Last gasp heartache for Kingfishers as 94th minute goal condemns Thatcham to surprise defeat

Thatcham Town boss Yashwa Romeo felt missed chances again cost his side as a 94th minute goal condemned the Kingfishers to a 2-1 defeat at home to strugglers Corinthian Casuals.

The visitors went ahead through Daniel Campion’s 29th minute strike but Thatcham struck back four minutes later when David Nyarko, who returned for his second spell in West Berkshire last month, scored his second goal in three games to make it 1-1.

Casuals’ goalkeeper Daniel Purdue had to be at his best to keep the scores level, thwarting Jordan Alves, Christian Johnson and Nathan Jones, while Nyarko was denied a second when his deflected shot cannoned off the crossbar.

Despite all their pressure, Thatcham ended up empty-handed after the fleet-footed Marcel Wallace beat two defenders before firing beyond Toby Fisher in the fourth minute of added time to earn Casuals, who hadn’t won away all season, all three points.

And Romeo bemoaned his side’s failure to take their chances as the Kingfishers slipped to their fifth defeat in six games.

“It’s the worst possible way to lose a football game,” he said.

“Especially given the manner of the game, the way the game went, it was a difficult one to accept.

“We were totally dominant – but that’s football. If you don’t take your chances, there’s always a chance you’ll get hurt and that’s exactly what happened to us.

“We didn’t score first, so they always had something to hold onto. I’m never one to get on referees’ backs, but it looked like a clear offside. It is what it is.

“We had eight or 10 really good chances, we hit the woodwork, but it just wasn’t our day. That’s football. It’s not the first time that kind of thing has happened and it definitely won’t be the last.

“To be honest, they weren’t a great side and we really should be beating teams like that. Sometimes you can have an off day in front of goal, it happens.

“Then we lost concentration at the other end, I was really disappointed with the goal we conceded. It was a frustrating afternoon.”

Thatcham have a chance to bounce back in midweek but face a tough test when they travel to fourth placed Southall.

However Romeo remains optimistic the Kingfishers can bring their poor run to an end against one of the league’s front runners.

He said: “We were expected to win at the weekend. Now, what we’ve got to do is go and win one we’re not expected to.

“Southall are a great team and they’re flying at the moment, but we will go there thinking we can upset the apple cart.

“What we will have is an element of surprise. They’ll look at our result on the weekend and think we’re not a good team, so we want to go and prove a point.”

The Kingfishers will be without experienced defender Curtis Angell, who was forced off on the stroke of half time on Saturday with an ankle injury and looks set for a brief spell on the sidelines.

At the other end of the pitch, despite Thatcham’s failure to take their chances on the weekend, Romeo has been impressed with new man David Nyarko, and expects the powerful striker to have a prolific season for his new side.

The 21-year-old scored six goals in five games while on loan from Reading’s under-23s last term but, after his release by the Royals at the end of the season, endured a less fruitful spell with Harrow Borough at the beginning of the current campaign.

Yet since returning to West Berkshire, Nyarko appears to have lost none of his goalscoring prowess and looks capable of being the man to lead the line for Romeo’s side this term.

“David’s been one of the biggest positives in the last few weeks,” Romeo said.

“He’s disappointed he didn’t get more at the weekend – and he probably should have, but the most promising sign is that he’s getting in those positions.

“Hopefully he can put in a big performance against Southall and goes and wins us the game.”

Meanwhile, AFC Aldermaston, who shared Thatcham’s ground last season, remain in the Velocity Wessex Football League Division 1 relegation zone following a 2-1 defeat against Folland Sports.

Folland took the lead after 27 minutes when a ball in from the left-hand side was turned home by Charlie Hitchings.

However Aldermaston hit back just three minutes later when Eldad Adjei’s pass sent Justin Bangura through on goal and the former Kingfishers frontman rounded the onrushing goalkeeper and rolled the ball into an empty net to draw the visitors level.

Aldermaston gave a good account of themselves but left Farnborough empty handed after substitute Freeman Nyakumbi drilled a low strike into the bottom corner to make it 2-1.

Aldermaston, who are third from bottom and two points from safety – with the three sides above them all having two games in hand – have won just twice in 13 league matches this term.

The Atom Men, who have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, welcome 10th-placed Fawley Town to Waterside Park on Saturday.