Tuesday 10th September 2024. Southern League, Premier Division South.

Walton & Hersham 2 Hanwell Town 2.

Swans’ five match winning run in the League came to an end as they dropped their first points since the opening day of the season. On a night of wind and rain a draw was probably a fair result as they came up against a good Hanwell Town side that has also had an excellent start to the season. They could feel aggrieved however, that for the second season running Hanwell had been awarded a highly contentious penalty, and that the treatment meted out to Dawid Rogalski went largely unpunished. Unfortunately Rogalski was shown a red card, along with Hanwell central defender Dwayne Duncan, in a post-match confrontation between the teams. This was after he had scored his eighth goal of the season, and for the seventh appearance in a row.
One change was made to the side that had started at Plymouth Parkway, with Lucas Defise coming in for Josh Tobin, who was carrying an injury and was named on the bench.
Hanwell were soon getting in on the left byeline, leading to Alfie Pendlebury putting wide at the near-post.
Swans responded with Nana Owusu getting Elliott Bolton down the left to play the ball in low, and Rogalski just being denied in the 6 yard-box to force a corner.
The visitors’ Mat MacKenzie had the first opportunity to use his long throw from the right, leading to the ball being put wide at the near-post.
The first effort on target came after ten minutes when Swans’ Johl Powell found Owusu on the left, and he cut inside across the front edge of the box before laying off to Powell on his right. Powell struck a first-time, left foot shot, but Hanwell goalkeeper Sam Beasant saved comfortably high up on his line.
Paul Field conceded a free-kick to Hanwell out on the left touchline, and the ball was cleared at the near-post when it was driven in low. MacKenzie launched another long throw from the right, and when the ball came to Dan Carr 30 yards out he drove a low shot wide of the left-post. Swans’ keeper Jos Barker claimed the ball at his near-post from another MacKenzie long throw from the left, the Hanwell midfielder then putting a shot over from the left of the box. The visitors continued to threaten, and the ball was driven low across Swans’ box from the right, with no-one getting a touch.
Swans broke the spell of pressure with twenty minutes played when a miskick by a Hanwell defender gave them a corner on the right. From the kick the ball was headed behind at the far-post for another corner on the left. Owusu and Mason Obeng played the corner short, and this led to Bolton being fouled by Kyron Richards 10 yards outside the box on the left. Jaden Crowhurst sent the free-kick over to the right of the box, where Obeng came in to make contact, and Beasant made a good block at his near-post. Obeng followed up to have a shot blocked, and when the ball ran to Defise he shot well over.
Hanwell were awarded a free-kick ten yards outside the right corner of the box, and when Jordan Edwards delivered the ball to the far-post he just failed to pick out the heads of team-mates.
Swans attacked with Powell sending Obeng through to the right corner of the box, where he was brought down. The referee surprisingly let play continue, presumably playing advantage, but with a shot being put over Swans seemed to have been penalised.
Swans then took the lead just before the half hour with an excellently worked goal. An excellent build up on the right ended with Joey Jones playing a great ball down the right to Defise, and he got forward to send a pin-point cross to the far-post for Rogalski to volley the ball in.
The lead was only to last a couple of minutes however. Edwards won the ball in the centre-circle and sent Richards down the right to play the ball in low to the near-post Pendlebury got in front of Jones and went down under minimal contact from the Swans’ skipper, but a penalty was awarded. Edwards placed the spot-kick into the bottom, right corner to tie the game up at 1-1.
Rogalski was clearly tripped on the front edge of the centre-circle, but play was allowed to continue, and Hanwell’s Edwards got forward to drive in a low, speculative shot from 40 yards that Barker went down to save on his line. The visitors then got in on the left byeline to get in a shot from the corner of the 6 yard-box that brought a good save from Barker at his near-post.
With the half entering the final five minutes Bolton was fouled on the left touchline by Joe Wilson, earning the Hanwell right-back a yellow card, but Crowhurst’s free-kick into the box was cleared.
Pendlebury was soon joining his team-mate in the referee’s notebook for another foul.
The last chance of the half fell to Swans, but Powell shot over following a right-side cross.
The second-half was just a minute old when Swans regained the lead. Powell broke from halfway before finding Owusu on the left, and he got into the corner of the box to drive in a low, left foot shot that Beasant saved well at his near-post. The ball came to Defise just outside the box, and he drove a great shot into the top, right corner.
Bolton sent a shot from 30 yards wide of the left post after Obeng had laid the ball across from the right to find him on the left.
The visitors equalised again just past the hour. Carr laid the ball across the edge of the box from the left for MacKenzie to have a shot blocked. The ball came back to him however, and he drilled a fine, left foot shot just inside the right post, giving Barker no chance.
Jones had to come off for Swans, with Anis Nuur coming on.
With the match entering the last quarter of an hour Hanwell built up an attack on the left, and MacKenzie was able to get into the box to drive the ball in, but Barker made a good take at his near-post.
Adam Mekki came on for Obeng for Swans, and Crowhurst was soon getting in a good cross from the right that Rogalski just failed to get on the end of.
With five minutes remaining Hanwell went close to taking the lead when Callum Woodcock got down the right to lay the ball low across to Edwards unmarked by the penalty-spot, but he poked it just wide of the far-post.
Swans immediately had a chance when Owusu made a run on the left to drive the ball in low to the near-post, where Beasant made a fine block as Rogalski got a touch, and the ball was put behind for a corner. The Swans’ striker then appeared to be kicked while he was on the ground.
With the final minute of normal-time being played Hanwell sent a free-kick into the box from out on the right touchline, and the ball glanced off Pendlebury’s head to flash wide of the far-post.
Swans had one last opportunity in the fifth and final minute of added-on time when Field got forward to the right corner of the box before laying the ball back to Crowhurst, but his cross to the far-post was cut out by Beasant, and the final whistle immediately blew.

Swans’ Team: Jos Barker, Paul Field, Elliott Bolton, Joey Jones (Anis Nuur 73’), Archie Procter, Lucas Defise, Jaden Crowhurst, Mason Obeng (Adam Mekki 83’), Dawid Rogalski, Johl Powell (Alex Body 90’), Nana Owusu. Subs. not used: Eoin Bolger, Josh Tobin. Scorers: Rogalski (29’), Defise (46’). Caution: Nuur (90’). Dismissal: Rogalski (Full time).
Hanwell Town Team: Beasant, Wilson, Carr, Woodcock, Duncan, Seabrook, English, MacKenzie, Pendlebury, Edwards, Richards (Orlando-Young 81’). Subs. not used: Donnellan, Boakye, Le Palh, Sonukan. Scorers: Edwards, penalty (31’), MacKenzie (61’). Cautions: Wilson (41’), Pendlebury (43’), Woodcock (90+4’). Dismissal: Duncan (Full time).