Saturday 26th April 2025.             Southern League, Premier Division South.

Walton & Hersham 4 Swindon Supermarine 2.

Swans brought their regular league season to a close with a game against a visiting Swindon Supermarine side that needed a win to have any chance of avoiding relegation. With Swans main focus now on the forthcoming Play-off Semi-Final, despite the importance of the result to the visitors, the match had a distinct end of season feel about it. The Wiltshire side naturally sat back in the opening stages, hoping to catch Swans on the break, but having fallen behind relatively early they were always susceptible to being opened up by the home side’s pace and movement. When they did have chances, and there were some, they found Swans’ goalkeeper Jos Barker in fine form. They looked down and out when Swans went 2-0 up, but even when they were let back into the game by being gifted a goal, they never looked confident that they could salvage a result.
Captain Joey Jones was unavailable for Swans, while Sam Faniyan was given a first league start, with Ralph Vigrass starting on the bench.
Swans soon mounted an attack when Thabo Kuaho sent Faniyan down the left, but he just failed to keep the ball in on the byeline.
The visitors sat back, getting men behind the ball and allowing Swans the bulk of the possession. They broke the shackles after ten minutes with Harry Williams getting into the box on the left to have a low cross cleared and to win a corner on the left. The kick was put behind at the near-post for another corner, and from this the ball was headed clear at the far-post. Marine continued to press, and Ryan Campbell got in a low shot from 25 yards that deflected through to Barker. The clearance was seized on by Sam Turl on the right, and he played Williams clear into the right of the box, but Barker made a good block at his near-post for another corner. James Edge’s right-side kick was met by Jake Lee beyond the far-post, and he got in a downward header to send the ball into the 6 yard-box. Williams was there to get in a clever back-heel kick, and the ball went just over.
Swans then went close to taking the lead when Elliott Bolton made a good run forward before sending Johl Powell into the right of the box, but his low cross somehow evaded Dawid Rogalski in front of goal, with Anis Nuur also just being denied at the far-post by Turl, who got the ball behind for a corner. Nuur’s corner from the left was cut out by keeper Dan Brabham.
The lead was taken after 19 minutes however. A fine build-up led to Bolton crossing from the right and Brabham tipping the ball away from under his crossbar and behind for a corner on the left. Nuur’s left-side kick led to a scramble in the box, and both Junior Eccleston and Bolton looked to be fouled in quick succession by Nick Peare, but the penalty seemed to be awarded for the offence on Bolton. Brabham got a glove on Rogalski’s kick, but the ball found the bottom, right corner.
The visitors tried to hit back, and Swans finally got the ball away after a scramble in their box. They then had a free-kick in a good position just outside the corner of the box on the left, and when Edge delivered to the far-post Ioan Richards had a free header, but he sent the ball down into the pitch and bouncing wide of the goal. Gabriel Reivers soon had a great chance when he got clear into the right of the box, but he shot over.
Bolton got Bobby-Joe Taylor through to the right byeline for Swans to lay the ball back to Powell, but his shot was saved at the near-post by Brabham.
Marine had a free-kick 40 yards out, but Barker safely claimed at his left post.
Another fine move by Swans led to Rogalski almost getting Powell in, but Brabham was out to claim the ball. With five minutes remaining of the half Swans should have doubled their lead when a fine ball by Riley Horan got Taylor through on goal, but he sent his shot over. Eccleston then made an excellent run to the right byeline, but his low cross was cleared. In added-on time a patient build-up almost got Rogalski through, but the ball just ran away from him.
The first-half finished with the visitors crossing high from the right, but Barker made a good take.
Swans made a change for the second-half, with Paul Field replacing Eccleston.
Marine had an early chance when a cross from the left found Anton Dworzak in the right of the box, but again he failed to find the target, shooting over.
Just before the hour Swans made a triple substitution, Mason Obeng, Vigrass and Alex Body coming on for Powell, Taylor and Rogalski, the visitors also making a double change.
Swans’ Kuaho was shown a yellow card for a foul on the right, with Edge’s free-kick to the far-post being well cut out by Barker. Kuaho was soon replaced by Kai Jennings as Swans’ fifth and final substitution.
With the visitors getting more men forward in search of an equaliser, midway through the half Swans doubled their lead with a fine goal. Obeng laid the ball across the edge of the box from the right to Vigrass, and he drove in a low, right foot shot that struck the far-post. The ball came out to Faniyan on the left, and he played Jennings in to the corner of the 6 yard-box. After only being on for three minutes, Jennings drove a left foot shot into the top of the net from a tight angle.
Barker had to punch away when Henry Spalding crossed from the right, before Swans should have increased their lead. Jennings was fouled in the centre-circle by Dworzak, and caught the Marine defenders napping by taking the free-kick quickly and sending Body clear to the edge of the box, but with keeper Brabham closing him down he dragged his shot just wide of the right post. Straight away Obeng was sending Vigrass on a run to the right byeline to lay the ball back to Body, unmarked by the penalty-spot, but he skied a first-time shot over.
Instead of being well out of sight Swans immediately gifted Marine a chance to get something from the game. Brabham sent the goal-kick long, and the ball was hooked forward to the edge of the box, where Barker and Eoin Bolger seemed to get in each other’s way, and Olly Mehew was left to roll the ball into an open goal.
Just two minutes later it was close to being 2-2 when a free-kick out on the right touchline was swung into the box and Richards got in a strong downward header that was superbly kept out by Barker, diving across to his left post to get a strong left hand to the ball and turn it wide. Barker then made a fine take from the right-side corner.
Swans continued to find gaps in the vising defence however, and Obeng sent Vigrass down the right to trick his way past Peare and get to the byeline, but his low cross was well cut out by Brabham at his near-post, the ball sticking between the keeper’s legs.
Swans immediately regained their two goal lead after 83 minutes. Williams had just got the ball into the net for Marine, but was offside, when Bolton and Vigrass combined on the right, and Bolton played Obeng into the right of the box. Obeng cut back inside past Peare and onto his left foot before curling the ball low into the far corner.
Spalding curled a left foot shot just wide of the far-post from the right edge of the box for Marine, but Swans made it 4-1 with three minutes of normal-time remaining. Jennings clipped the ball forward from the halfway line on the left to send Body clear into the box. Brabham came out to the corner of the 6 yard box to block, but the ball ran to Vigrass coming in on the right for a simple tap-in.
Marine again went close when the ball was crossed from deep on the right to the edge of the box, where Williams nodded on to Michael Fernandes, who cut inside to get in a low shot that Barker kept out of his near-post with a fine block with his outstretched right leg.
With stoppage-time being played Obeng sent Vigrass on another clever run into the right of the box, but he was just closed out and the visitors were able to bring the ball clear, leading to Fernandes being brought down by Bolton in the centre-circle. Marine were unhappy that the referee had blown for the free-kick and not played advantage as Spalding had got clear on the left. Protests continued, and Liam Angel, who had only been brought on three minutes previously was shown a red card for abusive language to the referee.
The free-kick was eventually taken, leading to Fernandes crossing into the box from the left and Richards getting in a strong, downward header that brought another great save from Barker. The corner from the right was headed away at the near-post by Body, but Ryan Campbell followed in on the edge of the box to strike a left foot, half-volley that beat Barker low inside his left post to make it 4-2.
That proved to be the last kick of the match, and Swans were left turning their attention to the Play-off Semi-Final.

Swans’ Team: Jos Barker, Elliott Bolton, Thabo Kuaho (Kai Jennings 64’), Junior Eccleston (Paul Field 46’), Eoin Bolger, Riley Horan, Bobby-Joe Taylor (Ralph Vigrass 58’), Anis Nuur, Dawid Rogalski (Alex Body 58’), Johl Powell (Mason Obeng 58’), Sam Faniyan. Scorers: Rogalski, penalty (19’), Jennings (67’), Obeng (83’), Vigrass (87’). Cautions: Kuaho, foul (61’), Bolton, foul (85’).
Swindon Supermarine Team: Brabham, Turl, Campbell, Lee (Sims-Burgess 59’), Richards, Edge (Mehew 73’), Kotwica (Spalding 38’), Peare (Angel 88’), H. Williams, Reivers (Fernandes 59’), Dworzak. Scorers: Mehew (78’), Campbell (90+4’). Cautions: Peare, foul (75’), Turl, dissent (90+3’). Dismissal: Angel, abusive language (90+1’).