Isthmian South Central 19 April 2025
Hanworth Villa 2
- Sam Merson (26’, 90+8’)
Uxbridge 2
- Massimo Giamattei (9’)
- Kai Hobbs (51’)
Match Report
Late drama ensued once more at Rectory Meadow, as Sam Merson’s 98th-minute penalty salvaged a crucial 2-2 draw against second-placed Uxbridge.
The tight affair watched on by 276 spectators was marred by a neck injury to Uxbridge goalkeeper George Legg, who was sent to the hospital, resulting in a one-hour delay midway through the first half.
Villa trailed 2-1 for majority of the second period until defender Guy Ansah-Palmer was fouled inside the penalty area in the last of seven stoppage time minutes. Merson then stepped up to beat substitute outfielder-turned-goalkeeper Harry Gallagher from the spot.
Manager Simon Haughney said: “You think it’s done and dusted. It was the last ball in there. But we scrapped for that last ball. We just got a nick on it, and it was a clear penalty.
“And we back him (Merson) in those situations, he doesn’t miss. So yeah, big goal.”
The draw meant Villa on 73 points stayed among the promotion play-off spots in fourth, while Uxbridge (76 points) stayed second but still have work to do to confirm their top five finish.
Ascot United (73) are third, above us on goal difference, while Kingstonian and Hayes & Yeading United (both 72) are a point behind. Seventh-places Moneyfields (70) are the only other team still in contention.
Villa will need to win both of our remaining league matches against Met Police on Easter Monday and Horndean next Saturday to guarantee a play-off spot come April 26, although fewer points may be sufficient if other teams drop points.
Haughney said: “Obviously a draw was better than a loss, but I was disappointed with the second half performance, with the goals we concede we are not good enough. It’s the basics that are letting us down, but I’m pleased they kept going and got a draw at the end of it.
“This pitch is concrete and it’s so hard to make a 10 yard pass, it ends up by your kneecap. So, you know that plays a massive, massive factor in selecting the team. So while we’ve picked up results with energy and pace, we’ve got to go a little bit more robust in terms of selection.”
With Uxbridge lining up in a 3-4-1-2 shape, Haughney decided to match our opponents by fielding the same formation as we did in our goalless draw against Ascot on Tuesday. Merson and Joe Peters returned to the lineup, replacing Dylan Randall and KJ Osu.
It was a nightmare start for Villa though, as Uxbridge took an early lead in the ninth minute. Twenty-two goal George Moore’s shot cannoned off the right post, but the rebound kindly fell into the path of Massimo Giamattei who struck an unstoppable volley past Mark Smith.
Villa showed an urgency to get back into the game, and Merson nearly levelled proceedings in the 17th minute with a powerful low strike which thumped off the backboards.
Nine minutes later, Merson made no mistake and inked his name of the scoresheet. A long throw from Peters was flicked on by Merson and controlled by Ben Geraghty who fell to the ground inside the penalty box.
But showing great tenacity, Geraghty kept the ball alive and lifted it up for Merson who dinked it into the net off goalkeeper Legg’s far left post.
Legg found himself in a pickle almost straight from kick off and he came off worse after a coming together with Pierre Fonkeu. The game was temporarily halted as Legg received treatment for a neck injury, and he was subsequently taken to the hospital on an ambulance.
After almost an hour’s delay, the game resumed in the 28th minute with Uxbridge outfielder Gallagher taking Legg’s place in goal.
Keen to take advantage of an inexperienced goalie, Villa tried a couple of long-range shots before half time and captain George Wells came closest but his volley was tipped over the bar by Gallagher.
Haughney said: “I thought we got a little bit excited, especially after the incident, and didn’t hit the target. But to be fair to the goalie, I thought he’d done extremely well. You know, he’s an outfield player but he handled it very well. His kicking was fantastic.”
Although Villa continued dominating possession after the interval, Uxbridge struck again from a corner kick in the 51st minute. Kai Hobbs beat Smith to the delivery and nodded home into an empty net.
It was not until the 72nd minute when Villa had another gilt-edged opportunity, after Fonkeu redirected a cross towards Geraghty. With only the goalkeeper to beat, Geraghty struck the ball narrowly wide much to the dismay of the home crowd.
In a last throw of the dice, Haughney introduced centre-back Manny Parry in the 85th minute to take Peters’ place, who was sent upfront to act as an auxillary striker alongside Merson.
Haughney said about Peters: “Joe’s one of those players that could play any position. He’s fast, it’d be a problem in the air. He closed things down, he pressurised from the front. And he’s, you know, six foot seven in that box.”
Just when all hope seemed to be lost, Villa won a penalty after Ansah-Palmer was fouled and Merson made no mistake from the spot to send the crowd into raptures.
Up next for Villa is Monday’s tie against Met Police, who have proved to be a bogey team for us as we’ve never beaten them before.
Haughney added: “If I see one of them drinking a pint of beer at the end of the game, they’ll be fined and they won’t be playing.
“There’ll be no drinking from anybody with such a short turnaround. And it’s just about doing the basics right. Work really hard and I believe we can win on Bank Holiday Monday.”