Goal from 50 yards caps vital Roffey win
Roffey 4 Dorking Res 1 SCFL division one
With manager Andy Lampard away, Gareth Neathey and Jack Stevens were in charge of a Roffey side who earned three more precious points towards promotion.
They were without injured Dan Pearse and Callum Jardim and unavailable Johden De Meyer. Janie Robinson continued at left back and Brendan Millborrow partnered Hayden Neathey in the heart of the defence.
As in the original fixture, abandoned at half-time, Wanderers started strongly and pinned Roffey back in the opening minutes. Then, after their first significant attack on five minutes, Tiago Andrade gained possession as the visitors tried to play out from the back and finished clinically past keeper Slav Huk.
Jack Ryder had a shot beaten away by Huk and Roffey’s backline had to be on their toes to snuff out and block the visitors’ raids.
Home fans’ nerves were eased on 20 minutes when in a crowded area Josh Neathey jinked this way and that before finding a way through the defenders with a low shot to make it 2-0.
Shortly before half time, Wanderers’ striker Conan Torpey, already booked, was given a second yellow for a clumsy foul on Millborrow resulting in his dismissal.
Roffey came out after the
break without Millborrow and his place was taken by Aaron Collins.
Wanderers thought they were back in the game when a cross-shot from Max Leitch squeezed past Ed Harvey to halve Roffey’s lead ten minutes into the half. But their
joy was shortlived as five minutes later Harry Law’s through ball found Neathey, who out muscled the Wanderers centre half and blasted a shot past Huk.
Harvey saved one well low down to his left but the hosts were now largely in control
and the industrious pair of James Pearse and Jamie Wanstall were replaced by Chris Neatherway and Ross Swaine.
Neatherway came close to a fourth when a jinking run ended with a shot that was blocked for a corner. Any fans who left early to avoid the rush would regret it... as Swaine found Neathey on the halfway line and the Roffey man turned, glanced up and hit a fantastic dipping 50-yard shot.
It had Huk scampering back towards his goal but the ball flew in just under the bar.