Alton 0 - 4 Knaphill
26 Oct 2026
Match report by Ian Hall
After a good win in the week, Alton hosted an in-form Knaphill side in miserable conditions and ultimately the visitors proved too clinical, running out 0 4 winners to move above Fleet at the top of the table.
Knaphill had won 10 of their last 11 in the league, the one reverse coming at Fleet and had thrashed Badshot 7 0 in midweek. Alton themselves were on a mini winning run but were missing two big players in Ed Dryden and Callum Kenny and their task was not made any easier when they conceded from an early corner after 9 minutes. The ball was whipped in low, no one tracked Ross Murdock’s near post run and he glanced home.
Alton responded with a decent spell of passing football and Manny Acheampong and Sav Shah (twice) had shots but they then gifted a 2nd when an under-hit pass to Ben Matthews left the centre back stranded and Knaphill’s pacey Linford Sakey nipped in to round him and slot home with half an hour gone.
Having given themselves a mountain to climb, Alton plugged away and once again the movement and positional covering was good and they made Knaphill work but couldn’t quite trouble them enough.
After the interval Alton did fashion a good chance to pull one back but having showed good strength to get goal side, Acheampong delayed his shot and the defender recovered to nick it away.
Knaphill scored a decent third 10 minutes into the second half when a fabulous pass out from their centre back Michak Stanic Stewart sent Sackey racing clear on the right and he drove into the box at the playground end before calmly finding Lewis Pearch, who fired home via a deflection.
A long-range free kick from Felix Hills drew a scrambling save from the visiting keeper and a lovely dummy from Raphael Aklobessi allowed Jamie Phillips to run through on goal. Just inside the box he cut back inside and got off a clean shot but a flying block deflected the goal bound effort wide.
Knaphill probably butchered the best chance of the game when their two dangerous front men got behind 2 v 1, Murdock’s cross left Sackey with a tap in but he shanked it wide. They did get 4th from a corner in injury time which felt a little harsh overall: Knaphill were the better side but Alton competed in pretty filthy weather and played some nice stuff in patches.
They will chalk this one off and go again.
Douglas, Phillips (C), McLean, Garlinge, Hill, Lever, Acheampong, Mather, Matthews, Shah, Hills Subs: Aklobessi, Pound, Paterson, Simpson, Ledbury
Next up Alton travel to Corinthian Casuals just off the A3 at Tolworth, Sat 31st October at 3pm.
