Agony for Greens after late loss

SOHAM Town Rangers winless streak dragged on into its seventh game after a late goal robbed them of a valuable point against Marlow on Saturday.

Soham Town Rangers 1

Marlow 2

SOHAM Town Rangers winless streak dragged on into its seventh game after a late goal robbed them of a valuable point against Marlow on Saturday.

Despite matching their mid-table opponents for much of the match, Soham were denied an arguable deserved share of the spoils after Adam Dickens smashed home from 25 yards with less than 10 minutes to play.

The loss leaves Soham anchored to the foot of the Zameretto League Division One, with a daunting trip to promotion chasers Leighton Town on Saturday.

Midfielder Scott Carter found himself pushed forward into a strikers role at the start of the match and he immediately busied himself in attack, going close with a low drive from 12 yards.

Just four minutes in however, and Marlow had taken the lead after striker Jermaine Roche latched onto a lofted through ball to slot home past keeper Dan Bircham.

Despite echoes of their recent 9-1 drubbing at the hands of Hitchin, Soham re-organised and managed to restore parity some seven minutes later as Ogbonna crossed for Carter who powered the ball past the visiting keeper to complete a flowing move.

Soham’s equaliser sparked a decidedly flat period in the game and neither side produced much again until the half-hour mark when the game sparked into life once more.

Mitchel Woodward lashed over the bar for Marlow when well placed and Ogbonna forced a fine save from the visiting keeper with a shot from 20 yards, though both Carter and Michael Simpson were rightfully frustrated having worked themselves into space in the box.

Bircham produced a superb save with five minutes left in the half to keep Soham on terms, diving low to his left to deny Adam Crouch while at the other end Cambridge City loanee Declan Rogers fired just wide after an excellent run into the Marlow area.

The second half was initially a cautious affair as the respective teams vied for control. It was Soham who produced the best of the early chances as Simpson picked up a ball half-cleared from a corner to fire a shot at goal. Unfortunately for the Soham talisman however, his effort was deflected for a corner by a sprawling defender.

Substitute Luke Hipwell also went close with a shot from 10 but his effort was also blocked by an alert defender.

With just six minutes to go Marlow delivered the hammer blow, Dickens seizing upon poor work in defence to rifle home from a full 25 yards.

Simpson should have equalised for Soham with two minutes to go but he was unable to meet a bouncing ball as it dropped into his path in the six yard box.