Chertsey Town almost defeated themselves on meeting their far more enthusiastic and motivated Hanworth Villa hosts in their 2011 holiday fixture.

The game began well enough for the visitors in enjoying early possession and territory but nothing was produced to suggest that a goal would give reward for bottling up the opposition.

Indeed, the first attempt at scoring took until the 18th minute, but it came at the other end of the park when ex-Chertsey Town youth Levi King made an unsuccessful close range stab at goal.

Hanworth’s confidence grew steadily as it became evident that Town’s defending could be easily stretched.

As individuals, Chertsey’s sentinels did a reasonable job but they failed to act in effective unison and the Middlesex side found it increasingly easily to rip open holes in the back line. New face loanee Lloyd Boatang from Hampton looked assured but needed more support.

To be fair, Town’s cause was not helped when skipper Jack Francis, already slotted over to the right back position to cover for Mark McGibbon, out through a hamstring injury, himself then damaged a tendon early on and had to go off with Tom Hayden returning from a loan spell at Knaphill as the replacement.

In contrast, Hanworth defended their rear zones in numbers but in doing so left space off the ball which might have been exploited with better invention and urgency than was displayed.

The Chertsey side may have at first looked the more cultured when on the ball but the veneer warped and splintered as the minutes increased and, in a manner that that previously been signposted, Hanworth took the lead on 35 minutes.

Coming through from a central position, the ball was clipped inside to Shaun Preddie who ran though the generously provided aperture to roll in an unconvincing shot from 20 yards that nevertheless, hit the inside of the post and stuttered over the line.

A similar situation arose eight minutes later when, from a quick-fire break out, Preddie was again allowed to slide through a twenty foot gap but this time his follow up shot had more conviction as the ball hit the back of the billowing net.

Chertsey’s best to that point was a high and wide shot from Danny Rouco after a very encouraging passing movement made on the break.

Chertsey showed more energy immediately after the break but once again wasted half chances, especially in not capitalising on the number of free kicks won in dangerous positions.

Time again they got stuck in traffic with the Hanworth defenders creating more surrounding jams than seen in the immediately adjacent and ironically named Great Chertsey Road.

Town’s game deteriorated further in the last half hour. Simon Cox was carded in the first half for a late tackle and repeated the act in the second but even had he escaped the inevitable red card, and perhaps in fantasy even seen a couple of bonus players added to the side, it would still not have been enough to conjure up anything from a desperately disappointing showing.

Hanwell’s goalkeeper was only once called into serious action off a second half Phil Page effort.

Craig Bradshaw at the other end was kept far more busy. He kept good control in his box and was not to be beaten again but eventually, an osmosis effect even drew his assured clearances to the same standards as his fellow attack generators and neither goal was seriously threatened in the fading gloom.