CHARD A beat Ashmoor A 4-1 in South East 2 of the Davis Wood league yesterday.

Ashmoor had scored 20 in their previous fixture and Chard had hit 24 in their last two, so a goal-less draw seemed unlikely.

In a fiercely contested match, it was the visitors who blinked and Chard ultimately ran out convincing winners, leapfrogging their opponents and moving up to third.

Their goal difference of plus 35 is the second best in the division.

Chard were glad of their 14 man squad as Danny Grabham and Jason Goddard both picked up first half injuries and both needed time off the pitch, Goddard failing to return for the second half.

However, it was the leg injury to Ashmoor defender Jason Fee which may have had most impact upon the game.

With no substitutes, he had to remain on the pitch for the rest of the game with increasingly restricted movement.

The game was goal-less up to that point but Chard then sprinted to a three goal half time lead, captain Gareth Eggle firing home the first after evading the attention of two defenders.

Dan Stone added the second and Kyle Anderson scored his first goal for the team, being in the right place to finish off a flowing attack from the right.

Chard started the second half in confident mood but their impetus was disrupted firstly by conceding a scrappy goal against the run of play and then by Steve Mahoney’s ten minute sin-binning midway through the half.

Despite this, the ten men rallied for man-of-the- match Stone to win a one-on-one breakaway race with an Ashmoor defender and rifle the ball past keeper Sean Clarke for Chard’s fourth.

The game revolved around a keenly contested midfield and the visitors had few clear cut chances.

Chard could have won by a more comfortable margin but for Clarke saving a shot from Eggle, a goal-bound penalty corner flick from Max Beale and another effort from Trevor Goss.

Stone had a glorious chance for his hat-trick from close range but hit an air shot rather than the ball.

Ashmoor are a blend of youthful talent built around a core of more experienced players so it was pleasing that Chard displayed the stamina to compete and press for the full 70 minutes, denying the visitors any chance to impose themselves.

Umpires: Jim Sainsbury and Alan Cheffey.

Chard: Berge Balian, Danny Grabham, Max Beale, Paul Tratt, Steve Mahoney, Kyle Anderson, James Spurdle, Gareth Eggle (capt), Jason Goddard, Harvey Dening, Harry Felgate, Dan Stone (v/c), Adam Veitch, Trevor Goss.