22 October 2022

Erith and Belvedere          1          Lear 12

Tunbridge Wells                 5          McCreadie 24, 26, 36, 54, Walder 76

McCREADIE TRANSPORTS DERES INTO A NIGHTMARE DAY

Among the statistical landmarks set up by Erith and Belvedere during their extraordinary start to the league season, maybe the quirkiest was the possibility of winning every league match during an entire Prime Ministerial term.  Since Liz Truss is still PM until a successor is chosen, this elusive stat didn’t come to pass on a day when, as Tony Beckingham put it, he couldn’t name a single player who’d had a good game.

On the day after they’d been drawn at home to Tunbridge Wells in the Kent Senior Trophy, meaning three meetings with the same opponents before Christmas, the Deres started fairly well and took the lead in the 12th minute when Tunde Aderonmu controlled Nathan Palmer’s cross with his chest then played a neat ball into the path of Danny Lear who fired home.

But if any of the Deres thought a 12th minute goal would lead to a 12th successive league win, the visitors had other ideas.  After Palmer had a shot well held by keeper Jason Tibble, the Wells equalised when John Shea robbed Ryan Johnson and set up a goal for Trevor McCreadie.  Barely a minute later McCreadie was on target again, meeting Frank Griffin’s pass at the far post and slotting home from a tight angle.

The Deres had fallen behind at home to a quick brace of goals before, against Punjab United, but on that occasion they hit back straight away and went on to win 6-2.  This time they failed to strike back and ten minutes later McCreadie completed a first-half hat-trick with a backheel from a centre from the right, reminiscent of Gianfranco Zola’s famous strike against Norwich!

Late in the first half Deres had two decent chances, Lear not quite following up a half-held Aderonmu shot and Bradley Ryan firing high and wide after a quiet performance, but at half-time a seismic result looked on the cards.

The second half brought nothing but frustration for the runaway league leaders as Wells packed the defence and their red wall held up rather better than the Tory Party’s looks like doing.  Aderonmu and Ben Wilson came closest for Deres with headers off target, but nine minutes after the interval McCreadie popped up with a fourth, and 15 minutes from time substitute Jack Walder finished off all thoughts of a late rally with a fifth. Deres remain eleven points clear, although Erith Town have two games in hand, but they will have to shake this defeat off before the tricky trip to Whitstable Town next Saturday.

DERES: Adam Molloy; Nathan Palmer, Ben Wilson (Jack Miles 82), Jerome Wade, Ryan Johnson, Rob Strachan, Tyrell Richardson-Brown, George Monger (Rory Ward 62), Tunde Aderonmu (Anthony Morrison 73), Danny Lear (George Purcell 73), Bradley Ryan.  Sub: Reece Barrett.

WELLS: Jason Tibble; Frank Griffin, Dan Tear (Robbie Bissett 73), Jack Palmby, Tommy Smith, Connor Pring, Matty Astle, John Shea (Jack Walder 62), Trevor McCreadie (Jacob Feasey 59; Rhys Bartlett 89), Matt Gething, John Phillips.  Sub: James Nurden.