RYMAN PREMIER LEAGUE

Hampton & Richmond Borough 2 Enfield Town 0

Early strikes from twin strike force Dave Tarpey and Charlie Moon put the Beavers in total control only for Tommy Brewer’s senseless sending off to stall their momentum..

Player/manager Darren Powell later joined his full-back on the side-lines after being ordered from the dugout in another first-half flashpoint.

However, with Justyn Roberts in outstanding form at the heart of a heroic rear-guard the hosts held on with relative comfort to go 12th in the table.

Unsurprisingly, Powell and co-manager Paul Barry named the same starting XI which had won impressively at Grays on Saturday, though it was the visitors who were first to threaten on four minutes.

Mitch Hahn’s ball down the left found Jamie Richards, who cut inside and fired a right foot shot a whisker wide of the far post with home keeper Rodney Chiweshe struggling.

However, it was not long before Hampton found their stride to hit two goals in as many minutes.

With 10 minutes played the impressive Joe Turner surged past several would-be tacklers down the left before finding Tarpey in space on the right just outside the box.

Full of confidence after his double on Saturday Tarpey hit a powerful shot which beat Noel Imber at his near post.

If there were questions marks over Imber for the first goal there was no doubt he was at fault for the second just two minutes later.

Moone got the ball out on the right and cut inside the full-back and though the shot was not the cleanest of strikes Imber let it slip through his grasp to double the home side’s lead.

The twin strike force were enjoying themselves, combining again seven minutes later in a move which saw Moone fire narrowly wide and as the pressure continued George well’s shot from distance was deflected inches wide with Imber stranded.

Hampton looked set for a cricket score when Tommy Brewer (oictured) indulged in a moment of madness with 24 minutes played.

The Beavers fullback was penalised for a foul near the right touch-line in the Enfield half. Towners’ left-back Joe Stevens walked across him as he ran back towards his own goal and Brewer responded with a slap to the face.

After a consultation between assistant and referee the red card was rightly brandished leaving Hampton to play a man light for more than an hour.

Tempers were soon flaring again as Tarpey was felled by an ugly challenge from Ryan Doyle, before being brought down again by Bradley Quinton when arguably he was the last man.

A yellow card was deemed sufficient punishment on both occasions, but the latter decision left Powell so incensed he left his technical area to remonstrate with the assistant referee and the as always vocal Enfield boss George Borg.

The assistant duly summoned referee Stephen Bates who promptly sent Powell to the stands.

As the feisty and breathless action continued Tarpey escaped again down the left to fire in a shot which beat Imber but crashed to safety off the far post.

Having defended comfortably for more than quarter of an hour Hampton survived two big scares in the dying minutes of the half.

Four minutes from the break Chiweshe missed a cross from the right and though Tom Hickey cleared the first effort when the ball fell to Enfield skipper Mark Kirby just four yards out he seemed certain to score only for Roberts to superbly block the effort on the line.

Hearts were in Beavers’ mouths again a minute before half time when Stuart Lake appeared to trip Nathan Livings in the box, but despite the visitors’ furious protests the man in the middle ruled no penalty.

Perhaps not surprisingly the second half was tame in comparison.

Enfield substitute Corey Whitely made a strong early impression, firing one effort wide and seeing another parried to safety by the diving Chiweshe.

However, Hampton generally kept them at arms’ length and might have increased their lead when man of the match Roberts sent a free-kick around the wall and into the side netting with Imber stranded.

The defender was back to his customary defensive duties 11 minutes from time to deflect another goal-bound effort from Whiteley behind for a corner.

Hahn and Whiteley had other efforts repelled as Hampton preserved their clean sheet and the win would have been more emphatic had substitute James Simmonds not blazed over in stoppage-time with the goal gaping.

Hampton are back in action again on Saturday, kickoff at 3pm, when they entertain playoff chasers Lowestoft.