Southern Combination Division One Play-Off Final, Saturday 6th May
Another weekend, and another play off final in Surrey, this time around it was a first visit to Leatherhead's Fetcham Grove to see Epsom & Ewell host Wick with the winners being promoted back to step five after a number of seasons at Step Six.
Unlike last Saturday's trip to Merstham though, the weather on this occasion was poor to say the least, heavy rain, or just rain, fell for most of the time before, during and after the contest, so a very slick but playable pitch welcomed both sets of players, luckily their was plenty of cover for the spectators to shelter under though, so that wasn't to bad.
Fetcham Grove is a nice old ground, with a lovely old seated stand and a nice proper covered terrace the other side of the tea bar (which did a nice array of refreshments, I went for sausage and chips, which was very nice indeed!!!) plus covered terracing at each end too, so a nice proper ground indeed, and the pitch was looking in fine form too considering it was an end of season game too, in fact this was to be Epsom's last home game here before moving to Cobham's Reg Madwick Stadium from next season, could they end their time at Leatherhead with promotion?
The hosts were looking to return to Step Five after five seasons out, they did reach last season's playoffs but lost out in the semi finals, so were looking to go one better this time around, and they had ended this campaign in the runners up spot, six points behind eventual champions Shoreham, and they came into this one having won three and drawn three of their last six league outings before they won last weekend's semi final at Fetcham Grove on penalties against Selsey after a goalless draw.
Wick had finished their league campaign in fourth, their highest league finish since the 2019/20 season when they had also finished in the same spot, and three points behind today's opponents, they were also looking to return to step five after five seasons out, and they also came into this one in good form, winning four of their six games, and then last weekend they saw off Godalming Town at home 2-1 to set up today's final.
Epsom had had the upper hand in the two league meetings in the season between the sides, they thrashed Wick 6-1 at Fetcham Grove in September before netting a 2-0 win at Wick's Crabtree Park in November, however form and past meetings would mean nothing today, who would deal with the pressure the better and win through to the next level in the pyramid, ending their time out of Step Five football?
A terrific crowd of 384 turned up to witness this one, pretty damn good considering it was the coronation day for King Charles III and the awful weather as well, both sides had over 200 at their semi finals too so it's good to see so many supporting their local sides for sure, and it was the home fans who were the happiest after the opening forty five minutes as they took a slender 1-0 lead into the break.
The opening goal and the reason they did was due to Jaevon Dyer, who in the 31st minute received the ball on the left hand side, cut inside to beat a couple of defenders, before firing an unstoppable effort beyond Keelan Belcher's outstretched hand and inside the near post, could the home side go on and stamp their authority in the second period and give themselves more of a cushion?
Well, not quite, because Wick were to battle back and find themselves on level terms midway through the second period, when some hesitation at the back from the home side allowed Aaron Tester a chance to get the ball inside the box, but as he attempted to he was fouled, and referee John Pike pointed to the spot, and Sam Conolly duly dispatched the spot kick and celebrated with his team mates behind the goal with the band of travelling, and noisy, supporters behind that goal.
Would this tie go to penalties? Epsom remember had to win a shootout to reach this final, but surely neither side would want to end their season that way, could one of them find a moment of magic?
Well, in the 81st minute the hosts did find a piece of magic, and it was from the brilliant Dyer down the left, and it was almost a carbon copy of his first goal, cutting inside onto his right foot, beating two men in the process and then firing beyond the outstretched arm of Belcher into the bottom corner inside the near post, had Wick not learnt their lesson from the first half, obviously not, and the brilliant Dyer had punished them once again.
It proved enough for Epsom to win the contest and gain promotion, but sadly the game ended on a rather sour note as a minute into stoppage time visiting player Marshall Ball produced one of the worst challenges I have ever witnessed live at a football match, wiping out Dyer down the left, right in front of the main stand, it was an utterly horrendous challenge and could have easily ended Dyer's career.
It was sad to see such thuggery in a game that had been fiercely competitive but hard and fair, so this was totally out of character in the game, and obvious frustration on the part of Ball, who totally lost his head in making such a poor challenge, and it saw referee Pike brandish a straight red obviously, and then a brawl between both sets of players as unsurprisingly the Epsom players and Dyer's teammates took exception to that challenge.
Hosts player Nick Wilson was also shown a red card after the melee, probably for thumping Ball during it, although it was hard to see what was going on as so many players were involved, anyway after this moment of madness (and thankfully Dyer was ok to continue), referee Pike blew his whistle a few moments after, and Epsom & Ewell could celebrate their promotion, which they did afterwards with some pyrotechnics in the middle of the pitch.
A hard and fair battle then (apart from that awful challenge from Ball near the end) in truly awful conditions on a very slick and heavy pitch, but it was the hosts who prevailed and return to Step Five after a few seasons out.
Full time Epsom & Ewell 2 Wick 1
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