17 April 2023

 

Tunbridge Wells                 0

Erith and Belvedere          0

 

DERES TAKE A POINT AND THE TITLE

 

In what was probably the least interesting football match of the Deres’ entire season, they took the single point they needed to clinch the SCEFL title, and were able to celebrate on the pitch even if the trophy won’t be in their hands until Wednesday.

 

It had been a tetchy couple of days.  The game scheduled for Saturday the 15th had been postponed, controversially as E&B had offered to find an alternative venue less vulnerable to weather (Tonbridge’s 3G) but Wells turned it down, only to have to postpone owing to heavy rain on the Saturday morning.  The SCEFL fixture secretary Matthew Panting proposed to reschedule the Wells game for Monday and put Tuesday’s home game v Deal back to the Wednesday   E&B pointed out the FA had ruled that games affecting promotion could now be put back to 25th, Panting talks of “sporting integrity”.  But by the time his email was sent Phoenix had lost 3-2 at Whitstable so E&B needed only 1 more point.  But to get it they would need to play three games in 6 days.

 

1 Jordan Perrin, 2 Jude Russell, 3 Ryan Khanye, 4 Ryan Johnson, 5 Jahmal Howlett-Mundle, 6 Rob Strachan, 7 Prince Domafriyie, 8 Lewis Chambers, 9 Marcus Elliott, 10 Billy Bennett, 11 Anthony Adesite.

Subs: George Monger, George Snelling, Ben Wilson, Tyrell Richardson-Brown, Damian Niemczycki.

 

The match in tweets:

 

15 mins speculative effort by Robbie Bissett goes wide

24 mins Anthony Adesite crosses and Rob Strachan just fails to reach it

33 mins Marcus Elliott warms the keeper's hands with a drive from the edge of the box

35 mins Jacob Bennett palms away another Adesite centre and it evades other Deres

41 mins another Adesite cross palmed out and an absolute air shot by Marcus Elliott.

44 mins YC for Adesite for a heavy challenge

Half time 0-0. A bit scrappy, a few hairy moments at the back, but in the words of Jon Bon Jovi...

52 mins good buildup down the left, Bennett flicks it on and Adesite wins a corner. From which Rob Strachan has the ball in the net but there's a foul on the keeper...

63 mins Deres sub TRB for Adesite

80 mins Wells hit the bar!

4 minutes stoppage time ...

90+1 Chambers long throw caught by Bennett.

90+3 great save Jordan Perrin!

FINAL SCORE 0-0. DERES ARE SCEFL CHAMPIONS.