Kentish Express Ashford & District
SOUTHERN COUNTIES EAST LEAGUE: HOME SEQUENCE ENDS
Kent County League
Ashford were outmuscled, outsmarted and outplayed by a dominant Cuxton side, suffering an 8-1 defeat on the 3G pitch in Tenterden in Division 1 Central & East on Saturday.
The visitors raced into a 3-0 lead inside the opening 11 minutes before going in at halftime five goals ahead as Ashford struggled to deal with defending setpieces and picking up the second ball.
Cuxton added three more goals after the break. Ashford forward Jordan Griffin did manage to pull back a late consolation goal from a well hit free-kick . The match statistics don’t lie as everything points towards
Cuxton’s far superior performance. Ashford failed to win even a corner for the second league game in succession.
Forward Joey Wealthyland won the unwanted man of the match award for Ashford for his non-stop effort and energy trying to drive the ball forward, but despite his creativity Ashford were poor in the final third and rarely troubled visiting goalkeeper.
Jordan Griffin rifled in a late consolation goal from a direct free-kick, however Cuxton hit back with an instant reply just 30 seconds later.
It was a second successive league defeat for Ashford on the allweather pitch, and with just one victory in their previous five games the Steamers’ promotion ambitions took another big hit.
Kennington were beaten at home in the league for the first time in over a year when they lost out 2-1 to fellow promotion-chasers Rusthall in a tight Southern Counties East Division 1 contest at Homelands on Saturday, writes Simon Jasinski.
Gary Lockyer gave Ton the perfect start after just eight minutes, finishing with a sublime lob over visiting keeper Billy Johnson from Tom Scorer’s through ball. It could have been two going into the interval but Regan
Mendes snatched shot inside the box was cleared off the line.
However, the visitors started to find more of a foothold towards the end of the first half with Luke Adams going close with a shot that went across the face of the goal, before Ryan Styles levelled from close range early in the second.
Captain Robbie Bissett lashed in Rusthall’s eventual winner shortly after.
Ton had a penalty appeal turned down as Tom Scorer’s strike was blocked by a Rusthall body on the line, but any claims were waved away by the referee.
The result is Kennington’s first home defeat in SCEFL since another 2-1 reverse, against Snodland Town on March 2 last year – a run of 16 games. Rusthall’s victory sees them leapfrog Ton to go back to the top of the table. Kennington visit Division 1 basement side Kent Football United on Saturday (3pm). Kennington: Mant, Stow, Crimmen, Mendes, Sedenu, Clarke, Brown, Scorer, Lockyer, Conlon, Calvert. Subs: Lavender, Owen, Hughes, Philpott, Smith.