Deal Town                2          Medus 37, Robinson pen 90

Erith & Belvedere   1          Munday 53     

Kent League Cup Final, 8 May 1982 (at Sittingbourne)

 

Continuing the series counting down the 100 most memorable games in our history.  Today, the first of a double header against the same opposition which was to be a landmark in the club’s story.

 

As the conflict in the Falklands built up, the 1981-82 season drew to a close with a lot at stake for the Deres.  With one game left in the Kent League, Deres and Sittingbourne were level on points, the latter with a vastly superior goal difference.  Chatham lay a point behind in case both of them slipped up.  As fate would have it, the final fixture for both the leaders was away to Deal Town.  First, however, E&B had the Kent League Cup Final... against Deal... at Sittingbourne!  On Saturday 8 May, this is how the Final turned out.

 

IT'S OH SO CRUEL AS ERITH BOW OUT – Last gasp penalty is a killer

 

Peter Peters’ Kent League Cup dreams were shattered in the most agonising fashion as Deal netted a last-minute penalty winner during last Saturday’s final at Sittingbourne.

 

The Erith boss was already making plans for extra time when Deal’s Marcus Newton waltzed past Terry Elphick and Alan Hart before being upended in the penalty area by Geoff Cornes.

 

There was an anxious wait as Newton received treatment from the trainer, but Keith Robinson showed no sign of nerves as he sent goalkeeper Martin Dillnutt the wrong way from the spot to clinch the trophy for Deal.

 

Peters admitted: “That only goes to show that football can be a cruel game.  Once we’d scored our equaliser I just couldn’t see us losing.  We were terrible for the first half hour, but picked things up for ten minutes before the break and looked a much better side during the second half.”

 

In fact it needed a 37th minute goal from Vic Medus to stir Erith into action, though that was little consolation for Elphick, whose sliced clearance gave the Deal man his chance.  A sympathetic Peters said: “The goal was a tragedy for Terry.  If he’d had to make another ten clearances like that during the game, the ball would have ended up on the halfway line every time.”

 

A less hurried shot could have seen Steve Lane level the scores within 60 seconds of Deal taking the lead, while Tony Munday was desperately unlucky with a header which rattled the bar. 

 

There was no stopping Munday as he made it 1-1 in the 53rd minute however, with Tony Clary and Lane combining well down the left to create his scoring chance.

 

This was just the tonic Erith needed and with Gary Cooper, Neil Page and Dillnutt growing in stature with every minute, it seemed Deal were destined to defeat.  They had fortunate escapes as Cornes, Elphick and Clary went close and it was not until the last 15 minutes they could give their supporters reason for optimism.

 

And that optimism turned to delight as Deal clinched victory in the closing seconds, though Erith could feel no disgrace as they said goodbye to the competition.  Booked for a place in the Southern League next season, they went into the match with an attacking 4-2-4 formation and were left to reflect on fouls which flattened Lane and Elphick during the opening minutes.

 

Fred Doncaster was eventually booked for hacking Lane, though Erith were entitled to wonder if their strikers might have had more effect if referee Swift had taken a sterner stand earlier in the match.

 

Having left the Bull Ground disappointed, Erith were hoping for Deal to at least draw at home to Sittingbourne on Tuesday night.  Anything other than a Sittingbourne victory would leave Erith knowing exactly what they need to do in their final match of the season to take the Kent League championship.  Ironically their opponents are Deal!

 

Erith: Martin Dillnutt; Colin Aldridge, Colin Avery, Gary Cooper, Geoff Cornes, Neil Page, Alan Hart, Terry Elphick, Tony Clary, Tony Munday, Steve Lane.

 

 

At Deal on the Tuesday, Sittingbourne could have sealed the Kent League title with a win, but could only manage a 1-1 draw.  E&B went to the same ground two days later, Thursday 13 May, needing a win to finish as champions.  That game features later in this series…