Chawton lined up with debutants Karl Teague and Olly Williams either side of Matt "Wonka" Stevens and Marc Taylor-Penfold in a defence, with Martin Skilton in goal. The midfield four were Pat Cross, Martin Booth, Nathan Ingram and Ben Hodkin and the front two were Nathan Teague and Paul Nicholson.
Nathan Teague showed early on that he had some pace on the visitors defence, and it proved a thorn in their side. Early half-chances were created, but the final ball not quite finding it's target. Rushmoor had some attacking play of their own too, forcing a couple of corners that Skilton in goal did well to deal with, knocking one shot over the bar.
Celtic came closest to opening the scoring in the first twenty minutes, when a shot from their right wing hit the Chawton post and rebounded away. Up the other end, Teague was using his pace again to caused more problems and forced a corner, before chasing up the loose ball which was eventually cleared.
Celtic forged another chance, which probably should have been buried, but the striker could only knock the ball tamely at Skilton.
Wonka would play no further part in the game, as he was replaced by another debutant, Jake Channon. Booth dropped back into defence, Nicholson back into midfield with Channon joining Teague up front in what is by far the youngest strike partnership the club has ever had!
The Athletic keeper was called into action once more, parrying a shot. The rebound was chipped from a tight angle onto the far post though, following some poor reactions.
In the 26th minute, the visitors took the lead. The ball into the box was not dealt with and it was headed in from close range.
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| Rushmoor's Chris Boast who scored a hattrick. |
Another ball into the box, this time from a corner, saw an unmarked header give Skilts no chance in goal. This was closely followed by the third goal, a run through the middle and the half time whistle.
At 0-3 down, the game had not quite gone away from the home side, especially with the wind in the second half.
Chawton went about dominating the second half, limiting the amount of balls pumped into the box. Karl Teague moved across the left back and he and Channon, moved to the left wing at half time, combined well up the left hand side.
Athletic got back into the game, when a shot was parried and Nathan Teague was quickest to respond, tucking the ball away for a goal on his debut.
Cross, who had been working hard down the right wing was replaced by Andy Vickers fifteen minutes into the second half, and this change brought about Athletic's second goal. From outside the area, Vickers unleashed a shot that the keeper could only watch as it hit the back of the net to make it 2-3 - another debut goal.
Chawton continued to dominate the game, thanks in part to the partnership of Ingram and Nicholson in midfield. Ingram was winning tackles and showing true commitment, while Nicholson's quick feet created chances.
Alas, Celtic pulled further ahead against the run of play to make it 2-4.
The Yellows weren't beaten yet, however. Hodkin, on his competitive debut (having played the friendly) scored his first goal for the club after some good footwork opened up some space. His well placed finish into the bottom right corner evading the keeper's despairing dive.
There were still five minutes left on the clock... plenty of time for an equaliser. But it was Rushmoor who finished the game off. A rare occasion in the second half when the defence couldn't get the ball cleared was punished with a bullet of a shot from around the penalty spot. Skilton barely saw it and Karl Teague almost got a touch on it on the line.
The ref blew up shortly after, ending an enthralling first match in this new league at 3-5.
The match chucked up plenty of positives, as well as a few negatives. The battling, talking and commitment was there for everyone to see. Athletic dominated the game for long periods and, at times, showed a cutting edge. Some work is needed at set pieces, but this will improve.
Stand out performances came from Martin Booth in midfield and in defence and Karl Teague, particularly in the second half, when he put in some good challenges. Vickers' cameo from the bench was rewarded with a goal, as was Nathan Teague tireless running up front. Hodkin's Mum will be pleased he got on the scoresheet too (blogmaster was told to mention her at some point - don't take it out on him at training).
But man of the match for a full-on all-action performance went to Nathan Ingram in midfield.
Stats are up. Table is updated. And training is at the usual Anstey Park spot at 7pm tomorrow (Thursday).
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