1 October 2022

Holmesdale                          0

Erith and Belvedere          1          Richardson-Brown 26

DERES MATCH THE BOYS OF 1928!

A single goal by Tyrell Richardson-Brown was enough to take the points from Oakley Road and keep the Deres top of the SCEFL table, now leading by 5 points with a game in hand as Deal Town were held to a 2-2 draw at Tunbridge Wells.  Those are the crucial details, but as a bonus the win equalled the club record for the longest 100% start to a league season.  Back in 1928 the Deres won their first eight league games before dropping their first point against the Royal Marines in the ninth.  This Tuesday at home to Glebe the present-day Deres will try to claim the record outright.

It has to be said, though, that the Deres made somewhat heavy weather of it, as once again a dominant first-half performance was followed by hesitancy in the second.  After a bright start by Dale, where Jacob Skelly tried a drive that went just wide in the third minute, the visitors made almost all the chances in the first half. 

Danny Lear, as ever, was in the thick of it.  Very difficult to dispossess, his tenacity on the left enabled Reece Barrett to send over a 4th-minute cross which Tyrell Richardson-Brown was unable to convert – a sighter for later however.  Four minutes later Lear cut in from the left and fired just wide, and on 16 minutes, while on the deck and recovering from a knock, the ball came his way – he got up and contributed to a move which set up a chance, then limped away.

Nathan Palmer was somewhat unlucky not to capitalise on an underhit backpass on 20 minutes, but on 26 the Deres took the lead when Fraser Walker’s cross was met by a majestic header from Richardson-Brown.

Just past the half-hour Lear’s afternoon came to a painful end – rushing down the right side of a box to get a centre in, he slid towards the railings and in trying to avoid a metal post slid through the netting and onto the path beyond, grazing his leg.  He was down for a while before being substituted, but was seen walking normally afterwards.

No fault of Tunde Aderonmu’s, but the momentum went out of the Deres after the substitution.  They still made chances - Nathan Palmer had a 37th-minute effort disallowed for offside following up Barrett’s blocked shot, an Aderonmu header hit the bar early in the second half and Bradley Ryan netted a rebound from George Purcell’s shot six minutes from time but was also given offside.  For the first time ever the Deres made five substitutions in a league game and Skelly came close to an equaliser as Deres were pushed as hard for the points as they have been all season.

DALE: Nathan Edwards; Cian McCarthy (Bronum Reynolds 68), George Harsini, Jaco b Skelly, Gabriel Ntumba, Siji Akinlusi, Amari King, Edward Sata, Fred Obasa (Ric Campbell 84), James Shield (Lester Lawrence 65), Raphael Dwyile.

DERES: Adam Molloy; Fraser Walker, Reece Barrett (Ben Wilson 79), Ryan Johnson, Jack Miles, Rob Strachan, Ryan Palmer (Bradley Ryan 58), George Monger (Rory Ward 73), Danny Lear (Tunde Aderonmu 33), Nathan Palmer (George Purcell 65), Tyrell Richardson-Brown.

Match highlights found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38eoc8gAo_U