For the second time in three games Dan Coombes turned out to be the Molesey match winner in a dour encounter against Colliers Wood on Easter Monday.
The game did little to dispel the theory that morning kick offs result in poor games, and on a heavy surface it was the one decent move of the game the resulted in the only goal, with Coombes and James McShane combining neatly deep inside the Molesey half before setting the rampaging Luke Elliott away down the left. His deep cross picked out Coombes, and with Wood keeper Chris Duffy in no mans land Coombes looped a header beyond him that dropped just under the crossbar and into the net.
With Wood’s Wibbandune ground deemed unplayable the quickfire return fixture was once again staged at Walton Road, and including the two club’s reserve sides it was the fourth meeting between the clubs in 13 days.
However, whereas it was the Wood second string that completed the double over the Moles, Steve Webb’s side secured their third ‘double’ of the campaign and in doing so sent Wood into the relegation places.
Despite a full quota of subs to choose from Webb opted to start the game with ten men owing to Arnold Tawonezvi being held up on his way to the ground, commenting “All our preparations had included Arnold in the team – set plays, formation, etc – and the final team sheet had already been handed in.
“So, to have taken him off the sheet at the last minute would have meant that he had been substituted and could play no part in the game. It made more sense to set the side up as a 10 – which we have done quite well recently at Camberley and Dorking – and introduce him on his arrival.”
By the time of Tawonezi’s belated entrance after a quarter of an hour the Moles were unfortunate not to be one up, as Moses Spencer rose to head home James McShane’s free kick after three minutes but the ref had adjudged he had gained an unfair advantage in doing so.
There was very little to choose between the sides during the rest of the half. Dan Lucas saw a dipping shot well saved by Duffy, before the Moles full-back misjudged a long ball which fell invitingly to Cornell McKoy, who took the ball around Wester Young but was thwarted by a terrific goal line clearance by Spencer.
Rob Lewis planted a header wide before climbing to head a McShane cross goalwards, but his effort was headed off the line by Liam Taberner.
The Moles had their most profitable spell around the hour mark, firstly Tawonezvi beat the onrushing Duffy to a Lampard through ball but his effort fell agonisingly wide, which was followed two minutes later by a marauding run down the left by Elliott, whose deep cross was headed against the post by Coombes.
Shane Sinclair flashed an effort just wide before Coombes popped up to head the Moles in front midway through the half.
The Moles then sat back on their lead, and were nearly caught out when Jimmy Davies floated a free kick to the unmarked Stefan Joseph, who smashed the ball across goal resulting in a prolonged goalmouth scramble, with Lewis appearing to illegally lie on the ball before it was eventually hacked to safety.
Wood continued to pile forward in the closing stages, although could not get the point they ultimately deserved, as firstly Joseph saw a header turned over the bar by Young after a wicked deflection from the touchline had fallen kindly to him, and in the 86th minute substitute Helge Orome headed over from close range when it looked easier to score.
Ross Defoe entered the fray as a late substitute and lifted the crowd in the closing stages as he danced through the Wood defence and was upended on the edge of the box by the byline, the resulting free kick played back towards the corner flag where the Moles killed the game off.
The sight of both McShane and Lewis Ackerman hobbling off in the closing stages would have concerned Webb, with the fixtures coming thick and fast in the closing weeks of the season, starting with the visit of Sandhurst Town a little over 48 hours away.
Line up: Wester Young, Dan Lucas, Luke Elliott, Rob Lewis, Moses Spencer [C], Dan Coombes, Shane Sinclair, Sam Lampard, Arnold Tawonezvi, Lewis Ackerman (Mickey Hughes 81), James McShane (Ross Defoe 81). Subs (not used) Andre Taiwo, Ryan Anderson, Paul Cross
