Pressure is off for Thatcham run-in
THATCHAM Town go into the final week of the Isthmian League South Central campaign with the pressure off.
The Kingfishers face three tough games in the final eight days of the season – but they can relax knowing that the lingering threat of relegation is over.
The league confirmed this week that Whyteleafe and Staines Town will go down, while Chalfont St Peter will face a play-off against a Step 5 club.
Manager Yashwa Romeo’s side host Uxbridge on Saturday before travelling to Marlow on Easter Monday and completing their first-ever season in the Isthmian League at home to second-placed Chertsey next Saturday.
It’s a tough finish for manager Yashwa Romeo’s side as all three teams are in the top seven.
It’s been a tough season for Kingfishers as former boss Jamie Leacock had to build a side from scratch, while Romeo took over with the team in relegation trouble.
Romeo switched his side’s formation ahead of Saturday’s trip to Ashford Town, and it looked like it was working until two second-half goals earned the home side a 2-1 win.
Romeo said: “We have been playing 4-3-2-1 this season, but I wanted to put someone up alongside Simeon [Weekes] up front.
“We were the better side for the first 30 minutes, but then our keeper Jack Hopwood had to go off with dizziness and centre half Bradley Passfield had to go in goal.”
Thatcham looked sharp early on, with the Ashford keeper doing well to deny Daniel Fosu, then Weekes saw a low cross cleared.
Weekes nearly set up Josh Davies in the 35th minute, but the ball just eluded the striker.
Thatcham, though, did make the breakthrough 10 minutes after the restart, Davies sending over a superb cross for Weekes to glance a header home.
Passfield made one fine save to deny Dan Brown, but there was no stopping the Ashford striker in the 69th minute when he raced clear to slot home.
And there was no way back for Thatcham when Connor Holland curled in a fine shot from the edge of the area in the 78th minute.
Despite the result, Romeo was satisfied with his side’s display.
He said: “We played another two youth team players this week and Harry Gardner was superb at full back.
“The youth team players who have come in this season have all put in man-of-thematch performances.”
That bodes well for Thatcham, and after the hectic final week to the campaign Romeo will start planning for the 2022/23 campaign.