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18th September 2006 

By JAMES BROWN

Faversham Town 3 Thamesmead Town 2

Photography by Roger Bennett

TIM HOLMES accepted the praise that goes with a man-of-the-match
display but refused to shake on it.

The Faversham Town goalkeeper was forced to brush away the many
hands thrust in his direction because of the throbbing pain coming
from inside his right glove - an injury he is believed to have
carried for TWO WEEKS.

Not that you would have known by the way he fought a lone battle
against a Thamesmead onslaught that could easily have seen Terry
Cordice's men four or five goals down by the break.

SO CLOSE...Kris Parker fires wide as Faversham Town go for the  
jugular against Thamesmead Town

The Town number one's best-ever performance for the Lilywhites
featured a succession of brilliant saves including one from the very
top drawer to deny the rampant Londoners at Salters Lane on Saturday.

The trainee firefighter saved Town single-handedly in more ways
than one and boss Terry Cordice admitted: "Yes, Tim has a hand injury
but played through the pain barrier and was absolute quality.

"He was exceptional, especially in the first half when they could
have had maybe four or five goals. He gave us the protection we
needed to go and win the game in the last half hour."

Town's defences were finally breached 11 minutes after the re-start
when Curtis Williams turned sweetly in the box and fired beyond Holmes.

But the turning point came when Thamesmead defender James Brown was
given his marching orders for a pull on Mark Smith in the penalty
area on 65 minutes.

Julian Beal dispatched the resultant spot-kick and Town were back
in the game with Kris Parker making it 2-1 nine minutes later
courtesy of a cracking finish past Sam Mills.

Ryan Royston levelled the scores for a second time with ten minutes
to go before Andy Martin sent a crowd of 270 into raptures with the
86th-minute winner.

The big news ahead of this Kent League Premier Division clash was
the inclusion of debutants Rob Hitchcock and Michael Seager who were
promoted from the Reserves after impressing in a midweek win over
Herne Bay.

Teenage midfielder Hitchcock, 19, showed some nice touches early
on but failed to make much of an impact and was replaced at half-time.

Seager lasted the duration, however, with one of the better
performances in a defence that featured a strangely out-of-sorts
skipper James Holder.

Thamesmead asked questions of Holmes right from the opening whistle
and none more so than the first corner of the day, whipped in from
the left by the hugely impressive Sam Thomas.

Rob Tarrant had moved up from right back and looked to have found
the net with a powerful downward header only for Holmes to throw
himself full length to the right and claw the ball to safety.

It was a save that will live long in the memory of everyone
privileged enough to have seen it but Holmes had no time to milk the
applause of a delightfully partisan and vociferous home crowd.

First, he denied Williams after the striker burst through the heart
of the Town defence, then he kept out Danny Beszant with a near post
save after Mark Smith was left for dead.

Good work from the hard-working Beszant gave Brown a chance to have
a pop at goal but again Holmes was equal to the challenge with a
great stop.

Pedro Knight was next up with a right-foot effort that Holmes saw
all the way before the crossbar came to Town's rescue on the half-
hour mark to the frustration of centre-half Dean Kearley.

Steve Aslett replaced Hitchcock for the second half with Wayne
Farrell making way for Jason Mills as Cordice looked to halt the flow
of Thamesmead chances.

But it was to get much worse for Town on 56 minutes with Beszant
slipping a ball into Williams who had a lot of work to do with his
back to goal 15 yards out.

But he turned in a heartbeat and sent a cool finish beyond Holmes
to give Thamesmead the goal that had been so long overdue.

Town's first shot on target came from Mark Smith on 62 minutes but
the effort from 25 yards lacked power and Mills made a simple catch,
welcoming the opportunity to be involved.

Three minutes later and Brown intervened before the keeper had a
chance to make an impression, tugging at Smith's shirt as he was put
though on goal.

Smith looked to make a meal of it but there was definite contact
and Beal was certainly not going to ask questions, thudding the ball
home from 12 yards with a firm finish.

Beal carved a great chance for Parker on 71 minutes, accepting the
ball from Holmes at the back before delivering a curling ball in
behind the defence and into the striker's path.

Parker drew the keeper and looked certain to find the far corner
only to choose the opposite side and fire tamely into the side-netting.

He need not have worried for three minutes later and Town were 2-1
ahead. This time Aslett split the defence with a super ball and
Parker did the rest with a fantastic finish to the right of Mills and
into the corner.

COCK-A-HOOPS...QPR fan Kris Parker makes it 2-1 and heads for the  
crowd to celebrate with a young fan wearing the Loftus Road club's  
colours

Ten minutes from time and Thamesmead were back on terms thanks to a
powerful low shot from Royston which gave Holmes no chance.

Then just when it looked like both sides had settled for a draw,
the home fans turned up the volume, demanding a grandstand finish.

And that is exactly what they received with Martin breaking free of
the defence and finding the net with a shot that went into the ground
and then over Mills to spark jubilant scenes among the faithful.

Town were back on top of the table and as the fans cheered there
were handshakes all round - with one notable exception.

Town's Top Man - Tim Holmes: Sensational, pure and simple

Tim Holmes 9, Wayne Farrell 5, Michael Seager 7, Wes Hammond 7, James
Holder 5, Gary Stock 6, Julian Beal 6, Robert Hitchcock 5, Andy
Martin 7, Kris Parker 7, Mark Smith 6. Steve Aslett (for Hitchcock,
45 minutes) 7, Jason Mills (for Farrell, 45) 7, Richard Gamble (for
Martin, 93) not on long enough to rate

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