sevenoaks031205

Thursday 01st September 2005

Green move up to ninth

Saturday 3rd December 2005	Kentish Observer Premier	Martin Wiseman reports from Greatness Park
Sevenoaks Town	1	Short 70
Slade Green	3	Penny 27 Elliott 44 Gallagher 73

Slade Green moved up to ninth position in the Kentish Observer League Premier Division with a lively 3-1 win away to basement boys Sevenoaks Town on Saturday, writes Martin Wiseman.

In a first half where both sets of forwards regularly cut open hesitant defences, the scoreline at half time could so easily have read 6-3 to Green, had the front men tucked away their chances.

But if this implies criticism of the backs it took two definitive-albeit contrasting headers from Green’s two centre backs , Mark Penny and Tony Gallagher, to put the seal on the visitors victory.

Both goals arose from immaculate corner deliveries from Robert Browning, who returned to the Green line up after a couple of games on the bench due to injury.

Directing their attacks down the right flank Green’s; Mark Fern and Lee Barber both tested the home defence with probing early crosses. Then, clean through, Tony Weir was denied by keeper John Paul Green’s legs.

From the resultant corner Weir headed back across goal to Jason Elliot who had time to pick his spot from five yards out, but keeper Green again proved the stumbling block as he held on cleanly to Elliot’s over-deliberate header.

Once more the home keeper did his job pushing away a well directed 20 yarder from Elliot, and how Shaun Malyon didn’t get a goal touch on the deflection across goal remains a mystery…..And all this came in the opening 15 minutes.

Only four Premier League goals in eleven outings pinpoints a key Sevenoaks’ deficiency this season, but there was little wrong with two crisply struck efforts from the edge of the box, midway through the first half from their midfielder Kris Hollidge.

The first hammered the crossbar, and keeper Gary Arterton was at his most alert to save as Fidyek followed in with a header from the rebound.

Gary Arterton also got across to save Hollidge’s second pile driver on 22 minutes, but could only parry the ball into the path of Short who showed why the Oaks are having problems scoring, squandering horrendously from five yards out.

Immediately, the end to end action saw Green captain Scott Lewis put Weir through, but yet another save ensued as the home keeper legs again saved Sevenoaks bacon.

But the ice was broken on 27 minutes when, having won a corner with his free kick, Browning then put over the ideal corner which found Mark Penny, bravely diving in low among the flailing defender’s legs to get the first touch, and send his header rasping upwards into the roof of the Sevenoaks net.

Sevenoaks Town’s profligacy in front of goal reared its head again on 36 minutes. Moore was the culprit as from six yards out he met and wasted Barry’s measured cross.

Six minutes later Green handed out their punishment for this miss, scoring via Jason Elliot, who was left with a well deserved tap in goal, after his opportunist header against the post, from Lewis’ cross, returned back along the six yard box, with the keeper left grounded and out of contention.

Maybe thinking they had done enough Green tended to sit back a bit on the restart.. Scott Lewis needed to intercept smartly as Fidyek met a left wing cross, and on 70 minutes the hosts did eventually pull a goal back. The mis-named centre forward Short, climbed to get a glancing header onto, more apply named Hackett’s thump into the box. The ball slid into the corner of Arterton’s goal.

But this acted to re-awaken Green and two minutes later the luckless Tony Weir saw his cross shot so nearly deflected over the keeper’s head and into the home goal. But it drifted just wide for a corner, which allowed Browning in again to put over another choice flag kick. On the far post Tony Gallagher responded by rising above everyone to drill home a dream header and so wrap up proceedings at 3-1 to The Green.