Ramsgate                   0       

Erith & Belvedere   10        Springett 27, 33, pen 55, Clary 40, 49, 52,

Morrison 64, 70, pen 75, 80

Kent League, 17 January 1981

 

Continuing the series counting down the 100 most memorable games in our history.  Today, an astonishing awayday that rewrote the record book.

 

In our third season back in the Kent League, Deres were putting a team together that would compete at the right end of the table, but they were never prolific scorers.   Ramsgate were having a torrid season at the bottom, but nobody could have anticipated what happened.

 

GOLDEN ERITH RAP 10 OF THE BEST

 

Dynamic Erith ran riot last Saturday when their three-pronged attacking force of Doug Springett, Tony Clary and Brian Morrison ripped apart bottom of the Kent League Ramsgate.

 

Poor Ramsgate hardly knew what hit them in the second half as Erith piled on the goals which brought them their highest away win for 50 years.

 

And had it not been for some excellent saves by home keeper Peter Hook, the margin could have taken on the dimensions of a cricket score.

 

As it was, Hook kept Erith at bay for 27 minutes until he was finally beaten by a free-kick clipped over the defensive wall by Doug Springett.

 

It must have been some relief to Erith after having camped in Ramsgate’s half from the outset and they went two up six minutes later when Springett charged through on an Aldridge pass and drove past the advancing keeper.

 

Even when Tony Clary uncorked a spectacular drive from 25 yards for Erith’s third there was only  a mere hint of the goal rush to follow.

 

The floodgates finally opened in the second half, however, when rampant Erith thundered three goals in six minutes.

 

Tony Clary completed his hat-trick with two well-taken efforts and Brian Morrison nearly wrote his name on the scoresheet for the first time since joining Erith in November, only to be hacked down in the box and Springett became hat-trick hero number two by tucking away the penalty.

 

From that moment on it was almost as though Morrison took it as a personal insult to miss out on the blitz.

 

He soon put matters right.  In the 64th minute he slotted home from eight yards for goal number seven, netted from a goalmouth scramble shortly afterwards and then completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Evans handled in the box.

 

The finalblow for poor Ramsgate came when they made a rare attack but when Hammond netted a Noakes cross the effort was ruled out for offside.

 

Erith reacted by reaching double figures through Morrison who took his personal tally to four in the process.

 

Erith: Martin Dillnutt; Colin Aldridge, Clive Rothel, Gary Cooper, Geoff Cornes, Alan Hart, Doug Springett, Neil Page, Tony Clary, Brian Morrison, Ian Fox.

 

 

This game remains our club record away win.  On 18 April we won the return fixture at Park View, Belvedere, by 6-0.

 

Ramsgate keeper Peter Hook was not taking time off from being in New Order.  Speaking of music, though, the following week my predecessor as programme editor was keen to plug a forthcoming gig at the Deres’ clubhouse by a local band called “Waves”.  Except he made a slight error and told his readers that “Wings” were playing at Park View in a few weeks’ time, which must have led to a rush in ticket sales!

 

The Deres finished the season 4th in the Kent League, ten points adrift of champions Cray Wanderers, with Chatham and Crockenhill second and third.  There were two notable games during the run-in: on 28 March we travelled to Cray and gave them one of only three defeats that season, 3-2.  The referee had to call an 8-minute time out to calm tempers after a brawl between Deres and ex-Deres – seven of the Cray team had either played for us or would go on to do so.

 

Then a month later we hosted Crockenhill and went down to a 4-1 defeat which was notable for a tactical switch by the Crocks.  Their gangly full-back was sent to play up front, and it worked like a charm.  He scored a hat-trick, and the player, name of Tony Cascarino, never looked back.