Epsom Goals by Joubert (2)

Epsom crashed out of the HA Trophy on Sunday, losing an entertaining game away to West Wiltshire and bringing an end to a four match winning run in all competitions.

Epsom had several players unavailable to make the trip but coach Mahmood Bhatti was confident he had tinkered effectively, placing Earl Peacock at right back, Mark Sydenham at left midfield and Wade Joubert at right midfield.

Epsom's new look line up took a while to settle, but the away side looked dangerous going forward as the front three linked up effectively on more than one occasion. Epsom took the lead when Alex Pizzey's dynamic run down the left sparked a defensive mix up from the home side, allowing James Midmer to find Joubert at the far post, who finished from close range.Epsom could, and perhaps should, have scored more goals following this, but they didn't, and were made to pay close to halftime when a defensive mix up allowed a West Wilts striker time and space to fire an equaliser confidently home.

The second half started poorly for Epsom, who conceded a short corner almost immediately and saw the home side take advantage with an accurate straight strike. Things got worse for the visitors when an unlucky deflection in midfield saw the ball run into the path of West Wiltshire's right midfielder, whose cross was met by a sharp deflection by a forward for a 3-1 lead. Epsom showed good character to rally from this, and despite falling energy levels, the away side raised their game and pushed forward in search of goals.

With some good stick skills on show from Mike Atkinson, Pizzey, Joubert and Bhatti, Epsom were able to create a number of decent opportunities, but poor finishing and the lack of a decent final pass meant West Wiltshire were able to withstand sustained pressure. Joubert reduced the deficit to 3-2 with a pin point drag flick from a short corner, but despite decent efforts from Epsom, West Wiltshire were able to hold on, with their goalkeeper making a brilliant save from Earl Peacock off the final play of the game. When interviewed after the game, Epsom skipper James Harris said "It is always tough to take a result like this, I thought we played well enough to win it, but we didn't take our chances and were unlucky to concede at crucial times. I cannot fault the players for the effort they put in, and we will look to work on certain aspects in training". Harris also paid tribute to the three travelling fans, saying "we always appreciate the efforts they go to to follow the team. Their support gives us all the motivation to raise our game as we progress through this season."

Match report by Jimmy Midmer