Winning streak continues!

Balham 4 Walton & Hersham 0

Balham cruised to their third consecutive victory against the bottom-placed side and remain unbeaten in 2023. It was a solid performance, patchy in parts, but punctuated by some excellent finishing from hat-trick hero Max. The boys were a little profligate in the second half - despite several chances to extend their lead further, they were unable to capitalise. With Jacob barely having a save to make all match, the Whites can be pleased with their defensive performance and overall they are in a good position for the second half of the season. With results going their way, Balham are in an excellent position in the table, more on that later.

On to the game which started slowly and scrappily with neither side creating too much early on. A bobbly pitch and a couple of weeks off were probably the explanation, but it required a quadruple substitution from Tomasz to change the course of the game. With Matthieu making an immediate impact down the right, and sniper Sammi living up to his name with a series of ankle-biting tackles, the Whites instantly looked more dangerous. It was from some wing-play from Matthieu that Max found himself on the right-edge of the penalty area, swiftly curling the ball excellently into the top corner leaving the keeper stranded. Sadly, it was the only goal that Jamie missed - for the others see WhatsApp!

The second came shortly afterwards after some tenacious tackling from Sammi found Dylan who out-paced the full back to lay the ball off to Max. The striker slotted his second with another fine finish and the boys were well on top. The third came shortly afterwards when Jacob's quick clearance found Wilbur who played an exquisitely paced ball through to Max. Showing excellent composure, the hat-trick came for Max, also becoming the first player to reach double figures for the season.

As the second half started, it was clear there was only going to be one winner, it was just a question of how much by. Alex put in a couple of excellent clearances, and both Charlie and Matthieu were attacking well on the right. In one of several corners, Alex's loose cross was well picked up by Ty who swivelled and shot, only to hit the woodwork. A scramble ensued with Sammi's shot being blocked, but Luca was on hand to poke the ball in. He claims it was his first goal since the U10s, although we think there was a late-season goal in the U12s which was slightly more recent!

The Whites then had a barrage of chances to extend their lead. The closest came to George who hit the post with a lovely creative effort; Dylan, Joe, Wilbur and Jude all had chances too. When Balham missed a clear counter-attacking chance from a corner, with 6 white shirts against 2, you knew there was to be no further extension of the lead. It would perhaps have been harsh as Balham were lucky not to have a penalty awarded against them from the preceding corner after what looked like a clear handball.

Balham can be pleased with their return after the mini-break, but with tougher matches to come they will need to be sharper with their finishing to continue their good run. With some surprising results today, the table has really opened up, and it is all to play for.

Ashford Town 3:0 Sheen Lions

Epsom & Ewell Colts 0:3 Reigate Priory

Farnham Town 0:1 Worcester Park

Sutton Common Rovers 4:4 Carshalton Athletic

Whilst Balham are six points behind the leaders Sutton Common, they have three games in hand. They are also only a point behind Farnham and Sheen but again with a game in hand. Next week's match against the latter is a crucial battle. As teams are playing catch up on previously postponed games, watch out for Ashford and Mitcham Park who both look well positioned. Anyone down to seventh still stands a chance of topping the table come May.