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Wallingford came out on top in a scrappy local derby played in difficult conditions. Two second half goals from Matt Bianchini and Abdouli Taha, capitalising on some poor defending from the visitors giving the home side a deserved victory.
Heavy rain and slippery conditions were never going to be the right platform for an entertaining match and there was barely any goalmouth action in the first half. Both sides had good early shouts for penalties however. Bianchini was tripped in the box after being set up by Andrew Styles, but the referee claimed the defender won the ball. Minutes later Tom Larman also went down in the area at the other end, but the referee waved away the protests again. The home side managed a couple of good chances before half time. Zinzee Taha put Bianchini through on the right, but the ex-Didcot man fired the ball into the side netting when perhaps he had more time. Just before the break Abdouli Taha should really have given Wallingford the lead. With the rain driving down heavily, he dispossessed a defender on the edge of the area and skipped past the keeper, but slipped slightly and side-footed the ball into the side netting. With the slightly surreal arrival of the sunshine in the second half came an improved display of football. Abdouli Taha skipped past a couple of defenders on the edge of the box and blasted the ball across goal, but nobody had got into the middle. Zinzee Taha retrieved the ball on the edge of the box and found Andrew styles making a perfect run into the middle. Rob Hamling made a good save to deny him from close range, but Styles somehow blasted the rebound over from barely two yards out. Paul Jezzard almost gave Abingdon a surprise lead with a glancing header that drifted just wide of the far post. However, Wallingford were playing much the better football and after Taha had gone close with another mazy run and shot that was saved by Hamling, they took the lead. Ross Tyler swung in a corner and Bianchini arrived unmarked in the box and placed a textbook header past an exposed Hamling. With the game opening up, the home side doubled their lead. Styles beat the offside trap on the right and crossed low into the middle. A defender completely missed the ball and Abdouli Taha controlled and rifled low into the corner. Wallingford could have added to the scoreline in the closing stages. Zinzee Taha had a close range effort saved by Hamling, then shot just wide from the edge of the area. In the dying minutes, Styles got clear on the right again and found Bianchini in the middle, but Hamling brilliantly tipped his volley over the bar. Wallingford play another local derby next Saturday when they visit Wantage Town. AFC Wallingford : Clark, Hoey, Parker, Ingram, Barlow, McMahon, Styles, Tyler , Bianchini, Z.Taha (Fellow 80), A.Taha. Subs not used: Fenn, Lovegrove. |
