9 October 2021

 

Erith and Belvedere              3          McGeehan 11, Bate 48, Gbode 78

Welling Town                        2          Jimoh 17, Richards og 34

 

JOE STEALS THE SHOW AS DICKO CLAIMS A RECORD

 

REMEMBER THE NAME! 16-year-old Joe Gbode sealed the points with his first goal in senior football in a dramatic game at Park View Road.  The youngster on loan from Gillingham pounced on a loose ball in the 78th minute to settle a ding-dong battle in which Welling Town belied their lowly status in the league.

 

The big news beforehand was the return of Chris Dickson.  The 36-year-old spent two seasons with the Deres before embarking on a career which took him to Charlton, the Champions League, China and Chelmsford, plus two caps for Ghana and an FA Trophy win with Hornchurch last spring.  His return, 15 years and eight months after his previous Deres appearance, smashed the record gap between appearances previously held by Terry Groom at 13 years 5 months.  The record gap between Deres goals, also 13 years 5 months held by Wayne Brown, is under threat…

 

Deres began confidently as befits a team with only two defeats all season, and as early as the second minute Dickson had a chance at a sensational return, turning well but missing the target after being set up by Ollie Bate.  On 11 minutes however they did take the lead, Calum McGeehan meeting a cross from the right with an emphatic header for his third Deres goal.

 

If home supporters relaxed after this and waited for the team to stretch the lead, they rudely awakened six minutes later when Richard Jimoh, always a threat on the right, cut inside and sent in a low shot which Rilwan Anibaba seemed to dive over and let it squirm under his body to equalise. 

 

A quiet period followed until the 34th minute when Anibaba was beaten again, this time by a header he had little chance with – unfortunately it came from his own full-back.  Marlon Patterson was booked for a crunching tackle on Jimoh, and Rob Brown’s free-kick was headed into his own goal in an attempted clearance by Kazzeem Richards.

 

Two minutes later Gbode turned well in the box and his shot took an awkward deflection, but Welling keeper Ryan Coitress did well to hold on to it.  At the other end Jimoh got past Patterson, on a yellow and wary of tackling, and shot just wide on the left-hand side.  Welling held an unexpected lead at half-time.

 

Three minutes into the second half Taylor Robinson had a golden chance well held by Anibaba, and within a minute Bate was on hand to lob Coitress and equalise for the Deres.

 

Another Jimoh shot went wide on 56 minutes after a tussle with Gbode, but Deres were making the better chances as the second half progressed: Bate shooting high and wide and Dickson trying an audacious overhead kick from Dasofunjo’s cross, which Coitress managed to smother.  Then on 78 minutes came a scramble in the box and Gbode’s coup de grace.  All of the top seven in the SCEFL won, and it’s looking like a fascinating title race to come.

 

DERES: Rilwan Anibaba; Kazzeem Richards, Marlon Patterson (Teddy Green 66), Harvey Brand, Calum McGeehan, Reece Barrett (Gary Alexander 75), Henry Dasofunjo, Luke Rooney, Joseph Gbode (Rob Curtis 85), Chris Dickson, Ollie Bate.  Subs: Tommy Brown, Louis Sprosen.

BOOTS: Ryan Coitress; Dylan Cave, Dennis Agbudume, Dami Oni, Alex Costa, Luke Coleman, Mehmet Piro (Trey Small 19), James Miles (Jhoan Tabima 74), Taylor Robinson, Rob Brown, Richard Jimoh (Ryan Golding 80).  Sub: Manny Adetokunbo.