First Team Vs Lewisham Borough

23 March 2019

Erith and Belvedere          4          Lake 35, Curtis 56, Fleming og 61, Ogunbiyi 83

Lewisham Borough           1          Teeley og 12

DERES MARCH ON IN GIANT STEPS

Erith and Belvedere continued their bid for the SCEFL second division title on a bright spring day, coming back from a goal down to register another vital win.

It was like an episode of Land of the Giants at PVR, with a big and fast Lewisham side threatening to take control of midfield and giving the Deres a few scares.  None of them was bigger and faster than skipper Tashan Adeyinka, whose piledriver from 25 yards led to the opener in the 12th minute – his shot beat the diving Dan Teeley but crashed against the crossbar, bounced down and rebounded into the net off the Deres keeper’s back.

But despite Lewisham’s strength it was Deres who were creating the better chances.  Kameiko Pope-Campbell, the recent signing from Forest Hill, shot just wide twice in three minutes, then worked hard to set up two chances for Harry Harding in the same move.  Most spectacular was a Connor Dobson volley on 24 minutes that drew a tumbling save from Shaun Alfred in the Lewisham goal.

But Alfred could no nothing about Ramell Lake’s finish in the 35th minute following great work from Harding with his back to goal – the equaliser was the Deres’ 100th goal in all competitions this season.  Despite a couple of good chances for Lewisham, Emillen Bennji aiming for a bus with a wild shot and Ticy Timothy firing just wide after Adeyinka had been given too much space, it was 1-1 at the break.

It had been hard going for Deres in the first half, but the picture changed with two quick and simple goals early in the second.  On 56 minutes Lake’s corner from the right was met by Rob Curtis with a neat header beating everyone in the box.  Five minutes later Lake took a free-kick from the right which went through a crowd of bodies and was freakishly hacked into the roof of the net by Lewisham right-back Adam Flemming.  Suddenly it was 3-1 and the Deres could afford to relax just a little, although an Adeyinka shot soon afterwards stung Teeley’s hands to keep them honest.

Seven minutes from time Joseph Ogunbiyi, who had come on as sub, gor due reward for persistence as Harding’s through ball fell ideally for him and he buried the chance.  A frustrating afternoon for Lewisham was completed when Flemming was sent off for hitting out at Harding during a dispute over a challenge on Alfred in stoppage time.   Deres finished the day 6 points behind Welling Town with three games in hand, but two massive away games against title challengers coming up, the first at Bridon Ropes on Wednesday.

DERES: Teeley; Hill, Barrett, Lake (Holley 85), Curtis, G Jones, J Wade (R Wade 68), Quan, Pope-Campbell (Ogunbiyi 73), Harding, Dobson.

LEWISHAM: Alfred; Flemming, Wright, Manjie, Dahayne-Burton (Todd 68), Juma, Adjei, Miller, Bennji, Timothy (Price 79), Adeyinka