Well what a very interesting game of football that was for the some 30-40 travelling bluebirds. First thing's first, what a fantastic effort by so many of us to get to a game 2 hours or so away, on a Tuesday night with many driving over to Dorking as well as the coach. It may not seem like masses and the fact that their home support decided to call us out for a lack of vocal presence I am sure we will address when all 10 of them land on our plot at home. 

We started the game like a bullet from a gun, clearly very keen to put Saturday behind us and several half chances early on went for Chippenham, on about 15 minutes or so Jarv has arguably the chance of the half for us when Elias crossed deep and James Guthrie got up highest to win the "lost cause" and head back across goal. It got stuck in Jarv's feet and unfortunately could not poke the ball home from close range.

Then Dorking grew into the game in a big way towards the end of the first half, breakaway football, long ball pump and a bit of pace in the ranks saw them carve a couple of good opportunities and it has to be said Will Puddy is proving invaluable between the sticks at the moment. In the space of maybe 15 minutes I can recall three or four big moments for Will and his sturdy back four, taking us into the half at 0-0. 

A real half of two halves as it were with Chippenham looking the stronger of the two sides at the start of the game and Dorking showing their danger as the game grew. 

And then came the second half, we seemed to sit a little deeper, a good move in my opinion from the gaffer as football despite some people's opinion isn't all a game of attack, attack, attack. Dorking were stretching us on a big pitch and when we sat back and contained them once again, we were getting the better of the game in the early exchanges of the half.

The game started to get a bit tetchy, little fouls being missed, little incidents not being picked up on by the referee and his assistant (particularly by the dug out's) and this eventually led to some rather crazy decisions.. but we will get there. Dean Evans was substituted on for James Guthrie (another step on his road back to match fitness) and we went it would seem to that traditional 4-3-3 approach. With Karnell coming off the wing and moving up top with Jarv and Brockie. Chippenham were at this point having the better of the game... and then... Chippenham corner, the ball breaks and despite being two vs one again at the back, Evans and Rigg couldn't contain Matthew Briggs pace and he lashed a strike into the net via the underside of the bar. A moment of quality at the end of the move leaving Puddy with no chance and many questioning what we could have done to stop them getting in that position from us on the attack. After that we had an instant response after celebrations in the corner that would suggest Dorking had done so much more than go one nil up at home (another time delaying tactic that become a rather constant theme through to the end of the game), Chippenham shot from distance cannoned off the top of the crossbar with the Dorking goalkeeper rooted to the spot. As Chippenham pressed for the equalising goal Dorking once again broke in on the Chippenham goal, as the striker draws his foot back to strike the telling blow, there was a coming together with a recovering Kieran Parselle, the referee in my opinion correctly points to the spot, and then in a real show of incompetence whips the red card out for the captain. Now I won't go into the full laws of the game regarding double punishment but a red card is only shown if the referee believes this is a blatant and obvious attempt to play the man with no intent of getting the ball. For me Kieran's momentum took him up the arse of the striker and the collision was that of an accidental coming together. Penalty yes, red card, absolutely not. A straight red for Parselle is a 3 match suspension I believe sadly as with all of these incidents. An appeal is futile, the FA are never taking the word of a player/club over that of a ref however useless which means we have been sadly robbed of Pars for the foreseeable you would feel. 

It hardly seems a shock these days as it just seems to be something he has in his locker but the penalty was saved and cleared by Will Puddy. 3 penalties faced, 3 saved for the Chippenham stopper so far this term and my god how valuable he is proving to be. 

At this point Jarv was switched out for Luke Hopper and Chippenham went about chasing a point whilst down to ten men and honestly, I felt we closed the game the better side. Game management was not a strong point for Dorking as they tried to hold the ball up in areas that the referee really should have been switched on too. Goal kicks taking minutes, throw ins taking an age and even when balls where being placed in hands, somehow they forgot the basic ability to catch and the ball ended up trotting five yards away but still we persevered. 

Big talking point in the game for me was a ball clipped in to Zebroski, he had the better of his man THE LAST MAN who then proceeded to move the ball aside and with his hand in the most blatant handball I or anyone surrounding me had seen. All of course bar the linesman who it was right in his eye-line and the referee who once again was off the pace and out of position to make a proper call. Whether we would have scored, who knows. It looked just outside the box when the contact was there however, it was a certain red card, far more so than the Parselle red earlier and one had to wonder at that point whether once again we were going to have a defeat to pin on substandard officiating. As the referee continued to underline this point for the final 10 minutes of the game, we threw Pratt on in a vain attempt to try and salvage something on the snatch and nearly managed it with the last kick of the game pumped into McDonald who just put to much on the effort to see his backward header sail into the netting behind the stand and seal the fate of Chippenham on the road.. Dorking 1- 0 Chippenham.

For Mark's post match analysis and comments please check it out on the link below... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMHeKzWNxQE