First Team Vs Holmesdale

13 April 2019

Erith and Belvedere          2          Hill 18, Harding 90

Holmesdale                          1          Morgan 15

LAST-GASP HARRY KEEPS DERES IN THE HUNT

Going into the second minute of stoppage time at Park View Road, Deres supporters were starting to resign themselves to missing out on promotion.  With Bridon Ropes and Welling Town winning, the 1-1 scoreline against a stubborn Holmesdale side would leave Deres all but mathematically out of the title race. 

Then came the moment that might yet turn the season.  George Jones’ corner from the left was flicked on by Reece Barrett, and through the crowd of players Harry Harding emerged to head the winner.  It was Harding’s 41st goal of the season, drawing level with Alfie May’s haul in 2014-15 and now with only Colin Johnson’s 43 in 1965-66 ahead of him.  But more importantly it kept Deres one point behind the top two with three to play.

The win was no more than Deres deserved after a sparkling first-half performance in particular.  The midfield combination of Ramell Lake, Chan Quan and Guy Mpungi made for some flowing moves and plenty of chances.  Within the first 12 minutes Harding could have scored three times: a twisting header from Quan’s cross, tipped over the bar by James Boughtflower; another piece of head tennis with Barrett drawing a point blank save, and a pinpoint through ball by Ramell Lake which saw Harding blocked by two defenders.

Yet with Deres playing delightful football and a goal looking inevitable, Holmesdale suddenly took the lead in the 15th minute: nothing looked on until a ball from the left reached Max Morgan, who rolled it past Dan Teeley for a soft opener.  Within a couple of minutes Lake had a well-aimed free-kick tipped over the bar, and the resulting corner was flicked on by Tony Hill straight into the far corner of the net.

In the last 15 minutes of the half Deres made half a dozen good chances, Mpungi, Quan and Rob Curtis all going close and Boughtflower holding everything that was on target.  Holmesdale offered only an Alex Nelson free-kick which went harmlessly over the bar.  Deres looked dominant but the half-time score remained level.

The second half started in the same vein as Jones and Quan combined to let in Kameiko Pope-Campbell for a 46th minute effort that went just wide, but as the half wore on Deres became less fluent, lost ground in midfield, and then had a nightmare moment.  On 74 minutes, with Morgan in close attendance, Teeley lined up a routine clearance from the edge of the box only to play a complete air shot, and it was a miracle that Morgan failed to capitalise.

If that was bad for Deres supporters’ blood pressure, the stoppage time winner was even worse, but on Thursday they have a chance to go top if only for less than 24 hours.

DERES: Teeley; Hill, Barrett, Lake, Curtis, G Jones, J Wade (Dobson 70), Quan, Pope-Campbell (Ogunbiyi 71), Harding. Mpungi.

HOLMESDALE: Boughtflower; Simpson (Taylor 52), Stevens-King, Belazregue (Lopeman 58), Hemmings, Muckle, Adenola, Nelson, Morgan, Sheppard, Osinfolarin