Bognor Regis Town beaten by Cheshunt - but there are positives

Battling Bognor were outdone by two second half goals from play-off hopefuls Cheshunt under the lights at Nyewood Lane.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Despite the loss they will feel they deserved something from the game, especially following an impressive first half performance.

Jake Flannigan returned to the line up for Bognor and young Danny Howick also got a start with Craig Robson out injured. Nathan Odokonyero also returned to the first eleven and Robbie Blake had a chance to see players on the fringes of the team as the management team begin to look ahead to next season.

The Rocks had some defending to do against Cheshunt / Picture: Trevor StaffThe Rocks had some defending to do against Cheshunt / Picture: Trevor Staff
The Rocks had some defending to do against Cheshunt / Picture: Trevor Staff
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Charlie Bell won an early free-kick for the Rocks. Harvey Whyte took the free-kick short but Flannigan’s low cross was cut out easily. Jamie Reynolds cut inside with his run on the right but his left-footed strike was comfortably gathered by Amadou Tangara.

Calvin Davies fired the ball over defence following a poor clearance to Odokonyero but his strike was bravely blocked by the head of Adam Crowther. Then Dan Gifford strayed offside when Alfie Bridgman got a cross in low from the left hand side. Bognor were playing some great football and a neat passage of play allowed Bridgman a run down the left but he hacked his attempted cross high and well wide of the box with his left foot.

A great chance for Cheshunt came and went on 16 minutes. Ex-Rock Kayne Diedrick-Roberts did well to use his pace before crossing it for an unmarked Mohammed Camara to head agonisingly wide of the left post. Then Rowan Liburd smacked a low effort from outside the area of which Tangra deflected wide of his left post moments later.

Bell fed Bridgman the ball and he found Gifford who headed it straight at goal, forcing Preston Edwards into a fine save but the linesman had his flag up for offside. Whyte let fly with a great strike on the volley, this following a parried save from Edwards after Gifford’s attempt but ultimately the Bognor skipper was blocked.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bridgman ran onto Davies’s diagonal ball on the left. He knocked the ball in but it was stopped by Edwards. Bognor were starting to exploit the gaps in the Cheshunt midfield after their attacks. Camara did well to ran across the defence before letting fly with a powerful left-footed shot only just flew wide.

Odokonyero made good headway as Bognor were really going for it with some continuous pressure. His shot was deflected wide of the right post but the referee missed the defensive block and instead gave a goal kick. Diedrick-Roberts ran down the left and then fired it wide of the far post.

Rocks responded with their own chance as Bell passed it to Odokonyero but his strike was wide and then soon after Bell was denied his strike low at goal as Edwards stopped it. Giuseppe Re had a powerful long range effort which was pushed out by Tangara before he gathered it to end an action packed game. HT 0-0

Bognor started the second half much like the first with a great chance. Gifford cut the ball back from the byline but Odokonyero stubbed his shot wide. Then Bridgman was bursting through with the ball but was cut out by a sliding defender at the last moment.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tangara was equal to Camara’s strike, that was hit low and then Camara glanced a corner with his head and wide on 56 minutes. Nicholas Dib hit a freekick straight into the box and directly at Tangara who gathered easily from the poor ball in. A corner from Dib though made up for it on 64 minutes. Liburd did well to turn 180 degrees before diverting it low and into the net beyond a diving Tangara.

Flannigan was limping and had to come off for Harrison Brook on 67 minutes in Bognor’s first change. Bognor went further behind on 68 minutes. Reece Beccles-Richards beat the offside trap and was alone before running on and blasting it beyond Tangara and into the net. When the run was made Beccles-Richards looked in an offside position.

Odokonyero won a free-kick and Davies stepped up to take it. Davies slammed the low chance into the wall and then fired the rebound out of touch. Cheshunt had the ball in the net again as Taiwo Ojo picked out Beccles-Richards. He poked the ball into the net but this was called offside on 73 minutes and so didn’t count.

Bell curled the ball into the area and Bridgman headed it down and it was hooked wildly over the bar by the Cheshunt defence in a rare second half chance for Bognor. Whyte did well to pass it out wide to Bridgman who flashed it across the face of goal and beyond the running Tom Holland.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Beccles-Richards sped down the right and beat the offside trap to run on and shoot across goal. But Tangara made a save to deny him. But Bognor’s second half performance showed the fatigue they had built up after such a hard-fought opening 45 minutes and the referee blew the final whistle after 3 minutes of stoppage time.

Rocks travel to Merstham on Saturday with kick off at 3pm. Just three games remain of the season.

Rocks: Tangara, Flannigan (Brook 67), Robb, Davies, Cook, Howick, Whyte (c), Bell, Odokonyero (Holland 80), Gifford, Bridgman. Subs not Used: Ayoola, Barnes, Wyatt