Cranleigh continued their fine run of form with a strong 3–1 win at home against Worcester Park in front of an energetic crowd at Glebelands.
The match began at a frenetic pace, with both teams showing real intent and moving the ball well. Worcester Park drew first blood, capitalising from a set piece – an area they’ve consistently posed a threat in – to edge in front.
But Cranleigh didn’t flinch. Instead, they responded with their best move of the season so far – a flowing team goal that started deep in defence. Twelve crisp passes later, the ball found Ben Beazley at the far post, who calmly tapped home to bring the scores level and send the crowd into a roar.
From there, Cranleigh upped the pressure, carving out several golden chances in an attempt to take the lead before the break. Despite dominating much of the half, it remained 1–1 at the interval.
The second half followed the same pattern, with Cranleigh asserting their dominance, especially in midfield. The breakthrough came midway through the half when a ball through from Paolo Luke forced a handball, and top scorer Will Smith confidently converted from the penalty spot to give the hosts a deserved lead.
As Worcester Park pushed forward in search of an equaliser, space opened up and Cranleigh capitalised again. Some dogged hardwork by Joe Barnes resulted in a neat touch to the feet of RJ Owusu who burst away, rounding the keeper and slotting home the third to put the game out of reach and secure a valuable three points.
Joint Manager Sam Carpenter said after the match: “It was a deserved home win for us today. We completely bossed the midfield with some real standout performances from the four in there. Ciaran Lynch was outstanding today and dealt with Cheesman exceptionally well – a real skipper’s performance and rightly awarded MOTM. Even better, we did it in front of a big crowd – thanks again to everyone for their support! We now look ahead to our midweek at Frenches Athletic, where we want to build on today.”
Cranleigh now turn their focus to Wednesday night’s away fixture at Frenches Athletic, as they look to continue their impressive run.
Goals
Full time: Cranleigh 3-1 Worcester Park
Goals: Beazley (Assist: Jones); Smith (Pen); Owusu (Assit: Luke)
Man of the Match: Lynch
