enfieldtown031205

Thursday 01st September 2005

Brickies lose explosive first clash with Enfield Town

Saturday 3rd December 2005	Southern League Division One East	Peter Pitts reports from Bourne Park
Sittingbourne	2	Allen 19 (og) Smissen 54
Enfield Town	4	Hammatt 27 Hall 34 Baldwin 37 Paul 73

The first ever meeting between these two sides was eventful with six goals scored, two players sent off and five further bookings, writes Peter Pitts.

The game was in doubt right up to kick off but the groundstaff forked the pitch and remarked the lines after a pre match deluge to ensure that the game went ahead but they probably wish it hadn't as Sittingbourne were again defeated in the league
and are getting ever closer to the relegation zone.

The game started quite brightly for Sittingbourne and they took the lead on 25 minutes when a Lee Browning looping cross was headed into his own net by David Allen, an assistant had flagged for off-side but Allen got his head to the ball before the Brickies player could interfere.

Allen went on to have a miserable game capped by a blatant dying swan act that didn't fool referee Mr Frank Meilack but that sparked a mini melee of players and eventually led to Allen's substitution on 66 minutes.

Michael Smissen had a decent shot well held by Enfield Town's goalkeeper Andy Hall but Sittingbourne's lead lasted just four minutes before Bryan Hammett left the defence stranded and slotted the ball past Williams.

Town then took the initiative and Trevor Paul had a shot bounce off the Brickies stanchion, the ball rolling along the goal line before being scrambled away but Town took the lead three minutes later through the best goal of the day when a great move
ended in Rudi Hall giving Williams no chance.

Sittingbourne fell further behind only three minutes later when Steve Baldwin spotted Williams over to one side of his goal and he cleverly curled the ball into the other corner.

The second half was an explosive affair with frequent flare ups and two Sittingbourne players being sent off, Tristan Knowles, in his first League appearance for the club for an over the top challenge and Lee Browning for picking up two bookings, one for swearing at the referee (twice).

The half though started quite well for Sittingbourne as Michael Smissen, who had looked sharp in this match, latched onto a cross from Mitchell Sherwood and had the simplest of tasks in tapping the ball home.

Then came the incident with Allen and the sending off of Knowles but still Sittingbourne
looked capable of equalising and on 72 minutes Smissen set up a chance for Sherwood but his shot was blocked.

A minute later the Brickies defence failed to challenge Paul as he cut in from the right and he fired wide of Williams to seal the game for Town.

Things got worse for Sittingbourne when on 84 minutes Browning made the unforgivable sin of swearing at the referee and he too took the long road to an early bath.

Sittingbourne: Williams, Lawson, Tanner (Taylor 74), Ainsworth, Campbell, Marsh, Browning, Gooding (Knowles 37), Smissen, Spice, Sherwood, Subs not used: Edwards, Ashmore, Hudson (GK)