Saturday 25th January 2025.                     Southern League, Premier Division South.

Gosport Borough 0 Walton & Hersham 2.

Swans pulled off their first win over Borough in four attempts as they put on an excellent, all-round performance at Privett Park. With Paul Field out injured, they fielded a back four in which Elliott Bolton at 23 was the only member out of their teens against a side hoping for a new manager bounce. Goalkeeper Jos Barker behind them has just turned 21, but along with the young players in front of him he barely put a foot wrong in keeping a clean sheet. They had to withstand several spells of pressure as the home side tried to come back from Johl Powell’s goal scored early in the second-half, but his second of the game deep into added-on time clinched a deserved three points.
With the injury to Field, Thabo Kuaho made his second league start, which entailed the returning Eoin Bolger taking up an unfamiliar more central position. Anis Nuur came into the starting line-up, while Jordan Esprit made a welcome return, taking up a position on the bench.
Swans were mainly pressed back in their own half for the opening quarter of an hour. Kuaho was at the near-post to clear a Gosport right-side corner, the young left-back then being put under pressure for the rest of the match by being shown a somewhat harsh yellow card after just 13 minutes for a foul on the right touchline. Henry Spalding delivered the free-kick to the near-post, where Dawid Rogalski was well-positioned to clear.
Swans began to settle, getting more of the possession, and Ralph Vigrass and Nana Owusu combined on the right for Vigrass to get in a cross that home keeper Adam Parkes took on his line. Vigrass then had a shot from the right of the box deflected behind for Swans’ first corner. Bolger’s kick from the right led to the ball being headed behind by Borough’s Asher Yearwood for another corner on the left. Swans continued to build up attacks, and just before the half-hour Powell got into the right of the box to have a shot blocked. Owusu was soon forcing a corner on the left, and he took the ball from Bolton’s short kick to cross into the 6 yard-box. Parkes punched the ball away to the edge of the box, where Vigrass collected to drive in a shot that deflected off the foot of Gosport’s Joe Morrison, and the ball looped onto the top of the crossbar and over.
The home side soon had a free-kick in a dangerous position ten yards outside the box on the left, but Bradley Tarbuck failed to trouble Barker, driving the ball wide of the near-post. Borough then got in on the left byeline, but Joey Jones got across superbly to tidy up.
With ten minutes left of the half Bolton got the ball down the right to Powell, who got clear into the box, but Rogalski arrived just too late to get on the end of his cross. Swans then went close again to taking the lead. The move started with Kuaho sending the ball forward from the left in his own half to Rogalski, who showed great strength and control to hold off both Morrison and Finley Walsh-Smith before laying off to Powell. He then found Vigrass on the right, who cut inside before playing an excellent reverse pass to pick out the run of his teammate into the box. Powell drove in a shot from the right corner of the 6 yard-box that Parkes just got fingers on to deflect the ball over his crossbar. Bolton got the ball back from his left-side corner to cross back in and force Yearwood to put behind at the near-post for another kick. From Bolton’s second kick Nuur tried to force home at the near-post but put behind.
With the half entering the final five minutes Gosport built up a move around the box, leading to Jamar Smith driving in a strong shot from 35 yards out that Barker beat down on his line. The Swans’ keeper then made a good take in stoppage-time when the home side’s Dan Wooden forced a corner on the left, leading to the ball being crossed in when the kick was played short.
Swans made the perfect start to the second-half, taking the lead after just three minutes. The move started with a goal-kick and Bolger playing the ball long from the edge of his own box to find Rogalski 20 yards inside the home half. The Swans’ striker let the ball bounce before cleverly clipping it forward to pick out the run of Powell, and he got clear of the Borough backline before finding the bottom, right corner from just inside the box.
Barker was soon making a great take at his near-post when Harry Lee crossed from the right for Gosport. Walsh-Smith fouled Rogalski to pick up a yellow card for the home side, who soon made a double change to try to get back into the game. They were soon driving the ball in low from the left, with Bolger doing well to cover the near-post and block behind. Barker made another confident take at the far-post when the corner was delivered from the left.
Owusu made a strong run down the left touchline for Swans before being crudely brought down by Smith, who was fortunate not to be shown a card. With an hour played Jones forced a corner on the right, and from Bolger’s kick the ball was headed behind for another kick. From Bolger’s second kick from the right the ball was recycled back to him by Jones, and his cross into the 6 yard-box picked out Rogalski, but Walsh-Smith just managed to get the ball behind at the near-post for a third successive corner. Midway through the half a fine build-up led to Nuur playing an excellent through ball to send Rogalski into the left of the box, but after turning inside Walsh-Smith his low shot was blocked by the feet of keeper Parkes at his near-post.
Swans then made their first change, with Mason Obeng coming on for Nuur.
The home side began to look threatening, and the ball was just cleared in the 6 yard-box when they got in on the right. Barker then made a fine take at his near-post when the ball was driven in low from the right.
With a quarter of an hour remaining Swans went close to doubling their lead. Jones found Vigrass on the right, and he made a great run into the box, tricking his way past both Rory Williams and Walsh-Smith to open up a chance, but his left foot shot went just over.
Swans immediately made their second change, Esprit replacing Owusu to make his first appearance since being injured in mid-December.
Gosport continued to press for an equaliser, and a ball driven in low from the left byeline went across Swans’ 6 yard-box. A good move outside the box then led to new signing Nnamdi Nwachuku driving in a shot from 30 yards that flew just wide of the left post, with the referee surprisingly awarding Borough a corner. With less than five minutes of normal-time remaining Jones was judged to have fouled, giving Gosport a free-kick 20 yards outside the box on the right. The kick was played short, and this led to the ball being played in from the right to find Morrison on the near-corner of the 6 yard-box, and he spun to get in a shot that Barker blocked at the near-post, with Kuaho clearing away.
A minimum of six minutes of added-time were indicated, and in the fifth of them Swans made the game safe. Powell stole the ball off Yearwood in the centre-circle and drove forward with Swans left three on two. With Esprit drawing Walsh-Smith to the left the space opened up for Powell to drive the ball low into the right corner from the edge of the box for his second goal of the match.

Swans’ Team: Jos Barker, Elliott Bolton, Thabo Kuaho, Joey Jones, Junior Eccleston, Eoin Bolger, Ralph Vigrass (Alex Body 86’), Anis Nuur (Mason Obeng 72’), Dawid Rogalski (Lucas Defise 90+2’), Johl Powell, Nana Owusu (Jordan Esprit 75’). Sub. not used: Joe Garcia.. Scorer: Powell (48’ & 90+5’). Cautions: Kuaho, foul (12’), Jones, dissent (86’), Rogalski, delayed restart (90+2’). .
Gosport Borough Team: Parkes, Smith (Kavanagh 75’), Walsh-Smith, Morrison, Tarbuck, Yearwood, Wooden, Faniyan, Spalding (Nwachuku 56’), Lee (Williams 56’), Murray (Stanley 83’). Sub. not used: Agbeseyi. Caution: Walsh-Smith, foul (52’).