Chertsey Town continued their rehabilitation with a successive win, even if it was to be expected in visiting bottom placed Dorking.

This was a curious match which could have gone horribly wrong for the visitors well before the half time interval but eventually provided for a comfortable passage back to third place in the Combined Counties League table.

On a dank afternoon with a tacky and unpredictable playing surface, both sides lightened the atmosphere with attacking football that could have comfortably trebled the total of four goals secured during the ninety minutes.

Chertsey’s defending stuttered badly in the first 45 minutes and although there was no Australian in their coaching staff, the interval speech seemed to cure Towns’ ailment and only one clear cut chance was later presented to Dorking, in contrast to earlier spluttering embarrassment.

Marcus Moody resumed his captain’s role and gave an inspired performance that included something akin to an inverted hat trick by scoring a goal, which was sandwiched between two desperate clearances off the Chertsey goal line after goalkeeper Craig Bradshaw had been uncharacteristically twice beaten.

Moody’s performance was the shining example on how confidence and desire has returned to his side after an unfocussed introduction to the new year.

Chertsey began brightly, forcing Dorking into a conceding series of free kicks for late tackles. The Chicks sorted themselves out but only after their debutant number five, Dan Dunning had been dismissed after only 18 minutes for scything down Tom O’Regan just below the knee.

He ended his day limping off the pitch midway through the second half, to be replaced by teenager Jack Leighton.

Moody had, prior to that moment, almost taken the lead for his side but had greater success on 24 minutes in another Chertsey assault with a shot from 20 yards that took a deflection so that Dorking goalkeeper John McBride could only touch the ball with his finger tips before it hit the back of his net.

Dorking were not dismayed and they also attacked with verve, exposing wide gaps in Chertsey’s defending. Harry Maneh was particularly free flowing in exploiting space with well a directed passing game, particularly towards his right flank.

Town’s dispersed back line stayed well in advance so that their rear provided attractive territory to invade.

It was only the alert goalkeeping from Bradshaw and off target shooting, plus the two last ditch recoveries on the Chertsey goal line, that prevented Dorking from taking full advantage.

A Chertsey side, three goals adrift by half time, would not have been surprising.

The threatened Dorking goal arrived three minutes before the break when an attractive four man move, initially developed along their right hand touch line, resulted in Leroy Hyatt receiving a flicked on header to crash the ball home in deserved reward for their attacking initiatives.

Whether it would have been merited as a deserved equaliser too is conjecture as Town had built up a substantial portfolio of goal scoring opportunities themselves.

Dean Papali broke though on 20 minutes with only McBride to beat but fired the ball straight at the keeper, as did Phil Page from just five yards moments later. Page again might have extended Town’s lead on the half hour but hesitated a few feet from a crowded goalmouth and was blocked off.

Corner kicks were also won at regular intervals.

The thrust of play was towards the Dorking goal but the home side were very dangerous on the counter attack.

Equilibrium therefore existed at the turnaround but it was Chertsey that confirmed where the points were going thereafter.

Page saw a firm strike turned aside by McBride soon after the resumption But the lead was re-established on 52 minutes. A break on the right resulted in Mark McGibbon crossing the ball past Dorking’s well defended goalmouth for Papali to steal in at the back and head into the exposed net.

Seven minutes later, two successive blocked shots thwarted Chertsey but from the disappointment for the visitors came a sublime goal.

The ball spat out of the Dorking penalty area, only to be collected by Papali. From 35 yards at an angle, he retuned the ball into the maelstrom with an unstoppable looping shot that curled high back into the top right hand corner of the net.

Young Andy Crossley looked ever stronger in the Chertsey midfield and was not afraid to get stuck in, as was Leika Saku, but the latter marred his day with a retaliatory late tackle in what must be said was a tetchy overall exchange, and was also dismissed there and then.

Page, although eager, again failed to win another one on one challenge with McBride and was later replaced with local man Jimmy Norman.

Craig Duffell hooked the ball over the Chertsey net for Dorking’s only opportunity of the second half to divert the result away from Chertsey who continued to look the more likely of the two sides to bolster their goal tally.

Indeed, it was fitting that Moody almost had the very last say with a high flick at the Dorking goal that only just missed the upright moments from the end of Chertsey’s attempt to claw their way back into championship contention; a quest that may now be beyond them but they should not be discounted from an open race just yet.