Monday 21st April 2025. Southern League, Premier Division South.
Bracknell Town 1 Walton & Hersham 5.
Swans secured third spot in the table and a home Play-off Semi-Final against Gloucester City with a stunning performance at Bottom Meadow on Easter Monday that saw them to an emphatic win over the Robins. After seeing off early pressure from the home side and taking the lead, they scored another four goals in a superb second-half performance.
With two games being played in 48 hours over the Easter weekend, full use was made of the playing squad, with four changes being made to the previous starting XI. Paul Field, Anis Nuur, Riley Horan and Mason Obeng all came in, with Elliott Bolton, Joey Jones, Bobby-Joe Taylor and Dawid Rogalski dropping out to form a powerful substitutes’ bench. Both Alex Body and Wayne Ridgley were unavailable through injury.
The Robins made a lively start, pressing Swans, and they soon forced a corner on the right. Kai Jennings was then shown an early yellow card for a foul 5 yards outside the box with just under 10 minutes played, but the free-kick was sent dipping over.
Swans soon had their first opportunity to create something when Thabo Kuaho’s run was stopped illegally 45 yards out by Darryl Harrison, earning him the home side’s first booking. Eoin Bolger’s free-kick was knocked back at the right post by Junior Eccleston, but Bracknell were able to clear. Swans then built up an excellent move, leading to Kuaho sending Nuur clear on the left, but the ball just ran away from him and went behind.
Bracknell then went the closest so far to opening the score when former Swan Jordan Esprit nodded the ball through to the right of the box, and with a miscommunication between Eccleston and his goalkeeper Jos Barker, Liam Tack was able to get in a shot, and Barker made a fine save with his feet at the near-post. Following the corner Barker took the ball at his near-post when Jack Matton got in a shot from the left. The Robins continued to press, and when Dan Roberts had a shot deflected over, Barker made a confident catch high up at the far-post from the right-side corner Seb Bowerman then delivered a free-kick from the left, but it was hit too long and the ball went behind.
The home side looked to have banked on breaking Swans down early, but the visitors had resisted well, and midway through the half they applied a classic counter punch. Horan brought the ball forward from deep on the left before sending it long to pick out the run of Johl Powell. Matton failed to cut the ball out in the left of the box, and Powell nipped in to guide a shot low into the far corner past keeper Michael Eacott to put Swans 1-0 up.
Swans were soon building up another fine move, leading to Jennings winning a corner on the right, and when Bolger swung the kick in, Ralph Vigrass got to the near-post to get in a header. The ball was looping into the far, top corner, but it was just headed off the line and behind for another kick on the left.
With half an hour played Bracknell’s Roberts drove the ball across the box from the right, with Esprit just failing to get his head to it. A corner was won on the left, and Matton was on the edge of the 6 yard-box to get in a downward header that Barker kept out with a smart grab high to his left.
Kuaho was fouled on the left, giving Swans a free-kick in a good position on the byeline five yards outside the edge of the box. Obeng laid the ball low across to Bolger on the edge of the box, but his first-time, left foot shot curled over. With the last five minutes of the half being played Bracknell’s Ethan Burden got in an awful mix-up with his keeper Eacott close in at the right post, and the ball looped just over the goal. Excellent play between Nuur and Kuaho in the left of the box was soon winning another corner on the left. Eacott did well to tip the ball away from Jennings’ kick, and Nuur was on the right to play a great back-heel flick back across the edge of the box to Kuaho, who drove in a low, left foot shot that the keeper saved with an outstretched left leg to deny the young defender his first senior goal. The ball was cleared to Barker on the back edge of the centre-circle, and spotting his opposite number off his line he lobbed it back in, but it just cleared the goal and landed on the top of the net.
With added-on time being played the home side went close to equalising when Bowerman was played down the left to cross high to the far-post, where Esprit’s header brought a great reaction save from Barker.
Swans made a double change for the second-half, with Jones and Rogalski coming on for Field and Jennings.
Obeng was soon forcing a corner on the left, only for Nuur to send the kick too long, but just four minutes in Swans doubled their lead. Kuaho took a throw-in on the left to Rogalski just inside the box, and he did superbly to hold off the challenge of Matton and spin, before laying the ball across to Vigrass 15 yards out, and he passed it low into the far corner.
Ten minutes into the half it was 3-0 to Swans following a well-worked move. Vigrass broke from deep on the right, leading to Nuur having a shot deflected over for a corner. Bolger laid the kick from the right low across to Rogalski, who got to the near-post to score with a first-time shot.
Swans then made another double substitution, with Taylor and Sam Faniyan coming on for Vigrass and Powell.
It was close to being 4-0 when a fine move led to Faniyan finding Nuur in the left of the box, but he shot wide of the near-post.
Bracknell forced a corner on the left, but Jones headed away, before Swans did increase their lead after 65 minutes with a terrific goal. The move started with keeper Barker rolling the ball to Bolger, who played it forward to Rogalski. The Swans’ striker completely deceived Matton by spinning past the Robins’ player and letting the ball run to Obeng. Obeng’s first-time pass sent Rogalski driving forward from the centre-circle before finding Taylor on the right. Taylor could have opened up a shot, but after cutting inside he unselfishly laid the ball across to Nuur, coming in to the penalty-spot, and he drove it inside the right post.
Swans then made their fifth and final change, with Bolton coming on for Eccleston.
It was close to being 5-0 when Bolger played the ball forward to Faniyan on halfway, and he played an excellent reverse pass to send Obeng past Harrison and through to the left edge of the box, but he sent his shot just wide of the far-post.
Bracknell went close to reducing the deficit when the ball was driven in low from the right for Roberts to make contact on the edge of the 6 yard-box, and Barker to make a point-blank block. The ball came back in from the right, and Bolton cleared away from the goal-line.
Swans increased their lead however when they broke up a Robins’ attack and Taylor played the ball forward to Obeng on halfway on the right, and he made a great feint to drive past Fumiya Elliott and to the edge of the box. Spotting Nuur coming in on the left, Obeng laid the ball across the box to his teammate, who drove a left foot shot inside the near-post.
The home side won a couple of corners on the left, and from the second Barker had to tip over a far-post header. Bracknell continued to look to get a goal back, and Barker got behind a shot from the left from Bowernan Roberts then threatened to get in on the right, but excellent covering allowed Barker to fall on the ball.
With five minutes of normal-time remaining, fine play by Faniyan in the left of the box got him past his marker, but his low ball in was blocked.
Bracknell then got a consolation goal as they broke from a Swans’ attack, and when Roberts found Remy Coddington in space on the left, he took the ball round Barker to finish neatly into the far corner, with the keeper showing his annoyance at not keeping a clean sheet.
Swans’ Team: Jos Barker, Paul Field (Joey Jones 46’), Thabo Kuaho, Junior Eccleston (Elliott Bolton 66’), Riley Horan, Eoin Bolger, Ralph Vigrass (Booby-Joe Taylor 57’), Anis Nuur, Johl Powell (Sam Faniyan 57’), Kai Jennings (Dawid Rogalski 46’), Mason Obeng. Scorers: Powell (23’), Vigrass (49’), Rogalski (54’), Nuur (65’ & 72’). Caution: Jennings, foul (9’).
Bracknell Town Team: Eacott, Howe, Burden, Harrison, Matton, Hemmings, Tack (Elliott 70’), Boorn (Coddington 53’), Bowerman, Esprit, Roberts. Subs. not used: Fashanu, Rollinson, George. Scorer: Coddington (86’). Cautions: Harrison, foul (11’), Tack, foul (25’), Burden, foul (80’).
