The Royalists rise up the table following Saints win
Windsor are off the mark in the Counties Premier Division North having beaten Chalfont St Peter 3-1 at Stag Meadow on Tuesday evening.
Following a narrow defeat to Harefield United last week, Mick Woodham made wholesale changes to his starting lineup for the Saints clash, most notably starting defender Ryan Bird who will feature in the Royalists’ next three matches on a dual registration with Slough Town.
And such changes paid dividends as Windsor began the match on the front foot with Ernest Mulymo striking Joe Blant’s ball narrowly over before Ben Hall headed wide inside the opening 10 minutes.
The Royalists eventually got the ball over the line in the 17th minute as Tyler Robinson stayed strong to nod in from Connor McShane’s free kick.
With a lack of possession, the Saints grew frustrated and Solomon Balogun gave away a penalty having brought down Robinson.
Upon picking himself up, the striker converted the spot kick in the 35th minute to give the Royalists a 2-0 lead.
In what must have been a great source of frustration for boss Woodham, the Saints pulled a goal back just minutes after the break – Yann Jansen halving the deficit in the 48th minute.
Woodham turned to his bench for the first time after the hour mark and brought on Adam Jeffries for James Quinn. He then replaced
Robinson with Noah Chengun, and Blount with Jake Brown in the game’s final quarter as he looked to stifle the Saints’ momentum.
Having been on a yellow card already for kicking the ball away, McShane was shown red five minutes past normal time for time wasting.
But much to the relief of the home support and staff in the dugout, Teddy Woodisse made the game safe with a low free kick scored in the 98th minute.
The victory lifts Windsor into 12th place and speaking after the result, Woodham said: “We now have a performance to build upon and while the three points are very welcome, it is also about gaining confidence, belief, and trust within the group. If the boys went away feeling better about themselves last night then that will please me.”
Windsor journey over to Holyport on Saturday.