Strudley red downs Blue and Whites
[caption id="attachment_30154" align="alignleft" width="345" caption="Thatcham's James Clark"][/caption]
Referee Brian Durie promptly sent the goalkeeper packing and Stuart Hole tucked away the resulting penalty against stand-in Scott Rees.
Paul Taplin was denied by goalkeeper Sam Warrall and James Clark missed a good chance before Bradley Pegg could only divert a Hole effort into his own net just before the break, and after Tom Etheridge had hit the post for the visitors, Joe Burnell and substitute John Mills wrapped it up with late goals.
beat Clevedon Town 3-2 at Waterside Park in an entertaining Saturday offering.
The visitors twice cancelled out Thatcham leads, and only a fine save from Paul Strudley denied them a third equaliser after Town had netted their third goal. They went ahead after seven minutes when the Clevedon defence hesitated to meet Tom Etheridge’s long throw and Tom Brown pounced to score, and they held that lead until 10 minutes after the break when Brown was caught out by Charlie Rich’s cross and Leigh Edwards-Samuel raced in to beat Strudley. Brown was again closely involved when Thatcham regained the lead, sending in a free kick that was met perfectly by Paul Taplin at the far post and again Thatcham looked comfortable in front until the visitors struck again with 10 minutes to go. Again a defensive lapsed proved to be costly when Sam Flegg made a mess of cutting out a Matt Fisher pass and Jonny Moss went through to score. The decider came in the closing stages when Carl Self attacked the Clevedon defence before hammering his drive home, although there was still time for Strudley to turn Jack McKenna’s effort onto the bar to preserve his side’s three points.