Rochester United 2-1 SE Dons - The one thing we do have in this dressing room, these boys will die for the badge, they die for each other and this showed how much it means to win for the club, says proud Rochester United boss Michael Betts

Rochester United 2 – 1 SE Dons
Location	Rede Court Road, Strood, Rochester, Kent ME2 3TU
Kickoff	03/03/2026 19:45

ROCHESTER UNITED  2-1  SE DONS
Presence & Co Southern Counties East Football League First Division
Tuesday 3 March 2026
Stephen McCartney reports from Rede Court Road

ROCHESTER UNITED manager Michael Betts insists there’s going to be a few twists and turns in this three-horse Southern Counties East Football League First Division title race after beating the league leaders.

 

The Spartans came away from Bromley-based side AFC Greenwich Borough with a 3-1 win at the weekend and leapfrogged over Reece Parara’s side into second-place, closing the gap on Antonio Gonnella’s side to nine points although Rochester United do have five games in hand.

Rochester United were ruthless in front of goal and scored from two of their three attempts on target, with centre-half William Currie heading home his first goal of the season from a set-piece, before striker Luke Medley, 36, slotted in his fourth goal of the campaign, as the home side went two-goals in front inside 29 minutes.

SE Dons dominated the second half and striker Aaron Watson, 38, was gifted his 21^st goal of the season but they lacked the quality to force an equaliser, watched by the largest crowd of the season (247) at Rede Court Road this season.

“I don’t know what to say to be honest with you,” said Betts, after his side inflicted Gonnella’s side first League defeat since losing 3-1 at AFC Greenwich Borough on Tuesday 2 September.

“It was definitely a game of two halves.  I think we sort of controlled the first half and we looked alright.

“Second half, it was an onslaught from them but I think the boys stood up.  It was a bit like Saturday really. We dominated the first part, like we did on Saturday.

“They came out, they’re a good side, Dons. They’re fast, they move the ball quick but at the end of the day the boys put their bodies on the line.

“I just thought we were superb second half. We were literally camped in our own half at times but we just didn’t give anything away – apart from the silly goal – which put extra pressure on ourselves really but it’s to be what it is.

“They (my players) just gave everything! With this bunch of players – I’ve said it since the start of the season, when we went on our unbeaten run, these boys put their bodies on the line week-in-week-out.

“We might not be the best footballing side compared to Greenwich and SE Dons but the one thing we do have is heart in this dressing room. These boys will die for the badge, they die for each other and I think Saturday and today, it showed how much it means to win for them, as team-mates and for the club.”

Gonnella declined to comment on his side’s second League defeat of the season.

Betts added: “I think they’re a good side. They’re fast, attacking, they move the ball well and they’re a threat.  They’re a massive, massive threat and did we fully deserve the three points?  Perhaps. Second half performance from Dons, they perhaps deserved something but I think our keeper was only really tested once. I can’t really remember one clear save.”

SE Dons created their first opening through direct play with five minutes and 29 seconds on the clock.

Goalkeeper George Hill launched a big right-footed free-kick upfield, the ball was flicked on by left-winger Andre Coker and Watson lashed his right-footed shot over the crossbar from 22-yards.

Rochester United took the lead, with seven minutes and 44 seconds on the clock, after SE Dons’ right-back Ryan Palmer fouled Rochester’s 14-goal striker Mack Reilly.

Holding midfielder Luke Adams delivered a quality free-kick with his right-foot from within the left-channel and Currie buried his header past Hill from within the corridor of uncertainty.

“I’d like to say, we do actually (work on set-pieces).  I know everyone’s going to say ‘all managers say that’ but we have been working on set-pieces of late because this season we don’t really score many,” revealed Betts.

“I think that’s probably our first headed goal from a set-piece – I might be wrong – but I actually think it’s our first one. Some stattos will tell me I’m wrong but from what I remember it’s our first headed goal of the season.

“We have been working on it in training because we do feel we do need to get more goals from dead-ball situations.”

There was a controversial moment when assistant referee Martin Bullock deemed the ball did not cross the line, with 20 minutes and 34 seconds on the clock.

Aaron Reber released SE Dons' right-winger Walter Figueira in behind Rochester left-back Tom Loynes and fizzed in a low cross into the penalty area.

The ball bounced off Spartans’ centre-half Tony Whitaker and goalkeeper Luke Watkins did well to get down and use his outstretched left hand in an attempt to claw the ball off the line as it trickled towards the line and Liam Wilkins saved the day by hacking the ball clear and no goal was signalled and Figueria got away with dissent blasted in the direction of Mr Bullock.

“From where we’re standing, we can’t see. The lino seemed confident when he came back up (the pitch) that it wasn’t in,” claimed Betts.

“There were supporters at the end of the game down the bottom there, at half-time when we walked off some were saying ‘it was in’. Some were saying ‘it was a foot over’ but yes, I wouldn’t like to say. It all happened so quick. How can you tell?

“Brilliant goalkeeping and then he made a howler in the second half. Luke’s a legend at this level. He’s big and strong and I think the last 15 minutes when we were under the cosh, they put balls in the box continually. I think he just showed his presence, he’s big, he’s strong and he dominates, he’s a beast.”

Ruthless Rochester United grabbed their second goal – against the run of play – with 28 minutes and 38 seconds on the clock – after right-back Wilkins played the ball down the line.

Lucas Payne – who plays behind the front two – drilled a sublime through ball in behind SE Dons’ centre-half Michael Kamara and Medley beat the offside trap, held his composure as he skipped past the advancing keeper Hill to slot his right-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner of an empty goal.

“Luke Medley’s been fantastic since he’s come here. We was lucky. We feel privileged to have Luke to be honest. He’s a bit of a non-league legend really,  admitted Betts.

“Although for his age you wouldn’t tell from the running he done tonight. He just didn’t stop up top. He works the line well. He’s big, he’s strong and one thing you get with Luke is when he gets his chances, he fails to miss them.  We’re grateful to have Luke here.

“He’s scored four goals but it’s what he brings to the side. He brings experience. He also makes a lot of goals. Like on Saturday, a lot of goals created from his hold-up play. He’s a gentle giant, he’s a lovely lad.”

Coker and Watson were linking up well for SE Dons, with Eric De Melo Calheiros pulling the strings in midfield and Aaron Reber placed a right-footed half-volley straight at Watkins, who made a comfortable save.

Adams arrowed a right-footed free-kick over the top of the near-post from 30-yards at the other end before SE Dons went close following their second of six corners in first half stoppage time (48:05).

Palmer floated a corner in from the right and the ball came out to Reber outside the box, who laid the ball off to Kamara, who drove a right-footed drive through the crowd of players and across Watkins and just past the foot of the far post.

“I told them to just keep going, just keep going. That’s all we can do.  The same as we did on Saturday, We didn’t rest on our laurels. We don’t sit back. We’ve just got to keep going, we keep going,” said Betts.

“We knew the Dons would come out fast. They’re going to come out hard. As you’ve seen second half. They did and they put us under the cosh but as I say, we stood firm. I don’t actually think Luke (Watkins) had really clear shots on goal.”

Visiting keeper Hill made his only save of the game inside the opening three minutes following Adams’ fourth of seven long throws into the SE Dons penalty area.

The ball was flicked on at the near-post and came out to winger Hicham Akhazzan, whose right-footed shot sailed through a crowd of players and was beaten away by Hill.

“It was a good shot. Perhaps he should’ve gone for the corners more? I think he put it down the keeper’s throat in the end, if I remember rightly but yes, he should be putting them away.  I think the goal opened up and it needs to go bottom corners doesn’t it,” added Betts.

SE Dons dominated for the rest of the game, however.

Adams was cautioned for a foul within the channel and Palmer delivered a quality in-swinging right-footed free-kick from the left, which sailed over Watkins’ left shoulder before bouncing off the top of the far post/crossbar and dropping behind for a goal-kick (8:33).

“Scary times, I actually thought it was in. I turned round and put my hands on my head because I thought it had gone in,” admitted Betts.

“I’m just glad right on the final whistle he put one wide when the ball rolled out to him on the edge of the box!”

Visiting goalkeeper Hill almost gifted Reilly a goal when the Rochester striker pressed Hill inside his penalty area and stole the ball off the keeper, who tripped Reilly and was relieved to see the ball trickle past the foot of the left-hand post, with no other players inside the penalty area at the time (11:46).

Betts added: “He’s had a hard season Mack, after last season’s promise of being the top scorer in the League. There’s a lot of eyes on him. There’s probably a lot of pressure being put on him this year by people from outside the club, not so much inside because we’ve tried to protect him.

“He’s a great lad Mack. He works hard and I think you saw on Saturday he had two chances and buried two goals. He didn’t score tonight but I still think he put a good shift in for the boys and he worked the front line well.”

Of all the goals this website has reported on during the course of this season, SE Dons scored a typical Sunday League goal, with 17 minutes and 22 seconds on the clock, through direct play and awful goalkeeping.

Kamara drilled a long ball out from the heart of defence straight down the middle of the pitch.

Rochester goalkeeper Watkins rushed out of his penalty area and his clearance was smashed against Currie’s back and rolled towards the goal-line and Watson pounced on the ball and rolled his right-footed shot into the empty goal.

Betts said: “Devastating, that’s all you can about it really. These things happen. How many times this season has Luke Watkins saved us?

“I thought Will Currie and Tony Whitaker at the back were fantastic, so no blame there at all. At the end of the day, these things happen at football and you’ve just got to move on.”

Coker sprung into life when he skipped past a committed Wilkins on the left-touch line, cut into the penalty area but went to piece as he tried to drill his right-footed shot across the keeper into the top far corner – the ball clearing the crossbar.

SE Dons produced a well-worked move and called Watkins into making a big save with 26 minutes and 43 seconds on the clock.

Watson dropped deep and played the ball down the line to release substitute striker Alex Teniola, who reversed the ball through to high left-back Patrick McKay through on goal but the 36-year-old keeper made amends and rushed to the edge of his penalty area and spread himself to make a vital block with his legs.

“I know if I was running through on goal, I wouldn’t want to be in front of him, he’s a man mountain and that’s what Luke does,” said Betts.

“He made his error. He’s come into the dressing room tonight and he’s apologised for the error but at the end of the day if you look at what he does during the game, his dedication, his voice is so loud. Every corner he comes he wins, he takes, he punches. Yes, he’s a man mountain, a beast, he’s a great keeper to have with us.”

Rochester United were visibly tiring on a soft grass pitch and despite SE Dons bossing the possession and pushing numerous bodies forward, Rochester centre-halves Whitaker and Currie slammed the door firmly shut, as Rochester lone substitute striker Luis Dos Santos didn’t do a very good job at holding the ball up there on his own in a 4-5-1 formation, as the ball kept coming back.

“We know we can play football but we can also do the dirty side of it where you’ve got to sit in and grit the game out,” explained Betts, whose side have conceded only 16 League goals this season.

“I think that’s the difference this year compared to last year. I think at times we were a little bit vulnerable at times. Probably last season we would’ve probably had drawn that game but tonight we’ve got that extra little bit of grit, that extra bit of experience that we’ve brought in the summer.

“I think yes it shows in various games, not just tonight, in other games during the season where we’ve had to dig in and we’ve got through.

“I think with Luke (Watkins) in goal and we’ve got Jack Bray who was sub today. He’s been fantastic this year.

“Will (Currie) came in when Jack’s been injured. He’s been absolutely fantastic and I’ve not been able to get Jack back in the team, which is a massive loss because a lot of teams would love Jack Bray in their side.

“Tony Whitaker has been fantastic.  Tom Loynes’ another experienced player at the back, he’s been fantastic this year and we’ve put Liam Wilkins at right-back just to give us a little bit of a different dynamic but he’s been absolutely fantastic since he went in there as well.

“It’s just not the defence as well. I think from front-to-back we’re a solid unit. I think not many teams like playing us from what I understand and I take that as a bit of a compliment.”

Whitaker was cautioned for fouling sub attacker Joshua Bohui – after latching on to McKay’s bullet header forward – and Watkins lined up a four-man wall and watched Palmer whip his right-footed free-kick over the wall and just past the top of the near post from 22-yards (40:28).

Referee Darren Stock played 11 minutes and 12 seconds of stoppage time and with Betts seemingly kicking every ball with his team while standing up within his technical area, there was still to be one late chance to survive.

Kamara recycled the ball back into the Rochester penalty area from the right and the ball came out to Palmer, who lacked composure and dragged his first time right-footed drive past the near-post from the edge of the penalty area (55:44).

Betts admitted: “I don’t know where he got 11 minutes from!  It was a very strange decision – but look, we won’t talk about referees. It only ever gets us into trouble, so it is what it is.

“I was shaking. I don’t know if I’m going to see the season out. I think I’m going to have a heart attack before the end of the season!

“From a neutrals point of view, I think if you looked at it, they were knocking, they were knocking but I didn’t think they actually ever really, really troubled us enough.  I don’t think that Luke had many to save.

“Let’s not have it. They’re a good side. They put us under immense pressure but at the end of the night we stood firm and we got the job done – I’m proud of the boys.”

There was a strange post-match incident when Rochester left the door to their dressing room wide open, with the home players celebrating with the music blaring out.

George Kamurasi (a goalkeeper, not in the SE Dons’ match day squad) was standing right in front of the door (in the corridor) beside me (as I waited for Betts to emerge from the dressing room for the post-match interview, which took place inside the empty boardroom) taking several swigs from a plastic water bottle, holding the bottle in his right hand, focusing, staring inside the home dressing room, without speaking to anyone, for 2-3 minutes, which is very strange behaviour.

A video camera from the visiting club was also pointed into the Rochester dressing room from the corner of the open door, while their players celebrated a big win in the title race, with the celebrations being recorded by a smartphone for the home club’s social media.

“A lot of the celebration is because obviously the game got called off up here (on 29 November) and they put on their social (media) we were scared and everything else so there was a little bit of banter with the boys and the song they sing when they were up there the other week when they played Greenways, so it was just a bit of banter between the boys,” explained Betts.

SE Dons (64 points – 20 wins, four draws, two defeats, 66 goals, 23 conceded) remain at the summit of this tenth-tier division.

Rochester United (55 points – 18 wins, one draw, two defeats, 55 goals, 16 conceded) are now in second-place tonight.

AFC Greenwich Borough (52 points from 21 games), Lordswood (44 points from 24 games) and Croydon (40 points from 24 games) are in the play-off zone, while FC Elmstead are in sixth-place with 38 points from 21 games.

It would have been nice if Gonnella would have spent 10 minutes of his time to discuss tonight’s defeat and how he sees the title race!!!  I just know he’s going to log on in the morning to read this match report and Rochester reaction!

Betts, who did show this 23-year-old website respect by facing the questions for 20 minutes, replied: “Do you know, I’m not going to be one of these people, I honestly, I do not know whose going (to win it).  For me, it’s such a tight affair.  I think that us, Greenwich and Dons are all very good sides and I think there’s going to be a few twists and turns and yes, it’s going to be a very good, interesting run-in but who’s going to win it?

“I honestly, I’d like to say us. I hope we do because I think the boys have worked hard this year and they deserve it – but I think Dons have got the points on the board, which is a little bit of an advantage for them because they’ve got the 3G pitch up there (at Chatham Town).  I think nearly the end of March-April time, it’s going to be a little bit tricky for us and Greenwich because we’re going to be playing two times a week.

“It all depends if us and Greenwich can keep our players’ fit and we can keep the momentum going but I know Dons lost tonight but I still think Dons are probably in the driving seat because they’ve got the points on the board at the minute. It’s anyone, three very good sides, I think, three very, very good sides.”

Rochester United make the long trip down to thirteenth-placed side Lydd Town on Saturday. The Lydders have picked up 22 points (six wins, four draws and 14 defeats) and lost 2-1 at bottom-three side Bridon Ropes at the weekend.

A buzzing Betts said: “Lydd’s always a very, very hard place to go. It’s a long way down. It’s a long trek for all the boys. It’s always windy down there.

“But the biggest thing for me and Wellsey (Lee Wells, assistant) now as management is to keep the boys going because the buzz (of beating AFC Greenwich Borough on) Saturday and the buzz of tonight, the boys are bouncing off the walls.

“We’ve got to make sure that on Saturday when we go to Lydd, the boys are up for it. It’s got to be another cup final.  We’ve told the boys every game now is a cup final  - if you want to win this League.  You’ve got to take it, it’s a one-off game, a cup final or broke, so we’ve got to make sure the boys turn up determined, give everything and I think, hopefully, we’ll get another victory.”

After their trip to Lydd, Betts takes his side to Sheppey Sports next Monday and believes Medley (slight little twinge in his hamstring) and Jack Church (cramp) and Reilly (cramp) will be fine for Saturday.

“Thirteen games left, feels like a lifetime, doesn’t it? But yes, it’s going to be a long, long 13 games, I think,” added Betts.

“Let’s hope we can finish the job we started this year. Let’s hope we don’t fall short and we can get the job done.

“It will mean everything (to win promotion). Look, there’s boys there, Tony Whitaker has been at the club, he’s played over 300 games now. Lucas Payne’s been here for years. There’s players that have been at the club (for a long time) and it means something. This club means something to people. Everyone’s on board. We all want this.  There’s players coming to the end of their careers. This is their final, to finish on a high, kind of thing.”

Next month, Rochester United make the short trip to Chatham to play SE Dons on Monday 6 Aprill, before hosting AFC Greenwich Borough here on Saturday 11 April and the Spartans have three trips to Chessington & Hook United (15 April), Sporting Club Thamesmead (18 April) and Banstead Athletic (21 April) before completing their League campaign at home to Lordswood on 25 April.

“Listen, when we go up there (SE Dons), it’s going to be good game. It’s going to be a cracking game. We all know that.  They’ll probably put us under pressure but we’ll go there and we’ll try and do a job and we’ll see where we are. It’s a bank holiday Monday. I will imagine it will be a massive crowd there so yes we’re looking forward to it,” said Betts.

“Greenwich is here thankfully, hopefully. We’re not going to worry about that at the minute. We’ve got Lydd on Saturday and Sheppey Sports on Monday, so look, if we don’t go and get results against those two, the Dons and Greenwich game could mean nothing, so we’ll take one game at a time. Let’s get Lydd done and see where we’re at and go from there.

“I just know how good these boys can be and I just want them to succeed so much because the hard graft they’ve put in during the last couple of years, they deserve a bit of success this year and I really hope we can finish the job this year.”

Rochester United: Luke Watkins, Liam Wilkins, Tom Loynes, Luke Adams, Tony Whitaker, William Currie, Hicham Akhazzan (Bobby Parker 87), Lucas Payne, Luke Medley (Luis Dos Santos 66), Mack Reilly (Jack Bray 83), Jack Church (Daniel Lott 71).
Sub: Connor Cheek

Goals: William Currie 8, Luke Medley 29

Booked: Luke Adams 53, Tony Whitaker 85

SE Dons: George Hill, Ryan Palmer, Patrick McKay (Zak Ansah 90), Dominic Morgan Griffiths, Reece Barrett, Michael Kamara, Andre Coker (Joshua Bohui 69), Eric De Mello Calheiros, Aaron Watson, Aarron Reber (Alex Teniola 61), Walter Figueira (Joedon Gugas-Cowin 55).
Sub: Billy Crook

Goal: Aaron Watson 63

Booked: Andre Coker 62

Attendance: 247
Referee: Mr Darren Stock
Assistants: Mr Martin Bullock & Mr James Folan-Young