Fleet Town 0 Balham 1
Fleet Town fail to score for first time since October as they slip to a home defeat against relegation threatened Balham.
Balham came into this match with two wins in their last three games as they looked to perform a miracle escape, after looking odds on for relegation for most of the season. Balham scored from their first attack after only four minutes, Omario Stewart collected the ball on the right, he advanced downfield and cut into the box, before firing the ball in from a narrow angle to put the visitors ahead. Fleet had a narrow escape after twenty minutes when Samuele Pagano played the ball forward to Omario Stewart in a central position, he ran forward and fired the ball into the net only to see he had been denied by an offside flag.
On what was turning into a disappointing afternoon for the home supporters, Fleet were only able to create a few openings, one came when Tane Caubo played the ball in from the right to Leo Decabo, he laid the ball off to Dean Rule on the left of the box, but his shot flew wide. When Fleet gave the ball away near their own box, Piers Oldland collected the ball for Balham but he skewed his shot from the right past the outside of the left post. Fleet Town were forced into an early change when Tom Smith picked up a knock and was unable to continue and was replaced by Brad Manning, who got himself involved in a lot of the action to look one of the better Fleet players on this poor afternoon. Balham wasted a good chance when James Adebayo ran onto a through ball, only to shoot wide when he should have done better. In the third added minute at the end of the half, Fleet won a corner, taken by Leo Decabo into the middle of the box, where Ross Stepney rose and headed the ball towards the goal but his effort went just over the bar. There was still time for another Balham chance, before the break, they were given a free kick in a dangerous position, played into the six yard box, the ball found its way into the net, but again it did not count due to an offside flag being raised and Fleet had another let off. The sides went into the break with Balham holding the narrow lead and all to play for in the second half.
Fleet brought on Chike Kandi for the second half, for his first appearance back after an injury lay off. The first opening of the second half fell to the visitors when Luke Hedges ran with the ball from halfway all the way up to the box where he fired a shot across towards the far corner of the net and it needed a dive by Finley Purcell and a stretched out arm to get a hand to the ball and divert it past the post for a corner. Fleet made another change, bringing on Kwasi Ntim and one of his early touches, he brought the ball across to a central position where he shot and only a fine save from James Smith in the Balham goal, denied him when he was able to get fingertips to the ball to deflect it against the bar and over for a corner to Fleet. With Chike Kandi and Kwasi Ntim pressing but unable to find the clear opening their efforts deserved, the home fans were resigning themselves that the game would finish in a loss. Balham created one late chance for themselves when sub James Anderson knocked back a cross to Luke Hedges to shoot from the edge of the box, but his effort went wide. When the final whistle blew the Balham players celebrated as if they had won a cup as the points take them closer to Chipstead and an unlikely escape.
Fleet Town now have a hard couple of weeks with three away games against strong sides, starting at Knaphill on Tuesday night, before Saturday trip to the league leaders Redhill and then to second placed Jersey Bulls.
