By Calum Preston Kelly

Hampton & Richmond secured a first league victory of the Alan Julian era on Saturday, as a calamity in the Salisbury defence presented Alex Wall with a winning goal just minutes after coming off the bench.

Wall sensed an opportunity as visiting goalkeeper David Aziaya took his time to clear downfield with 10 minutes remaining, running to charge down his clearance and then watching in delight as the ball trickled helplessly into the corner of the net.

It was no more than The Beavers deserved after a largely dominant display, and this piece of luck may prove a crucial turning point in Hampton & Richmond’s season.

 

It has been a mixed start to the new season for The Beavers after big changes throughout the club over the summer, but performances have improved match by match and Saturday was the culmination of lots of hard work resulting in deserved points on the board.

Manager Alan Julian echoed this sentiment at the full-time whistle: “I feel we’ve deserved that win over the last two or three games, albeit we’ve got it via quite a fortunate goal – but we’ve definitely earnt that bit of luck”.

Visitors Salisbury looked a tough test after an unbeaten start to their first season back at Step 2, following promotion from the Southern League Premier South Play-Offs last campaign. It was the visitors who started the brighter, with Ronan Silva and Craig Fasanmade forcing Beavers goalkeeper Ted Curd into action early on, the latter also seeing an acrobatic bicycle kick attempt zip just wide of the bottom corner. 

But the home side weathered this early storm, mirroring the sunlight which was starting to push through following a downpouring prior to kick-off, and by the midway point of the first half Hampton & Richmond were firmly in control.

First Bunmi Babajide got in behind and dragged his low shot just past the post, then Jaden Brissett saw his attempt blocked after Aziaya had dropped a Jake Gray cross, leaving what for a moment appeared to be an empty net before some last-ditch defending. Josh Keeya then missed two great opportunities in the box within a minute as the ball just wouldn’t drop for the home side before the break. 

But Hampton & Richmond were playing as well as they have at any point in August, and these efforts were embodied by James Roberts, who played the final part of the first half with a huge rip on the front of his shirt.

Salisbury began the second half quickly like they did the first, and it took two brave blocks by Archy Taylor inside his own box to keep the visitors at bay. The first of which led to a chorus of handball appeals by the travelling fans, appeals which were instantly waved away by referee Lewis Sandoe.

Moments after a ricochet in the Salisbury box had agonisingly bounced away from Beavers striker Babajide, the away side went up the other end of the pitch and struck the woodwork via Jordan Ragguette. The Whites left-back stormed purposefully up the wing, striking a rasping drive from the edge of the box which rebounded off the top of the near post and to safety. 

As the second half wore on the game became increasingly tense, as Hampton & Richmond probed for a winner with both sides wary of conceding a knock-out blow at the other end.

Beavers manager Julian spoke of the changes in momentum which characterised the game: “It was almost like a game of chess today. I’ll give Don a huge amount of credit for a tactical change we made in the first half, we started getting our foot on the ball and playing again”.

With a quarter of an hour to play, Julian looked to his bench for the first time, bringing on striker Alex Wall to replace the lively Brissett. And this would prove to be an inspired change, as Wall would score the decisive goal just five minutes after his introduction. 

Salisbury goalkeeper Aziaya had looked uncertain at earlier points in the match, and Wall’s gamble to charge down his clearance proved a priceless one. The ball rolled into the net, and Wall’s first goal of the season sent the home crowd into raptures.

There was still time for some nervous moments at the other end though, as substitute Rafael Ramos saw his low shot parried brilliantly by Ted Curd after getting in behind the Beavers defence. Fasanmade blazed over another gilt-edged opportunity from yards out, when it looked easier to score. 

But Hampton & Richmond held on for a crucial three points, with some outstanding defensive performances from players such as Jack Taylor and Mike Atkinson. Eighteen-year-old goalkeeper Curd was voted Beavers MOTM, with a string of top-quality saves to preserve a second clean sheet in a week after the goalless draw at Maidstone on Tuesday.