Wharf fires a shot at promotion rivals

Feb 18 2009 By Jacob Murtagh, Staines News

DIV ONE CHALLENGE CUP SEMI-FINAL Staines Lammas..........2 Worcester Park....................1

Nathan Wharf reckons his Staines Lammas treble chasers have the edge over their rivals - because they've been there and done it.

Saturday's win over Worcester Park booked a Challenge Cup Semi-Final meeting with Knaphill, while they face London Sporting Benfica in the last four of the Middlesex Premier Cup tonight.

Lammas also lie third in the Combined Counties Division One table behind Mole Valley SCR and Hanworth Villa.

But while Wharf's troops have done it before (they came from behind to snatch the title from Villa last season), the others haven't.

He said: "I think it's going to go to the wire. We like coming from behind, and we showed that last season.

"None of the others have coped in this type of situation before. Villa are probably thinking 'here they come again'. They've also lost a few players as well." First-half goals from

Ian Piper and youngster Ross Deacon done the damage on Saturday.

Piper stroked home Ashley Lodge's cross on the half-hour mark, then Deacon converted another Lodge pass to double their lead 10 minutes later.

Nick Williams pulled one back after the break, but Lammas held on.

"We were 2-0 up at half-time, but it should've been seven or eight," said Wharf.

"We played some of our best football this season in the first-half, but they came back into it after the break and we done well to hold on."

Staines host fellow high-flyers Dorking on Saturday.

The Surrey side trail Lammas by nine points, but have four games in hand.

Wharf added: "It's a six-pointer. We know they can jump above us if they win their games, but it's a big ask."