sittvnewp270304

Port make Sittingbourne fight for three points

Brickies warm up to Folkestone showdown with victory over Islanders

Sittingbourne 1-0 Newport IOW
Saturday 27 March 2004
Dr Martens League Eastern Division
by Peter Pitts -  www.sittingbournefc.co.uk

Sittingbourne have now gone 7 games with just one defeat but following on from their demolition of Burnham this was a disappointing game as they struggled to beat the Islanders.

The Brickies were without Joe Dowley and Clint Gooding, both injured, and Tom Berry who was unavailable, so in came Adam Marshall  whilst Ben Taylor played in an unfamiliar no 2 shirt having to forsake his beloved no 6 shirt!

Sittingbourne started the match as though they were going to run riot over Newport, a side that now fields all Islanders. They took the lead after just 4 minutes as a cracking shot from Jon Neal was deflected past his own keeper by Simon Pilcher.

The Brickies continued to look lively and were restricting the Islanders to long range shots in this early period, however Newport began to come into the match  with some neat approach work but they invariably hurried their final shot and Lee Wood, Alexander Perry, and Adam Barsdell all had shots go wide, the latter managing a bulls eye on a spectators cup of hot chocolate.

Sittingbourne started the second half brightly and on 51 minutes a Kieran Marsh corner caused confusion between a Newport defender and the goalkeeper and the ball found its way back to Marsh but his effort sailed over the bar.

Two  minutes later Ports Ashley Wright broke away but a great saving challenge from James Campbell saw the ball find Michael Smissen who sprinted downfield and  rounded two Port defenders only to see  keeper Joe McCormack
make a fine save.

The game was very even now and after Jamie Coyle had headed a corner just wide Newport's Wright unleashed a powerful shot which Kevin Fewell did brilliantly to tip onto the bar and then catch. Newport  were having their
best period of the game and a corner sailed over Fewell's head and was cleared but only as far as Jamie White who fired narrowly wide.

Newport were getting increasingly frustrated and with just a minute to go James Campbell made a great saving tackle on Adam Barsdell. Barsdell made a fuss about the challenge and Lee Wood decided to sprint fully twenty yards to strike Campbell. Referee Mr Woodward had no option but to send the Port player off.

Sittingbourne safely played out the injury time and now face the much sterner test of Folkestone next Saturday.
 
Sittingbourne: Fewell, Taylor, Hill (Yorath 46 mins), Marshall (Ashmore 81 mins), Ainsworth, Campbell, Coyle, Marsh, Neal (Cory 86 mins), Smissen, Manning