BGB Southern Premier

Farnborough 2 Chippenham Town 0

Clinical finishing from a striker on top of his game was enough to secure Farnborough a third consecutive victory and keep them top of the BGB Southern Premier.

Michael Charles was the star turn as he produced two sumptuous second half strikes to see off a dogged Chippenham Town at Cherrywood Road.

His second goal, an instinctive and perfectly flighted lob from the edge of the penalty area, was a clear indicator of a forward bristling with confidence and, after six goals in his last four outings, why shouldn’t he be?

After a tricky spell of games when he, like the rest of his team-mates, was struggling to find the back of the net, Charles has burst into life. Saturday’s double took his tally to 14 goals in all competitions this season, and Boro are suddenly looking much more potent in front of goal.

Eleven goals in the last four games is testament to that, and Boro’s three wins in a eight days has seen them surge back to the top of the table, two points clear of nearest rivals Merthyr Tydfil.

After the game Charles was happy with his brace, although he admitted he was feeling the effects of a tiring week.

“I was really pleased with the two goals and it’s been a good week for me and for the team,” he said. “I enjoyed scoring the first goal and with the second I saw the keeper off his line and took a gamble with the lob.

“Both finishes were exactly what I wanted to do so I can’t really complain.

“It’s been a tiring week and the three games were all quite hard physically, but I loosened up in the second half and managed to get my goals.

“I did have a tricky spell but Francis Vines kept telling me the goals will come and now I am repaying his faith. I have been staying after training to work on my finishing and it’s coming together now.

“I’m the joint top-scorer in the league [Charles has nine goals along with Merthyr’s Garry Shephard] and I set myself that target at the start of the season, so I’m happy with how it’s going.”

It is certainly worth noting that Charles’ return to form has coincided with strike partner Mark Gamble’s recovery from injury, and the pace and energy of Boro’s front two was again the key to unlocking the Bluebirds’ stubborn resistance.

Gamble’s relentless work-rate opened up the space for Charles to play and although he may not have grabbed the headlines this time, Charles was quick to pay tribute to his strike partner.

“Mark does so much work and I’m getting the goals and the space to play in,” he said. “That is down to him and hopefully I can start to pay him back and provide him with some goals of his own.”

Charles deservedly took the plaudits after his man-of-the-match winning performance, but it was an industrious second half display across the park from Boro to clinch an important win.

Driven on by skipper Steve Laidler and Ryan Scott in the middle, whose understanding continues to grow as a pair, Boro seized the initiative after the break after a largely uneventful first half.

Once they were ahead, for the most part they were untroubled at the back, despite having to alter things after David Ray picked up a hamstring strain in training, and Lyall Beazley was as solid as ever between the posts.

This has been a big-run of games for Boro, particularly after a dodgy patch of form had seen them pick up just three points from a possible 12. But after a thumping 5-0 win at Soham Town Rangers in the FA Trophy, they have roared back at a crucial stage.

Victory over title rivals Halesowen Town boosted morale further and a good win at Cherrywood Road against Bedford kept up the momentum going into Saturday’s hard-working display.

Vines admitted that his side had rarely been at their flowing best to entertain another 1,000-plus home crowd, but he was quick to praise Boro for their determination to break down Adie Mings’ well-organised team.

“It wasn’t a flamboyant performance from us but it was a hard-working one and we deserved the three points,” he said. “The opposition worked very hard and we had to match that, which we did.

“They made it difficult for us to play and they got back quickly and in numbers as we tried to break forward. You can only commend Chippenham for that but we know to expect that in our home games.

“Everyone wants to come and watch us play flowing football, knocking the ball around nicely, but there are 11 other guys who come to play us as well. It’s easier for teams to come and destroy the game rather than create, so today we had to work hard to break them down.”

He added: “I’m over the moon at the moment. Go back four games and I was very unhappy and I had a face like a smacked backside. But now we have put in four decent displays in a row and I’m happy as Larry.”

Ray’s injury forced Vines to shuffle his pack from the mid-week win over the Eagles, with Michael Barima returning on the wing and Leigh Rumbold dropping to right back. Darren Wheeler was unavailable again after failing a late fitness test and Rob Saunders’ persistent groin problem kept him sidelined once more.

The first period was an even and, for the most part, uninspiring affair, and although Boro enjoyed the greater possession, it was the visitors who probably edged things on chances.

But at the other end Boro did show more as the half wore on, and after 37 minutes registered their first shot on target, with Charles showing a glimpse of what was to come when he got across his man and glanced Nic Ciardini’s cross straight at Chris Snoddy.

Right on the stroke of half time came the pivotal moment of the game, when Chippenham winger David Pratt sent Seavill clean through, but the lively striker’s shot was superbly turned over the bar by Beazley with his foot to keep his side level and preserve his clean sheet.

After the break, Charles took over, showing his Chippenham counterparts exactly where the goal was after just a minute of the second half. He somehow managed to wriggle past two defenders on the left hand side of the penalty area before whipping his shot across goal and past a stunned Snoddy in the Bluebirds’ goal to brilliantly break the deadlock.

That briefly stirred Chippenham into action, but Boro were looking much livelier at the other end too, and Charles flicked the ball through for Gamble whose shot was smothered, before Charles laid the ball off to Scott whose crashing drive was acrobatically tipped over the bar.

But just after the hour came Charles’ second magic moment, as he looked to latch onto Scott’s poked through ball. Ross Adams was all over the diminutive frontman, tugging him back and he surely would have seen red had Charles gone down. He was spared however, as Charles preferred to loft the ball sublimely over the despairing keeper from the edge of the area and kick off the celebrations again.

Chances were few and far between after that, although Joe White almost set up a nervy finale when he swivelled in the box and rattled the inside of the post with ten minutes left to play.

By the time the referee brought and end to proceedings however, the result was already assured, and the only sore spot for Boro was an even sorer one for Ciardini, who suffered a nasty collision and was taken to hospital and treated for mild concussion.

Boro: Beazley, Rumbold, Oliver, Woozley, Doyle, Barima, Laidler, Scott, Ciardini (Edusei 68), Gamble (Lyons 86), Charles (Burton 75).

Chippenham: Snoddy, Williams, Belle, Adams, Halliday, Gullick, Pratt, Holly, Harvey, Seavill, Allison (White 63).

For player ratings, match stats and more reaction from Vines pick up a copy of Tuesday's Farnborough Mail.