Wanderers: 5
Epsom: 3 (Midmer, M.Atkinson, Barton)
Mike Atkinson fires home Epsom’s second goal – but it wasn’t enough in a 5-3 defeat
Epsom fought out another thriller with Wanderers in Battersea Park, this time losing 5-3 having at various points led 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2. Epsom raced into an early lead when Scott Barton jinked down the left byline and set up James Midmer to score from close range. Wanderers soon made it 1-1 with a strong short-corner dragflick which flew into the top left corner. The remainder of a fast-tempo half was end-to-end stuff and although there were no further goals for either side you would have got odds of 100-1 on the score remaining 1-1.
Sure enough, the second half started with an avalanche of goals. Mike Atkinson smashed home an early short-corner for 2-1. Wanderers again fought back and levelled at 2-2 after a period of pressure. Epsom went straight up the other end and some great work from Alex Pizzey set up Barton to make it 3-2. Epsom subsequently had some chances to take a 4-2 lead which might have changed the tie but they didn’t convert and it started to unravel. Wanderers made it 3-3 from a clinical counterattack and then three Epsom players were yellow-carded in succession, meaning they played the final 20 minutes of the second half with 10 men. Wanderers scored a clinically deflected fourth from open play, and then finished the scoring with a low short-corner dragflick making it 5-3. A tired Epsom had no more left and slipped to fifth in the league. The side will look to rest up and bounce back for next Saturday’s home game against league-leaders Winchester at Therfield School.