12 March 2022

Hollands & Blair                 2          Brown pen 40, Freeman 47

Erith and Belvedere          1          Leach 60       

ANOTHER BARREN DAY AT THE MEADOW

Yet again the Deres came back from Star Meadow without the points after an attritional game.  It wasn’t a hiding like the 7-1 and 6-0 defeats they’ve suffered there in recent years, but was immensely frustrating, and the atmosphere between the benches was toxic from the off.

Before the game was a minute old Josh Leach was adjudged to have brought down Dean James in the box and Blair had a penalty.  It was softish, and James allegedly admitted he was going down anyway … but Ted McDonald dived low to his right and pushed away Ricky Freeman’s kick.

The game was pretty even for most of the first half, with the impression that anyone who lingered too long on the ball was risking his legs: Ben Brown was booked for a clattering tackle on Ross Craig in the 7th minute.  Just after this Charlie Gill rolled a shot narrowly wide, while at the other end Lee Lewis underhit a shot from outside the box and Danny Lear cleared the bar with another effort.

Midway through the half McDonald foiled Freeman again, tipping a curling shot over the bar, while on the half-hour Nathan Palmer’s tenacity earned a free-kick but Lee Lewis hit the wall.  Freeman again broke clear but shot wide, then on 34 minutes James Dyer drew a save from Mitchell Ware then hit the bar direct from the corner.

The deadlock was broken in unsatisfactory fashion in the 40th minute when Charlie Gill’s cross was deflected onto Calum McGeehan’s hand and a penalty was given.  This time Ben Brown sent McDonald the wrong way and gave Blair a half-time lead.

Two minutes into the second half it was 2-0 when Freeman broke clear and tucked the shot away despite vociferous Deres pleas for handball.  After Jack Simon had sent a free-kick over the bar the Deres pulled one back on the hour, as a corner came in from the left and Josh Leach’s flicked header sent it into the far corner of the goal. 

It was Leach’s first goal for the Deres and the club’s 100th of the season in all competitions, but it wasn’t enough.  Deres continued to press but didn’t produce a clear-cut chance until stoppage time, when Calum McGeehan rose first to a cross and had the ball in the net but the goal was disallowed for pushing.  On balance Blair just about merited the win but the match on their sloping bobbly pitch hadn’t exactly been a classic.

BLAIR: Mitchell Ware; Sam Welch, John Walker, Ben Brown, George Benner, Rob Gilman, Jack Simon, Dean James (Charlie Saunders 78; Louis Valencia 89), Ricky Freeman (Harry Welford 76), Charlie Gill, Tom Loynes.

DERES: Ted McDonald, Josh Leach, Reece Barrett, Ross Craig, Calum McGeehan, Luke Rooney, James Dyer, Harry Maher, Danny Lear, Nathan Palmer, Lee Lewis.  Subs not used: Teddy Green, Neil Spencer, Danny Murphy.