Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Lilywhites’ magnificent seven
Ryman League
Faversham produced an array of spectacular goals as they came from behind to thrash Chatham 7-1 in Ryman League, Division 1 South on Tuesday night.
Andrew Dalhouse put Chats ahead but Renford Tenyue volleyed a superb leveller 10 minutes before the break from well outside the box.
George Monger was even further out when he unleashed a swerving effort into the opposite corner from fully 35 yards just two minutes later.
Six minutes into the second half, Jack Richards drilled a low shot in from the edge of the box to make it 3-1 and after Josh Stanford had missed a penalty, the same player made it 4-1 with a 30-yarder just before the hour. Town hit thebar and the Chats keeper was stretchered off before Dean Grant sprung the offside trap to slot the fifth with 11 minutes to go. Four minutes later, Tenyue burst forward and found Kieron Campbell, who found the top corner from the edge of the box and in the dying seconds, Campbell curled the final goal into the opposite top corner. It was the perfect response after Town suffered a setback on Saturday with a 3- 0 defeat to early leaders Tooting & Mitcham. Grant went close early on and Ryan Cheek headed over before the break while after half-time, Grant was bundled over in the box only to see his penalty saved by Matt Pierson. Pierson denied Campbell soon after but just after the hour, the visitors went ahead through Jordan Wilson’s 20-yard free-kick. Luke Harvey saw a fine header superbly saved but 10 minutes from time, Dan Carrington conceded a controversial penalty from which Billy Dunn firedthe second. Matthew Price headed against the bar for the visitors before debutant Richards saw two shots charged down but it was Tooting who had the final say when Michael Dixon headed home. Herne Bay allowed a 1- 0 lead at Hythe to slip to a 3-1 defeat in the final half-hour on Tuesday – their fifth straight in the league. The Cannons began the brighter and Frankie Sawyer saw a fourth-minute free-kick tipped over by Jack Delo. The deadlock was broken at the other end just three minutes later when Bay launched a break which ended with Michael Turner volleying past Joe Mant.
Town battled back and Alfie May volleyed straight at Delo while Sam Adams shot wide from the edge of the box.
At the other end, Mark Lovell was denied by Mant while Adam Woollcott shot past the post and the end-to-end action continued as Town’s Ryan Johnson fired over.
Danny Walder’s free-kick flashed across the face of the Hythe goal while Delo got down to block a Josh Burchell drive and saw Sawyer’s shot on 43 minutes go over.
The visitors began the second half the brighter and Woollcott drew a save from Mant before Liam King, on his first start after joining from Faversham, saw a shot held by Delo.
The game turned in a three-minute spell around the hour.
First Sawyer broke through the Bay defence to lob home and moments later, he set-up May who put Town ahead.
Bay responded and Walder headed wide on 72 minutes but Hythe made the game safe with 11 minutes remaining when May’s cross was headed home by Alex Skinner.
Town looked the most likely to add to the scoring and Kenny Pogue shot over while May was denied his second.
On Saturday, Bay went down 5-1 at Guernsey and saw Sam Hasler sent-off for a second straight game to incur a seven-match ban, which started against Hythe.
Hasler reacted to Jamie Todd’s foul with an apparent headbutt shortly after the half-hour and was dismissed for the second time in four days.
Despite playing with 10, Bay went ahead soon after with Danny Williams firing home a penalty past Chris Tardif after James Turner was brought down in the box.
After the break, however, Bay conceded almost immediately from the restart when Ross Allen bundled in and then went behind just after the hour mark when Dave Rihoy burst clear.
Williams went close to a headed equaliser but as legs tired, the 10 then conceded three goals in the closing minutes through Allen, Craig Young and a Michael Turner own-goal.