Hampton & Richmond Borough were left heartbroken on Valentine’s Day, losing 3-1 at The Bev to visiting Chelmsford City.
The Beavers had a glimmer of hope going into the final minutes, but midfielder Jett Murphy grabbed the visitors a third with the final kick of the game.
A brisk Saturday morning set the scene for the game, with Hampton & Richmond Borough looking to extend their unbeaten run to five, having come off the back of a great away performance against Hemel Hempstead, winning 3-0.
Meanwhile, Chelmsford played their first game in February after consecutive postponements. Their rustiness showed throughout the game, slowing the game down at any given opportunity.
HRBFC, in typical style, started the game strong, with both sides having chances in each other’s box in the opening 20 minutes. Yet, a similar story prevailed for the home side. Chelmsford rode out the wave and established a foothold in the game.
The midfield battle proved difficult for the Beavers, with Chelmsford triggering a press effectively every time the home side tried to progress the ball through the midfield. Once possession had been turned over, the visitors broke away at pace. However, when the midfield was bypassed and HRBFC had the ball in the final third, they found weaknesses in Chelmsford’s defence.
Striker Lyle Taylor gave the visitors the lead with just a few minutes remaining of the half. He was slipped in down the right channel and finished cooly in the box. It was the first real chance HRBFC had given away all game.
The defensive unit of Luis Fernandez, Alan Massey, and David Longe-King had proved unshakable up to this moment, but one mistake and the quality of Taylor shone through and the visitors took the lead at the half.
The home side started the second half brightly, creating a number of chances in the first five minutes after the restart. The opposition had been slowing the game down right from the start, but now were taking every opportunity from throw-ins, set pieces, and conceding meaningless fouls to further disrupt the Beavers' rhythm.
But Murphy popped up again, this time from a cross into the box, to double the visitors’ lead in the 56th minute. A scramble in the box led to the forward getting his first of the afternoon.
HRBFC responded to going two behind by upping the tempo another gear, and instantly got forward with much more aggression.
They had nothing to lose now.
It only took nine minutes for debutant midfielder Kwaku Frimpong to claw one back for the home side after a heavy deflection carried his strike over a helpless Billy Eastwood.
A succession of harsh tackles, a few resulting in bookings, had laid the groundwork for an intense finish at the Bev, with both sides believing they could now take something away from this game. But injuries continued to plague the opposition.
Goalkeeper Joe Wright had to leave the field of play just before the HRBFC goal in a makeshift sling, injuring his shoulder after landing heavily on his side while collecting a cross. Back-up goalkeeper Eastwood came on to see out the remaining half an hour.
Crosses proved to be heart-wrenching to HRBFC, with Fernandez finding the right post with a header at the near post from a corner. Wing-back Eduino Vaz came agonisingly close to equalising in added time, connecting with a cross but hitting the base of the left post dead centre. The ‘keeper had no chance of reaching it.
Nine additional minutes gave the home fans something to get behind, and the side continued to pile on the pressure, doing its utmost to continue this unbeaten run of form.
Ultimately, the pressure could not break down the defence, and overcommitting bodies going forward left the defence susceptible to a counter-attack.
Murphy grabbed his second of the game, making it 3-1, with pretty much the final kick of the game, after the ball was squared to him.
The visitors left the Bev with all three points, and whilst the home side lost 3-1, the result is not a fair reflection of the boys’ efforts.
By Jake Holmes