Chatham Town 3-1 Waltham Forest

Chatham Town ran out 3-1 victors, in an end-to-end match at Maidstone Road.

When the sides met earlier in the season, it was Forest who won 3-1, today’s starting 11 saw only there of the same players who started that, as Wale Ojelabi named an unchanged side from Tuesday’s win over Waltham Abbey.

Forest started the game brightly, but Chatham took the lead early in the first half through a penalty against Lewis Frost, who was adjudged to have handled in the box.

After having a goal disallowed for off-side, Chatham doubled the lead shortly after, with home midfielder rising unmarked to head into the top corner.

Courtney White had Forest’s first real chance of the match, and should have done better when through on goal, but his shot was straight at the home ‘keeper.

The home side then took full control of the game, and would have been further ahead if it was not for a combination of the post, Elton Sackey, Pavol Hodur and Ellis Sands, who on his own cleared the ball off the line twice in the space of a few seconds.

Play was interrupted late in the first half in cartoon-like scenes, where a fearless fox made his way across the pitch, only for his jaunt to be cut short by a dog, hot on his heels.

As with the first half, Forest started the second half brightly, but it was not long before the home crowd thought their side had another. This time, it was the cross-bar which saved Forest.

Just past the hour mark, Matthew Redgrave was replaced by Richard Shittu. Redgrave was suffering from a concussion and was taken to hospital in Gillingham shortly after the match.

Efe Echanomoi scored his first goal for the club on 74, with an unstoppable effort from just inside the penalty area after turning his defender.

Any hope of a Forest come-back was short lived, as moments later, Chatham made sure of the result by scoring a third.

Forest: Hador, Sackey, Douglas, Lokando, Redgrave (Shittu), Sands, Stanley (Ordono), Frost, White, Kalipha (Echanomi), Moore

Unused subs: Conteh, Retkoceri