 Wallingford fell to a third successive defeat in disappointing fashion at the Hithercroft.
The home side were a shadow of the side that were unlucky to go down to a last-minute 4-3 defeat at Pegasus the previous Saturday. As with so many games this season, they got of to a terrible start and had a mountain to climb after only twelve minutes, finding themselves 2-0 down. Andy Stidder had already hit the crossbar for the visitors as early as the third minute. A few minutes later Peter Lamont cleared off the Wallingford line following a corner, only for the ball to loop to the unmarked Hook defender Chris Jackson, who placed a pinpoint header into the corner from 15 yards out. Just five minutes later Davies curled in a cross from the right touchline and John Shea shouted to the claim the ball at the near post, but Pete Moulder beat Shea to the ball and headed into the unguarded net. The conditions were not good for flowing football, in driving rain on a sticky surface, but Wallingford were poor on the ball and struggled to muster many attempts at goal, apart from substitute Andrew Stourton's long range effort which flew high and wide. With half-time approaching Hook took advantage of some more poor home defending when Moulder found himself in space in the box, and with the Wallingford defence appealing for offside he swivelled and lashed an unstoppable shot past Shea into the top corner of the net. Wallingford came out much more purposefully in a drier second half and Ian Fenn forced a good low save from Meadows in the Hook Norton goal. John Shea then made a couple of excellent stops at the other end, including a brilliant tip wide from an acrobatic overhead kick from Stidder. As the game wore on, the home side came much more into the game and showed their superior fitness in an eventful last ten minutes. Andrew Stourton looked to have reduced the deficit when he wriggled clear and poked the ball under Meadows into the net, but was flagged marginally offside. Shaun Weston then did pull a goal back for Wallingford , latching onto a lucky ricochet and beating Meadows with a fine finish into the top corner. In injury time Stourton got clear again on the left and had just the keeper to beat, but Meadows came out well to block and Hook Norton held on, with Wallingford left to rue a poor start. AFC Wallingford : Shea, Davies, Debanks, Fenn, Chalmers, Lamont (Weir 45), Hayday, Lambert, Weston, Hambridge (Stourton 35), Newport (De Souza 70) |
