Town hit back to earn draw at Chesham

CARL Adams’ battling Town side returned from frosty Chesham with another of those hard-earned away points against the top sides which has characterised their season, writes Bryan Hale.

With Mike Taylor ruled out, Charlie Faulkner came into the starting line-up in the only change from the Weymouth game.

Chesham are chasing at least a play-off spot having games in hand on all the teams currently above them, and came into this match having won seven and drawn two of their last nine league outings.

And they were soon piling forward with Toby Little’s fourth-minute free-kick coming back off Niall Cooper’s left-hand post and rebounding across the face of the goal before being cleared.

But Town then went close with their first attack three minutes later with Justin Marsden’s cross from the right hitting a defender and falling kindly to Faulkner whose fierce right-foot drive was beaten away at full stretch by the Chesham keeper Ashlee Jones.

Chesham continues to have the better of the possession but Town were able to soak up the pressure and always looked sharp on the break and it was their turn to rattle the woodwork on the half-hour mark with Edwin Ahenkorah's volley cannoning against the post with Jones well beaten.

Then just as it looked as if the break would be reached with the game still goalless, Chesham took the lead when Sam Youngs received the ball on the left and the let fly with a sumptuous right footer from 20 yards out which soared beyond Cooper into the far corner of the net.

But seven minutes into the second half Town were back level. Marsden slipped the ball through to the overlapping Guy Clark and his shot deflected off a defender past the wrong-footed Jones.

From then on it could have gone either way with Faulkner having a decent effort deflected behind and the dangerous Youngs twice going close for Chesham but in the end Town had done enough to eke out another vital point in their quest to keep a safe distance from the teams in the bottom four.

Stratford Town: Niall Cooper, Jean Kalenda. Guy Clark, James Fry (c), Liam Francis, Dan Summerfield, Simeon Tulloch, Barry Fitzharris, Edwin Ahenkorah (Will Grocott 64), Justin Marsden, Charlie Faulkner.