The game got off to a relatively slow start, with neither side really taking control and the tempo of the game was slow from the off. Jindrich Volkaty had to be alert early on as Villa had a handful of chances created from set pieces, but he dealt with them well.

The first real action of the game saw Faichra McArdle booked for simulation in the Hanworth Villa box. It seemed a very harsh decision as there looked to have been contact between McArdle and the Villa defender.

Receiving a yellow card so early always means you’re walking on a tight rope for the rest of the game, but the injustice of the booking may just have spurred McArdle on, as he grabbed the Lobsters first goal of the game on the 18 minute mark. Some neat play down the left hand-side saw Alex Rose deliver a low, driven cross which McArdle slotted home at the near post.

In what might well have been the next Redhill attack, the score was 2-0! On 21 minutes, Marlon Pinder found some space after linking up with McArdle, and rifled his shot past the Villa goalkeeper. A quick-fire double had given Redhill a nice early lead, but the remainder of the second half saw sloppiness creep in to the game for the home team. A number of failed clearances saw Hanworth Villa take advantage, nicking the ball back and countering at speed. Volkaty, however, was in fine form to deny almost everything that was thrown at him. On 35 minutes, a Villa corner found a man unmarked in the middle of the Redhill box with time and space. It looked to be a certain goal, but Volkaty made a brilliant point-blank save.

On 38 minutes Sam Marks was deliberately tripped as he ran on to a dangerous through ball. Handbags ensued and Marks was sent off for retaliation – although somehow nothing was given for the initial foul.

It didn’t take long for Hanworth Villa to capitalise on their one-man advantage, as 5 minutes later Villa had got a goal back. A long ball over the top down the left-hand side was latched onto by the Villa right-winger, who showed a blistering turn of pace to get in behind and put in an early cross into the box. It was met at the far post by Hanworth’s striker, who had the simplest of headers. Redhill were caught off-guard and Villa had their tails up. The Lobsters went in to the half time break 2-1 up, but the game felt far from over.

Since going a man down, Redhill had done well to press the defence only when necessary, and when Marlon Pinder was forced off with an injury, Eden Dewar-Douglas came on to supply an outlet up top. Kery Kedze lead from the front with his closing down, and the engine room of Reece Brewster and Abi Bolagi protected the defence well and provided balls up to Dewar-Douglas and out wide to Kedze, to spring the attacks on the counter.
The Reds had held on well, but with 20 minutes remaining, Hanworth had their equaliser. It came from another cross from Villa’s pacey right-winger, who found his man again at the far post to nod it home.

With much of the team’s energies focused on defending, attacking chances were few and far between for Redhill. However, on 78 minutes Dewar-Douglas picked up a loose ball on half way and took it forward into Villa’s half. He shrugged off a challenge from behind before taking it past the centre back. It was knocked on slightly too far in front for him to catch up to, which allowed the keeper to clear, but his clearance cannoned off the centre back and fell perfectly back into the path of Dewar-Deouglas, who had a simple finish into an open net. It was a lucky goal borne out of persistence and excellent work rate from the Reds, who kept plugging away and never gave up hope of catching Villa on the break.

The remaining 12 minutes were understandably nervy and Hanworth were awarded a number of freekicks in dangerous areas, but Redhill’s defence had put their sloppy spell from the first half behind them, and were solid in seeing out the end of the game to secure the three points.

It certainly wasn’t Redhill’s finest performance of the season, but it was great to see a plucky performance, with the lads holding on to a result against the odds!

A final note to say a big thank you to all who have come and supported the lads at Kiln Brow this season through thick and thin!