Premier Division

Bearsted  0    Hollands & Blair  3

Saturday, 01 December 2007

Not too unlike other weeks this season for Bearsted, the match was lost in the final quarter of the game after having put up such a good show throughout. Indeed it might have been interesting to know what the scoreline might have been had they not have been reduced to 10 men after just 15 minutes as they more than matched their high flying opponents. The Bears should have gone ahead soon after the start when Joddie Ricketts was guilty of firing over a shot with only the keeper to beat after being put in by Kevin Swaisland. Playing on a heavy, uneven surface both sides struggled to put moves together, but it was Hollands who seemed to be creating more of the chances with their more direct play, usually with Martin May being prominent. The striker might well have put his side ahead on the half hour when a Cliff Eldridge cross-found him only him to shoot over from 12yards. He was also in the right place again to score soon after, this time being denied a goal by a combination of a goal line clearance by debutant Neil Miller that fortunately found the grateful arms of goalkeeper Jason Reeves.

Although play remained even throughout much of the second half it was Blair who were the team to open the scoring after 60 minutes when a deep ball in was not dealt with effectively enough by the home defence, allowing Eldridge to exploit running in to fire in from 10 yards. An equaliser seemed on the cards soon after

when a deep clearance put through Swaisland to round keeper Lewis Flisher, only to be denied by too tight an angle for him to score into the unguarded goal. Reeves then had to be at his best when, on two consecutive occasions, he produced great saves from both Eldridge and Darren Blackburn. However the striker did not have to wait too long after when he picked up on a Reeves’ goal kick to run in and score with only the keeper to beat. The introduction of impressive new signing Matt Maxwell did provide some hope though, when Flisher had to react smartly to the winger’s approach work and shot to stop it entering the net. However all hope of a result was finally lost when a back pass by Ricketts fell woefully short, allowing Blackburn to run in and round the keeper before rolling the ball into an empty net adding his second and to maintain his side’s title ambitions.

Team: J.Reeves, A.Budden, N.Millier, R.Stevens, S.Brimstead., S.Smith, 

S.Benton G.East, (D.Chaney) S.Brockman, K.Swaisland, J.Ricketts,  (M.Maxwell)

Subs:  D.Dyal