BY JON HARLAND
Hampton & Richmond fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Chesham United at the Beveree Stadium as the Beavers suffered a fifth consecutive loss.
Lewis Rolfe’s early penalty secured all three points for the Generals while keeper Max Merrick executed several smart saves to keep the deficit to just one goal.
Alan Julian’s side sit 15th, dropping three places as Chesham rise to 14th in a congested National League South table where just six points separate 16th and 9th.
Max Merrick was called into action in the second minute, reacting sharply to keep out a shot, but the referee ruled Lachlan Byrd to have handled the subsequent shot on the line.
After awarding a penalty and booking Byrd, Rolfe slotted his penalty into the bottom left corner to give the visitors the lead after three minutes.
Hampton struggled to find their rhythm in the early exchanges but were close to an equaliser in the 19th minute when Archy Taylor whipped an inviting cross into the box, but Jerry Wiltshire’s header flew over the bar.
The Beavers had another opportunity five minutes later when James Roberts’ effort was deflected for a corner after a tidy passing move from the home side.
Ibrahim Jalloh unleashed a powerful strike from range moments later, but Ben Goode got a strong hand to beat the ball away for a corner.
Despite continued Hampton pressure, T’Sharne Ballimore nearly doubled the Generals’ lead before halftime but for an outstanding block from Merrick.
The visitors had a couple of opportunities in quick succession before the hour mark as Joe Grant blazed a shot over the bar from close range before Merrick pulled off yet another instinctive stop. Samson Esan dribbled into the Hampton box from the left wing ten minutes later and got an effort on goal, which Merrick denied before the teenager was forced to clear his lines following a melee in the box.
The Beavers grew into the second half but struggled to penetrate the Generals, as Mauro Vilhete came off the bench; however, the Beavers’ top scorer’s best opportunity was a long shot comfortably caught by Goode.
Chesham pushed for a second in the final stages, as substitute Nathan Minhas was denied by yet another stunning stop from Merrick, this time from point-blank range.
Hampton fought hard to salvage a point in stoppage time as Zanda Siziba’s shot was deflected behind for a corner.
But the Generals commanded their box resolutely to see out the game and take the spoils back to Buckinghamshire.
Hampton boss Julian said: “To concede the early goal, it's a test. I feel we showed the right spirit and togetherness from that early setback. It wasn’t meant to be in terms of the result, but I saw something tonight that was encouraging.”
On the five defeats in a row, the manager said his players are disappointed. “What they need to understand is three of those were against top, top teams. You can lose those games at any point of the season.
“I have a level of expectation to win those games because I have so much belief in those players. But at the same time, those teams are at the higher end of the table for a reason.”
Hampton & Richmond have the chance to get back to winning ways against bottom-of-the-table Aveley, as they travel to Parkside Stadium on Saturday for a 3 pm kick-off.