Regent brush aside Merstham in season opener

Hoping that 2021 would see the start of a campaign which would actually be completed, Regent faced Merstham in the first match of the season on a day more suitable to cricket than football.

Charlie Turner turned out in a new pink goalkeeper kit with Zach Smith-Walker, Chris Ribchester, Jake Thompson and Billy Wales in front of him and new boys Ken Feyi and Marcus Gouldbourne teaming up with old favourites Jake Clowsley, Max Booth, Harry McDonald and Charlie Durling. Josh Chapman, Jamie Bennett, Dean Ager Lewis Byrne-Hewitt and Kane Gilbert filled the bench.

After a minute’s silence in memory of Steve Akers, who sadly passed away last Sunday, both sides briefly “took the knee” before Regent kicked off playing left to right in front of the clubhouse.

The first half began as a series of hopeful punts forward as both sides felt each other out. Neither threatened to score until the end of the first quarter hour when a rather innocuous cross in from the Regent right bounced awkwardly in the penalty box and a Merstham defender handled it. There was no argument about the award of a penalty and Jake Clowsley stepped up to take it. This time the Mo Salah routine didn’t come off and the kick went far to close to the goalkeeper who simply fell on it and held on.

Denied the lead, the game went back to a series of forward punts by both sides. As the half developed new boy Marcus Gouldbourne began to catch the eye with a series of tricky runs, and Merstham defenders began closing him down in groups and bringing him down before he could get into the penalty area.

Merstham’s only significant contribution was a spectacular late fall in the penalty box which resulted in the referee awarding a yellow card for simulation.

Half time came with the missed penalty being the only significant action and Regent fans laying odds that the match would end a 0-0 draw.

Second half

Neither side made any changes at half time but Regent began with much more positive intent with Harry McDonald trying to curl the ball into the top corner.

Gradually Regent started to get on top, with Jake Clowsley hitting the ball over after a good move and the lively Gouldbourne just failing to get on the end of a through ball from Jake Thompson.

The pressure finally told when Gouldbourne got away once again down the left and put in a cross which went over Ken Feyi’s head to find Jake Clowsley in space, who stooped to head the ball in at the far post to put Regent ahead.

The game opened up and several players were booked for a mix of robust tackling and robust dissent. Jake Clowsley nearly added a second with a chance on the floor but it took until the 87th minute when a Merstham corner was cleared and the sole away defender found himself outnumbered by Lewis Byrne-Hewitt and Jake Clowsley breaking away at pace. A neat combination enabled Byrne-Hewitt to tap the ball into an open goal and to seal the game.

As Regent pressed for a third Merstham were forced into more desperate measures to keep the score down and even the veteran Barry Hayles found himself hauling Jake Clowsley down to keep the Regent attack out.

Match Verdict

This was a great start to the real season for Regent after some difficult matches against higher level opposition in pre-season. The new boys offer a lot but will take time to bed into the team. Next Saturday’s match against Enfield Town will be a sterner test but if they can play with the same pace and intensity there is no reason why Regent shouldn’t come away with a result on this form.

By Paul Ketchley