Crockenhill              1          Sheehan 47

Erith & Belvedere   5          Bernard 17, 85, Carter 73, Greatorex pen 77, Johnson 80

Kent Amateur Cup Final decider, 18 May 1966 (at Bromley)

 

Continuing the series counting down the 100 most memorable games in our history.  Today, the day we won a trophy which was to feel entirely at home at Park View.

 

There were storm clouds around the Deres at the tail end of 1965-66.  Despite a couple of decent seasons, the popular manager Frank Reed was informed by directors that his contract would not be renewed.  Club secretary Les Downer was “invited to resign”, and team secretary Eric White joined them on the way out.  This despite a solid mid-table placing and the fact that we’d reached the Kent Amateur Cup Final.  Reed’s ousting was billed as “for economic reasons”: this for a club which had had a major windfall from a sale of land three seasons before.

 

On 23 April, 12 days after Reed’s departure was announced in the programme, we played the first leg of the final at Crockenhill.  Former Dere (and former England amateur international) Dennis Studley put the hosts ahead in the 50th minute, before Colin Johnson equalised 11 minutes from time.  The second leg, at Park View five days later, ended goalless.  There was no away goals rule, so with the aggregate scores level, a third match was necessary at a neutral venue.

 

AMATEUR CUP WON BY DERES AFTER 18 YEARS

 

Erith and Belvedere stormed to a rousing 5-1 victory over Crockenhill on May 18 and brought the Kent Amateur Cup back to Park View for the first time in 18 years.

 

This was a game that had everything a cup final should have, and until the last quarter hour things could have gone either way.

 

With no decision after the two-legged final, Bromley was chosen as the ground for the decider.  Seldom can the 900 present have seen such an exciting match.

 

At the end Deres’ skipper Dennis Crawford and his team were carried from the pitch by supporters.  Manager Frank Reed also came in for a great ovation.

 

The players took a few minutes to find their feet, as the grassy pitch had been made treacherous by a shower.  Deres went straight into the attack.  Bernard put Moore through, but the little centre-forward’s shot crashed against a post and was scrambled clear.

 

Minutes later former international Studley missed a great chance of giving Crockenhill the lead.  He rose unchallenged to meet a cross but Sterling was alert enough to punch the ball away.  Sterling had a magnificent game for Deres, this being the best of a series of fine saves.

 

Deres took the lead with a breakaway goal in the 17th minute.  A Sterling clearance went from Coombes to Johnson and finally to Bernard.  The striker mesmerised his back, slipped inside and crashed the ball past Wiltshire.

 

This setback inspired the Crocks to fight back even harder.  Wave after wave of attacks surged towards Sterling, but all their efforts foundered against a rock-like defence in which Brooks and Crawford were outstanding.

 

Studley went close on several occasions and he teed up a great chance for Jackson, only for the ball to thud against the bar with Sterling beaten.

 

Half-time came with the Crocks fighting desperately to equalise.  They did not have to wait much longer. Two minutes after the interval Sterling could only punch the ball away and as he lay in a tangled heap of players Sheehan scored.  Crawford emerged from this incident with a cut under his left eye.

 

The pattern continued as in the first half.  Crockenhill kept up the pressure and Deres always looked dangerous on quick breakaways.  Jackson created another good opening for the Crocks.  His precise centre was headed down for the advancing Smith, but he shot wide.

 

The fans were beginning to think about extra time when Deres scored a glorious goal, and once again it was Bernard who made the opening.  He suddenly sent a copybook cross searing across the goalmouth and Carter flew through the air to send a cracking header past the helpless Wiltshire.

 

Four minutes later, in the 77th minute, Johnson was brought down by Potter in the penalty area.  Greatorex made no mistake from the spot.

 

Johnson stabbed in a Greatorex corner to make it four, and Bernard rounded off his great performance by sending a swerving centre into the goal.

 

Greatorex hit a post and only a fine save by Wiltshire stopped Coombes from adding his name to the goal-scorers’ list.

 

In the last minute Sheehan had an easy chance to score his side’s second, but he lifted the ball over the bar from four yards.

 

Deres: Alan Sterling; John Brooks, Peter Williams, John Coombes, Dennis Crawford, John Thomson, Terry Carter, Ron Moore, Brendan Greatorex, Colin Johnson, Dickie Bernard.

 

 

So a fine victory for the Deres, and the first of four Kent Amateur Cup wins in five years.  But possibly the event I’d most like to have seen at Bromley FC that spring had taken place 18 days earlier: the traditional crowning of the Bromley May Queens.  The eight girls were presented with their crowns by a 19-year-old man described in the paper as “local pop singer David Bowie”.  The local celebrity had just released his first single under the name Bowie, and had performed it on “Ready Steady Go!” in March.