The first opportunity arrived after eight minutes when Lewis produced a clever piece of skill on the left wing to beat his defender. He cut inside onto his right foot and tested the Chatham goalkeeper, who made a good save to keep the scores level.
The opening 20 minutes were cagey, with numerous fouls disrupting the flow of the game. Both sides competed strongly but struggled to create a clear opening against two well organised defences.
We began to show more attacking quality as the half progressed. A well worked move ended with Lewis cutting the ball back across the penalty area, but the resulting shot was blazed over the crossbar.
Despite plenty of effort from both teams, neither side was able to make the breakthrough before half time. Clear chances were limited, leaving the match goalless at the interval.
Chatham started the second half brightly and created a promising opportunity in the 48th minute. A well weighted through ball released their centre forward behind our defence, but he dragged his shot wide of the target.
Four minutes later, Chatham won a free kick just outside the penalty area on the right hand side. The resulting effort tested Foulkes, who reacted well to make an important save and preserve the clean sheet.
However, Chatham eventually broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. We were unable to clear a corner, allowing the loose ball to fall kindly to a Chatham player, who reacted quickest and fired a powerful effort into the roof of the net.
Dorking pushed for an equaliser during the closing stages, but clear opportunities remained difficult to find. Chatham came close to doubling their advantage in the 78th minute when another free kick from just outside the box beat the goalkeeper but struck the post.
Despite a determined performance, we could not find a late equaliser, and Chatham held on to secure a narrow 1–0 victory. It was a competitive contest with little separating the teams, ultimately decided by Chatham’s ability to capitalise on a loose ball from a corner.
Next up we travel to Lewes for another pre-season fixture – 3pm kick off. Our next home fixture is on Saturday 1st August as we host Charlton Athletic for a 3pm kick off. Tickets for this fixture are available below: