Saturday's match reports

Sittingbourne were held to a 1-1 draw by Kingstonian, in front of 257 fans at Bourne Park on Saturday, writes Peter Pitts.

Sittingbourne had Joe Dowley on the bench as he was suffering from a slight injury, Lee Hockey replaced him.

Still missing was Andy Doerr so Jon Neal retained his place in attack, and Charlie Belcher and James Campbell are both injured.

There is good news on Campbell though as he has started training and may well get a run out with the reserves during the week.

Sittingbourne got little change out of a Kingstonian side that had to face a number of corners and long throws into the area from a Sittingbourne side that was aiming to make it just one defeat out of the last ten league games.

This impressive statistic looked to be danger on 49 minutes when following a promising looking attack by Sittingbourne the ball was swiftly cleared up field to Adolph Amoako who passed wide to Dean Lodge.

Although he took the ball to a tight angle Lodge managed to slot the ball obliquely in the Brickies net for the opener.

Sittingbourne's attack had effectively been stifled up to then by a solid K's back line so it took a defender in the shape of Paul Ainsworth to pull the Brickies back into it when on 76 minutes he found himself in space some 25 yards out.

He let fly and his aim was spot on as the ball flew into the net between the keeper and the near post.

The pattern of the game was set early on with Sittingbourne coming forward and Kingstonian throwing up a solid back line.

Mitchell Sherwood had looked to have a half chance on 6 minutes when he drove forward well but instead of taking his man on he elected to pass and the ball was cleared.

At the other end Glen Boosey cut inside a Brickies defender and his shot flew just past a post.

There were a couple of other long range shots that worried the corner flag more than Steve Williams and it was Sittingbourne who were looking the more dangerous.

Sherwood had a shot bounce of a defender then a Mark Lovell pass landed at the feet of Kieran Marsh in the K's box but the defence were alert and kicked the ball away.

It took two K's players to make a hash of the next chance as first Amoako fell over then Lodge fell over just as he kicked the ball and the ball flew well wide.

Sittingbourne responded with a crashing Clint Gooding shot but again K's got a man in the way but the Brickies finished the half strongly as a great ball found Lee Browning on the left, he took the ball to the line before crossing to Lovell but Lovell's shot was cleared for a corner.

Sittingbourne won a string of corners at the end of this half but failed to make use of any of them.

The second half was four minutes old when a Sittingbourne attack broke down and Kingstonian scored their break away goal.

Sittingbourne responded well and a long throw to Marsh ended in him shooting narrowly over.

K's seemed to be resting on their narrow lead and they were to rue this on 76 minutes when Ainsworth scored his equaliser.

Sittingbourne continued to press after this goal but K's were still defending in depth.

Williams was now a virtual spectator as K's seemed to be content with what they had.

Sittingbourne got through on a couple of further occasions, the first on 88 minutes when a good move ended in Ainsworth setting up a shot for Marsh but K's keeper Luke Garrard held the ball comfortably.

At the other end K's had a rare foray into the Brickies box when they won a corner but the ball was headed over the bar.

In injury time a good run by Lee Browning ended in a shot but again Garrard held the ball comfortably and both sides had to settle for a point.

Sittingbourne: Williams, Ashmore, Hockey, Ainsworth, Searle, Marsh, Browning, Gooding, Lovell, Neal (Spiller 70), Sherwood, Subs: Singh, Dowley, Knowles, Elder

Chatham Town continued their improved run with a deserved 2-0 win over Tooting & Mitcham United on Saturday, writes Neil Sanders.

Manager Phil Miles was forced to make changes with Wayne Brown carrying a knock and Mark Brooks failing a late fitness test.

Adam Douglas and Tyran James came into the starting line up and Ross Finn made a welcome return on the bench.

The first half was fairly even. Rob Denness and Luke Harvey, back in tandem as a front two, both threw themselves at crosses but were unable to make enough contact.

Steve Best forced a decent save from United keeper Dave King with a 25 yarder.

But for the visitors, Vernon Francis had a shot blocked and Paul Vines was denied by good anticipation from John Whitehouse.

After the break Chatham had more possession and the defence largely restricted their opponents to some wayward long range shots.

The breakthrough came after 53 minutes. Joe Vines was adjudged to have fouled Steve Best, and Darren Smith calmly stepped up to convert the resulting penalty.

The lead increased in the 72^nd minute when a neat build up across the pitch opened up space for Bradley King and Jim Lyons.

The latter’s cross was met on the volley by Tyran James and the ball found the net just inside the near post.

Denness had a great chance in the closing minutes when he was put clear by Harvey, but the visitors keeper saved well at his feet.

Chats face a tough game on Tuesday evening when they entertain arguably the best footballing side in the division, second placed Dulwich Hamlet. Kick off at Maidstone Road is 7.45pm.

Chatham Town: Whitehouse, Lyons (Finn 72), Boyle, Larkin, Goodger, Best (King 60), Smith, Douglas, Harvey, Denness, James. Subs: Brown, Botting.

An 86^th minute header from Micky Cook condemned Folkestone Invicta to a seventh successive defeat on their first visit to Ashford Town (Middlesex)’s Short Lane on Saturday afternoon, writes Richard Murrill.

All the goals came during the second half as striker Gavin Smith opened the scoring before Kevin Watson equalised from the penalty spot.

This was a disappointing result for Invicta against a fellow side from the bottom end of the table and was not what manager Neil Cugley would have wanted before heading to his 50^th birthday celebrations at Stripes Club.

The manager’s day had not got off to the best of starts as the car in which he, physio Dave Williams and goalkeeping coach Gary Towse were travelling to the game broke down en route.

Following the departure of Walid Matata, Invicta gave a full debut to former Gillingham and Blackburn Rovers ace James Corbett in attack alongside recent arrival Damian Abel in a 4-4-2 formation.

And latest new signing Ronayne Benjamin came on as a second half substitute after joining the club from Welling United.

Following a quiet first half, Smith opened the scoring after 64 minutes when he slotted the ball into the net after Paul Johnson had slid the ball through to the left hand side of the penalty area.

Watson made it 1-1 seven minutes later with a well-taken penalty after goalkeeper Paul Burgess brought Luke Howell down when the midfielder burst clear of the defence down the right hand side and cut across the area with Darren Deegan in close attendance as he went to round the goalkeeper.

But the home side claimed all three points courtesy of Cook’s late header from a Scott Todd free kick following a foul by Invicta captain Adam Flanagan which resulted in the game’s only booking.

It had been a first half of few clear chances as a Mark Saunders shot was blocked by Ashford captain Jason Chewins when Corbett touched the ball back after seven minutes in a move also involving James Everitt and Steve Norman down the left hand side.

At the other end, Todd hit a low shot at Invicta goalkeeper Tony Kessell tow minutes later following a free kick on the right.

The home side won the game’s first corner after 18 minutes when Ricky Wellard whipped in a dangerous ball across goal from the right had side which just eluded Smith at the far post.

Ashford’s Deegan then made a saving tackle on Howell at the other end a minute later.

Micheal Everitt fired wide when the ball fell to him on the edge of the area after 41 minutes as the stalemate continued.

A Todd shot was deflected for a corner after 48 minutes as Ashford showed more purpose after the interval.

Following Smith’s goal, there were chances at both ends after 68 minutes when Ashford substitute Wes Goggin was desperately close with a well-struck shot across goal from the right hand side of the box following a Brett Cooper ball and Howell fired wide when he burst down the right hand side for Invicta.

It was also end-to-end after Watson’s equaliser as Liam Friend got back to avert the danger for Invicta after 75 minutes when Todd put striking partner Smith through, while Corbett headed just wide a minute later when Abel played the ball in from the right hand side.

Saunders hit a well-struck shot at goalkeeper Burgess after 84 minutes, but Cook’s winner was to take Ashford above Invicta in the Ryman Premier League table and leave the Folkestone side just one place above the relegation zone.

Invicta goalkeeper Kessell had to come out to concede a corner after 89 minutes when a ball from left to right threatened to let Goggin in.

Invicta’s Norman was making his 100 starting appearance for the club, but a late knock saw him replaced by Paul Jones.

ASHFORD TOWN (Middx): Burgess, O’ Sullivan, Chewins, Cooper, Cook, Passmore (Goggin 54), Johnson, Wellard (Hamsher 74), Smith (Palmer 81), Todd, Deegan. Subs: Baxter, Richardson.

Attendance: 189.

Ashford Town shipped two goals either side of half time to slump to a convincing defeat to local rivals Dover Athletic on Saturday, writes Will Sun.

The impressive Tommy Tyne opened the scoring on 17 minutes when Lee Spiller’s miss-hit corner eluded James Dryden at the front post, only to fall to the feet for the Dover forward to grab his first of the afternoon.

Matt Bourne doubled the Whites lead on the half hour mark with a moment of pure inspiration, as he acrobatically hit a bouncing ball in the area past Simon Overland into the top corner of the Ashford goal.

Tyne completed his brace shortly after the interval with the goal of the day, a superb right-footed volley from another Spiller corner.

On-loan Hereford defender Jon Wallis then completed the rout when he prodded home
from eight yards to heap yet more pressure on the Ashford management.

The Nuts and Bolts made two changes from the 2-1 defeat to the Met Police, with long-serving full backs Tom Adlington (flu) and Ian Ross (holiday) making way for Drew Watkins and Matt Carruthers.

This left Ken Jarrett-Elliott to drop back to left back, with Carruthers, one of four ex-Dover men in the Town starting eleven, occupying a position on the left hand side of a four-man midfield.

Unused substitute Jamie Leggett is a former Bromley youth team player.

And for a good quarter of an hour Ashford were well up for what some may call the biggest game of their season.

Simon Glover’s early mazy run troubled the Dover defence but eventually came to nothing, and another former Dover player, George Fenwick, could only hold his head in his hands as his shot from the edge of the area soared inches wide.

Although Dover were always going to create chances against a depleted Town backline, and the 792 fans nearly saw the Whites take the lead when Craig Wilkins shot was well saved after Marc Cumberbatch had failed to see the ball out of play.

However, the high-flying Whites inevitably took the lead with 17 minutes on the clock.

The Ashford defence failed to deal with Spiller’s in swinging corner, leaving the clinical Tyne to seize the opportunity by flicking in past Jarrett-Elliott on the line.

Former Folkestone Invicta hit-man Dryden almost double the lead moments later, when he fired the ball across the face of goal only for no Dover player to get on the end of it.

Nevertheless, Dover did find themselves two goals to the good on the half hour. Dryden’s free kick ricocheted off Anthony Allman in the four-man Ashford wall, only for the ball to fall to Bourne who finished in spectacular style with his right foot.

And Ashford Town got no respite after the break either. Just twelve minutes into the
second half Dover had extended their lead through Tommy Tyne, who hit a rifling volley past Overland from Spiller’s corner.

Although this was harsh on the on-loan Daggers keeper, who had previously made a smart save low down to his left from Byron Walker’s shot which led to the corner.

The visitors’ misery was compounded on 84 minutes when the ball fell to Jon Wallis in the box who poked the ball past Overland to complete a comprehensive Dover win.

Ashford Town: Simon Overland, Drew Watkins (Tom Adlington 19), Ken Jarrett-Elliott (Dan Tanner 84), Marc Cumberbatch, Nick Fenwick, Anthony Allman, Joby Thorogood (Luke Coleman 74), Simon Glover, Adam O’Neill, George Fenwick, Matt Carruthers.

Subs: Joe Hitchings, Jamie Leggett

Attendance:  792