walthamforest290105

Brickies salvage a point at nine man Forest

A scintillating headed goal from Clint Gooding salvaged a point for Sittingbourne after they had  found themselves two goals down at half time to a Waltham Forest team that had adapted to the muddy heavy conditions much better than the Brickies.

Sittingbourne started with the same team that had defeated Harlow last week but thankfully this was a much more interesting game with Waltham Forest having two players sent off and Sittingbourne overturning that two goal deficit.

Waltham Forest took the lead after just 4 minutes when an Adam Douglas header back towards his goalkeeper turned out to be a rash move as instead it went straight to the unmarked Dewayne Clark whose shot gave Kevin Fewell no chance.

The goal shock Sittingbourne and they then took the initiative through some good approach play.

A stinging shot by Spice was deflected for a corner then Jack Tanner did well to make space for a shot but then ruined all the good work by blasting wide.

Sittingbourne were playing some good football considering the conditions and a good move out of defence started by Dean Hill ended in Spice firing over.

It looked as though Sittingbourne  would soon get back on level terms but instead on 15 minutes the Brickies defence was caught napping as Clark found Papa Kanyuka in the area and Kanyuka made no mistake in crashing the ball past Fewell.

Buoyed by the two goals Waltham Forest then had a period of pressure and with the Brickies defence finding it hard to keep their feet there was a real danger that the game would slip completely away from them, instead the Brickies regained their composure and a great effort by Spice was well saved by Forest keeper Gavin King.

On the half hour Jamie Coyle, still lining up in his unaccustomed striker role, had a good effort hit the side netting.  A minute later Lee Browning limped off injured to be replaced by Jon Neal
making his first appearance for some time, and Coyle, perhaps somewhat reluctantly, went back to his defensive role.

Forest were still having their moments and a Kanyuka free kick was tipped over by Fewell.

On 38 minutes Neal attempted to cross the ball in the Forest area to Spice only for Panayiotou to use his hands to clear the ball and the referee awarded a penalty to the Brickies. Up stepped Spice to take the kick and he made no mistake to pull a goal back.

Four minutes later Tanner and a Forest player went for the ball and Tanner ended up on the ground holding his head. Referee Mr Margetts had no hesitation in showing a red card and Forest were down to ten men.

If the Brickies supporters, making up at least half of the sparse crowd, expected to see an early onslaught by their side against ten man Forest they were sadly mistaken as it was Forest who were looking the brighter side in the early stages of this half.

Spice did get a shot at goal on 62 minutes but the effort went wide. Then Forest had an effort through Paul Armand but he fell as he shot and his effort too went wide.

Waltham Forest's indiscipline came to the surface again on 75 minutes when the assistant spotted Tickner elbow Spice off the ball and once again the referee produced a red card and Forest were down to nine men.

Three minutes later Spice had a shot bounce off the top of the bar then a glancing header
from Neal was caught by King at the second attempt.

Just as it seemed the Brickies had run out of ideas a long curling ball to the left of the Forest area was connected with beautifully by the unlikely head of Clint Gooding and the ball whistled past King and into the net to ensure that the Brickies didn't come home empty handed.

The Brickies continued pressing through injury time and skimmed the bar from a corner, but Forest held on and the points were shared.

Sittingbourne: Fewell, Hill, Dowley, Douglas, Campbell, Ainsworth, Tanner (Ashmore 85), Gooding, Coyle, Spice, Browning (Neal 32). Subs: Nolan, Scott.