Moneyfields missing suspended main man Steve Hutchings as title hopes are dented again

Dave Carter was left ruing a missed opportunity as Moneyfields were held to a 0-0 draw by Thatcham Town at Dover Road.
Moneyfields have missed Steve HutchingsMoneyfields have missed Steve Hutchings
Moneyfields have missed Steve Hutchings

The manager felt it was two valuable points dropped in their bid to stay in the race for the Southern League division one south title.

It was even more frustrating when news came through that league-leaders Yate Town had slipped to a surprise defeat at Barnstaple Town.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Carter felt their cause wasn't helped by fielding a makeshift strike force.

The Moneys boss said: ‘We failed to take our chances and it is definitely two points lost.

‘Thatcham came with one up front and ten men sat behind the ball.

‘That made it difficult to break them down and we failed to work their goalkeeper enough.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘The pitch didn't help because it was rock solid and bobbly.

‘In the second half we reverted to the long ball but still couldn't break the deadlock.’

The best chance of the first half fell to Sam Pearce on 20 minutes but he put his header wide from six yards.

After the break Nathan Paxton headed straight at the goalkeeper from a good position.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In the closing minutes Pearce had another good chance but in trying to place his shot he made it easier for the goalkeeper to save.

Carter added: ‘We missed Steve Hutchings a lot in this game.

‘During his suspension we have won two, drawn one and lost one.

‘We have dropped five points in the past three games which is a shame because we had a chance to close the gap on the top two.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘It also means the teams below us have got closer to us in the race for the play-offs.

‘We have to make sure with five games left they can't catch us.

‘The aim is to finish as high as we can to give ourselves the best opportunity of promotion.’

Meanwhile, Bognor revived their Bostik League premier division play-off hopes with a 2-0 win at Wingate & Finchley.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Their cause was helped by the home side having to play for over an hour with 10 men.

Donovan Makoma received a straight red card for a late challenge on Rocks goalkeeper Dan Lincoln.

Two Mason Walsh goals in the space of five minutes midway through the second half proved decisive.

On 70 minutes Walsh worked his way into the area before firing a low shot into the corner of the net.

Five minutes later Walsh curled another shot into the bottom right-hand corner from the edge of the area.

The win lifted the Rocks to within six points of the play-off places.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.