Match Report: Chatham Town 5-0 Whitehawk
Saturday, 23rd November 2024
The Bauvill Stadium
Whitehawk suffered a heavy defeat on their visit to The Bauvill Stadium as Chatham Town ran out 5-0 winners in front of a crowd of 712. Despite showing moments of intent, the Hawks were unable to cope with the home side’s pace and clinical finishing.
First Half: Early Struggles
The match began disastrously for Whitehawk, as Freddie Sears gave Chatham the lead inside the opening minute. A swift move saw Sears find space in the box and slot home to put the hosts ahead before the Hawks had settled.
Chatham continued to pile on the pressure, and although Whitehawk had glimpses of attacking play, they struggled to test the Chatham goalkeeper. The home side doubled their lead in the 38th minute when Jack Evans converted a penalty after a foul in the box.
Will Huffer kept Whitehawk in the game with several crucial saves, including a reaction stop to deny a close-range effort from Chatham’s No. 9, but the Hawks went into the break trailing 2-0.
Second Half: Chatham Take Control
Whitehawk made a substitution at halftime, bringing on Tyrese Sutherland for Chevron McLean to inject energy into the midfield. However, it was Chatham who continued to dominate proceedings.
Freddie Sears added his second and Chatham’s third in the 56th minute, pouncing on a defensive lapse to fire past Huffer. Whitehawk attempted to respond, with substitutions seeing Charlie Walker, Will Seager, and Oscar Borg enter the fray, but the changes couldn’t halt Chatham’s momentum.
John Ufua scored twice in the final 10 minutes to compound Whitehawk’s misery, first capitalizing on a through ball in the 80th minute and then completing the scoring with a powerful finish in the 87th minute.
Lineups:
Chatham Town:
- Joe Wright, 2. Miquel Scarlett, 3. Kasim Aidoo, 4. Jordy Robins, 5. Reece Butler, 6. Jack Evans (C), 7. Rowan Liburd, 8. Freddie Sears, 9. Simon Cooper, 10. Jordy Mongoy, 20. John Ufua.
Substitutes: Sid Nelson, Stuart O’Keefe, Ore Bello, Sam Sene Richardson, Kareem Isiaka.
Whitehawk:
- Will Huffer, 2. Wasiri Williams, 3. Chevron McLean (Sutherland 46’), 4. Andrew Briggs (C) (Borg 72’), 5. Eugene Asike, 6. Henry Hawkins, 7. Kai Jennings, 8. Emmanuel Mensah, 9. Callum Barlow (Seager 75’), 10. George Taggart (Walker 61’), 11. Moe Shubbar.
Substitutes: Luke Robinson, Jamie Rice.
Key Moments:
- 1’: Freddie Sears gives Chatham an immediate lead.
- 38’: Jack Evans converts a penalty to make it 2-0.
- 56’: Freddie Sears adds his second of the match.
- 80’: John Ufua scores Chatham’s fourth goal.
- 87’: Ufua completes the scoring with his second of the game.
Looking Ahead
The defeat leaves Whitehawk rooted to the bottom of the Isthmian Premier table, with plenty of work to be done to turn their season around. They next face Hendon at Silver Jubilee Park on Tuesday, 26th November, in a crucial fixture as they look to regain momentum.
