Knaphill were handed a tough 3-1 defeat by AFC Whyteleafe under the lights at Redding Way on December 3.

With Whyteleafe sitting second in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South and Knaphill in seventh, the match proved challenging for the hosts.

Despite a solid start and a spirited second-half performance, Knaphill were undone by a strong first period from their visitors, including the clinical finishing of Ryan Hall, a standout talent with a wealth of experience at higher levels.

In front of a crowd of 76, Knaphill started well. In the fourth minute a through ball from Matt Copland split the Whyteleafe defence and left Zak Jakubowski one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but he shot straight at the keeper who blocked with his feet.

Knaphill created an almost identical chance eight minutes later. Alex McLean played a perfectly weighted ball over the top to put Jakubowski through again, but again he shot straight at the keeper who saved again.

AFC Whyteleafe took the lead in the 25th minute from a corner. Nwadike lost his marker and powered a header past Sam Gray.

In the 34th minute Kingsley Anokye won the ball in the middle of the pitch and sent a well-timed ball over the top to Jakubowski, who broke clear again and nudged a shot past the advancing keeper but wide of the post.

AFC Whyteleafe doubled their lead in the 43rd minute. A through ball from Ryan Gondoh beat the offside trap. Bennett drove into the area and pulled the ball across from the right, looking for a tap-in from Leeward. Jack Watts’ block denied Leeward but the ball fell to the unmarked Hall who blasted it into the net.

It was 3-0 in the 52nd minute through Helge Orome. The ball was crossed into the box and Orome lost his marker to tap home right in front of goal.

Knaphill continued to press forward and two minutes into stoppage time a long ball from substitute George Frith down the right found Anokye, who lost his marker and squared the ball across goal to another substitute, Ross Murdoch, who showed great composure to slot a first-time shot past the keeper and pull one back.

The quality of AFC Whyteleafe and their clinical finishing, particularly from Ryan Hall, proved too much for Knaphill.

But there were positives to take from Knaphill’s approach and attacking intent, especially in the opening stages and the late goal from Murdoch.

Knaphill: Gray, Orisatoki (Sims 75), Glover, Stanic Stewart, Cooke, McLean (Frith 53), Watts (C) (Mitchell 67), Anokye, Jakubowski (Murdoch 53), Copland (Baisden 68), Vincent.

AFC Whyteleafe: Shaw, Bennett, Orome (C) (Watson 61), Leeward, Steeds (De Melo Calheiros 73), Braham-Barrett (Gondoh 61), Nwadike, Holder, Johnson-Palmer (Negassi 73), Hall. Substitute not used: Hill.

James Carpenter