Saturday 19th April 2025.          Southern League, Premier Division South.

Walton & Hersham 2 Plymouth Parkway 0.

Swans secured a play-off spot in just their second season back at Step 3 with a reasonably comfortable win over the Devon side in their penultimate home game. They will now look to press on and try to retain their third place in the table to ensure home advantage in the Semi-Final.
One change was made to the starting line-up from the previous league game, with Kai Jennings coming in for Anis Nuur.
With a strong, gusty wind blowing towards the away goal Swans were soon threatening, with Johl Powell getting to the byeline on the right, and just keeping the ball in to drive it low across the 6 yard-box, but failing to pick out a team-mate. Dawid Rogalski then used his strength to keep the ball and find Ralph Vigrass in space on the right. Vigrass drove into the corner of the box to get in a low, left foot shot that Parkway goalkeeper Alex Rutter got well behind on his line. A good build-up led to Bobby-Joe Taylor sending Thabo Kuaho down the left, but again there was no-one to get on the end of a low ball across the box.
Swans’ early pressure paid off with the opening goal after just 9 minutes. The move started with Junior Eccleston playing the ball forward from deep on the left to Rogalski, who set up Powell to find Vigrass on the right. Vigrass picked out the run of Powell into the right of the box, and he drove in a low shot that went inside the near-post off Rutter, with Rogalski just failing to get a touch.
Rogalski won the ball in the centre-circle and sent Powell on a run down the right, but the wind took the ball away from him and it ran behind. Jennings then did well to win the ball deep on the left before finding Taylor, who drove forward, cleverly beating Taylor Scarff, and getting clear into the box, but his low shot from a tight angle was kicked behind at his near-post by Rutter. Another excellent move led to Joey Jones driving in a low shot from the right corner of the box that Rutter again got behind. With ten minutes left of the half Swans put more intense pressure on the away goal, leading to Jennings playing Vigrass in on the right, but his shot took a deflection into the side-netting. Eoin Bolger’s corner from the right curled behind in the wind.
Although not having created any real opportunities to get back into the match, the visitors had shown they could pose a threat, and they forced a corner on the left. Ryan Brett’s kick led to the ball being crossed in from the left to the far-post, where a header was safely pouched by Swans’ keeper Jos Barker.
As the half entered the final five minutes another fine move by Swans got Elliott Bolton down the right, but his low cross just failed to find Rogalski in the middle.
Parkway put together their best move so far with a determined passage of play, putting pressure on Swans’ defence, and leading to Kieran Edworthy getting in a shot from the left that Barker got behind.
The second-half started with the visitors’ having a free-kick out on the left touch-line, but Bolton headed away when the ball was played in.
Swans soon created another chance when Rogalski switched play with a great ball from deep on the left that found Vigrass on the right. Vigrass cut inside along the edge of the box past Mikey Williams to drive in a low, left foot shot that Rutter kept out with a fine save down at his left post, pushing the ball away and then falling on it.
Parkway soon went their closest so far to getting on the scoresheet when Williams sent Edworthy on a clever run down the left to drive the ball low into the box. Jones was by the penalty-spot to block, but the ball struck his outstretched leg and deflected towards goal, and it took a fine, instinctive save by Barker to prevent an own goal by the Swans’ skipper.
Swans immediately doubled their lead however, eight minutes into the second-half. A patient build-up by Swans seemed to have come to an end when Plymouth gained possession, and Shane White played the ball out from the edge of his 18 yard-box to Williams. Powell nipped in to win the ball however, and drove into the right of the box and past White before sending a terrific shot into the far corner.
Rogalski almost got through when Barker sent a long clearance down the pitch, but Rutter was quickly out to claim.
Parkway won a corner on the right, and made a couple of substitutions before the kick was taken, and when it was, Barker made a good take.
Swans went close again when a clever lay-off by Rogalski sent Taylor driving into the right of the box, but the angle became too tight on the byeline, and he could only find the side-netting. Bolton was soon stealing the ball off Williams on halfway on the right to make a great run forward into the box. After sidestepping White on the corner of the 6 yard-box he drove in a shot that Rutter kept out of his top, near corner with a fine save. Bolger played the left-side corner short to Taylor, and he got to the byeline to cross to the far-post, where Jones put a header wide. With an hour played Jennings crossed high from the left for Eccleston to get in a downward header at the far-post that Rutter saved on his line. Taylor was soon sending Jennings on a clear run into the left of the box, but with him clearly being pulled back by Rio Garside he was denied by a good save from Rutter on the corner of the 6 yard-box.
With 65 minutes played Swans made a triple substitution, with Nuur, Mason Obeng and Wayne Ridgley coming on for Jennings, Vigrass and Powell.
Some slack play by Swans led to Parkway having a free-kick just outside the right edge of the box, but the shot was blocked by the wall.
Swans then made their fourth change of the afternoon, with Sam Faniyan replacing Rogalski.
The visitors forced a corner on the left, but they wasted the opportunity with a poor kick.
Riley Horan then replaced Bolton for Swans’ fifth and final change.
Parkway almost capitalised on another couple of pieces of casual play by Swans as they pressed to get back into the game. The ball had to be cleared away as they got in at the near-post on the left, and they were then able to find James Watts-Barciela on the left, and he cut inside to get in a shot from the edge of the box that Barker saved down at his right post.
At the other end Rutter made another save when a break by Swans saw Nuur find Obeng on the left, and he got into the box to drive in a low shot. Nuur then found Ridgley in the centre-circle, and he got forward before finding Taylor on the right. Taylor cut inside across the edge of the box to get in a low, left foot shot that was just inches wide of the left-post.
The visitors had a corner on the left in the final minute of normal-time, but Swans were able to defend Brett’s kick and see out the remaining time.

Swans’ Team: Jos Barker, Elliott Bolton (Riley Horan 75’), Thabo Kuaho, Joey Jones, Junior Eccleston, Eoin Bolger, Bobby-Joe Taylor, Kai Jennings (Anis Nuur 65’), Dawid Rogalski (Sam Faniyan 72’), Johl Powell (Wayne Ridgley 65’), Ralph Vigrass (Mason Obeng 65’). Scorer: Powell (9’ & 53’).
Plymouth Parkway Team: Rutter, Oakes, Brett, Scarff (Bentley 79’), White, Williams, Thomson (Wright 55’), R. Garside, Cunningham (Hall 55’), Edworthy (Watts-Barciela 66’), C. Garside (Warne 85’). Cautions: R. Garside, foul (42’), Brett, delayed restart (51’).