Erith & Belvedere               10        Prett 10, 13, 83, 89, Pursglove 24, Hill 43, Budak 56, Cable 79, 87, Gallagher 81

Sporting Bengal United    2          Sopylyuk 66, Green 72      

Kent League, 21 February 2009

Continuing the series counting down the 100 most memorable games in our history.  Today, the day we scored double figures in a home match for the first time since 1943 – and how often does a team score six goals after going down to ten men?

 

Despite netting ten goals, the Deres never got out of first gear in this match and in truth there was no need for them to. Huseyin Budak forced a good save out of Amando Hall on three minutes with a decent 25-yard effort after he was given all the time in the world to line up an attempt on goal. Hall almost gifted the Deres a goal two minutes later as he miskicked a free-kick by the corner flag and only found Aiden Pursglove, who instinctively fired the ball goal bound from 40 yards out, curling two yards wide of the far post.

 

The opening goal came on 10 minutes as Adrian Deane's corner-kick picked out John Farley, who shrugged his marker aside to jump and head goalwards. Sam Prett, loitering unmarked a yard out from goal flicked the header on and past Hall to make it 1-0.  The in-form striker doubled his tally for the afternoon two minutes later. Budak's ball over the top appeared to be over hit, but Hall and Abdal Ahmed failed to deal with the situation and Prett was on hand to poke the ball into the empty net. 

 

On 16 minutes, the Deres were within inches of making it 3-0 as Ross Cable set up Aiden Pursglove who walloped the ball against the crossbar.  Sam Prett could have completed a 22-minute hat-trick, but his goal was disallowed for offside.  However, on 23 minutes it was 3-0. Pursglove found himself bearing down on goal and was upended by Hall in the penalty area. Strictly, Hall should have been sent off as the last man, but the referee only brandished a yellow card. Pursglove duly tucked away the spot kick to keep up the Deres’ 100% record from 12 yards out this season.

 

Bengal's best player, the tricky winger Donovan James looked most likely to score past a Deres defence that was just going through the motions.  But it was 4-0 before the interval as Deane's chipped corner-kick was headed home by Chris Hill.

 

There was no respite for the visitors in the second period - after just one minute, the Deres had hit the post through Aiden Pursglove and the ricochet off the post had deceived Sam Prett who was standing by to complete his hat-trick. 

 

On 50 minutes though, the Deres were reduced to ten men as keeper Matt Bromby was dismissed for the third time in four months. A good ball over the top of the defence put Stephane Forbes through on goal, racing John Farley.  Bromby advanced out of his area as Forbes poked the ball goal bound. Bromby saved the shot with his hands and was promptly sent off.  Left-back Ryan Robinson, who had netted a hat-trick in the reverse fixture in January, took over in goal.

 

 

 

This didn't unsettle the Deres as they made it 5-0 on 55 minutes. Budak's brilliant looping header across the face of goal from all of 12 yards out nestled in the back of the net for the midfielder's 5th goal of the season.

 

Bengal capitalised on their one man advantage as they netted two quick fire goals. Firstly, on 65 minutes, Vasyl Sopylyuk capitalised on the Deres failing to clear the ball properly as he lashed home from 12 yards and five minutes later Isiah Green bundled the ball across the line to make it 5-2 with 20 minutes remaining.

 

Normal order was eventually restored on 77 minutes as Ross Cable found himself in acres of space. He drove into the penalty area, toyed with the idea of passing to Sam Prett but opened his Deres account with a simple finish from 12 yards out.

 

Goal of the afternoon came on 81 minutes, as the lively substitute John Gallagher, who must take great credit in revitalising the Deres for the last fifteen or so minutes, nipped in and stole possession from a daydreaming Bengal defender 30 yards out from goal. Gallagher still had a lot to do and he glided past two Sporting defenders before confidently finishing with aplomb past Hall.

 

Prett completed his hat-trick on 83 minutes as this time Cable, once again with the goal at his mercy, did decide to pass to Prett, who made it 8-2.  Four minutes later it was 9-2. Deane's short corner kick to Cable caught the visitors napping. As a Bengal defender closed him down. Cable flicked the ball past this defender with consummate ease, then broke into a jog and dinked the ball over Hall from an acute angle.  A minute later the Deres were in double figures as Cable fired the ball across the face of goal for Prett to score his fourth and make it 10-2.

 

This game set a club record for the biggest aggregate score in a season’s league games, following our 9-1 win at Mile End stadium the previous month.  Sporting Bengal went on to complete a miserable season losing all 32 of their league games.  Deres finished 8th, their lowest placing yet in this Kent League spell.

 

Deres: Matt Bromby; Matt Bedford, Ryan Robinson, Huseyin Budak, Chris Hill (Michael Adcock h/t), John Farley, Adrian Deane, Ross Cable, Sam Prett, Aiden Pursglove (Richie Radbourne 81), Kevin George (Jon Gallagher 72).

Sporting Bengal United: Amando Hall; Daryl Noble (Liton Zaman 56), Ali Shikheey (Tony Hua 72), Abdal Ahmed, Chris Rothon, Glen Kendall, Donovan James, Vitalijs Jarijs (Isiah Green 56), Stephane Forbes, Vasyl Sopylyuk, Malik Abdulai.