with the best chances falling to Stuart Floyd whose instinctive turn and shot was saved comfortably by the keeper and George Panayiotides who after stealing the ball from the last defender had his near post shot saved. A shot across goal might have served better, with both Tony Silva and Floyd waiting for a tap in. The home side came out for the second half in better shape, while Charlwood despite defending well, were unable to create much in the final third of the pitch. It was therefore no great suprise that Chipstead took the lead when a shot came back off the woodwork and the finishing touch was applied. Charlwood, then to their credit began to make progress in the opposing sides half. More often than not though, they came undone with some overplay resulting in the breakdown of attacks. An early ball into the box would have put a shaky looking home defence under pressure and one such ball did present Lee Cornwell with the best chance of the game. After a scramble, the ball landed at his feet inside the six yard box but he contrived to blast the chance over when scoring looked easier. To compound his and Charlwoods' misery Chipstead sealed the game when Cornwell delayed a clearance and the home striker pounced from close range to book their place in the next round.  21/12/02 - Thornton Heath Rovers 2 Charlwood 0 After another enforced two week break Charlwood returned to league action with a trip to the dark side of New Addington. With Roundy having resigned during the week and with Brad Styles unavailable, the management reigns were picked up by last seasons boss Neil Maguire. His first move was the truely inspired appointment of Tony Silva as captain (cheques in the post Macca!). His second was to pick 11 players out of 12. Yes! we had the luxury of a substitute this week!? Taking into account the lack of match practice, the players available and the management turmoil, Charlwood managed to turn in a pretty decent performance. The best first half chances fell to Stuart Floyd who shot straight at the keeper when well positioned, Sean Tuesley who's tame effort barely reached the keeper and Jason Anderson with a dipping half volley just over the bar. At the other end a solid defensive performance was marred by a mix up between keeper and defence, which saw a ricochet fall kindly for the Rovers striker who slotted home into an unguarded net. Charlwood emerged for the second half with more of the same neat football that defied the boggy conditions underfoot. On another day Anderson and Floyd could have scored a hatrick each as they latched onto probing balls from both Silva and Tuesley only for a combination of good goalkeeping and woeful finishing to keep the Charlwood scoresheet blank. This wasnt to say that Rovers didnt have chances of their own. Their centre forward was also guilty of crimes against finishing when he dragged the ball wide of the target on several occasions. In general however, the woods defence of Maguire, Cornwell and Stevens coped well and it was unfortunate when a mistake similar to the first goal handed Rovers a second late on in the game. Charlwood deserved more from this game, and if they repeat this type of performance surely their luck will change sooner rather than later. 11/01/03 - AFC Ewell 0 Charlwood 2 A new year, and a new Charlwood, if this performance is anything to go by. Ewell had handed Charlwood a 4-0 thrashing in the league fixture earlier in the season and Woods gained their revenge in this Geoff Ellis Senior Shield tie. Kicking downhill on a frozen pitch, the away side took the initiative from the start. After a couple of warnings, a flicked header from a Styles goalkick sent Tony Silva away from the defence and a thumping strike from the edge of the area gave Charlwood their first goal since November 2nd!! They continued to dominate as an edgy looking Ewell side failed to clear their ranks. Jason Stevens headed marginally over from a corner and Mark Scarlett clipped the post after good work from Jason Anderson. The only worry for Charlwood at the break was whether they had done enough with the slope advantage? The second half pattern of play was predictably reversed, with wave after wave of Ewell attacks successfully repelled by a hard working Woods defence. Chances on the break were available however, and one such break saw an uncharectersitic burst of pace from Dave Porter catch out the home defender who grappled him in the area in full view of the ref who duely awarded the penalty. Silva placed the ball on the spot and tried to send the keeper the wrong way. He didnt, but still squeezed the ball home anyway to give Woods some much needed breathing space. Ewell continued to press and were unlucky to see a well struck shot clip the wrong side of the post with Stevens for once beaten. At the other end Silva was denied a hatrick when a volley after an Anderson flick was well saved from point blank range. The final whistle saw Charlwoods first clean sheet of the season and a first win in three games. Hopefully they can use this as a springboard for the remainder of the season, and reproduce this kind of spirited performance to gain some precious league points. 18/01/03 - Charlwood 0 Hawker 2 So much for the new Charlwood! Another disapointing defeat in a game that we desperately needed to win. Once again, Woods enjoyed large amounts of possesion without ever really looking likely to threaten the oppositions goal. The first half was a fairly equal affair, with some reasonable football played by both teams on what was a quagmire of a pitch. The Hawker goal arrived on around the half hour mark when an offside trap failed and left the centre forward clear to slot past Bradley Stiles in goal with ease. Charlwoods best chance of the half was denied by a consistently poor referee who managed to miss the blatant holding of Lee Cornwell when well positioned to finish from close range. A half-time tactical change to a 3-5-2 formation unsettled the vistors as Charlwood stroked the ball around nicely in midfield but once again that cutting final ball failed to arrive. To give Hawker some credit, they did defend very well as time after time attacks were broken down by an organised back four. One or two scrappy chances worth a mention fell to Roundy whose shot from a tight angle was well saved by the keeper and Aaron who's near post header flashed wide. With so many Charlwood players pushing for an equaliser it did leave the home side vulnerable to the counter attack. The second Hawker goal duely arrived from one such attack, and Charlwoods fate was sealed. Same old story for Woods really, very few chances created and none taken. 25/01/03 - Bletchingley 4 Charlwood 2 Charlwoods luck continued in this local derby beginning with losing Sean Tuesley to injury after only 2 minutes. The only sub, Brad Styles dropped into the centre of midfield with Neil Maguire and for the first half Woods played really well as a team. They worked hard, kept a compact unit and more or less controlled the first 45 minutes. The opening goal came on 20 minuntes, Maguire winning the ball on the edge of our area, Jason Anderson hitting a long ball for Stuart Floyd to run onto. He kept running beating a couple of players (run forest run!) all the time being edged wider, before unleashing a 30 yarder from a tight angle into the far top corner. (might have been a cross?!) Charlwood then doubled their lead on 30 minutes. Some good work down the right, saw the ball fall to Floyd in the box 16 yards out. His good shot was heading for the top corner, before great save by the keeper, who could only push the ball out for Anderson to side foot home. Charlwood continued to push with both George Panayiotides and Floyd then having goal bound efforts blocked by some excellent defensive work. The home side never really looked like scoring until the 44th minute, when Paul was called into action to make a brave save at the feet of one of the Bletchingley strikers, who in the process, managed to rip his hand open meaning he couldn't continue in goal. The second half saw Brad moved into goal, Anderson apparently move into midfield??, and a one handed Paul pushed up front. Bletchingley completely changed the shape of their team, putting three into midfield, adding two wingers and installing a new attitude. One or two Charlwood players went missing in the second half and we got pulled all over the place and run ragged. Bletchingley scored some good goals but missed more than they scored, whilst Woods lacked shape and discipline and couldn't cope with their changes. Heads went down and the word embarrassing was used a few times. Charlwood did rally for the final ten minutes when they could have restored some pride, but maybe that was more down to the home side taking the foot of the gas? Summing up - Charlwood went from a top three team to a bottom team in the space of a half time 5 minutes. 08/02/03 - Nuwood 4 Charlwood 0 Charlwoods participation in any cup competitions came to a close in spectacular fashion with a convincing defeat at the hands of unbeaten 3rd division outfit Nuwood. A patched-up side arrived at Raynes Park for this Geoff Ellis Senior Shield 2nd round tie to be greeted by possibly the only pitch in the northern hemisphere worse than our own. The home side adjusted to the ridiculous conditions quickly and Charlwood were back pedalling from the start. Defending far too deep and whacking the ball anywhere at first sight merely invited an impressive Nuwood side to attack, and attack they did. Only a combination of good goalkeeping from Paul Waite, dogged defending from the back four and a healthy slice of luck kept the wolves at bay. Charlwoods injury problems didnt help matters either as after only 15 minutes Jason Stevens had to withdraw with chest problems. Aaron stepped into the breach and an already shuffled pack was shuffled again. Ten minutes later and Neil Maguire's game was effectively over as his back gave way, though he battled on gamely for as long as possible. None of this of course excuses Charlwoods inabilty to play 10 yard balls and the fact that the score remained at 0-0 to the interval was nothing short of a miracle. One bright spark was the performance of Guy Mears who's good run and shot proved to be our only on target strike of the afternoon! The second half did see some improvement from the away side. Charlwood at last decided to take the game to their opponents and without seriously threatening a goal managed to pin back Nuwood in their own half for the first 15 minutes after the re-start. The hosts became increasingly rattled, and the ex-Nork honey monster known as Grant (thankfully his parents had the foresight to give him a name of only one syllable) was eventually shown the yellow card after his 5th red card offence. Unfortunately for Charlwood their best period of the game coincided with Nuwoods opening goal. Defenders waited for an offside flag that never came and a gleeful Nuwood celebrated at last. Charlwood briefly rallyed again before a second goal knocked the stuffing out of them. This time the quite franky pathetic referee managed to blow his whistle for a foul stopping defenders in their tracks before waving play on and allowing Nuwood to score. Maguire eventually had to call it a day leaving Charlwood now officially down to ten men and despite brave resistence Nuwood bagged two more goals before the end. The referee blew his whistle for full time (although he denys it) leaving Charlwood to concentrate on the league. Crap pitch, crap performance, crap referee, crap showers...ok sandwiches...roll on Amsterdam! 15/02/03 - Charlwood 4 Croygas 3 For the first time this season, Charlwood left the blocks at a gallop and took the game to Croygas from the whistle. After five minutes of virtual camping in the Croygas half, a neat free-kick from Bradley Styles led to Lee Cornwell becoming joint top scorer for the First Team. As good as the finish was, it was over-shadowed a few minutes later by a touch of class on a very difficult pitch from Peter. Collecting the ball on the right edge of the Croygas goal area, Pete's deft touch sailed over the stranded keeper and into the top corner of the net. Despite being in the ascension and controlling the game quite comfortably at this point, Charlwood then worked very hard to throw it all away. Croygas managed to pull one back before the half with a very dubious penalty awarded by what turned out to be a very incompetent and ineffective referee. Par for the course unfortunately. With the pitch deteriorating more and more, a restructured Charlwood side started the second half looking to close down the increasingly open spaces appearing on the pitch and regain the initiative that was slipping away. Despite several early attacks from Charlwood, it was Croygas who scored the equaliser after confusion between Paul Waite and Lee Cornwell. Inept decision-making by the referee and waning conditions led to a scrappy period before Jason Stevens calmly stroked home a penalty after a handball by Croygas. With the game flowing from end-to-end, George Panayiotides persevered with what seemed a lost cause and doggedly scrambled home Charlwood's fourth. Despite Croygas scoring again late on, it was not enough to take three hard earned points away from a mightily relieved Charlwood. 22/02/03 - Charlwood 5 Thornton Heath Rovers 0 Charlwood gained revenge for the pre-Christmas defeat away to Rovers in emphatic style with their biggest win and probably best team performance of the season. The afternoon began badly for Thornton Heath as they arrived at the ground after kick-off time, much to the annoyance of the porky referee, who could see his post match pie eating time disappearing in front of his eyes. In fairness, this didnt seem to affect his bias as he was equally fussy and whistle happy to both sides throughout. The game itself started brightly and despite a pretty awful pitch some good football ensued. Charlwoods first came from the left boot of Cousins after some good work from Jason Anderson had earnt them a free kick just outside the area. Roundy stepped up and curled a beauty into the Rovers net via the far post. Anderson was again involved in the second as his unselfish (or should that be inaccurate?) header back across goal found Steve who scrambled home. The roles were then reversed as Steves' through ball found Anderson who rounded the keeper to make it 3-0. Thornton Heath tried deperately hard to find a footing in the game but with Paul Waite in goal and the defensive four of Turner, Styles, Stevens and Robbie in fine form they were fighting a losing battle. Three goals to the good then at half time and Charlwood emerged from the dressing room with rare smiles on their faces. Any hope Thornton Heath had of wiping those smiles away were firmly extinquished shortly after the restart as Anderson bagged his second following a clever ball from Cousins. Jason again rounded the luckless keeper who despite getting a hand to it couldnt stop the ball from crossing the line. As the half went on legs began to tire and scoring chances were at a premium. Still time however for Tony Silva to score his fifth of the season as he latched onto another mammoth Dan Morgan throw to volley home from close range. Nine goals and nine points in less than eight days? Somebody pinch me. 15/03/03 - Continental Stars 3 Charlwood 2 After a three week break Charlwoods winning streak (can you call 2 games a streak?!) came to a close in sunny Mitcham. An injury ravaged and rusty looking Woods side could not have picked  worse opponents to face, than the quick and skillful Continental Stars. The home side started at a pace and pretty much didnt let up for the remainder of the 90 minutes. Charlwood made as reasonable fight of it as possible with the creaky defence holding firm to repel one Stars attack after another. The first goal eventually arrived on around the half hour mark when after a rare piece of Charlwood pressure, a long ball caught out the defence, and some neat footwork from the Stars centre forward saw him dance around Jason Stevens in goal to slot into an empty net. 1-0 at break then, but still everything to play for. The second 45 began in a similar fashion to the first with Woods very much on the back foot. Hurried clearances were gratefully accepted by the home side and every second ball seemed to fall to a Stars player. Then, somewhat out of the blue, Charlwood levelled the scores. The home keeper made a hash of a timid shot and Jason Anderson was on hand to fire home his 5th of the season. This would normally be the cue for Continental to start internal bickering and contrive to lose themselves the game. Unfortunately for Charlwood on this occasion, the opposite happened, and they instantly raised their game. A clever one-two sliced through the defence and Stars nudged themselves back in front. To their credit Charlwood did rally for the remainder of the game with the second half forward partnership of Anderson and Floyd plus good midfield support at last beginning to make inroads. A well struck volley from George and an Anderson header almost brought Charlwood level before an innapropriate bout of keepy-uppy from Jason Stevens allowed Stars to steal a third (I'll leave it at that Jase!) and effectively kill off the game. Back came Charlwood again though, and Anderson rose to the top of the goalscoring charts via an outsretched shin after another goalmouth scramble. More Charlwood pressure almost gained them a share of the spoils in the final few minutes but in the end it wasnt to be. 22/03/03 - Charlwood 3 Bletchingley 3 Hmmmm, where do i start with this one? Well, this game will not be forgotten easily and unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. It was played on a gloriously sunny day on a reasonable (if a little bumpy) Charlwood pitch between two committed but by and large fair teams. Unfortunately it was officiated by possibly the most idiotic, self centred, fussy, pig-headed, attention seeking referee i've ever had the misfortune to come across. The afternoon began well for Charlwood as they set about top of the table Bletchingley in terrier like fashion. Defending from the front Woods put the visitors under pressure in all corners of the pitch and all was looking good. Nevertheless, it was Bletchingley that opened the scoring, when against the run of play a mix up between keeper and defence allowed the visiting striker in to register a soft goal. Undeterred Charlwood continued in their quest and were eventually rewarded when their very own weapon of mass destruction got them back into the game. Yes, yet another Dan Morgan cruise missile unsettled the defence and Tony Silva nipped in to clip home from close range. Sean Tuesley then went close to grabbing a second when his dipping volley fell just the wrong side of the crossbar. The second half closely mirrored the first, with Woods again on top and gaining in confidence all the time.It wasnt long before they deservedly snatched the lead. Good work from Morgan on the right flank led to a through ball for Stuart who helped the ball on for Jason Anderson to side foot home his 7th of the season. George Panayiotides then created and missed a glorious chance as he chipped wide of the post when scoring seemed easier. A third goal did follow shortly after though, when Silva forced an under pressure Bletchingley defender to head clean over his keepers head, and could only stand by and watch helplessly as the ball bounced into his unguarded net. All the while the referee had been doing his best to spoil what was turning into a pleasant afternoons football. Little did we know however that he had saved his worst for the last twenty minutes. Bletchingley had begun to get themselves back into the game without ever really testing Jason Stevens in goal. All that was about to change, as the referee set about handing them a share of the spoils. Firstly he blew for the six second keeper rule when everybody (including Bletchingley players) agreed Jason had had it for no longer than four. The resulting free kick was blocked and from the next goal kick Stevens decided to check his own timings by shouting 1000, 2000, 3000 before kicking. He was promptly booked for what i can only assume was counting? (check your rule book folks!) Shortly afterwards a free-kick was awarded just outside the box for an innocuous 50/50 challenge. The referee was moving the wall back when without so much as a peep from his whistle, and whilst his back was turned, a quick freekick was dispatched into the net. Charlwood complained bitterly, the **** (thats reff) denied that either of the above observations were true. 3-2 then and an angered Charlwood began to take the game to Bletchingley once more. Any of a number of chances would have wrapped up the game, with Tuesley guilty of missing 3 good ones despite striking them well, and a Lee Cornwell header sailing over when well positioned. Bletchingleys 12th man eventually got his way when he awarded yet another close range free-kick for a ridiculous back pass decision against the unfortunate Guy Mears. Stevens was shown his second yellow for supposedly kicking the ball away, followed by a straight red to Pete Turner for mentioning to a team mate that the referee resembled the furry cup. 9 men lined up to try and stop the kick - they couldnt - the ref jumped for joy, before trying to send off specators who dared to question his parentage. Thankfully Charlwood managed to hold firm for the remaining few minutes to collect two points less than they deserved. Not so thankfully, the referee collected his money and will no doubt collect more for inflicting similar atrocities to another two teams next week. 29/03/03 - Tadworth 3 Charlwood 1 Charlwood find themselves occupying second to bottom spot in the table after this disapointing defeat at the hands of a solid but unspectacular Tadworth side. This game virtually mirrored the home encounter earlier in the season. The only differences being that Tadworth remembered their kit and Charlwood remembered how to throw away a lead. Woods began the game in fairly determined mood, matching their opponents in all departments and going close with one or two half chances. The best of these probably fell to Anthony Cousins who's right footed volley was well struck and equally well saved by a very competent keeper. The opening goal arrived on around 25 minutes. A Cousins free kick to the far post saw Turnbull rise well to guide a firm header back across goal. This should have been Charlwoods cue to gain in confidence and march on to victory. Unfortunately the opposite transpired. Tadworth bounced back and scored a fine eqaliser, when the elbow happy centre forward worked himself some space and crashed his shot home. Jason Anderson did have a half chance to restore the lead when he was presented with the ball some 25 yards out with the keeper stranded. His atempted first time chip however, failed to find the target. Tadworths crucial second goal came shortly before half time (rather like the first game) when after Charlwood failed to clear their lines and the resulting right wing cross evaded all except the man at the far post who glanced home with Bradley Styles appealing in vain for a push. Roundy made way for Stuart at half time and Charlwood came out for the second half looking for a way back into the game. All hopes were effectively dashed though when after 10 minutes Martin Betts' knee (i think?) buckled under his ample frame and Woods were reduced to ten men (again like the first game!). From here on in Charwlood did manage to raise their game, and it was hard to tell which of the sides had the full compliment of players. Most attacks broke down however as the hardworking midfield struggled to get forward to support an increasingly isolated front two. The best of the few chances that were created fell to Pete Turner who balooned his shot when well positioned in the box. Tadworth then broke away to score a harsh third and Charlwood left for a ten day break before the next fixture. Hopefully enough time to get one or two injured players back on the pitch. 19/04/03 - Cheam Village Warriors 0 Charlwood 0 Charlwood closed their season, and managed to claw their way out of the relegation zone with this hard fought goalless encounter away to old rivals Cheam. This was the third encounter between these sides this season and Charlwood must take some credit for remaining undefeated to one of the better outfits in the division. The game itself was somwhat spoilt by a billowing wind which made flowing football very difficult to achieve. Woods played into the gale first half and enjoyed a good share of possesion. No real chances were created for either side however, as the defences had the edge over the strikers at both ends of the pitch. Tireless work on the flanks by wing backs Dan Morgan and Boney played a big part in frustrating the home side at one end and worrying them at the other. Meanwhile a solid back three of Pete Turner, Jason Stevens and Lee Cornwell never looked seriously threatened. With so much effort put into the first half it was dissapointing that Charlwood couldnt make use of the wind to greater effect in the second fourty five. They did start possitively, with a number of sweeping attacks in the first fifteen minutes that had Cheam reeling. More often than not though the final ball or shot was wasted as underused legs of late, began to tire. The game eventually boiled down to two clear cut chances. A Cheam player shot woefully over at one end and Jason Anderson should really have done better when he cleared the crossbar at the other. In truth i dont think either side would have scored if we were still out there playing right now and a draw was no more or less than either side deserved.