Sunday September 4th - Match Reports

It was GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! All the way on the opening day of the Dore Metal Sheppey Sunday League with nearly 90 goals scored the teams were obviously eager to get back into action.

In Division One Champions Park Regis (Kemsley) started their campaign with a 5-3 win over AFC Red Lion. The Champions had found the first half rough going with the Lion side scoring through Ben O’Neill, Michael Cannon and George Blake to go into the break at 3-1. A spirited half time team talk by Manager Ashleigh Taylor saw his side overturn the deficit in fine style by winning the game 5-3 with goals from Lee Hudson, Dan Hudson, Ashleigh Taylor and a brace from Tommy Price. Last seasons runners up Holm Sports had a horrific start to the season going down 6-1 to a buoyant Red Lion (Sheppey) side. A hat trick from Aaron Kerry and goals from Russell Lamb, Brett Nevin and Carl Harrold gave the Red Lion side a terrific start, and Aaron Abbott scoring the consolation for Holm. The trouncing of the day went to the emerging Beach side who thumped Leysdown 9-0 to make claim to their rivals that they have arrived. Goals from Mark Martin, Danny Eason, Phil Jackson, Rob Reardon, a brace from Jay Law and a Dan Bryant hat trick gave The Beach the perfect start. The other game in the Division saw a tight encounter between Isle of Sheppey Academy and The Goat end in a 2-1 win for The Goat with goals from super sub Marcus Lind and Dan Solari with Nathan Spocchia netting for the Academy.

The Division Two season got under way with three very tight encounters. Aviator and Eastern Athletic starting their first ever season in the Senior section battled out a 2-2 draw with goals from Will Frost and Jason Soper for the Aviator with Danny Creed grabbing a brace to secure the point for Eastern. Range Rovers continued their good form from last season when they were known as B&W Athletic with a 2-1 victory over Gore Court Arms. Goals from Paul Constable and Nathan Brown won the points for Rovers with Mark Baldock netting for the Arms side. The final game in the Division saw Park Regis Reserves edge out Sporting Sittingbourne 3-2.

In Division Three there was mixed emotions for the two new boys of the League. The Wheatsheaf started their first ever Sheppey Sunday League campaign with an action packed game against Park Regis A which really was definitely a game of two halves. The game got off to a tentative start with no clear cut chances early on. Wheatsheaf pressure proved too much and a defensive lapse of concentration let in Timmy 'Twinkle Toes' May to open the scoring for the Wheatsheaf with the goal keeper getting a touch. Then, a neat through ball by Club Captain Grant Bartlett put Paul Zweck through who coolly slid the ball into the bottom corner to make it 2 . The first half goal scoring was rounded off by Bartlett who got enough on the ball to direct it in to the back of the net off his chest, making it 3-0 at half time. The second half saw Park Regis 'A' come out of the blocks quickly and tallied up two early goals in the first ten minutes with strikes by Joe Brown and Ricky Frost to make it an exciting 3-2. Then against the run of play Zweck assisted Paul Coombs with another neat through ball, leaving Coombs to bravely toe poke it in to make it 4-2. From then on the fight back was on with Park Regis 'A' clawing it back to 4-4 with goals from Brown again and Dan Tye. Once again Timmy 'Twinkle Toes' May managed to get The Wheatsheaf's nose in front with a cool finish leaving Park Regis 'A' to equalise late with a goal from James Rogers to make the final score 5-5. Late on Bartlett had the best chance to clinch the winner but his well placed shot went wide. The other Divisions new boys the Fox & Goose got a stark lesson from the Nags Head side with a 10-1 drubbing. Goals from Gary Toms, Anthony Unsworth, Michael Bond, Darren Delport, 2 from Andy Turner, a Nathan Ward hat trick, and an own goal saw a sorry looking Goose side off, with Sabeur Trabelsi scoring the consolation. Isle of Sheppey Academy Reserves and Red Lion C cancelled each other out to finish with a 0-0 draw, and Classic Real and Aviator Reserves battled out a 2-2 draw with goals from Ross Faloyo and Jack Kingsford with Darren Morgan and Steve Woods replying for the Aviator

All the League’s new sides kicked off their season in the Combination Division with Connor Simpson being the star of the Division and the League this week with a five star performance for Sittingbourne Lions in their game against Murston Hammers. The game started brightly with both sides having a fair share of the ball but it was the Lions that grew into the game and a move down the left hand side released Lee Clarke to open the scoring. Lions continued to press and were rewarded a 2nd when Connor Simpson rounded the keeper to give them a 2-0 half time advantage. The second period continued to see the Lions dominate and soon made it 3 after some good work down the right from Lloyd James who played in Simpson to drive home from the edge of the area. The rout was over when Simpson then made it 4 from the penalty spot before Nick Coles made it 5 latching onto a cross from Lewis Fryer. Simpson then helped himself to his 4th of the game to make it 6. The Murston consolation goal was a well worked free kick by Greg Joseph to make it 6-1. The prolific Simpson completed the hammering by scoring his 5 th of the game to make the final score an impressive 7-1 to the Lions. Teynham Gunners played against their local rivals Lynten in their first outing in men’s competitive football for the first time in their Club’s history and came out winners with four goals to nil. The game was closer than the score line suggests but Teynham capitalised on some good fortune and made sure they finished their chances in front of goal. Teynham kept Lynten busy in defence with Beau Spree getting his hat-trick, including a penalty, and left back Jordan Cox getting the fourth with a long range strike from the left wing late in the game to complete their first Sunday of the league. Manager Mark Spree said he was encouraged by the good performance and teamwork from the whole squad. Swale Knights found themselves twice coming from behind in this game to equalise but a bizarre goal from the Range Rovers Athletic goalkeeper Shane Sutton sealed the points for the Rovers. Sutton punting the ball up field which saw the ball bounce before the Knights keeper who clearly misjudged the bounce and could only watch the ball sail over his head into the empty goal. The Knights ill discipline cost them dear by having Bullen and Hayes sent off and two goals from Steve Curtis gave the Rovers victory with Ricky Wigglesworth scoring both the Knights goals. Inter Milton looked like they were heading for a draw with Cheema when a last gasp goal from Sam Rough sealed the points for Cheema. Goals from Darren Garrett and Gordon Wright for Cheema and strikes by Aaron Blackbourne and Phil Austin for Milton looked like they had shared the points until Rough’s late show. Queens Head got their first win of the season under their belt with a 2-1 win over Sporting Sittingbourne with goals from Luke Rowland and James Hewitt with Ed Panting grabbing the goal for Sporting.

League Secretary Mark Rogers said “I am very pleased with the way the opening day has gone we only had two games not fully covered by 3 Qualified Assistants and at the games I was at the standard of football was very good. So I am very pleased.”

Sunday 11 th September - Match Reports

The Len Waters League Cup Preliminary Round kicked off this weekends games with no major upsets but there were a couple of scares for the bigger teams taking on the minnows. A Close encounter by Combination side Real Sittingbourne taking Division 2 highflyers Range Rovers to extra time before the Rovers side snatched the win. From the start to finish neither team had any clear advantage at any point. Range Rovers took the lead just before half time with a goal from Nathan Brown. Real never gave up and made it hard for Rovers with opportunities at both ends, but a mixture of good saves and blocks from both keepers and both defences staying solid it was going to be a tight affair. The time was running out for the Real boys when Russell Kent popped up in the final minutes to bag an equaliser and take the game to extra time. The extra period was just as tight as the game with both sides creating chances but the body blow came with 5 minutes left, when Dan Girt produced the winner. To their credit the Real boys kept chasing the game with a last gasp effort just going wide.

The other tight affair was Division One side The Goat who entertained The Wheatsheaf from Division Three. In a tight affair it was the Goat that edged victory with goals from Ben Hicks, Dan Solari, and Jack Crockford and strikes from Craig Smith and Sam Caplin for the Wheatsheaf.

The other ties in the round went with the predicted endings Division One side Holm Sports bounced back from last week's heavy defeat with a convincing 8-1 victory over Combination side Range Rovers Athletic. This was a confidence boosting performance for Holm who after a stuttering start in the match, falling behind 0-1 to a Toby Hindmarsh goal, took control of the game and replied with braces from Nicky Hunt, Daniel Calder and Chris Moreton with Chay Peters and Alex Morley completing the victory.

Park Regis A & The Nags Head both in Division Three fought out a tight game to see the Nags Head progress to the First Round with goals from Anthony Unsworth and a brace from Kriss Elavia. The Regis boys pushed hard for the equaliser but just fell short with strikes from Ben Sheehan and Ricky Frost. The eagerly awaited game between the two Red Lion sides drawn together ran to form although it was not all plain sailing for the Division One side. In a tight opening encounter it was the C side from Division 3 that looked comfortable and created a lot of chances but failed to put away. The game turned on its head when strikes from Brett Nevin, Luke Tindall, and Aaron Kerry in the spell of 15 mins towards the end of the first half knocked the C teams confidence badly.The second half played out to the predictable finish with further goals from Kerry and Martin Hammond saw Red Lion (Sheppey) through 5-1 with a consolation goal for Red Lion C by Tyler Reynolds.

The Isle of Sheppey Academy Reserves cruised past Cheema 3-0 with goals from Nick Lee and a double from Brett Jordan.

The final tie saw both Combination sides Inter Milton and Swale Knights play out a high scoring game with Milton cruising home 8-3 with a hat trick from Aaron Blackbourne a brace from Adrian Delahaye and strikes from Bill Austin, Ashley Dmytruk, and Darren Belcher completed the victory.

The other games in the Dore Metal Services Division One saw the Champions Park Regis (Kemsley) beaten for the first time in this division 4-1 by a buoyant Beach side who were full of confidence after their 9-0 battering of Leysdown the week previous. The Beach playing some attractive football took control of the game and with goals from Phil Jackson (2), Dan Bryant and a Lee Sayer (pen) gave them a memorable victory an own goal gave the Kemsley boys their consolation.

AFC Red Lion continued their good start to the season comfortably beating a 10 man Leysdown side 7-2 with goals from John Ralph (2), Frankie Swaby (2), George Blake, Ben O’Neill and Dan Servante for the Reds and strikes from Tom Pritchard and Dan Johnson for Leysdown.

FC Fountain found it tough at the top as IOSA handed last years Combination Division Champions a 3 nil defeat. Goals from Cannon, Ricky Long and Ashley Smith did the damage, with the Academy’s first goal being an absolute scorcher. Experience from the Academy shone through as they took their chances and with it 3 points. FC Fountain manager Gary Cork was in reflective mood after the game "When we were asked to take the step up to division 1, I knew it would be a big test and each game for us is a test, we've failed this one today but we will now move on and focus on Leysdown away next week and get our season going."

In Division Two Sporting Sittingbourne bounced back from a disappointing start to the season to beat Aviator 7-2. Manager Rob Barnard was away so Assistant Manager Paul Gregory took the reins and commented "After a disappointing start last week we reacted and changed things around, and today was an excellent performance. I am delighted for the lads". Goals from Derrick Amartey, Matt Hopkins (2), Shaughan Hawks (2), Peter Woods & OG saw Sporting comfortable victors with Chris Fenn getting the Aviators goals.

Park Regis Reserves gained all the points with a 5-2 victory over Swale Athletic. The Goals from Paul Overy (2), Mark Barker(2) and Ryan Miles for Regis and Shaun Edwards and Scott Chappell for Athletic.

The only other game in this Division saw Gore Court Arms thumb 5 past Little Sharsted with goals from Joe Perkins, Sam Adams, Glen Newbury and 2 from Tony Adamaszek.

Division Three only had two games played with Fox & Goose and The Aviator Reserves fighting out a tight 3-3 draw and Classic Real just losing out 2-1 to Park Tavern goals from Andy Borg-Myatt and David Wood saw Tavern home with Jack Kingsford replying for Classic.

The Combination Division saw Lynten Athletic and Murston Hammers share the points after a 1-1 draw with goals from Bradley Scales (Lynten) and Greg Joseph (Murston) and Queens Head ran out 5-3 winners against Sittingbourne Lions.

Sunday 18th September - Match Reports

The Dore Metal Services Sheppey Sunday League was back to League action this week for all the Divisions after the distraction of the Len Waters League Cup from the previous week.

The reigning Division One Champions Park Regis (Kemsley) shook off their defeat from the Beach with a solid 4-1 victory over The Goat with goals from Lee Hudson, Dan Hudson, Calvin Sills and Sam Teague with Jack Crockford replying for the Goat. The Beach crashed back to earth after their memorable victory over the Champions with a 4-3 defeat to Red Lion (Sheppey). In an even game the Lions were helped by a brace from James Waters and an own goal from Chris Kingsnorth with the game looking to be heading for a 3-3 draw, in the final minute Adam Ricketts bizarrely appeared to handle the ball over his own line for a second own goal for the Lions to secure all 3 points. The Beach scorers were Law, Jackson, and Bryant. A one all draw between the Isle of Sheppey Academy and FC Fountain went some way to get the Fountaineers season started. Both teams looked hungry but the early pressure was asserted by the Fountain but was dealt with admirably by the IOSA Defence. It was a see-saw battle until the 35 min when on their first attack the Academy broke the deadlock, a well worked move was finished by Lee Steele to joyous cheers from the Academy support to give them an advantage at the break. In the second period the Fountain continued to pressure the Academy and on 76 minutes their hard work paid off when Zac Reeves jinxed his way into the IOSA Box only to be brought down. From the resulting penalty Nick Tidy slotted the penalty away from the IOSA keeper. After the game FC Fountain Manager Gary Cork said " This has been a real entertaining game, our boys put in a shift today, we knew the Academy would be a tough game but we dug in and managed to get a point, which pleases me, however the only down side is my incredible singing voice is now lost due to my shouting!."

In Division Two it was draws all the way with Harps Inn and Eastern Athletic sharing a one all draw and Park Regis Reserves and Gore Court Arms 2-2 draw. The Aviator got themselves back on their feet after last weeks heavy defeat with a 4-2 victory over Little Sharsted, goals from Palmer, Cornford and Belsey doing the damage and Adam Williams with a brace for Sharsted. The final game in the Division was abandoned after 85mins with a sickening injury to Swale Athletics Luke Faulkner. Swale had just taken a 3-2 lead over Range Rovers when Faulkner twisted awkwardly and badly damaged his knee ligaments, so with the player unable to be removed from the pitch and the sides waiting nearly an hour for medics to arrive the Referee had no option but to end the game at that point.

In Division Three it was a local derby between The Wheatsheaf and Park Tavern that had more than points to play for with bragging rights up for grabs as well. Both teams came rattling out of the blocks and after 15 minutes it became apparent that the Wheatsheaf were not going to take any hostages. New signing Lee Bravery had the width of the pitch to get himself in a position to whip the ball across the face of the goal to let Aaron Hodges battle for the tap in to make in 1-0. From then on it seemed to have settled the Wheatsheaf as they went to double their lead, with Tim May putting in an inviting ball for Paul Zweck to smash home from the 6 yard line to give them a 2 goal advantage at half time. This is the 3rd time this season that The Wheatsheaf have finished the 1st first half leading, and with Manager Phil Radley reminding them of who they are playing for and what was at stake. The half time talk certainly did the trick and in the opening minutes of the half Hodges had put Zweck through and the tallies man put his laces through to make it 3-0 and the game past the Tavern. The drubbing was complete with Grant Bartlett lashing home from a fumble in the box to make it 4-0 and to round off a convincing win Lee Bravery smashed the ball home to make it 5-0. The Sheppey Academy Reserves kept their good start to the season going with an impressive 3-1 victory over the Aviator Reserves with strikes by Conor Young, Brett Jordan and Darren Hockley with the Aviators replying from a Sheppey own goal. Park Regis A had a narrow 2-1 victory over Red Lion C with goals from Jack Brown and James East with Matt Ryan replying for the Lions. Classic Real got their season under way with their first win of the season seeing off the Fox & Goose 1-0 with a goal from Samuel Hudson.

In the Combination the new boys who have made the transition from Youth football into Adult football continued their good forms with impressive wins with Teynham Gunners looking to be the team to watch. The Gunners versus the Hammers sounds more like a top flight fixture than a game in the Sheppey League but both teams played  good football from the off. The opposing midfields competed throughout the match for control of the game but neither side really won the battle for any length of time. It was the Gunners who struck first after Shane Gadsdon released A J Whitethread to beat the offside trap from his own half and score. The match continued to be played in the middle third and the Hammers were kept out on occasions by keeper Rob Foord  with some great saves.  In the first half the Gunners pace counted and Whitethread added another while Nathan Harbour and Beau Spree added to the tally.  Joe Cole scored from close range for the Hammers to give them hope. On the resumption the game continued as before but the Hammers were in a determined mood and scored again with a goal from Fred Rye. The deficit was reduced within five minutes however with Harbour getting his second. Whitethread then scored again to get his hat trick to complete the 6-2 win.

The other impressive young side Sittingbourne Lions immediately put Range Rovers Athletic under pressure from the off and were unlucky not to go 1 up in the opening seconds, Nick Coles narrowly missing the target. Lions kept the pressure up and were not allowing Rovers time on the ball. Lions continued their assault on the Rovers goal and could have been 3-0 up in 15 minutes if it were not for the Rovers Goalkeeper. Rovers grew into the game and forced stand in keeper Kieran Harris into a save down to his left. Lions did have the ball in the net half way through the first half, Dan Hogans long throw into the area was met by Nick Coles who flicked on to Lloyd James who netted but was unfortunately in an offside position which left it stalemate at half time. The second half begun with Rovers on the front foot, with the new look partnership of Wood and Fryer at centre of the Lions defence stood strong, when Rovers did find a way through a shot low down to Kierans right was brilliantly tipped around the post. Lions took the lead after Lloyd James played a short corner to debutant Wood who drilled home from the edge of the area. Lions continued to press and after a clever ball forward from Conor Simpson found man of the match Troke on the edge of the area who fired home for his first of the season. Cheema was helped to a 4-1 victory over Real Sittingbourne by a hat trick from Dan O’Sullivan securing the points and Tommy McMullen grabbing the fourth and Lee Emery scoring Reals consolation. The other two fixtures saw draws with Swale Knights and Queens Head battling out a physical 1-1 and Inter Milton and Lynten Athletic playing out an entertaining 4-4 with goals from Anthony Ash (2) Jason Willmore and Mark Holton for Lynten and a hat trick from Aaron Blackbourne and an own goal secured the point for Milton

Sunday 25th September - Match Reports

It was Kent Cup week for the Dore Metal Sunday League sides this week with 10 of the League’s teams taking part with 4 of the teams making it through to go into the hat for the next round draw.

In the Kent Junior Cup saw outstanding performances by the Isle of Sheppey Academy and Gore Court Arms to dispose of opposition in higher divisions from the Medway League to claim bragging rights for the League in the first round. In an end to end game Division One side Isle of Sheppey Academy beat Premier Division side the Crown in dramatic fashion on penalties 7-6. The game finished 2-2 with Ricky Long getting both the Academy goals to finish the 90mins level. The extra period ended goalless before the Academy snatched the tie in dramatic style. Second Division side Gore Court Arms cruised to a 5-2 victory over Division One side Spartac Reserves. Park Regis (Kemsley) made it through to the next round without kicking a ball with the withdrawal of Newington Village. In the other games Leysdown crashed out 5-2 to Cuxton 91. Sporting Sittingbourne 3-1 to Burnt Oak 08 and the Goat narrowly lost 3-1 after extra time with Dan Solari scoring for the Goat.

In the Kent Junior Trophy it was double joy for the Isle of Sheppey Academy with their Reserves taking on Luton AFC and coming through a hard fought 90mins 3-3 with goals from Ross Morphey, Connor Young and Aaron Kean. This forced extra time where the fitness started to show with tired legs failing to finish the game 3-3 and the lottery of penalties to come. In the penalty shoot out it was the Academy boys that held their nerve the better and came out victors 4-2 on penalties. The other sides in the competition all failed at the first post with Little Sharsted going down 3-1 to Bredhurst Rovers Reserves, Swale Knights 3-1 to Cuxton Social Club with Aston Miller scoring for the Knights and Range Rovers being outplayed by Millfield Reserves 6-2 with Paul Constable getting both Rovers goals.

Division One

The League action of the day saw Holm Sports enjoy the spoils in a spirited 6-1 win against an organised FC Fountain side. The opening twenty minutes of the game swung back and forth until the deadlock was broken by Holm Sports with a headed goal from Dan Calder against the run of play. From there Holm took control of the game and put on a display of slick passing and excellent movement. Through this they found a great rhythm that the Fountainers found hard to match and in turn the goals came from a brace from Calder and from Craig Holland and goals from Nicky Hunt and Chay Peters completed the rout. The consolation goal for the Fountainers was a strike from Craig Whalin. The only other game in the Division saw the Beach come unstuck again at the hands of a Red Lion side. This time it was the AFC sides turn to take the spoils in an exciting game that saw the Lions edge through 3-2 with goals from Lewis Thomsett, Alfie Duggan and Jon Ralph. The Beach scorers were Dan Swan and Jay Law.

Division Two

A brace from Sam Ingram saw Aviator through 3-2 against Swale Athletic. In a tight encounter Perry Cornford scored the winner with Sean Edwards snatching a brace for Swale. The only other game in the Division saw Eastern Athletic and Park Regis Reserves play out a 0-0 draw

Division Three

There was certainly not a shortage of goals in this Division with The Wheatsheaf continuing their great form to top the table with a 5-0 demolition of The Fox & Goose. The inform striker Paul Zweck got another brace, with Lee Bravery, Aaron Hodges and Richard Spillard chipping in to complete the whitewash. Red Lion C found their form with a 8-0 spanking of a poor Park Tavern Side. Jimmy Lindsell was the star of the show hitting the net 4 times with Rob Sands, Nicky Thompson, Ben Stevens also scoring. The eighth was down to the Lions keeper Chris Sayer to step up and score from a penalty. The other game in the Division saw Park Regis A keep the pressure on the Wheatsheaf by disposing of The Nags Head 3-1 with goals from Sam Teague, Ricky Frost, and James Rogers. Steve Dawson replied for the Nags.

Combination Division

No shortage of goals in the Combination with 22 goals being scored

Teynham Gunners had a hiccup this week with players unavailable due to sickness or away and lost to an experienced Queens Head side 5-0.  Although Queens Head had a couple of early chances  The Gunners held out for about 25 minutes before conceding, with Gunners Keeper Rob Foord keeping  them in the game on several occasions but it was inevitable that Queens Head would score at some point with James Hewitt putting them in front.  The Queens Head then sensed victory and pushed on with further goals from Matt Hoggins and Luke Rowland to go into the break leading 3-0. On the resumption the Gunners had a better spell with a change of tactics and started to create chances but still could not get enough of the ball in the Queens Head penalty box to get back into the game. As the game went on the Gunners started to pass the ball better and ask questions of the opposition but in trying to get back into the game they got caught at the back and conceded two late goals from Duanne Gibbons and Hewitt bagging a brace.

Range Rovers Athletic found some form by banging 5 in against Lynten Athletic to secure a 5-1 victory. A hat trick from Steve Curtis eased Rovers passed Lynten with Toby Hindmarsh and Stuart Rowe. Lynten’s consolation was from Jason Willmore. The goal fest came from the tie between Murston Hammers and Cheema with Cheema coming out the best in an 11 goal thriller 8-3. Adam Marsh was the star of the show netting 4 and Ian Young scoring a brace on his debut. Further strikes from Joe Johnson and Dan O’Sullivan finished the goal fest for Cheema. Hammers replied with goals from Alex Sammy, the goal a game Greg Joseph and the hard working Ryan Coyle. The only game in the Division to remain goalless was between Sittingbourne Lions and Real Sittingbourne. The game started brightly with both sides testing the keepers early doors. Both sides were eager to win the local derby and it showed with the level of effort. Lions were unlucky not to go 1-0 up when Dan Hogan’s superb ball over the full back found Lloyd James whose dipping effort brushed the crossbar on its way over. Lions continued pressurising the Real defence who stood strong clearing their lines time after time. 10 mins before the half Conor Simpson was released through the middle who shot straight at the keeper. Real begun the 2nd half the better and if it were not for the back line of Fryer, Wood and Matthews they could of had opportunities to take the lead on several occasions. With the Lions up hill and against the wind the game was swaying in the way of Real, however with the substitutions of Berry and Clark Lions stepped it up a gear and when Hughes played Berry through he was unlucky not to score.

Sunday 2nd October - Match Reports

On the hottest weekend on records in October it was more suited to beach football rather than the real thing. The Leagues Combination Clubs in the Dore Metals Sheppey Sunday League had their eyes focused on silverware and major upsets with the First Round Ties of the Len Waters League Cup.

Although there were no major shocks it was the Combination sides that came out with glowing pride as they made the big guns run for their money.

Combination side the Queens Head had the most impressive victory of the day by knocking off Division Three side Classic Real 9-0 with a hat trick from James Hewitt, a brace from Luke Rowland and Ashley Hewitt, Chris Thompson, Duanne Gibbons and Ross Tridgell all chipping in to complete a bad day for the Classic boys.

The most impressive performance of the day was made by the Murston Hammers side who took the current Division One title holders Park Regis (Kemsley) all the way to the end and to a near major upset. Park Regis (Kemsley) obviously being the Division One killers that everyone fears to play against were obvious favourites and for the first half hour in was a one sided game and Kemsley found themselves 3 up with strikes from Aaron Ridley, Aaron Butcher, and Sam Teague but the Hammers were not going to lay down and started to step their game up but the interval whistle came too quick and they went in 3 down at the break. Murston buoyant after how they finished the first half come out into the second half like they wanted this game more than Kemsley.  After 10mins of the start Hammers got one back with a great bit of play by Matthew Miles, Talen Miller, Greg Joseph to put Fred Rye through to make it 3-1. Kemsley then stepped up the pace again after this slap in the face to extend the lead again with a goal from Calvyn Sills to make it 4. This did not deter the Hammers fighting spirit and they came back at Kemsley again and when Matthew Miles launched a throw in to the box it was Greg Joseph who reacted the quickest to put the ball in the net game to make it 4-2. The Kemsley now knew they had a game on and bounced straight back to restore the 3 goal margin with a strike from Dan Hudson. This was surely it for Kemsley now but no the dogged resistance of the Murston team would not give up and then came another massive throw in from Miles which found its way to Joe Cole who had the composure to slot the ball into the top of the net to make it 5-3. The Park Regis lads must have thought when are these going to give up and with the heat sapping energy it was the Hammers who finished the better and with some lovely flowing football that gave Hammers a glimmer of hope and it was the “goal a game Joseph” who got his brace when he finished with an emphatic finish of the highest draw to make it 5-4 but it was the clock in the end that beat the Hammers.

The other Combination side to take higher opposition to the wire was Inter Milton who narrowly lost 3-2 to the second Division side The Aviator. Goals from Ade Delahaye and Aaron Blackbourne took the Milton side to the brink of a memorable victory but goals from Chris Fenn (2) and Perry Cornford saw the Aviator fly into the next round.

The other two upsets of the round was Division Three side Isle of Sheppey Academy Reserves beating Sporting Sittingbourne from Division Two with an impressive performance with Connor Young scoring twice with Brett Jordan and Darren Hockley completing the scoring. The Sittingbourne side replied through Shaun Hawks and Matt Hopkins.

The roaring Sittingbourne Lions completed probably the best result of the day beating Division Two side Little Sharsted 6-4 in an exciting local derby. The Lions set their stall out straight away and scored probably the fastest goal in SSL History when Nick Coles found Lloyd James on the left wing who took it round 3 players before squaring it for Jamie Troke to tuck home after just 10seconds of the match. Lions continued the pressure and were rewarded a 2nd 10mins into the game. Hogans pin point ball found James who cut inside the right back to fire past the keeper for his first of the season. With Sharsted rattled Lions continued to press and found themselves 3 up when Joe Mathews cut in from the left hand side and drilled home from 25 yards. Lions could and maybe should have been 4/5 up with chances going begging but Sharsted managed to get a foot hold in the goal when a cross from the left hand side was met by Dan Williams to head home. This seemed to lift Sharsted and when they were rewarded a free kick just outside the area and Adrian Williams smashed home the free kick to bring them back into the game at 3-2. The Sharsted lads were now in the ascendency and a well worked free kick ended with a good strike from Shaun Boyce on goal which the Lions keeper Bishop tipped onto the bar but unfortunately it cannoned off the back of Bishop and over the line to go into the break all square at 3-3. The second half began how the first ended, Sharsted pressured Lions and when a corner was partially cleared Sharsted took the lead from the resulting play with a strike by Luke Fisher. With the introduction of Simpson and Berry Lions began to get hold of the ball and with the defence looking strong Lions pushed forward and equalised through Tom Berry who slid in from 18 yards. Conor Simpson then put Lions ahead when a ball over the top found Simpson 1 on 1 with the keeper and cooly lifted it over him. Lions made sure of the victory and their name in the 2nd round when Lloyd James found himself some space in the area and buried the ball past the Goalkeeper.

Range Rovers found themselves in the hat for the next round with a close 3-2 win against fellow division Two side the Harps. Harps started well passing the ball well with Rovers chasing and when Harps passed the ball in to the box Rovers didn't see the Harps player and he placed the ball in the left bottom corner only for the Referee to blow and call it offside. In the 20th minute in the Harps keeper dropped kicked the ball and it landed on the foot of Luke Walshaw who took a neat touch and slotted it home to make it 1-0. Rovers were not in the game with missed passes and every shot was going wide. Harps passed the ball through the Rovers defence and made it 2-0 with a nice header from Ben Saunders. This was definitely one of those games that were completely a game of two halves which saw Rovers a different side. Passing and moving well which put Harps under pressure and a missed pass put Paul Constable through who took the chance making it 2-1. The Rovers side now knew they had to now press the ball and a pass from Lewis Hall to Paul Constable who opened up the Harps defence for Constable to pass the across the box for Joe Gallacher to slot the ball home to level it up at 2-2. The sense of a victory was now in the air for Rovers and good passing football led to Paul Constable making the Harps give away a free kick just outside the area. Nathan Brown stepped up hitting the back of Richard Hill's head making it 2-3. The Harps then started to chase the game again but Rovers defended well and the Harps very unlucky not to level up when their shot went just wide. Rovers continued to pass the ball well and move just as good. Rovers finished the stronger and were unlucky not to slot 3 or 4 more in, with the Harps goalkeeper having an outstanding game to keep them in the tie.

There were two penalty shoot out ties in the round FC Fountain prevailed in a penalty shoot out win against Eastern Athletic. Both teams started the encounter at a gentle pace battling the heat more than each other until the Fountainers put their foot down and created the opening goal, movement down the right wing from Dan Boorman opened the door for Sam Winnard to score his first goal of the season. The game flowed with both teams playing some neat football at times, and then the Eastern equaliser with the very last kick of normal time, Gary Grimwade scoring a belting twenty yard free kick which signalled that another thirty minutes in the sun was required. Neither team could break each other down in extra time so the lottery that is penalties was needed. Both Luke Titshall and Big Kev Aldworth pulling off some saves to get the nerves jangling for both teams, until Titshall pulled off a top save meaning that James "The Iceman" Stone had to score the decisive penalty, and he duly did sending Big Kev the wrong way to put the Fountainers through to the next round. FC Fountain assistant manager Kelly Bean said "On a hot day this was a good game to watch for the neutral, at times we played well but we have to keep our heads switched on if were going to progress in the cup, full credit to the Eastern lads who dug in and are a great advertisement for Division 2 football."

The other tie to finish on penalties saw the Division Two outfit Park Regis Reserves beat Division One side Leysdown on penalties after the two sides could not be separated after 120 minutes of football finishing 3-3. The other sides to make it into round two are Gore Court Arms who defeated Lynten Athletic 4-1 with goals from Joe Perkins (2) Marc Baldock and Matt Butler with Jason Willmore replying for Lynten.

There were two teams hit for ten!! When AFC Red Lion smashed 10 past a poor Park Tavern side with a five star performance from John Ralph netting 5 and Michael Conlon, George Blake, Lewis Thomsett, Ben O’Neill, and Craig Street enjoying the sunshine by all hitting the net and a consolation from Josh Little for the Tavern. Swale Athletic also had a day to forget with a 10-1 battering at the hands of a rampant Beach side.

The Goat knocked the Gunners of Teynham for six with Marcus Lind smashing four home and Ben Hicks and Matt King adding to the total.

The final tie of the round saw Red Lion (Sheppey) cruise into the next round with a 3-1 win over The Nags Head with an Aaron Kerry hat trick. Anthony Unsworth replied for the Nags. This victory sees the Red Lion Club relinquish their hold on the Rose Bowl which has stayed within their Club for the past three years as only the losers from this round go into the First Round draw of the Rose Bowl, so a new name will be on that trophy this season.

There were only two Dore Metals League matches played. In Division Three a Paul Zweck hat trick and a goal from Grant Bartlett saw The Wheatsheaf beat Red Lion C 4-2 with Paul Pullen and Rob Sands scoring for the Reds. In the Combination Cheema kept up their good start with a 4-2 victory over Range Rovers Athletic Ian Young, Joe Johnson, Alfie Dalton and Adam Marsh all chipping in with goals and Toby Hindmarsh (2) replied for the Athletic.
 
 Sunday 9th October - Match Reports

The Royal Hotel Senior Cup and the Red Lion Junior Cup Competitions got underway on a warm day with the Preliminary Rounds being played.

In the Senior Section Division Two side Gore Court Arms ran Division One side The Goat to the wire with a fine display and will be rueing the missed penalties that would have seen them through. The Perkins brothers were the target men for the Arms with Josh scoring a hat trick and Brother Joe making it 4. The Goat’s win was secured by strikes from a Ben Hicks hat trick, a brace from Marcus Lind and Matt King completing the scoring. In the other Preliminary tie played Park Regis Reserves made it through to the first round with a Matt Dudziak brace and a goal from Paul Overy that saw the Harps Inn off 3-1 with Ashley Sheehan scoring for the Harps.

In the Junior Section Queens Head took on fellow Combination Side Lynten Athletic in a game that started off evenly with both teams looking to get control of the game. It was the Queens Head side that made the breakthrough on 20 mins with a well worked goal from Matthew Hoggins. Luke Rowland grabbed a second almost immediately after being put through by James Hewitt and Matt Hoggins completed the 1st half scoring with his second just before the break to give The Queens a 3-0 half time lead. With Lynten chasing the game in the second half Queens were able to bide their time and pick the opposition off with 5 more goals, including a hat-trick from James Hewitt a second for Luke Rowland and the final goal from player/manager Tony Hoggins. The other tie saw a jubilant Murston Hammers grab their first win of the season with a 3-1 victory over fellow Combination side Cheema. It was that man again “goal a game” Greg Joseph that got the Hammers under way quickly followed by a Joe Cole effort made the advantage 2-0 at the break. After a ferocious team talk at half time the Cheema boys got straight back in it within a minute with a goal by Dan O’Sullivan after a minute from the restart to set up an exciting tie. The Hammers gained their composure and finished the victory with a goal from Alex Sammy.

In the Dore Metal Division One it was back to business for the reigning champions Park Regis (Kemsley) who hit top form and duly battered a poor Holm Sports side 9-1. It was a Sam Teague hat trick and strikes from Chris Elliot, Dan Hudson, Lee Hudson, Tommy Price, Aaron Ridley and the other Teague brother Paul that did the damage for Kemsley with a solitary consolation from Chris Moreton. The other game in the Division saw Red Lion (Sheppey) lay down their intentions for the title this year with a fine 6-0 win over a hapless Beach side. It was Richard King that did the damage with a fine hat trick and strikes from Brett Nevin, Luke Tingley, and Carl Harrold completing a fine victory for the Lions.

With four games and four losses Little Sharsted were very keen to kick start their season in Division Two. From the first whistle Sam Sketchley making a welcome return and with Byott, Gumbrill and Martyn Creed took control of the midfield, and sending some good balls up to the front pair of Steve Boorman and Ryan Stannard. The back four of Jack Mathews, Pete Carden, Sam Harding and Lewis Hopkins were excellent at keeping Swale’s Tom Kinslow away from goal and Sharsted’s keeper Barry Crittendon was having a fine game. The deadlock was broken in the 20 th minute into the game when Boorman converted a penalty to make it 1-0 at the break. In a forced half time change with Boorman having to go allowed Ollie Chesson into the game on the right while Creed went up front. The Sharsted boys were now playing some nice football and passing the ball out of trouble instead of the long kicks that have been plagued their last four games. The good work came to fruition with a Ryan Stannard goal to extend the lead. The Sharsted boys now sensing victory pressed on and Stannard was instrumental in the third goal from Sam Sketchley. All credit to Swale they never gave up and substitute  Andy Watts got a goal back to make it 3-1 but it was Martyn Creed who completed Sharsted’s first win of the season with a left foot volley from a rebounded shot.

In the other game in the Division was between Range Rovers and Aviator in a top of the table clash. Rovers started in all too familiar fashion conceding first in 13th minute with a goal from Lewis Belsey. This seemed to be the shock Rovers needed as they went on to dominate the next half hour playing some very good football, and putting a lot of pressure on Aviator. The Rovers pressure resulted in Nathan Brown stealing a loose ball and coolly slotting home to equalise just before half time. The 2nd half again saw the Rovers start poorly and conceded a sloppy goal with new keeper Toby Hindmarsh flapping the ball away for Belsey to mop up the loose ball to make it 2-1. This again injected life into the Rovers side and they started to pass the ball better and there was some great movement off the ball, a nice through ball from Lewis Hall put Paul Constable in and he netted to make it 2-2. After the restart Aviator had a great chance with Toby Hindmarsh pulling off a great save. This then sparked substitutions from the Rovers bench and with fresh legs on the pitch Rovers were on the attack once again with Constable scoring his second with a left foot volley that had too much pace for Aviator's keeper to deal with to complete the 3-2 victory.

The Division Three championship is shaping up well and in a tight affair saw The Nags Head come to The Wheatsheaf to share the points. With both teams looking for a valuable three points to push on for that coveted top spot the first half saw a very evenly balanced first half with chances for both sides. The Wheatie's Kelynack made a great save from an Anthony Unsworth one on one to send the sides in goalless at half time. The second half became very competitive and a poor back pass from Richard Spillard allowed The Nags Head in behind the Wheatie's defence leaving Unsworth on for goal and giving the defender no option but to bring him down. The resulting penalty was then converted by Steve Dawson to make it 1-0 to The Nags Head. This put fire in to the belly of The Wheatsheaf as they pushed on for an equaliser. After mounting pressure, Club captain Grant 'Back of the Net' Bartlett popped up to header home with the equaliser to make it 1-1. By this time it was all Wheatie, and with Lee Bravery through on goal, he was scythed down in the area to give The Wheatie a penalty with 10 mins to go, with confidence running high Club Captain Grant Bartlett stepped up to blast the penalty towards the bottom corner, only for The Nags Head goalkeeper Michael Bond to make a sensational save to deny Bartlett his second and all three points for The Wheatsheaf. Special mention needs to go to man of the match the Nags Head keeper Michael Bond who kept them in the game with a superb game leaving both title contenders with a point each.

The highest goal tally of the season so far came in the goal fest between IOSA Reserves and the Fox & Goose with the Academy running out 13-2 winners which could be a great advantage if the season goes to goal difference. The main destroyer for the Academy was Brett Jordan who smashed home 4 goals and Darren Hockley and Conor Young grabbing hat tricks they must have thought Christmas had come early. The goal fest was completed by an excellent brace from James Stock and a strike from Nick Lee. The Foxes replied with goals from David Tong and Ronnie Cimino. It has to be said that the Fox and Goose were a credit to the League in the manner in which they play their games is excellent. They may not have the best points total and may not carry off any silverware come May but they always give it their best, no moaning at the officials, and no petulant challenges off the ball. It’s nice to win things - but not at ALL costs!!

Park Regis A and Red Lion C both hit 5 to keep up their good starts Lions putting 5 past Park Tavern to win 5-1 and Regis beating Classic Real 5-2 with goals coming from a Mick Collar brace and Ben Sheehan, James Rogers, and Jordan Brown. Craig Austin netted twice for Classic.

The two games in the Combination Division were a credit to the League with some superb football being played in two tight affairs. Inter Milton were looking all but dead and buried as Real Sittingbourne scorched into the afternoon sunshine with a 3-0 advantage with goals from Robert Wake and a double from Ed Panting, but Milton’s never say die attitude brought them back into the game a goal from Adrian Delahaye. This gave Milton the boost they needed and a goal from Ashley Dymtruk which the keeper looked to have saved but for the eagle eye of the Assistant Colin Rogers waved that the ball had crossed the line to make it 3-2. The last 10 minutes of the game saw Real fighting for their defensive life but had to concede an equalising goal from Delahaye to send the Milton boys home the happier.

The new boys to adult football Teynham Gunners are showing no signs of being overhauled by the challenge ahead. In a tight end to end match the Gunners narrowly lost 5-2 to an inform Range Rovers Athletic side. A Nathan Harbour hat trick and Scott Brown netting for the Gunners only to be out pipped by a Steve Curtis hat trick and strikes from Darren Stock and Shane Sutton saw the Athletic side travel home with all 3 points.

Sunday 16th October - Match Reports

Kent Junior Trophy

It was the Isle of Sheppey Academy Reserves that had probably the most impressive performance of the day with a superb 7-3 win in the Kent Junior Trophy beating unbeaten Hempstead to be the League’s only representative in round 3. The heroes for the Academy were Brett Jordan and Darren Hockley both netting hat tricks and Connor Young completing the fine victory.

Kent Junior Cup

In the Kent Junior Cup all the Sheppey sides failed to make the next round all with narrow defeats Isle of Sheppey Academy going down 4-3 to Medway 2000, Gore Court Arms were 1-0 up with 10 minutes remaining then a complete breakdown in the defence to allow Lordwood Colts to rally and nip the win on the 90 th minute 2-1 and Park Regis (Kemsley) lost 1-0 to Who’d Have Thought It.

Brett King Senior Charity Cup

The remaining Preliminary Round match in the Brett King Senior Charity Cup caused a minor upset with Division Two side Range Rovers beating Division One Leysdown 5-2 in an exciting game at Leysdown. Rovers looked comfortable from the start and went into a 3-0 first half lead with goals from Paul Constable, Neil and Joe Gallacher. The second period saw the Lions of Leysdown press on the Rovers goal and soon found themselves back in the tie with goals from Chris Griffin and Tyrone King who headed over the advancing keeper. This woke the Rovers up and with an immediate response Constable netted his second to restore the two goal advantage. The Lions kept pressing but on a breakaway Peri Oakey sealed the victory.

The Havills Services Junior Charity Cup

The Havills Services Junior Charity Cup got underway with two 3-2 tight encounters between Lynten Athletic and Inter Milton with Lynten running out the victors with a Sam Winnard hat trick with Bill Austin and Adrian Delahaye Jnr responding for Milton and Queens Head were the other 3-2 victors over Classic Real with goals from Matt Hoggins, Luke Rowland and James Hewitt and for Real goals from Ross Faloyo and Michael Hamilton. The last tie in the round saw a game played in good spirits that showed that Teynham Gunners are coming of age with a superb performance against the Fox & Goose with an emphatic 7-0 win. The Gunners side with the advantage of playing together for a couple of seasons in other competitions settled very early and controlled the game from midfield despite the Fox and Goose’s close pressure and hard work. Teynham struck first with Jordan Cox scoring from an acute angle from the edge of the box followed by a goal from Captain Beau Spree with a low curling free kick. The Fox and Goose had their chances but were thwarted by Gunners keeper Rob Foord, saving several one on ones and tipping over a fantastic chipped shot from the right of the box to keep Teynham’s lead intact.  Spree grabbed his second shooting from a pull back from Cox in the box through a melee of players to put the Gunners in 3-0 at the interval. In the second half Fox and Goose attacked from the start and were awarded a penalty, but once again Foord proved to be impassable and saved the well taken spot kick. With no option but to attack to stay in the Cup the Fox and Goose pushed players forward leaving spaces for the Gunners to exploit and Sam Charlton took advantage with a well placed shot to increase the Gunners lead. Teynham’s defence performed well with Lucas Matson-Silva and Douglas Holliday denying the Fox and Goose any clear cut chances. Teynham kept the ball well passing and moving on the excellent pitch and created openings for shots which found the Fox and Goose’s Keeper Nathan Baverstock in fantastic form. Eventually though Spree got his hat trick with some trickery in the box before shooting and Nathan Harbour scored from  close range from a lofted cross. Substitute Steven Gilbert finished the scoring for Teynham with his first touch of the game to make it 7. Although the score line suggests the game was one sided, this was far from the case and the Fox and Goose never gave up and caused Teynham problems right up to the final whistle.

Dore Metal Division One

The Beach were held to a 2-2 draw against Holm Sports with Holm scoring a late equaliser to share the points. The Beach were looking to take all three points moving into the last 10 minutes being 2-1 up but Dan Calder had other plans and stepped up to smash home a loose ball in the box to share the points. AFC Red Lion showed their mettle after being 2-0 down at half time against The Goat (Co-operative) to win 5-2. The Goat started very sharply and with goals from Paul Tyler and Marcus Lind took them into the interval with the lead and they looked very comfortable to take the points from this stage. After a grilling at half time by the Lions Manager Lewis Thomsett the second period was totally different with the Lions side taking full control and the points with strikes from Glen Conlon, Frankie Swaby, Michael Cannon, Joe Sands and George Blake.

Mr India Division Two

It was the case of a very different looking Little Sharsted that played in last weeks win, for various reasons several key players couldn’t make it today, so from the whistle the boys in blue had their backs against the wall against a strong Harps Inn side. The Harps took the game to Little Sharsted and only five minutes in they took the lead with a Ben Saunders goal and just minutes they doubled the scoring with a strike by Ash Sheehan. Barry Crittenden in the Little Sharsted goal was in very good form, and he needed to be, as Harps had shot after shot saved by Crittenden to keep the score at half time a respectable 2-0 to the Harps. The second period saw Sharsted make some changes and it had an immediate impact and Little Sharsted were unlucky not to score.fifteen minutes into the half but then Lewis sent an excellent ball through to Aaron Oakwell who hit home to make it 2-1. Little Sharsted looked to be making a come back and pressed forward but by pressing forward the Harps Inn were able to counter on one of the attacks Nick Walshaw found himself in a one on one with the Sharsted Keeper to take his chance well to extend the lead again. Little Sharsted kept trying to push forward, but this left the defence too exposed and they paid the price when Harps finished the game off to make it a 4-1 victory for the Island side. Park Regis Reserves kept themselves at the top with 8-2 thumping of Eastern Athletic with goals a hat trick from Matt Dudziak and strikes from Matt Rossiter, Chris Felinack, Taz Baker, Mark Barker and Zed Bougard. Eastern replied with goals from Gary Grimwade and Joe Rumbol. In another tight encounter Swale Athletic edged out Sporting Sittingbourne 2-1 with a brace from Carl Humphrey and Matt Hopkins replying for Sporting.

The Aviator Division Three

The Division leaders The Wheatsheaf and Park Regis A not having a fixtures this gave the Nags Head a chance to narrow their lead at the top and this they did in fine style beating Red Lion C 3-2 Goals from Anthony Unsworth, Sabeur Trabelsi and Gurkeerat Bhatti making things tight at the top of the division with Jimmy Lindsall and Phil Harris scoring for the Red Lion side. In the only other game in the division saw Park Tavern and Aviator Reserves play out a 1-1 draw with Paul Atkinson scoring for the Tavern and Gareth Parry for the Aviator.

Havills Services Combination Division

The leaders Cheema took on the in form Sittingbourne Lions side and lost their unbeaten League start to the season 3-1. The Lions started the better and could of had the ball in the net on several occasions in the first 10 minutes with Jamie Troke and Lloyd James both going close. Top of the table Cheema began to get control of the game and were rewarded when a ball over the top of the Lions defence was not dealt with and Adam Marsh coolly slotted home. The game became a stale mate after this point with the midfield from both sides trying to gain dominance, 10 minutes before the half Lions did level through Conor Simpson, some clever footwork on the edge of the area found Simpson some space before smashing the ball into the bottom left corner. Cheema could have gone into the break a goal up but for the outstanding goal line clearance from Dan Hogan, last ditch tackles of Richard Wood and Nathan Bishop standing strong between the posts. The second half begun with Lions on the front foot and a minute in Jamie Troke picked the ball up just past the half way and left 2 Cheema players before unleashing an unstoppable strike into the top right hand corner, Troke then added his second of the game when he latched onto a through ball from James to slot the ball home. With the introduction of Kieran Harris up front Lions were unlucky not to widen the gap  with Kieran going close on a couple of occasions. Dan Hogan also had a well taken free kick tipped over the bar. The other game in the division saw Real Sittingbourne hit some form to beat Range Rovers Athletic 4-1 with goals from a Jack Burns double, and strikes from Tristan Hix and Ben Lee. Danny Butler snatched the Rovers goal.

Sunday 23rd October - Match Reports

Dore Metal Services - Division One

It was back to League action for all the Clubs in the Dore Metal Sheppey Sunday League. In Division One the top of the table clash between the two Red Lion sides billed as a must win for either side lived up to expectations and in front of a crowd of around 50 people for a Sunday League game showed the importance of the tie. In a very tense and nervy start both sides played some attractive football but in the end the experience of the Red Lion (Sheppey) side held firm with goals from Aaron Kerry and Chris Dolan to seal the points over the up and coming AFC side. Champions Park Regis (Kemsley) kept things tight at the top with a narrow 2-1 victory over the Isle of Sheppey Academy with a penalty and strike from Tommy Price and Dan Hudson to keep them in second place on goal difference to the Red Lion who have a game advantage. Luke Smith scored an exquisite 25 yard screamer for the Academy side. Holm Sports got their season going again with striker Daniel Calder showing no mercy as he grabbed 2 goals for his new club in a 5-1 win against his old team Leysdown. The scoring for Holm was completed by a brace from Shaun Sullivan, in his first game of the season, and a strike from midfield lynchpin Richard Green. Credit should be given to Leysdown goalkeeper Dan Johnson, who kept the score respectable with some excellent saves. At the other end Holm Keeper Aaron Gray will want to forget his air kick that gifted Leysdown their consolation goal to let in Lee Davies.Third place The Beach got back to winning ways with the experienced Mark ‘Davro’ Martin smashing four past The Goat a fine hat trick by Dan Bryant and a goal from Phil Jackson completed the 8-3 victory The Goat goals were a brace from Dan Solari and Marcus Lind.

Mr India Halfway - Division Two

Top of the table Park Regis Reserves got a reality shock when they took on the Harps Inn. After twice being in front 2-0 and then 3-1 with goals from Ryan Miles (2) and Paul Overy they were stunned with a great fightback from the Harps with a delicious lob from Ben Saunders, a goal from Tom Moore and a brace from Nick Walshaw secured the 4-3 win for the Harps. Range Rovers stepped up the pressure on the leaders by taking on the bottom side Eastern Athletic and claiming all the points to put them two points behind the leaders with two games in hand. Strikes from Richard Hill, Paul Constable, Nathan Brown and Sam Girt continued the Rovers good start to the season with Jake Rumbol and Gary Grimwade netting for Eastern. After an indifferent start to the season Sporting Sittingbourne started on the front foot, which for a side missing three of its usual back four and only two regular starters in midfield it was a positive start and Steve Rudd in his debut at right back having an excellent start. Neither side created any meaningful clear cut chances in an even first half, until Louis Belsey neatly turned twenty five yards out and hit a low shot into the bottom right hand corner to give Aviator the lead and the advantage at half time. Sporting huffed and puffed without creating anything of note in the early stages of the second half. Aviator were increasingly playing on the break. Sporting made a tactical change with ten minutes left to go and moved usual centre forward Matt Hopkins from defence to attack and his physical style soon caused problems for Aviator when he played veteran striker Derrick Amartey through on goal but the big striker got the ball caught under his feet and the chance was gone. It was Hopkins again who caused problems as he first won the ball back for his team, then powered down the left into the box to lay it on a plate for Amartey to make amends for his earlier miss and smash the ball home from close range. In a tense good game, a point each was well deserved and both sides commented favourably on the performance of Referee Neil Currams. The other game in the division saw Gore Court Arms ease past Swale Athletic 3-1 with goals from Joe Perkins (2) and Ashley Morgan with Tom Kinslow replying for Swale.

The Aviator Restaurant - Division Three

The Wheatsheaf suffered their first defeat of the season 4-1 against the buoyant Isle of Sheppey Academy Reserves side fresh from their Kent Cup victory of the previous week. A very solid workman like performance from the Academy saw Connor Young grab a brace and Brett Jordan and Luke Blanshard chipping in to make the Academy side real title contenders. The seemingly goal a game Grant Bartlett scored for the Wheatie. Park Regis A quietly slipped into the top spot with a comfortable 8-2 win over the Fox & Goose with four goal Ashley Baverstock and a Hat trick from Jack Brown doing the damage. The Goose replied with strikes from James Jackson and Michael Sullivan. All credit must go to the Fox & Goose who are prepared to give their all week in week out despite sensing they are not ready for Division Three football. The Nags Head edged closer to the top with a comfortable 4-0 win over Classic Real with Nathan ward (2), Michael Bond and Jamie Oswell getting on the scoresheet. The other tie in the division saw a tight and exciting 2-2 draw between the Aviator Reserves and Red Lion C. Nathan Barton and Lee Smith netting for the Aviator with Paul Pullen and Andy Keays replying for the Red Lion.

Havills Services - Combination Division

Cheema extended their lead at the top by 3 points with a 5-3 victory over Real Sittingbourne. An Adam Marsh brace and goals from Robbie Sammy, Tommy McMullen and Luke Armstrong secured the points. Real kept going throughout the game and pressed Cheema to the end despite going down to 10 men with goals from a Mike Clarke brace and Jack Burns making it three. Closing in on Cheema are the Queens Head who moved into second with a 6-1 drubbing of Lynten. A Chris Thompson hat trick and goals from Luke Rowland, Tony Hoggins and Mark Lee closed the gap at the top with the Queens side having a two game advantage over the leaders. Ant Ash netted for Lynten. Sittingbourne Lions and Inter Milton shared the spoils in an exciting 3-3 draw. Goal machine Connor Simpson netted twice and Lloyd James for the Lions while Ade De La Haye (2) and Bill Austin made the scoresheet for Milton. The last tie in the Division saw Murston Hammers finally get their season going with a 4-1 win over Range Rovers Athletic. Goals from the goal machines Gregg Joseph (2) and Joe Cole (2) sealed the victory with Steve Curtis replying for the Athletic side.

Sunday 30th October - Match Reports

 Dore Metal Services - Division One

In the Dore Metal Division One leaders Red Lion (Sheppey) failed to take advantage of Park Regis (Kemsley) postponed game against Leysdown to go further ahead in the division by sharing the points with the Isle of Sheppey Academy. The Lions took the lead through Jon Fisch and were heading for the all three points when the Academy were awarded a penalty late on, which Brad Webb made sure the points were halved. Holm Sports showed excellent character to claim 3 points away to AFC Red Lion. The hosts edged the first half and went in at half time 1-0 up, thanks to a header from John Ralph. The Holm side were much stronger in the second half and equalised through Nicky Hunt, who evaded a number of challenges before hitting a 20 yard strike past the keeper. Both sides had chances to win, but it was Holm who scored the winner when Chris Moreton reacted first to a loose ball in the penalty box to emphatically rifle the ball home.

Mr India Halfway - Division Two

The leaders Park Regis Reserves kept hold of their top spot with an emphatic 5-1 win over lowly Little Sharsted. A Ryan Miles hat trick stole the show with strikes from Chris Feliniack and Steve Charlton completing the scoring. This defeat lunged Sharsted to the bottom of the division with Aaron Oakwell scoring the consolation for Sharsted. Range Rovers kept the pressure on the leaders with a hard fought 4-0 win over the Harps Inn. In a very even first half both sides created chances but neither side could find the finishing punch to see the game go into the break goaless. The second period the Rovers started to turn the screw and two quick goals from skipper Richard Hill seemed to have settled the Range boys and they then looked the only side likely to win. The goal a game Paul Constable extended the lead before a long range free kick from Nathan Brown rounded off the 4 goal victory. The other inform side in the division Gore Court Arms put themselves into the mix with a 5-3 win over The Aviator. A brace a piece from Bradley Pearce and Joe Perkins did the damage for the Arms with Tony Adamazcek also chipping in. To be fair to the Aviator they kept going and a superb hat trick from Perry Cornford kept them in the game. Eastern Athletic lifted themselves off the bottom of the table with a 2-1 win over Swale Athletic. Goals from Jake Rumbol and Gary Grimwade completed Eastern’s first League win of the season with Roy Branch scoring for Swale.

The Aviator Division Three

The top of the division took many twists and turns with first playing second. Leaders Park Regis A were looking to extend their lead against the second place The Wheatsheaf only to find the Wheatie wanting the game more and regained the top spot with a 6-1 win. An Aaron Hodges hat trick did most of the damage with Sam Mannering and Lee Bravery also getting on the scoresheet with Ryan Fowle replying for Regis. The Nags Head again laid down their charge for the top with an 8-2 victory over the Aviator Reserves. Goals from Nathan Ward (2) Anthony Unsworth (2) Michael Bond, Jamie Oswell, Richie Woolston and Gary Toms saw the Nags take second spot one point behind the Wheatie, with Leigh Ross and Salah Rahman scoring for the Aviator. Red Lion C made sure they kept in the mix with a 4-2 win over Classic Real with strikes from veteran Andy Keays , Jimmy Lindsell, Rob Sands and an Alan Swindlehurst own goal saw the Lions home and closed in on the 4 th spot, three points behind the leaders. Ross Faloyo and a Liam Baxter own goal secured Classics goals. Bottom of the table Fox & Goose finally got some respite and their hard work finally paid off with a 4-1 win over Park Tavern. A Dave Tong brace and goals from James Jackson and Joe King secured the first League win for the Fox & Goose side. A solitary strike from Conway for the Taverners was the only bright spot in a dismay day.

Havills Services - Combination Division

The leaders Cheema were humbled by a 3-0 defeat to the young pretenders from a buoyant Teynham Gunners side. Teynham needed a result from this game to catch up points with the top teams in the Combination Division and got off to a great start with Captain Beau Spree scoring in the first 3 minutes from a wide shot out on the left. From this start Teynham played some excellent football throughout the game with Scott Brown and James Stockley in midfield controlling the game. Despite a large percentage of the possession Teynham were taking shots from outside of the box, although on target were dealt with by the Cheema keeper Mark Roberts.  The Gunners were kept on their toes from Cheema who created enough chances in the first half to perhaps be back on level terms if it had not been for The Gunners keeper Rob Foord pulling off some great saves

In the second half Teynham started in a miserly mood keeping possession for longer periods than in the first half  and with the difference that they were trying to get their players into the box with quick forward passing  they asked different questions of Cheema’s defence.  Half way through the half Cheema found a second burst of energy and starting to cause the Teynham defence problems, which luckily Teynham withstood.  Sam Brown got the Gunners second goal with 15 minutes to go from a corner to calm the Gunner nerves and late into the game Harry Bell- Reeves made another overlap run from full back position to score from the edge of the box with a shot across the Cheema Keeper. Teynham’s pass and move ethic paid dividends this week with a great all round performance.  The other young pretenders in the Division Sittingbourne Lions kept the pressure at the top firmly on Cheema with an impressive 4-1 win over bottom side Lynten Athletic. A brace each from Nick Coles and Conor Simpson saw the Lions home, with Jason Willmore replying for Lynten. Real Sittingbourne have finally settled into this division which saw them have their biggest win of the season with an emphatic 8-0 win over a poor Inter Milton. The Sittingbourne side roared into a 5-0 lead at half time to completely shatter Milton’s positive start to the season and with three second half goals secured the points for Real with goals from a Mike Clark hat trick, a brace from Tristan Hix and strikes from Russell Kent, Ed Panting and Tyler Carpenter. Murston Hammers and Queens Head battled out a physical 2-2 draw with goals from Ryan Coyle and Joe Cole for the Hammers and Luke Rowland and James Hewitt on target for the Queens Head in the final game in the division.

Sunday 6th November - Match Reports

The Brett King Senior Charity Cup –Preliminary Round

The final Preliminary round match to be played between Aviator and Park Regis (Kemsley) saw the Kemsley boys completely dominate with an emphatic 9-0 win. A five goal spree from Tommy Price did the main damage with strikes from Ross Frost, Ashleigh Taylor, Elliot Chandler and Scott Teague to complete the rout to give them a home tie against fellow Division One side Holm Sports in Round One.

The Royal Hotel Senior Cup – First Round

The first round of this year’s competition saw many teams drawn against each other from the same Divisions for the first time in many years all striving for a place in this seasons Quarter Finals. The clash between the two local Island teams from Division Two Eastern Athletic and Range Rovers lived up to Cup expectation despite the windy conditions at Leysdown. Rovers started the 1st half with the great form they have been showing this season with Peri Oakey slotting home within the 2nd minute. With the advantage of the wind strong Rovers pressed again and in the 4th minute Nathan Brown put the ball in the net after a defensive mistake. The Rovers side could hardly believe what was happening when they struck their third after only seven minutes Brown taking on 2 defenders and shot the ball hitting an Eastern defender on the line to be deflected into the net. The goal seemed to spark the Eastern side into action and they had their best spell of the game but were finding it difficult to deal with the wind. In the 35th minute of the half Eastern got their break and Colin Moreton slotted home their first from 9 yards beating Hindmarsh in goal to send the sides in 3-1 at half time. The second half saw Rovers having to do the defending and cope with the pressure the wind taking the ball high in the air and the Rovers defence stayed strong defending well until the 69th minute when Eastern took advantage of the wind to crowd the box and poke home their second from Alex Fry to set up a grandstand finish. In the 75th minute Rovers looked assured to put the game beyond Eastern when Richard Hill and Neil Gallacher combined leaving Hill to only slot the ball home but he passed the ball across the area to Gallacher who was pushed by an Eastern defender to give the Referee no alternative but to award a penalty which was poorly taken by Dabbs who smashed the ball over the bar. The game now ebbing and flowing it was the Rovers side that sealed the victory in the 86 minute Luke Allen finding Hill who smashing the ball across the area once again to Gallacher this time to slot home to conclude the 4-2 win.

The all Division One clash between Holm Sports and Red Lion (Sheppey) was a close fought tight battle with the Lion side going through 1-0 with a Jonathon Fisch goal.

In the other Division One clash saw the IOSA take The Beach to extra time before being overhauled 3-1. In a physical game it looked like The Beach had done enough to take their Quarter Final place leading 1-0 with four minutes to go when the Academy boys equalised taking the game to an extra period. The Beach proved too strong and ran out 3-1 winners.

The other tie of the day saw an all Division Two encounter that sent Swale Athletic into the Quarters with a 4-0 win over Sporting Sittingbourne with goals from brothers Lloyd and Scott Chapell, Sean Edwards and Chris Bellinson.

The Red Lion Junior Cup – Preliminary Round

The outstanding Red Lion Junior Preliminary Round match finally got completed and what a cracker it was. There seemed to be no firework party hangover for both these teams who produced their own spectacular. The Aviator Reserves who have been having an indifferent start to the season took the game to the Red Lion C side and looked to have booked their place into Round One with a goal from Lee Smith. The Lions mentality of not knowing when they are beaten persisted and in the 93 rd minute Rob Sands snatched an equaliser to send the game into an extra 30 minutes. The extra period saw nothing between the teams and after 120 minutes of football the sides could not be divided and it was down to the lottery we know as Penalties!! The penalties did not disappoint the game either with nine taken by each side and it was the Aviator side that progressed winning 6-5.

Dore Metals Division One

The AFC Red Lion side took advantage to climb back into third spot with a 4-1 victory over basement boys Leysdown. A double from Lewis Thomsett and goals from Ben O’Neill and Frankie Swaby completed the win with a Lee Davies consolation for Leysdown.

Mr India Division Two

The only game in the Division saw the ever improving Gore Court Arms side climb into second spot with a 5-1 win over the top side Park Regis Reserves. The Arms relished in a fine performance against the leaders with goals from Bradley Pearce and Ben Pragnell but it was a superb hat trick from Joe Perkins that did the damage. The Regis side replied through Ryan Miles.

The Aviator Division Three

The Divison leaders The Wheatsheaf pressed ahead in the Division with a 5-1 win over lowly Classic Real. The goal a game Paul Zweck contributed with a hat trick and strikes from Aaron Hodges and Alan Whitehead kept the Wheatie on top spot, the consolation from Classic was scored by Ross Faloyo.

The Nags Head climbed into second place on goal difference with a 13-0 thumping of the Fox & Goose. The Nags goals came from Ashley Unsworth (4), Nathan Ward (3), Michael Bond (2), Dawson, Elavia, Trabelsi, and Oswell.

Park Regis A kept themselves in the three horse race at the top with a 5-1 win over Park Tavern, a Jack Brown hat trick and goals from Ash Baverstock and Chris King keeps the Regis on equal points with the Nags Head only falling behind on goal difference. The consolation for Tavern was scored by Paul Bishop.

Havills Services Combination Division

The leaders Cheema overturned the result from the previous week with a 2-0 win over Teynham Gunners. The match was a very tight competitive game with neither side really gaining any superiority in the match. Cheema combated the quick passing game of the Gunners by pressing in depth and this resulted in a crowded midfield with both teams tussling for the upper hand early on. Beau Spree had the first chance for Teynham breaking into the box but was unable to beat the Cheema keeper. With Cheema working hard for the first fifteen minutes it was stout defending from the Teynham defence that kept the score sheet clean. Teynham slowly got back into the game creating chances but could not get the elusive goal finishing the half goaless. The second period was much of the same, end to end stuff with both Teams getting opportunities to score, but the Keepers held resolute. It was not until the 75th minute that the deadlock was broken with Adam Marsh putting Cheema ahead. To their credit the Gunners never gave up looking for the equaliser with Kyle Shaw going close with two shots saved by the Cheema keeper and hitting the side netting. The game was over when a Cheema long clearance which was not dealt with saw Marsh again chip the ball up with his back to goal to hit a spectacular scissor kick into the roof of the net from the under side of the cross bar to give Cheema all three points.

Sittingbourne Lions secured second spot with a tight 5-4 win over Inter Milton. The game started evenly with Inter and Lions having their fair share of chances in the opening exchanges, Inter began to get a foothold in the game and won a throw in deep into the Lions half, taken quickly the ball found Adrian De la Haye 25 yards out who fired past Tyler in the goal. Lions upped the pressure and went searching for the equaliser with Adam Hughes unlucky when a well hit shot cannoned off the crossbar. In the 35 th minute Inter doubled their lead from an inswinging corner, the cross caught Tyler out and his front post and although he got a hand to the ball he was powerless to stop the ball going in from De la Haye. The Lions needed to come out fighting in the second half and when Simpson found some space 20 yards out he did what he does best and fired a low drive into the corner. Immediately from the restart Inter played an unopposed lofted ball forward which wasn't dealt with by the Lions defence and allowed De la Haye his hat trick and to restore the 2 goal advantage. This rallied the Lions and they piled the pressure on again and closed the gap when Lloyd James fired his 4th of the season past the goalkeeper after some good individual work. In the 80 th min left Inter widened the gap further with a superb volley from Luke Palmer on the left hand side of the area that sailed over Tyler who could do nothing about the goal. Lions showed their true spirit in the closing stages, with 3 mins left on the clock and a slight change in formation pushing Richard Wood into the midfield they won a throw deep into the Inter half, Coles launched the ball into the area to Kieran Harris who flicked the ball onto skipper Lewis Fryer to leap and head the ball into the net for his first of the season. With the game firmly in the hands of the Lions and time ticking down they went searching for the winner and this came from top goalscorer Conor Simpson, Wood picked the ball up in centre midfield and carried it 15 yards before slotting through to Simpson to finish neatly and secure the three points for the Lions.

Queens Head kept it tight at the top with a 10-0 demolition of Range Rovers Athletic with a Luke Rowland hat trick, a double from James Hewitt, andstrikes from Chris Thompson, Tony Downs, Ashley Hewitt, Richie Parker and to add to the Athletic woes a Danny Butler own goal. This win leaves the Queens side two points behind the leaders with two games in hand.

The other tie in the Division saw the inform Real Sittingbourne continue their good form with a 2-1 win over Lynten Athletic. Tristan Hix and Darren Van Campenhout scoring for Real with Andy Holten replying for Lynten. 

Sunday 13th November - Match Reports

On a Sunday where every game in the League was impeccable observed by a minutes silence for Remembrance Sunday it was the Cups that took centre stage.

The Royal Hotel Senior Cup

The last of the Royal Hotel Senior Cup First Round ties were completed on Sunday with the clash of the 2 nd place side Park Regis (Kemsley) taking on the 3 rd place AFC Red Lion from the Dore Metal Division One and it turned out to be the classic it was billed. In a tight game with both sides playing some attractive football it was the Kemsley side that made a Quarter Final date against Swale Athletic. The game looked to be heading for extra time with the game standing at 2-2 with goals from Ben O’Neill and Frankie Swaby for the Lions side and a brace from Tommy Price for Kemsley that set up the exciting finale, when in the final few minutes of the 90 the Kemsley side were awarded a penalty that Price smashed home for his hat trick and the tie to Park Regis. Park Regis Reserves also had a nail biting finish to their match v The Aviator with the game going to the wire with Regis finishing 5-4 winners and a Quarter Final tie v The Beach awaits. It was the four star performance from Ryan Miles who bagged four goals for the rampant Regis side with goal a game Paul Overy making it five. The Aviator was never out of this tie and Lewis Belsey double and goals from Perry Cornford and Sam Ingram played their part in an exciting game. The last tie of the First Round saw Little Sharsted from Division Two take the game to the Division One side The Goat but came out on the losing end of a 4-2 scoreline. The Sharsted side took the lead with an Aaron Oakwell strike that split the teams at Half Time. The second period saw the Goat side step up their game and their aerial advantage was visible with Jake Mead scoring two powerful headers from set plays and Dan Solari making it 3-1 for the Division One side. This looked like game over but the youthful Sharsted side battled back and got into the game with substitute Simon De Jong breaking free and setting up an exciting finish but within minutes the Goat side sealed their victory with an excellent strike from range from Ben Hicks.

The Red Lion Junior Cup

In the Red Lion Junior Cup First Round it was the young hopefuls from the Combination Division Teynham Gunners who took on established Third Division side Classic Real to cause the upset of the day and a place in the Quarter Final with a good 5-0 win. The Gunners had a few chances to score from the start of the game but either missed the target or found Classic Real’s keeper Greg Potter in the way. It was not until Sam Charlton scored with a close range header, which looked like the keeper would save but somehow found the back of the net that the Gunners took the lead.  This gave the Gunners some confidence and they continued to chip away at Real’s defence and the end of the half Beau Spree wriggled his way  into the box past three defenders and finished with a low shot past the keeper to give the Gunners a 2-0 advantage. In the second half Teynham produced some superb high intensive teamwork to close Classic down early on and combined with Substitute AJ Whitethread’s work rate they scored two quick goals with Kyle Shaw getting his first goals since his signing. The goals allowed the Gunners to slow the game down a bit but still in the hunt for goals Spree grabbed his second from a tap in from inside the six yard box. Teynham then closed the door and held out with a clean sheet, their third in four games. The other young pretenders in the League Sittingbourne Lions took the Third Division high flyers The Wheatsheaf to task in another excellent tie which the Wheatsheaf edged the game 3-2. The Lions side showed that although being a young side they have made the transition to senior football. The Lions goals from the impressive Conor Simpson and Lloyd James kept the Wheatie on their toes but the experience won in the end with goals from Hodges, Bravery and Bartlett. Queens Head made short work of fellow Combination side Range Rovers Athletic 12-0 to make the draw. The Goals from James Hewitt (5), a brace from Duanne Gibbons and from Rowland, Catton, Tridgewell, Parker and Matt Hoggins completed the rout. A tight encounter saw Inter Milton make the last sixteen with an extra time victory over Park Tavern 3-2. In a game that ebbed and flowed it was 2 a piece at the end of 90 minutes with a Luke Parker double for Milton and Chris Toms and Paul Bishop being on target for the Tavern side. In a tiring 30 minutes of extra play it was Aaron Blackbourne who was the hero for Milton. Park Regis A made it the third Park Regis side to win in Cup Competitions today by beating lowly Fox & Goose 8-3. The Regis goals from Chris King (2) Jamie Rogers (2), Craig Oliver, Ashley Baverstock, Jack Brown & Ben Sheehan gave them a Quarter Final place, with Kevin Smith, Joe King and Dave Tong replying for the Fox & Goose. The other sides in the Quarter Final draw for Saturday are the Nags Head who dispatched of Murston Hammers 6-2 and the IOSA Reserves who comfortably beat Real Sittingbourne 5-0 with goals from a Darren Hockley hat trick, Brett Jordan and Aaron Kean.

Dore Metals Division One

The leaders Red Lion (Sheppey) took advantage of the 2 nd and 3 rd sides playing in Cup action with a comfortable 7-2 win over Leysdown. The Beach moved closer to the top with an impressive 7-1 victory over the IOSA.

Mr India Division Two

There were two games in the Division that both saw out tight 1-1 draws. Swale Athletic hosted the Harps Inn and in a tight affair goals from Lloyd Chappell (Swale) and Ashley Sheehan (Harps) shared the points and Gore Court arms were held to the draw with an Eastern Athletic goal from Danny Creed with Mark Baldock replying for the Arms.

Havills Services Combination Division

The leaders Cheema took full advantage of lowly side Lynten Athletic to extend their lead at the top with a 9-2 victory. Goals from Jordan Knight (4), Alfie Dalton (3) Adam Marsh (2) did the Cheema damage, with goals from Andy Evans and Brad Scales for Lynten .

Sunday 20th November - Match Reports

Brett King Senior Charity Cup

The Brett King Senior Charity Cup First Round took centre stage on Sunday with the senior sides of the League all vying for a place in the hat for the Quarter Final draw. The draw had produced a good balance of Division 1 sides against Division 2 sides so Cup shocks were on the cards.

The tie between first division Isle of Sheppey Academy and second division Sporting Sittingbourne who both had indifferent starts to the season was set up to be the possible shock of the day and so it was to be. Both sides started brightly and in an entertaining game for a neutral it was the Division One side IOSA that looked as though they were going through leading 3-2 going into the final 10 minutes with goals from Brad Webb, Ricky Williams and Lee Steele. The Sittingbourne side however had other ideas and a late equaliser form Ross Gandon forced the extra period. With weary legs the penalty lottery loomed and after 120 minutes the teams could not be divided. In the penalty shoot out both sides were not at their best but it was the Sporting side that conquered in the sudden death. Sporting’s other goals were scored by Graham Hayward and John Emerson.

In a repeat fixture from the previous weeks Senior Cup tie second division Little Sharsted took on their higher opponents from Division One The Goat hoping to avenge their loss. From the first whistle Sharsted started to play some nice passing football, and were creating chances at the Goat goal. The hard work unfortunately never paid off and after 15 minutes it was The Goat that broke the deadlock with a Marcus Lind strike and just minutes later doubled their lead when they were awarded a penalty that Steve Rowden put away. The game looked to be edging the Island’s side’s way but Sharsted stuck to their game plan that was seeing them have most of the possession and with ten minutes to go in the first half Lee Gumbrill got a goal back to go into the break only a goal behind. The second half started well for the Sharsted boys who were buoyed by the late first half strike and they pushed hard to get the equaliser against a now nervy Goat side. The Sharsted strike force of Adam Williams, Tyrone Shaw and Simon Dejong were causing The Goat defence major problems and when Williams was fouled inside the Goat area De Jong equalised with an excellent penalty strike (2-2). The Goat tried to get back into the game but a well drilled Sharsted defence marshalled by Martin Creed were holding firm and they also created chances themselves and hit the woodwork in a grandstand finish. The game was now heading to the extra 30 minutes and the prospects of a penalty shoot out when with a minute to go Williams determination saw him have a one on one with the Goat keeper and there was always going to be one winner in that situation and he slotted the winner for Little Sharsted .

In an 11 goal thriller it was AFC Sheppey that came out victors 6-5 from a very spirited Gore Court Arms side. The division one Lions side were taken all the way in this game but with goals from a Swaby hat trick, and strikes from O’Neill, Conlon and Blake saw them home. The second division Arms finished with great credit with goals from Bradley Pearce (3), Sam Adams and Michael Sprotson.

Red Lion (Sheppey) also moved into the Quarter Finals with a comfortable 6-2 victory over Range Rovers. The Lions looked to have been very comfortable going into a 2-0 lead with goals from Carl Harrold and Aaron Kerry, but the never say die Rovers pressed back and equalised through Nathan Brown and Paul Constable to rock the Division One leaders. The strength in depth eventually showed for the Lions and with further goals from Kerry and Harrold and Brett Nevin chipping in the game was sealed.

The all Division one clash between Park Regis (Kemsley) and Holm Sports was a very tight affair from the start with both sides going for goals but also being resolute in defence, so it was no surprise that the first half remained goalless, although the better of exchanges fell to Holm. The second period saw the Kemsley side step up a gear and goals from Steve Collar, Aaron Ridley, Aaron Butcher and Tommy Price secured a place in the last eight. Holms replied through Chay Peters.

Harps Inn won a close encounter with Park Regis Reserves 2-1 in the all second division clash. Goals from Steve Goodwin and Dan Pronger won it for the Harps with Taz Baker replying for Regis.

Mr India Division Two

The only game in the division saw Eastern Athletic battle out a 1-1 draw with Aviator.

The Aviator Division Three

The division title is certainly shaping up in this division with four sides that look like they will be vying for the silverware come April. Park Regis A regained top spot with an amazing win with a 9-7 scoreline against Red Lion C. The Island side must have wondered what they had done wrong to score seven goals, with double strikes from Andy Keays, Sam King and Jimmy Lindsell and still come out on the wrong end of the result. A five star performance from Ashley Baverstock made sure of that scoring 5 of the Regis goals, Chris King did his best not to be out done with a hat trick and strike from Bryn Love completed this amazing game.

The Wheatsheaf kept their hopes alive and well and boosted their goal difference by 13 goals taking full advantage of a Fox & Goose 10 man side. A hat trick from goal a game Zweck, doubles from Bartlett and Prince and strikes from Brissenden, Hodges, Smith, Holden, Hodges and Poole clinched the rout.

With the Nags Head and the IOSA Reserves both without games they must have been looking on with interest on their title rivals.

The only other game in the division saw Aviator Reserves and Classic Real play out a 1-1 draw.

Havills Services Combination Division

Two of the Combination League contenders met on Sunday when leaders Cheema hosted Queens Head FC. A Luke Rowland double put Queens Head FC 2-0 up at the break in a half Queens Head largely dominated. A much closer affair in the second half saw Cheema pull one back when Adam Marsh finished neatly from a long through ball, but despite their best efforts Cheema couldn't find a way through the Queens Heads stubborn defence and the game was sealed when winger Richie Parker drilled in a low cross from the left and the ball rebounded in off a Cheema defender to give the Queens Head a hard fought 3-1 victory.

Sittingbourne Lions continued their impressive season with a 4-2 victory over basement boys Lynten Athletic. Goals from a Lloyd James double and strikes by Nick Coles and Billy Gilham secured the points with Paul Carty and Jason Willmore replying for Lynten.

Teynham started brightly  passing the ball around quickly and within 5 minutes Beau Spree scored pushing a shot under the approaching Inter Milton Keeper with the ball sliding just past the inside of the near post.  Inter nearly replied almost immediately from a corner but fortunately the header was aimed straight at the Gunners keeper Rob Foord. It was a tight half with Teynham having slightly the better possession but Inter Milton came close a couple of times to keep the Teynham fans nervous. In the second half Milton played better football and quickly equalised through Luke Parker which made the game more open. It was Inter Milton who had more possession this half with Teynham playing more counter attack football but they lacked the finish when they got into the final third. Milton scored a second through Adrian De La Haye. The young Gunners side pressed to find the equaliser with time counting down they pushed more Players forward but were caught near the end with a quick break giving Aaron Blackbourne the goal to seal the 3-1 victory for Milton.

Murston Hammers climbed the table with a hard fought 3-1 win over Real Sittingbourne. The Hammers secured the points with a Darren Hill double and the goal machine Gregg Joseph adding the third. Ed Panting replied for Real.

Sunday 27th November - Match Reports

The Havills Services Junior Charity Cup

The Havills Junior Charity Cup first Round saw the Clubs from the third and Combination Divisions fighting their way to Quarter Final places, and the ties lived up to expectations with 4-1 score lines being popular.

The 3 rd Division high flyers The Wheatsheaf took on their Combination counterparts in a thrilling game which saw The Wheatsheaf make the Quarters with goals from who else but Paul Zweck, Lee Bravery (2) and Craig Smith. The only blight in the game was a late eye injury to Joe Johnson from Cheema.

The Nags Head sealed their [lace in the draw with a 4-1 victory over the youngsters from Teynham Gunners. The Nags goals coming from Sabeur Trabelsi, Andy Turnham, Jamie Oswell and Darren Delport, with the impressive Beau Spree netting the Gunners goal.

Aviator Reserves also completed a 4-1 win over Park Tavern with goals from Lee Smith, Gareth Parry, Steve Woods and now ‘nearly a veteran’ Tony Atkinson. Paul Bishop replied for Tavern.

The shock of the day was rock bottom of the Combination Division Lynten Athletic beating Red Lion C 7-3 in an exciting game at Frognall Lane. The Lynten side without a League win all season took the game to the Division Three side and it paid dividends with a hat trick from James Savage and doubles from Jason Willmore and Kevin Smith to secure the victory and a Quarter Final place. The Red Lion replied through Lloyd Vasell, Dan Pullen, and Andy Keays.

The youngsters from Sittingbourne Lions made easy work of Range Rovers Athletic to sail into the next round with an emphatic 9-0 win, 4 goals from the ever impressive Connor Simpson did most damage, but he was assisted with strikes from Jamie Troke (2), Nick Coles, Lloyd James and Dan Hogan.

Queens Head dispatched Real Sittingbourne 3-0 to reach the Quarter’s a James Hewitt hat trick doing the job.

The game between IOSA Reserves and Murston Hammers was abandoned after a couple of minutes into the second half, when Brett Jordan from the IOSA Reserves received a blow to the face challenging for a 50-50 ball and was knocked unconscious. League Secretary Mark Rogers said “The air ambulance was called as Brett was out cold and it was decided at that point with the delay in getting the ambulance there and most of the Players rightly so not wanting to carry on, we decided to abandon the game at that point. The Air Ambulance took him to the Royal London Hospital, and I spoke to his wife and she said thankfully the CT scan was all clear, so we all wish Brett a speedy recovery from us all at the League”

Brett King Senior Charity Cup

In the remaining Brett King Senior Charity Cup fixture The Beach booked their Quarter Final place against Eastern Athletic with a 5-1 win over Swale Athletic. Jay Law starred for the Beach scoring (4) with Dan Swan adding a fifth. Tom Kinslow replied for Swale.

Dore Metal Services Division One

The leaders Red Lion (Sheppey) continued their good form with a 4-2 win over the Goat to keep their 4 point lead at the top. A Richard King hat trick made sure of the points with Brett Nevin adding a fourth. The Goat replied through Dan Solari and Marcus Lind.

Park Regis (Kemsley) kept pace on the keaders with an impressive 5-0 win over AFC Red Lion, a Calvin Sills hat trick helped them on their way and goals from Dan Hudson and a long range strike from Andy Peters completed the win.

Holm Sports got back to winning ways with an impressive 6-0 win over IOSA, a brace from Shaun Sullivan got Holm on their way and strikes from Dan Calder, Dean Colins Scott Price and Mike Green sealed the win.

Mr India Halfway Division Two

Gore Court Arms have made quiet progress to the top of the Division and they made short work of Eastern Athletic to top the group on goal difference with a 7-1 win. The Arms strikeforce that were on form was Tony Adamzek with an excellent hat trick, and goals from Sam Adams, Joe Perkins, Matt Butler, and Michael Shason. Eastern replied through Danny Creed.

Sporting Sittingbourne are slowly starting to get their season on the move with an impressive 8-2 win over Little Sharsted. A hat trick from Derek Amartey, and double strikes from Shaughan Hawkes and Matt Hopkins did the damage with Terry Woods getting on the score sheet as well. Sharsted’s goals were from an Adam Williams brace.

Park Regis Reserves maintained their 2nd place with a tight 2-1 win over Range Rovers.

The Aviator Division Three

The leaders Park Regis A took full advantage of being the only top side playing with a 10-3 romp against Classic Real and helped their goal difference with goals from Ashley Baverstock, Craig Oliver, Chris King, Craig Hlongwane and Makhosi Phuthi, Alan Swindlehurst(2) and Carl O’Neil replying for Classic.

Sunday 4th December - Match Reports

It was back to League action for all the Clubs in the Dore Metals Sheppey Sunday League in a weekend that started to shape up the title contenders for the New Year.

Dore Metal Services Division One

Park Regis (Kemsley) took advantage of the leaders Red Lion (Sheppey) having a weekend off to gain the top spot for the first time this season with a tight 2-0 victory over the IOSA. Goals from Tommy Price and Sam Teague moved the Kemsley boys to the top slot.

AFC Red Lion switched places with The Beach after an exciting encounter that saw the Reds edge through 3-2. The Reds who have had a mixed season got back on track with strikes from Russell Jeffrey, Lewis Thomsett and Matt Cunningham. The Beach replied with goals from Dan Bryant and Sam Brown but it was not enough to see them drop to 4 th in the table.

Leysdown lifted themselves off the bottom of the table with a 4-3 win over The Goat. The Leysdown side recorded their first League win of the season with goals from Wigglesworth, Davies, Hornsby and Knox with a Marcus Lind brace and a Dan Solari goal for the Goat made for a tight finish.

Mr India Halfway Division Two

Gore Court Arms extended their lead at the top of the Division with a convincing 7-0 drubbing of Little Sharsted a Joe Perkins hat trick and a Brad Pearce double did the main damage for the Arms with Marc Baldock and Glen Newbury chipping in as well.

Range Rovers needed a win to keep their name in the hat for the title push and they obliged with a nervy 3-2 win over Sporting Sittingbourne with goals from Paul Constable, Nathan Brown and Christian Millward.

The mid table clash between the Harps Inn and the Aviator also saw 5 goals with the Aviator flying in a 3-2 win against their local rivals.

The Aviator Division Three

The leaders Park Regis A having the weekend off it was down to second place The Wheatsheaf to try to narrow the gap at the top and they duly took advantage with an excellent 4-2 win over the Aviator Reserves.

The Nags Head retained third spot with games in hand with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Park Tavern. It was goals from Jamie Oswell, Gary Toms, Kris Elavia and “Ratti” that keeps the Nags firmly in the hunt.

The IOSA Academy Reserves who have got games in hand over their rivals at the top needed to continue winning and this they did with a 10-1 thumping of Classic Real. It was the Academy’s perfect warm up for their Kent Cup game this weekend with hat tricks from Darren Hockley and Jamie Bonner, a brace from Connor Young and strikes from Nick Lee and John Butler completed the rout. Sam Warren took away the consolation goal for Classic.

The Red Lion C compiled more misery on the basement boys the Fox & Goose with a 8-0 win with goals from an Andy Keays hat trick, doubles from Jimmy Lindsell and Lloyd Vassell and Malc Jordinson finishing the scoring. A lot of credit must be laid at the Fox & Goose side who gave it their all right to the end.

Havills Services Combination Division

For the first time this season there is a new side heading the Combination with the young Lions from Sittingbourne taking the top slot. Sittingbourne Lions moved swiftly into the top position with a comprehensive 7-0 win over Range Rovers Athletic. It was four goal hero Jamie Troke who made the difference between the sides, Fryer, Coles and James chipping in.

The long time leaders Cheema have started to have a dip of late and this was compounded with a 1-1 draw with the basement boys Lynten Athletic. It was Adam Marsh that scored for Cheema but a goal from Sam Winnard gave Lynten a great result and dropped Cheema to third place for the first time this season.

The team that everyone is keeping an eye on is Queens Head who have slipped quietly into second spot with a comfortable 6-0 win over Real Sittingbourne. Goals from James Hewitt (3) Luke Rowland (2) and Tony Downes did the damage. This win keeps the Queens a point behind the Lions but have two games in hand to call upon.

The other game in the Division saw the boys from Murston chalk up their third win of the season 4-2 against the young Gunners from Teynham. A Tony Maloney double and goals from the ever impressive Joe Cole and Fred Rye moved the Hammers up the table and it was goal a game Beau Spree and Sam Charlton who replied for Teynham.

Sunday 11th December - Match Reports

Kent Junior Trophy - Round 4

The IOSA Reserves took on Medway Messenger side Medway NPU to make a claim for the last 16 and the Countywide draw of the Junior Trophy. It was the team from Sheppey that was triumphant with a comfortable 4-2 win. After 30 minutes the Island side found themselves 2-0 up with an own goal and a Jamie Bonner strike which saw them through to the interval. The Medway side started the second half brightly and closed the gap with a goal early on. After a nervy spell it was Connor Young who steadied the ship to restore the 2 goal cushion to put the Academy ahead 3-1. Although the Island side looked in control the Medway side never gave up and closed the deficit once again to make it 3-2, but Joff Butler popped up with 10 minutes remaining to put the game beyond the Medway side and gave the Sheppey side the result they deserved and a place in the last 16.

Rose Bowl Charity Cup

The Rose Bowl got under way for another season with teams vying to get into the last eight. The closest tie of the round was between Swale Athletic and the Harps Inn that ended with the lottery of a penalty shoot out. After 120 mins both sides could not be separated with goals from Scott Chappell and Stuart Bonner for Athletic and Tom and Matt Moore for the Harps Inn. The penalties were the usual nervy affair and it was the Harps side that held theirs to go into the Quarter Final. Sporting Sittingbourne had an easier ride smashing Little Sharsted 10-3. A four goal show from Derek Armartey was the main provider for Sporting with Matt Hopkins and Graham Hayward getting a brace a piece and Ben Seaman and Colin Chapman chipping in. Sharsted’s consolations were from Aaron Oakwell, Ollie Chesson and Adam Williams. The Nags Head made it to the last eight in a tight affair against the Combination side Lynten Athletic 2-1. Sabeur Trabelsi and Andy Thurnham scoring for the Nags with Sam Winnard replying for Lynten. Murston Hammers brushed Inter Milton aside 7-3. Goal machine Gregg Joseph bagging a hat trick and Rye and Taylor getting two a piece. Adrian Delahaye scoring twice and Luke Palmer for Milton.

Dore Metal Services Division One

Park Regis (Kemsley) lost top spot after a surprising 2-2 draw with lowly The Goat. It was Ben Hicks and Marcus Lind that did the damage for The Goat, with Dan Hudson and Tommy Price grabbing the point for Kemsley.

Red Lion (Sheppey) switched places with Kemsley at the top with a convincing 4-1 win over AFC Red Lion. A Richard King brace got the Sheppey side going with Brett Nevin and Carl Harrold chipping in as well. AFC replied through Jon Ralph.

Leysdown’s good form continued with a 1-0 win over basement side IOSA. A Ricky Wigglesworth goal parted the two sides.

Holm Sports kept their noses in the race for the title with a tight 2-1 victory over The Beach, Dan Calder and Nicky Hunt scoring for Holm and Nick Brown making it a tight finish with his first for the Beach.

Mr India Halfway Division Two

Gore Court Arms maintained their lead at the top of the Division with a convincing 6-3 win over fellow title challengers Range Rovers. The Arms extended their lead with double strikes from Bradley Pearce and Joe Perkins and Glen Newbury and Sam Adams also netting to claim the points. Rovers replied through Neil Gallacher (2) and Peri Oakey. Second place Park Regis Reserves lost a little ground in an exciting 5-5 draw with The Aviator. Ryan Miles(2), Connor Miles, Paul Overy and Chris Felinack got on the scoresheet for Regis, but a four star performance from Dan Palmer (4) and a goal from Sam Ingram shared the points.

The Aviator Division Three

The only game in the division saw the leaders Park Regis A take on basement boys the Fox & Goose. The Regis side ended up comfortable 10-3 winners with goals from Chris King (3), Jack Brown (2), Matt Luckhurst, Ashley Baverstock, Joe Brown, Declan Miles and Bryn Love. The goals for the Fox & Goose came from a Michael Sullivan double and John Best.

Havills Services Combination Division

Sittingbourne Lions retained their top spot with a 3-2 win over fellow youngsters Teynham Gunners. Connor Simpson, Nick Coles and Daniel Hogan scoring for the Lions and with who else but Beau Spree grabbing two for the Gunners.

The team hot on the heels of the Lions are Queens Head and they kept the pressure on with a comfortable 8-0 win over Range Rovers Athletic. Hat trick strikes from Luke Rowlands and James Hewitt did most of the damage with Sean Munday and Scott Catton adding the extra goals.

Sunday 18th December - Match Reports

Len Waters League Cup – Second Round

The second round of the premier Cup the Len Waters League Cup was played on Sunday with teams vying to get into the Quarter Final and the shock of the day was the Combination side the Queens Head beating Division Two opposition Range Rovers comfortably 7-2. Luke Rowlands and Ashley Hewitt were the stars for the Queens with Rowland scoring 4 and Hewitt bagging a hat trick. The Rovers goal machine Paul Constable scored both the Rovers replies but could not stop the giant killing.

The Goat eased past the Aviator into the last 8 with strikes from Marcus Lind (4) Dave Green (2) Jack Crockford and Kris Etridge.

In a tight affair Sittingbourne Lions edged out the Fox & Goose 1-0 to reach the Quarters. The Goose side were left ruing a spate of missed chances but an Adam Hughes goal separated the sides.

Division One side Park Regis (Kemsley) eased out Division Two high flyers the Gore Court Arms 6-1. A Tommy Price hat trick did most of the damage with Dan Hudson, Andy Peters and Aaron Butcher all chipping in.

The game between Park Regis Reserves and Aviator Reserves was postponed due to a frozen pitch and the Red Lion (Sheppey) v AFC Red Lion was postponed due to a lack of players from the AFC side.

Rose Bowl Charity Cup – First Round

The remaining fixture in the Rose Bowl to be played saw another giant killing when the young Teynham Gunners from the Combination beat Division Two side Eastern Athletic 2-0. The sides could not be parted after 90 minutes to take the game to the extra 30. The game was ebbing to and fro with chances being created by both sides and with penalties looming it was the young Gunners who swooped with a goal from Kyle Shaw with 8 minutes remaining which took the wind out of Eastern’s sails and Nathan Harbour sealed the tie 3 minutes later, to give the Gunners a remarkable win.

Havills Junior Charity Cup – First Round

The replay of the abandoned game due to the horrific injury to Brett Jordan between IOSA Reserves and Murston Hammers turned into a one sided affair with the Island side winning comfortably 5-1. Double strikes from Darren Hockley and James Stock did the damage with John Butler adding a fifth. The Hammers replied through Darren Mills. IOSA manager Craig Brown said “That one was for Brett we knew we could not afford to lose this one as Brett would never let us live it down”

Dore Metal Services Division One

Holm Sports and The Beach played each other again back to back and it was The Beach who gained revenge for their defeat from the previous week with a tight 3-2 win. A Dan Bryant double and a Dan Swan strike was enough to give the Beach the points. Holm replied through Nicky Hunt and Craig Holland.

Mr India Halfway Division Two

Sporting Sittingbourne’s up and down season bounced back into gear with an impressive 7-1 win over the Harps. Double strikes from Derrick Armartey and Matt Hopkins got Sporting underway, with Ryan Gregory, Shaughan Hawks and Tom Spillett grabbing one a piece. Tom Moore got the consolation for the Harps.

Swale Athletic won the battle of the basement boys with a 4-1 win over Little Sharsted. A Tom Kinslow hat trick and a Chris Bellison strike did the damage, with Sam Gambell getting the goal for Sharsted.

The Aviator Division Three

The only game in the division saw the Nags Head edge closer to the top with a 4-0 win over Park Tavern with goals from Gary Toms, Sabeur Trabelsi, Kris Elavia and Steve Dawson. This win pushes them closer to the top two and the run into the title in this Division looks fascinating, with the IOSA Reserves with games in hand who could also be involved in the mix come the end of April.

Sunday 8th January - Match Reports

Kent Junior Trophy

The IOSA Reserves Kent Junior Trophy dream is over for another season after going down 3-2 to Ramsgate side Newington Ramsgate. The League’s only representative still in the competition fought hard to go through with goals from Darren Hockley and Connor Young, but after going down to 10 men when Danny Ball was red carded for apparently handling the ball that was goal bound the home side were just a little too strong for the spirited Islanders. Team Manager Craig Brown said “I am very proud of the lads they fought hard in this competition and thought it could have been our year, but we will be back next season.”

The Royal Hotel Senior Cup – Quarter Final

It was business as usual for a rampant Park Regis (Kemsley) side that smashed 10 goals past a poor Swale Athletic side. Tommy Price started the New Year by smashing in four, with Dan Hudson and Calvyn Sills both netting a brace a piece, and goals from Sam Teague and Aaron Ridley completed the rout. Second Division side Range Rovers battled hard against the inform Division One side Red Lion (Sheppey) by taking them to extra time before going down 5-1 in extra time. In an even game both sides had their chances in the 90 minutes to win the game and Red Lion were kicking themselves when Richard King blasted a 90 th minute penalty over the bar. In the extra minutes it was the Lions experience that showed to gradually wear down the brave Rovers. The Beach reached the last four with two goals from Phil Jackson and a Jay Law goal to beat Park Regis Reserves 3-1, Ryan Miles scoring for the Regis side. The Goat’s indifferent season continued with a spirited 3-1 win over fellow Division One side Leysdown. It was Ben Hicks, Marcus Lind and Dan Solari who were the Goat stars to see them reach a semi final again.

The Red Lion Junior Cup – Quarter Final

Park Regis A gave the youngsters from Teynham Gunners a lesson in how to take their chances but hitting them for seven. The clinical finishing of Ashley Baverstock did the damage bagging four, with Declan Mills, Jack Brown and Dan Tye all getting on the scoresheet. The banana skin of the day was 3 rd Division side Aviator Reserves going down 3-0 by the Combination side Queens Head. A James Hewitt brace and a goal from Tony Downs saw a well deserved win for the Queens side to reach their first ever semi final. The tie of the round was the two title contenders in Division Three Nags Head and The Wheatsheaf going head to head, and the Wheatsheaf edging it 3-2 with a 90 th minute winner. The game ebbed and flowed with Kris Elavia and Sabeur Trabelsi scoring for the Nags Head and strikes from Lee Bravery and Adam Bartlett for the Wheatie which was making it look like it was going into an extra 30 minutes until Craig Smith popped up to grab a dramatic late winner. Both sides were full of praise for the Wheatsheaf keeper Luke Titshall who with a string of great saves kept his side in the tie.

Dore Metal Services Division One

AFC Red Lion kept their faint hope of winning the Division One crown with a convincing 5-0 win over the IOSA. A Leslie Lewis hat trick on his debut for the Reds was the difference between the sides with John Ralph and Matt Cunningham adding the other goals.

Mr India Halfway Division Two

The leaders Gore Court Arms increased their lead at the top with a 4-1 win over Sporting Sittingbourne. The impressive Bradley Pearce did the damage scoring twice and the youngster Joe Perkins and Tony Adamaczek netting for the Arms. The Sporting’s solitary goal was from Shaun Hawks. Eastern Athletic fought out the basement battle with Little Sharsted and were 5-1 victors. A hat trick from Danny Creed set up the Eastern win with Dominic Moffatt and Chris Arnott getting in on the credits. A Sam Campbell goal was the Sharsted’s consolation.

The Aviator Division Three

The only game in the division saw Park Tavern grab a well deserved win over basement boys Classic Real 4-1. A brace from Paul Bishop and strikes from Chris Toms and David Wood secured the point for the Taverners and Alan Swindlehurst grabbed Classic’s only goal.

Havills Services Combination Division

The only game in the division saw Murston Hammers smash eight goals past Range Rovers Athletic. The Hammers took full advantage of a poor Rovers side with an Alex Sammy hat trick, a brace from Adrian De La Haye and goals from Jason Taylor, Fred Rye and Ryan Coyle secured all three points.

Sunday 15th January - Match Reports

The Brett King Senior Charity Cup – Quarter Final

The Brett King Senior Charity Cup saw no surprises this year with all the fancied Clubs making the Semi Finals. Sporting Sittingbourne crushed an indifferent Little Sharsted side 9-1 to reach another Semi Final. The Sporting’s hit man was Matt Hopkins who smashed home five of the goals, with Derrick Amartrey, Shaugan Hawks, Ben Seaman and Adam Coles all chipping in. The consolation for Sharsted was from Luke Fisher. Division Two side Eastern Athletic made their Division One opponents work hard for their 4-2 win. The Division Two side at times matched their higher opponents with goals from Danny Creed and Alex Fry, but the experience of the Division One side won on the day with a Liam Newton double, Dan Bryant and James Huggins all making the scoresheet. A disciplined display by Red Lion (Sheppey) saw them brush aside Division Two the Harps 3-0. A brace from Brett Nevin and a strike from Shaun Pullen put the Reds into the Semi Finals.

Havill Services Junior Charity Cup – Quarter Final

The giant killing of the day went to the youngsters at Sittingbourne Lions who took on Division Three side the Aviator Reserves and won convincingly 5-1. Double strikes from Jamie Troke and Lloyd James did the damage with Conor Simpson adding a fifth. Lee Smith scored the Aviators reply. Lions Manager Nick Coles said “It was a good result for the lads we were really up for the game and we were not going to be intimidated because we are young.” The two form sides in their respective Divisions Queens Head from the Combination and The Wheatsheaf from Division Three fought out an 8 goal thriller with the Queens side going into the Semi Final by a 5-3 margin. A hat trick from Luke Rowland was the star of the show, with Craig Calder and Richie Parker chipping in. The Wheatie fought hard with goals from Adam Hutchins, Lee Bravery and Craig Smith but found the Island side too strong on the day. It was all even at half time between the IOSA Reserves and Park Regis A with Regis going ahead through Joe Brown, but James Stock equalising just before half time. The second half looked set for a cracker but an inspired substitution from Regis saw Ashley Baverstock come out of goal to run a second half show and with Brown adding a second and strikes from Matt Luckhurst and Michael Collar, Regis looked the only side that was going to win this one. Nags Head make up the Semi Final four after defeating Lynten Athletic 5-3 in a bruising battle. Goals from Andy Thurnham, Gary Toms, Steve Dawson, David Robinson and Matt Bond for the Nags made sure of the semi spot with Sam Winnard (2) and Dan Boorman replied for Lynten.

Dore Metal Services Division One

The IOSA side must wonder what they have got to do to win a game. In a first half where they dominated and were 3-0 up at half time with goals from Colm Dee, Sam Cannon and Lee Steele there only looked like one winner, but the old saying its a game of two halves was certainly the case. The Goat got themselves together and looked a total different side and a double from Jake Mead soon reduced the deficit, then up stepped Marcus Lind with a hat trick to turn the game on its head with further goals from Ben Hicks and Steve Rowden completed the win and a horror show the IOSA boys will want to forget. In an entertaining match at Leysdown it was the home side that walked away with the points after a 3-2 win over Holm Sports. A Tommy Pritchard double and a goal from Reece Crimmon made the points safe for the Leysdown side, Holm scored through Lewis Gransden and Mike Green was not enough to peg the result back.

Havills Services Combination Division

The only game in the division saw Range Rovers Athletic notch another victory over the indifferent Inter Milton 2-1. Goals from Shane Sutton and Steve Curtis saw the Rovers home, with Aaron Blackbourne replying for the Milton side.

Sunday 22nd January - Match Reports

Len Waters League Cup – Quarter Final

The biggest Cup upset of the season happened on Sunday when the young Sittingbourne Lions side took on Division One veterans Holm Sports in the Quarter Final of the League’s major trophy and came out 2-1 winners to reach another Semi Final in their first season of senior football. The young Lions started the game without a care in the world and took the game to Holm Sports. Lewis Gransden got on the scoresheet for the Division One side, but it was Jamie Troke and Adam Hughes who were the heroes for the Lions. In what was deemed to be the tie of the round two of the top sides in Division One The Beach and Park Regis (Kemsley) went head to head and it was the Kemsley boys who made the last four. A solid performance and goals from Dan Hudson, Tommy Price and Aaron Butcher was enough to see through the win, with Dan Bryant scoring for the Beach. In the other all Division One tie between The Goat and Red Lion (Sheppey) it was the Red Lion who made the draw. In a match which never looked likely of goals in the first half finally got to life 10 minutes into the second half when Marcus Lind looked as though he was going to be the hero for the Goat with a brace in quick succession to put The Goat 2 up. This finally woke the Lions and with goals from Russell Lamb, Richard King, Jon Fisch, and Dan Pullen the Red Lion side eased their way into the Semi Final. In the last of the second round matches that needed to be played Park Regis Reserves smashed eight passed the Aviator Reserves. A Taz Baker hat trick and a brace from Ryan Miles did the damage, with Lloyd Miles, James Black and Mark Barker all adding to the score.

The Red Lion Junior Cup – Quarter Final

The last Quarter Final of the Junior Cup turned out to be a stroll in the park for the IOSA Reserves beating Inter Milton 5-0 to book a Semi Final place against Park Regis A. A Jamie Bonner brace and goals from John Butler, Nick Lee and Conor Young eased passed a poor Milton side.

Dore Metal Services Division One

The IOSA season remained winless after a tight 2-1 encounter with Leysdown. IOSA without a League win this season continued their record although playing very well. Sam Cannon gave the Academy side hope but strikes from Mark Hornsby and Gary Ramsey saw all three points head to Leysdown.

Mr India Division Two

Sporting Sittingbourne kept their good vein of form going with a 5-0 win over Little Sharsted and that was with their four goal hero from the previous week Matt Hopkins on the bench. A rotation in squad was the order of the day for Sporting and they were very comfortable throughout the game. A brace from Derrick Amartrey and goals from Colin Chapman, Adam Coles, and Tom Spillett saw the rout through.

The Harps Inn recorded another win with a 3-1 away victory against a stubborn Eastern athletic side. Eastern’s goal machine Danny Creed was on target again but it was not enough with Steve Goodwin, Alex Morley, and James Abbott scoring for the Harps Inn.

The Aviator Division Three

The Wheatsheaf kept the pressure on top of the table Park Regis A with a 3-1 win over Red Lion C in an entertaining game. The goal machines Lee Bravery and Paul Zweck were on target again for The Wheatie, with Andy Keays snatching one back for the Island team.

Havills Services Combination Division

Queens Head FC go top of the Combination league for the 1st time this season with a comfortable 5-0 win over Murston Hammers, with the deadly strike duo of James Hewitt and Luke Rowland inflicting the damage, Rowland was the main provider as the Queens sliced through Murstons defence time and again with Hewitt bagging a hat-trick in the 1st half and Rowland adding another to go 4-0 up at half time. With strong winds playing their part in the second half Queens Head were able to sit back and pick off their opponent on the counter attack, James Hewitt collecting his 4th of the game after good work from Duane Gibbons. Real Sittingbourne moved into 4 th spot with a 2-1 win over the young Gunners from Teynham. Darren van Campenhout and Jack Burns grabbed the goals for the Sittingbourne side, with Kyle Shaw scoring for Teynham Gunners.

Sunday 29th January - Match Reports

Rose Bowl Charity Cup – Quarter Final

The last eight Clubs in the Rose Bowl were all vying for a Semi Final spot with one eye on a Bourne Park Final and all the matches where exciting Cup ties of the greatest order.

Teynham Gunners playing their first season in Adults football after moving up from a Youth set up were drawn against  Leysdown who are 25 places in the Divisions above them, so the young Gunners were the obvious underdogs. Teynham started confidently and started to move the ball about  and with Leysdown closing them down quickly it was a very tight game. Beau Spree had the first chance for Teynham breaking through Leysdown’s defence but his shot went over the bar from just inside the box. Leysdown had a couple of chances but neither keeper was really tested early on. Nathan Harbour and Theo Mugadza caused Leysdown some problems with their pace when the Gunners managed to thread the ball through Leysdowns disciplined  back four but could not find that touch to find the back of the net. In the second half Leysdown certainly stepped up a gear and the Gunners found themselves having to defend for long periods of time with little respite, and had to thank James Stockley for keeping his younger colleagues in shape to keep Leysdown at bay. Slowly but surely Teynham got back into their stride and started to move the ball around quickly with strikers Kyle Shaw and Mugadza finding more space as the game progressed with both of them being denied by the Leysdown keeper a few times.  With extra time looming with only 8 minutes to go Teynham conceded a corner and from the resulting kick it was unfortunate that the ball ricocheted off a Teynham defender and just crossed the line before keeper Rob Foord could stop it. It was an unkind blow but the Gunners threw everything forward in the dying minutes to try and get the equaliser making it a fretful finish for Leysdown. Shaw got free on the right inside the box releasing his shot that looked like it was goal bound but once again the Leysdown keeper was in the way to see Leysdown home by the single goal. In a great game to watch and with performance like that Teynham look in good shape for the future with the younger players picking up experience and confidence in what they do.

The Nags Head and the IOSA went the full distance with the third Division side Nags Head triumphant in the penalty shoot out. The game ended 2-2 after 120 minutes of football with Anthony Unsworth and Sabeur Trabelsi netting for the Nags with Ian Young and Lee Steele for the Academy. The Academy must be ruing the penalty shoot outs as this is the third one they have lost in as many seasons.

In a tight and exciting 7 goal affair between the two second Division sides Sporting Sittingbourne and the Harps Inn, it was the Harps that made the Semi Final draw by the odd goal. Matt Hopkins took the lead for Sporting in the first 5 minutes to set the tie alight, but that was as good as it got for the Sittingbourne side as the Harps piled on the pressure and with goals from Ben Saunders, Gari Bleir, and Luke Walshaw by half time the game looked all over. After a severe team talk the Sporting side looked a much better side and goals from Derrick Amartey and Ryan Gregory got them back into the tie at 3-3. The game looked like it was heading for an extra 30 minutes when a cross came over into the Sporting box and Joe Wells inexplicably headed past his own keeper under no pressure to give the Harps the Semi spot.

In the final tie of the day Park Tavern cruised past Murston Hammers 4-1 with a hat trick from Chris Toms and a strike from the in-form Paul Bishop. The Hammers replied through Ryan Coyle.

Len Waters League Cup – Quarter Final

The last Quarter Final of the Len Waters League Cup turned out to be an exciting affair with the Combination side Queens Head causing the biggest upset of the day with a 4-3 win over 2 nd Division Park Regis Reserves. The form side Queens Head who seem fearless of any side at the moment moved into the Semi’s with goals from Ross Tridgell, Matt Hopkins and goal machines Luke Rowland and James Hewitt. The Regis side made it an exciting tie with goals from Ryan Miles, Ben Parr Collins, and Lee Marsh

Dore Metal Services Division One

The title race still is an open affair with three Clubs still in the hunt although it looks like it will be settled by the present top two. Red Lion (Sheppey) stayed on top with a 4-2 win over the Goat. The goals from Brett Nevin, Paul Woodford, Tony Hewitt and Jon Fisch were enough to keep them top with a game in hand over second spot Park Regis (Kemsley). The Goat made a good game of it with goals from Jack Crockford and Reece Mundy but they were not strong enough to hold the rampant Lions. Park Regis (Kemsley) kept the pressure on Red Lion with a 4-0 win over Holm Sports to stay second on the same points but short by 4 goals. Ashleigh Taylor, Tommy Price, Aaron Ridley and Elliot Chandler all scored to ease past Holm, so it looks like all eyes will be on the game in hand Red Lion have. AFC Red Lion kept their slim chances of winning the title alive with a 4-0 win over The Beach. Goals from a Ben O’Neill penalty, Lewis Thomsett, Jon Ralph, and Frankie Swaby saw AFC home and to leave them 4 points behind the leaders.

Mr India Division Two

Range Rovers moved into second place after an 8-2 win over Little Sharsted. A Paul Constable hat trick and goals from Richard and Chris Hill, Nathan Brown, Matt Gearing and Peri Oakey leaves Rovers the only side looking likely to catch Gore Court at the top with their 3 games in hand. In the bottom three clash between Swale Athletic and Eastern Athletic, Swale moved closer on points with a 2-1 victory. Goals from Tom Kinslow and Scott Chappell secured the points for Swale with Alex Fry netting for Eastern.

The Aviator Division Three

The Wheatsheaf moved into the top spot with an emphatic 4-1 win over possible title contenders IOSA Reserves. The Wheatie moved a point ahead of Park Regis A with goals from Grant Bartlett, Lee Bravery, Rob Coombs and Craig Smith. Park Regis have a game in hand so it looks like a tense finish to the season in Division Three. Darren Hockley got the single Academy goal. Classic Real moved up two places with a 5-1 win over Fox & Goose, Classic scored through Alan Swindlehurst, Ross Faloyo, Carl O’Neill, Luke Peppler and Luke grant. The Foxes consolation was from Dave Tong.