Saturday, October 18, 2008 19:43
Faversham Town 5 Slade Green 2
By Tony Gray
Match photos available by following the "gallery" link above
A spirited second half performance saw Faversham Town turn around a one goal defecit at half-time to score five times as they ran out worthy winners against a Slade Green side reduced to ten men for the final five minutes of this Kent Premier League fixture.
With joint manager Jimmy Strouts announcing his retirement from the game in midweek the Lilywhites bench was bolstered by the arrival of Clive Walker as first team coach. Town also welcomed the return of midfielder and former skipper Tom Hickman who has rejoined the Salters Lane outfit on loan from Margate.
Both sides looked well matched in the opening period with Town keeper Kevin Readings doing well to deny Green's Luke May from close range on 12 minutes whilst Roy Guiver and Dane Luchford both had chances at the other end.
Slade Green broke the deadlock on 32 minutes when they capitalised on some poor defending from the home side, Tarik Osresberogiu firing the the ball across the Town area to Daniel Westerman whose well struck shot flew low past Readings in the Town goal.
With the visitors now on top both sides were subjected to some very poor decision making from the match officials which hampered any chance of flowing football.
Steve O'Brien made way for Dave Soutan at the interval, and it was the home side who were quickest out of the blocks for the second period with the Lilywhites back on level terms on 49 minutes courtesy of Dane Luchford who tucked the ball away past Marc Powell after being put through by a neat touch from Guiver.
The home side extended the lead on 54 minutes following a fine run from Luchford whose crossed ball into the area was met by Damian Abel who fired home from close range.
Jamie Sparks was replaced by Dean Yorath on 70 minutes after picking up an ankle injury only minutes before the match was levelled on 74 minutes, Green's Lee Woodyard being brought down inside the Town area by Readings who was fortunate to only pick up a yellow card before Lee Barnett calmly converted the spot kick.
Undeterred thye home side continued to ask the questions as they pushed Slade Green all the way, Guiver made way for Sean Hetterley on 80 minutes and found himself in the thick of things immediately, a Dane Luchford free-kick from the left was headed on by Lee Shearer before being met at the far post by a diving Hetterley, with the original effort blocked the Green goal mouth was soon besieged by a Town strikeforce and after numerous attempts the ball was finally ushered across the line by Damian Abel.
Three minutes later and Town added goal number four as the impressive Hetterley found himself upended inside the area by Grant Cunningham, the Green defender being the last man and receiving a straight red card accordingly as Town skipper Shearer wrong footed Powell to convert the resultant penalty kick.
The Lilywhites netted for the fifth time on 89 minutes as Hickman intercepted a poor clearance before crossing the ball to Hetterley who met the ball at the far post before taking a touch and sending the ball past Powell wth ease.
A poor first half display by the home side but more than made up for by a second 45 minutes and 5 well taken goals.
Town are next in action this coming Tuesday when they welcome the visit of Hythe Town to Salters Lane with a kick -off of 19:45.
Town's Man of the Match: Shane Hamshare
Faversham Town: Kevin Readings (7); Jamie Sparks (7); Ashley Brown (7); Tom Hickman (7); Steven Lloyd (7); Lee Shearer (7); Shane Hamshare (8); Damian Abel (8); Roy Guiver (7); Dane Luchford (8); Steve O'Brien (7)
Substitutes: Dave Soutan (for O'Brien 45 minutes) (8); Dean Yorath ( for Sparks 70 minutes) (7); Sean Hetterley (for Guiver 80 minutes) (7).
Unused: Carl Hodgson; Mike McKenna.