Tuesday 7th January 2025. Surrey Senior Cup, 2nd Round.
Walton & Hersham 6 Metropolitan Police 1.
Swans cruised through to the Quarter-Finals of the County Cup with a convincing win over their Isthmian League South-Central neighbours. The clubs last met competitively ten seasons ago, also in a Surrey Senior Cup tie, with the Blues winning 1-0. Fortunes have changed for both clubs in the intervening years, and the visitors never looked like causing an upset as Swans reached the round of the last 8 for the first time in 11 seasons.
The opportunity was taken for Swans to ring the changes in the squad. Neither Joey Jones nor Johl Powell were included, while Junior Eccleston was cup-tied. First starts were given to Alex Body and 18 year-old Thabo Kuaho, while two members of the U18s, Oscar Dempster and Ibrahim Nawaz, were named amongst the substitutes, with both coming on to play a part.
Swans attacked from the off, and Body was soon being fouled just outside the edge of the penalty-area on the right, Eoin Bolger’s free-kick being cleared from the 6 yard-box. Nana Owusu then got into the left of the box to drive in a low shot that brought a good save from former Swans’ goalkeeper Liam Beach to win a corner on the left.
Following the kick Swans took a 10th minute lead. Anis Nuur was on the right edge of the box to drill a fine left foot shot low inside the right post.
The lead was doubled after 20 minutes when Ralph Vigrass cut into the right corner of the box to get in a left foot shot that Beach got gloves on, but the ball looped into the far, top corner.
Over a quarter of the match had passed before the visitors posed any sort of threat, Ben Mendoza delivering a free-kick into the box from deep on the left, but home keeper Jos Barker made a confident catch at the far-post.
Mason Obeng should have made it 3-0 from a clear chance in the left of the box, but he put over. Owusu then had a shot blocked when Obeng laid the ball back to him after getting in on the left.
Swans then made it 3-0, and there was a regularity about the goal times, the third coming after 30 minutes. Owusu crossed high from the left to the right of the box, where Body nodded down for Vigrass to send a first-time volley into the far-corner for his third goal in his first two games.
Swans’ attacks were incessant, Nuur having a shot blocked by Beach, forcing a corner on the right, and Lucas Defise crossing from the left for Body to get in a far-post header that the Blues’ keeper took high up. Owusu was then unlucky when he drove into the left of the box to send a shot against the near-post.
With five minutes left of the half the visitors relieved the pressure by forcing a corner on the right, and a header was put wide at the far-post from the kick.
With added-on time being played Body made a fine run on the right to bring a good save from Beach with a low shot, and Owusu followed in on the left to have a shot blocked.
Swans made a double change for the second-half, with Joe Garcia and Josh Tobin coming on for Vigrass and Paul Field.
Owusu delivered an excellent diagonal ball from the left to find Garcia on the right, and he crossed to the far-post, where Obeng put another chance wide.
Swans’ fourth goal came just past the hour however, and Tobin got it with a sublime piece of skill. Owusu was fouled out on the left byeline giving Swans a free-kick. The kick was played short, and when the ball came to Tobin outside the left corner of the box he curled a great shot into the far, top corner.
Swans then made another double substitution, with Dempster and Nawaz coming on for Bolger and Elliott Bolton.
It was 5-0 to Swans after 69 minutes when Garcia drove in a left foot shot from the right of the box that was too strong for Beach to keep out.
Swans then made their fifth and final change, with Dawid Rogalski replacing Obeng.
The Blues posed a rare threat, getting in on the left, but Barker was able to fall on the ball.
Garcia was soon going close again for Swans however, striking a shot from 25 yards that brought another good save from Beach, who went down to get the ball round his right post.
The visitors’ attacks had been few and far between, but they pulled a goal back after 76 minutes. A shot from the left came back off the far-post, and Sid Gbla beat Barker on the follow-up.
A piece of slack play almost gave the Blues a second goal with Gbla getting clear, but Barker made a fine save, and the ball was cleared away from the line.
Swans made it 6-1 however with five minutes of normal-time remaining with a fine piece of play. Garcia played Kuaho on a run to the left byeline, and he played the ball low across for Rogalski to score from inside the 6 yard-box.
Swans continued to look for more goals, and Garcia laid the ball in from the left to Nuur, who drove in a low shot that Beach got behind. As the tie entered added-on time it was close to being 7-1 when a cross from the right picked out Rogalski in the box, but his looping header came back off the crossbar.
Swans’ Team: Jos Barker, Paul Field (Josh Tobin 46’), Eoin Bolger (Oscar Dempster 64’), Elliott Bolton (Ibrahim Nawaz 64’), Thabo Kuaho, Lucas Defise, Ralph Vigrass (Joe Garcia 46’), Mason Obeng (Dawid Rogalski 70’), Alex Body, Anis Nuur, Nana Owusu. Scorers: Nuur (10’), Vigrass (20’ & 30’), Tobin (61’), Garcia (69’), Rogalski (85’).
Met. Police Team: Beach, Walters, Fraser-Robinson, Brown, Kirlew-Wright, Bassey, Otete, Mendoza, Gbla, Bernal, Sharpe. Subs: Davey, Nkosi, Amissah, Lowery, De Souza. Scorer; Gbla (76’).
