Beckenham Town 1-4 Sevenoaks Town - Friend saves his heroics for comeback - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

BECKENHAM TOWN 1-4 SEVENOAKS TOWN
Kent League Premier Division
Wednesday 21^st February 2007
Stephen McCartney reports from Eden Park Avenue

Sevenoaks Town chalked up their highest victory of the season as they pulled off a shock result at underperforming Beckenham Town tonight.

A well-taken brace from striker James Dalton and a string of fine saves from former Sittingbourne reserve team goalkeeper Lee Friend, back in the side following a troublesome groin injury, ensured the Greatness Park outfit leapfrogged over Lordswood into 12^th place (out of 17 teams) in the Kent League table.

Beckenham Town, who finished as runners-up to Maidstone United on the last day of last season, remain in tenth place with ten games of their season remaining, in the week that the Stones claimed top spot in the Ryman League Division One South table for the first time this season.

Played in a high-tempo throughout, Beckenham dominated the proceedings during the first half, before Sevenoaks grabbed the lead, against the run of play, after 35 minutes.

The hosts took just 77 seconds to introduce Friend back into first-team football when Jamie Turner drove a 30-yard shot straight into his chest following a short free-kick from Charlie Hawkes, who was desperate to impress against his former side.

Sevenoaks’ right-back Nick Reeves rolled the ball into Dalton’s path but he was denied by a fine tackle from Tony Sinclair inside the penalty area.

The visitors created a half chance after ten minutes when Courtney Rayfield’s half-volley was off target following Matt Fagan’s whipped in cross from the left.

Beckenham should have opened the scoring three minutes later but Jones Awusu headed John Maloney’s cross past the near post from six-yards.

Sevenoaks first real chance of this local derby - the two clubs are under 24 miles apart - arrived in the 26^th minute.

Reeves’ ball over the top was latched onto by Tony Atkins but his left-footed lob from 18-yards dropped agonisingly over Chris Lewington’s bar.

Maloney then stabbed the ball into Friend’s grateful arms following Turner’s ball into the box before Sevenoaks stole the lead with ten first half minutes remaining.

It was third time lucky for Reeves as Lee Aldridge latched onto his low defensive splitting through ball.

Lewington, however, was to blame for allowing the shot to slide underneath his body on the excellent playing surface to roll into the empty net.

Friend produced a breathtaking double save to beat out Nick Curran’s long-range piledriver and to thwart the follow up shot from Steve McKenzie and his luck was in when the ball didn’t cross the line in a desperate goal-line scramble.

But Friend was beaten inside injury time when Healy stabbed the ball past the goalkeeper from eight-yards following a knock down from much-travelled target man Wade Falana.

Sevenoaks Town, meanwhile, got off to a flying start, taking the lead after just 182 seconds into the second half.

Former Erith Town midfielder Paul Springett drilled his right-footed penalty into the bottom left hand corner, sending Lewington the wrong way.

And a classy finish from Dalton gave Sevenoaks their third goal after 54 minutes.

Dalton rolled the ball to his strike partner Tony Atkins on his right and received the ball back and from the outside of his boot his shot from 20-yards rocketed into the roof of the net.

Stunned Beckenham, meanwhile, woke up from their sloppy start and laid seige on Friend’s goal.

Awusu, a danger down the right-hand side throughout, whipped in a far post cross which was knocked down by Maloney but Falana failed to steer the ball home from six-yards.

Healy’s pass to Awusu forced the winger out wide but he lashed the ball high and wide with a drilled right-footed shot from inside the penalty area.

But Sevenoaks hit the home side with another sucker-punch, netting their fourth of the night with twenty minutes left.

Man-of-the-match Friend plucked Turner’s corner out of the air before his big boot up field was brought under control by Atkins.

Atkins sent Dalton on his way with only one thing on his mind. Evading a committed sliding tackle from Curran, Dalton skipped past the advancing Lewington, took the ball out wide and with another clinical finish slid the ball into the bottom far corner from a very tight angle.

After making a double substitution, Beckenham dominated late on in an attempt to salvage something from the game, but was thwarted on three occasions by Friend.

Curran’s left-footed drive from 30-yards was beaten out by the goalkeeper, who was so desperate to make a good comeback.

Then Turner’s 25-yard shot was turned around the foot of the post by the diving goalkeeper following a wicked deflection off left-back Darren Pearson.

And Curran was denied again when Friend blocked with his legs when it seemed Beckenham would score a deserved second.

Derek Moore, Sevenoaks Town’s joint-manager, meanwhile, was delighted that his full-strength side impressed.

“A performance like that has been coming for an awful long time,” Moore insisted EXCLUSIVLEY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“Tonight we basically had the full squad available for selection, the first time for probably about 12-13 games so our performance we put in, a result well deserved in my opinion.”

Moore paid tribute to Friend, who played for the reserves last weekend, for his heroics after winning his own personal battle to recover from a torn muscle in his groin.

“Lee has been injured (been) on the outside,” he said. “He signed and was my number one at the beginning of the season and he had a few injuries.

“He’s come back in tonight (his) over his injury and has put a good performance in and certainly pulled off (a number of) fine saves - Lee was our building block.”

Beckenham Town manager Jason Huntley let his assistant Paul Collins to do all the talking, and he admitted Sevenoaks’ win was “flattering.”

“I didn’t think we deserved (to lose) but if we give silly goals away and don’t take our chances we haven’t got a lot of chance,” Collins said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“I think first half we played a lot of good football going forward. We just couldn’t really defend properly tonight.

“I thought one-all at half-time was a fair result. I think second half we came out (and) we should have took the game to them. We gave away a silly penalty, and gave away a silly goal - another mistake by us - and we’re 3-1 down then we’ve got to chase the game.

“I thought they had a couple more chances, I thought we had a few more chances second half - we had at least five good, clear chances.”

Collins was also quick to praise Friend’s heroics, as well as his own goalkeeper.

“Keeper played well, both team’s keepers played well,” he said. “Even though we let four goals in, I still think the goalkeeper played well (but) their goalkeeper was exceptional.

“But I think you’re looking at 4-1, it flattered them a lot but if we took our chances earlier on we should have got something out of it.”