Uhlsport Somerset Premier Division: Keynsham Town Res 0-1 Chard Town

AFTER the disappointment of the Boxing Day Derby it was important for Chard Town to get back to winning ways.

And they did away from home on December 30 against Keynsham Town Reserves in a 1-0 win on the ever tricky 3G pitch.

On arrival at Keynsham Town it was nice to see James Boyland and Max Westlake back on the team sheet and the availability of Richard Hebditch and Braeden Symes meant a strong eleven was introduced.

Not many chances were created for both sides in the first half, but there was a lot of action in the midfield.

Joe Chamberlain was struggling to control the ball on an unfamiliar pitch and a lot of forward passes zipped of the surface.

The referee handled the game with firm authority and no backchat was allowed so the first half ended 0-0.

Chard came out in the second half with more purpose but still struggled with the conditions.

It wasn't until the hour mark a ball over the top was chased down to the byline by Max Westlake with inches to spare he put in a great cross.

Richard Hebditch who had worked hard all afternoon managed to get his head on the ball and into the net to make it 0-1 to Chard.

After going behind Keynsham rallied and put Chard under a lot of pressure but the solid defence well marshalled by Tim Legg and Scott Wells-Burr stood firm.

This created plenty of space for James Boyland and Joe Chamberlain to run into but the Keynsham goalkeeper did well to prevent any more goals.

In the closing minutes Ryan Lewis, Fin Downes and Luca Manley were brought on to give some solidity for the remainder of the second half.

In the final minutes a freekick was awarded to Keynsham and in frustration Ryan Mason was sent to the sin bin. It was nice to hear the final whistle and the travelling support was pleased to see Chard win on the road.

The first Saturday of the new year 6th January, Chard are back up the A37 again to Clutton.

Chard Town FC would like to wish all their supporters and sponsors a Happy New Year and thank everyone for their support.