26 September 2020

 

Hollands and Blair             0

Erith and Belvedere          0

 

DERES’ TEN MEN WENT TO DRAW AT THE MEADOW

 

Hollands and Blair’s Star Meadow has never been a happy hunting ground for the Deres.  On their first ever visit in 2012 they won the Kent Senior Trophy semi-final only to be disqualified for fielding a player without international clearance.  Since then they’ve suffered three league defeats, two of them by six-goal margins.  So a point was a welcome change in fortunes, particularly after a performance showing a lot of character when down to ten men.

 

Rilwan Anibaba set up the first chance, going Route One in conditions where the stiff breeze and bumpy pitch put skilful football at a premium.  His long punt in the 4th minute set up Tyler Anderson for a volley which cleared the bar.  A couple of minutes later Anibaba himself had a fright, spilling the ball in the wind, but the chance was cleared.

 

On 17 minutes Deres had two good chances in the space of a minute.  A fine forward ball by George Oldfield released Drew Allassani, whose terrific shot produced an equally good save by Mitchell Ware, tipping it over the bar.  From the corner Reece Barrett directed a bullet header onto the bar, where the ball bounced Hurst-like just in front of the goal-line and was cleared.

 

Hollands and Blair looked dangerous on occasions too, with Callum McGeehan heading just wide from a corner on 22 minutes.  Much had been made of the signing of Danny Kedwell, whose goals took AFC Wimbledon into the Football League and Gillingham into the third tier – but on this occasion his first decent chance saw his shot go out for a throw-in.

 

More excellent work from Allassani on 26 minutes, hurdling a defender’s challenge and sending a centre into the box, saw James Hawkins’ shot saved.  Then on 36 minutes, after an exchange of tasty challenges, came a turning point as George Oldfield was sent off after tangling with Darren Cooper.  Oldfield’s version was that Cooper brought him down and stuck the head in as Oldfield got up, but the referee saw the headbutt the other way and sent off the Deres’ full-back.  A supporter standing nearest to the incident reckoned it merited a yellow apiece.

 

Last season’s Deres side crumbled after going down to ten men – albeit having lost the goalkeeper – but this season’s knuckled down to the task.  Anibaba pulled off two or three fine saves in quick succession early in the second half, and Kedwell’s shot wide on the hour was pretty much Blair’s last decent chance.  At the other end Tyler Anderson had a shot blocked close in.

 

In a full-blooded battle for the point Del Oldfield gave sub debuts to new signings Marvin Richards and Harry Smith, who acquitted themselves well as a hard game ended goalless.  Steve Springett tweeted: “Defensively … absolutely class today. Had chances too, but very good graft from the lads after going down to 10 and character after Tuesday [the 5-0 Cup defeat at Hartley Wintney]. Not many sides come away from there with a clean sheet and a point.”

 

Deres next take on Punjab United on Tuesday looking for what would be their first league win of the decade!

 

BLAIR: Ware; Kane, Mingle (Loynes 66), Prescott, Brown, McGeehan, Welch (Gething 79), Valencia, Kedwell, Harvey (Freeman 70), Cooper.

DERES: Anibaba; Oldfield, Springett, Taylor (Richards 74), Curtis, Barrett, Anderson (Adeyemo 87), Allassani, Diakiesse (Smith 74), Nosike, Hawkins.