Published: Monday, 24th September, 2007 10:04
Burnham still top of the league after thriller at the Gore
By Observer Sport
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Burnham gave their manager Dave Mudge a nervous time on Saturday
Southern League Division One South & West
Burnham 3, Abingdon United 2
BURNHAM Football Club remain top of the league this week despite a nervous end to their match against Abingdon United on Saturday.
The Blues totally outclassed their opponents in every department for 80 minutes and took a comfortable 3-0 lead before two late penalty strikes gave an unnatural skew to the scoreline.
Burnham quickly settled into a fluent attacking rhythm and created numerous good chances in the first half.
Leon Yarnie should have opened the scoring after 13 minutes when he somehow missed with a free header from six yards after a quick throw and flick-on from Dan Willment.
However, he was not left to regret the miss as Burnham soon earned a free kick in a dangerous area and Byron Bubb, who has proved deadly from such opportunities this season, stepped up.
The Blues' top scorer lined up his shot with the type of preparation you would expect from a goal-kicker at the Rugby World Cup in France before expertly curling the ball into the bottom left-hand corner past a grounded Simon Tricker in the Abingdon goal.
Tricker was forced to make two excellent saves from Bubb and Willment to keep his side in the game. However, he could do nothing about the second goal when it eventually came five minutes before half-time.
Centre-back Julian McCamon failed to get enough on the ball as he tried to nod a harmless long pass back to his goalkeeper and an aware Yarnie nipped in to finish into an empty net.
Abingdon showed little in the first half to suggest they could get back into the game and were sent back onto the pitch early to prepare for the restart.
But all they could conjure up was a speculative effort from Michael Alexis and Burnham were the first to threaten again when Daryl Jones slid a side-footed effort wide from inside the area.
The hosts looked to have closed out the game when Ryan Bird converted at the near post for a deserved third goal 79 minutes into the second half.
But the visitors earned their first real chance on goal from a dubious penalty for handball moments later.
Even then Blues stopper Jon Beames saved the initial shot from substitute Ryan Curtin, but could not prevent his rebound hitting the back of the net.
A second penalty earned and converted by Anaclet Odihambo six minutes later left Burnham hanging on to their lead at the end.
Further Details
Rebels and Rams share points