News

Alton 1 - 2 Thatcham Town

23 Mar 2026

Match report by Ian Hall

Thatcham came from behind to beat Alton 1 2 in a match neither side really did enough to win but with chances at a premium, it was the away side who took theirs.

On a glorious day the crowd were able to enjoy the newly refurbished clubhouse, with sports screens and plans for a new disability viewing terracee at the playground end.

After a quiet opening Alton took the lead on 14 minutes when a David Garlinge cross was neatly laid off by Zac Nash and Matt Benham drilled home from the edge of the box. The skipper could have had a second with a header from a Jack Roberts cross shortly after but any hopes that Alton would take control were dashed when Levi Heholt bundled through four attempted tackles and despatched a shot into the corner.

Thatcham could then easily have gone ahead, breaking with numbers but were denied by a great last-ditch tackle from Roberts, who continues to impress having moved up from the U18s. Thereafter Alton dominated possession and territory but though there was a spell when the pressure was building, they didn't really create any clear chances.

Shortly after the resumption, Thatcham took the lead out of nothing; Kye Williams curling a shot into the top corner from some 30 yards. With something to hold on to and in still need of points, they raised the intensity and defended well and for much of the rest of the half Alton didn't look remotely like breaking them down.

In the 98th minute, with mounting concern that the scoreboard clock might start it all again, Alton suddenly produced two glorious chances. Both came from left side crosses into the near post, both met and blazed wide.

And that was that: as one fan observed, "We shouldn't have lost that - it should have been nil nil".

Balfour; Wotton, Howard, Ajayi-Obe, Roberts; Darwish, Mather, Benham, Garlinge; Nash, Branker subs Brown, Whitby, Beattie, Holbec, Patterson