Tunbridge Wells (1) 1 Howlett-Mundle (o.g.) 1
Sheppey United (1) 3 Aikhionbare 40 Tenyue 49 Roberts 76
Attendance: 410
Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 34/676
Those long days have been well used as the Culverden pitch looked resplendent and better than I have ever seen it.
With over 400 supporters gathered and a good contingent travelling up from the east Kent island, Tunbridge Wells got off to an astonishing start. Regan Corke scorched his opposing full back before sending in a low cross that was turned into his own net by Jahmal Howlett-Mundle under pressure from Matt Gethin.
Corke gave Dan Birch a torrid opening few minutes and after six minutes produced another cross for Gethin who was denied by a last ditch block. But once Sheppey manager Ernie Batten had solved the Corke conundrum and Birch worked him out then the Wells threat diminished and the pre-season favourites for promotion began to show their credentials.
After 23 minutes, from a corner, a clear headed opportunity was put over the bar by Jack Midson. The pressure continued and, after 31 minutes, Aaron Lee-Wharton produced a fantastic double save from Taureen Roberts with a third effort cleared from the line by Harry Hudson.
Lee-Wharton excelled again saving low at his near post after Junior Aikhionbare had fired in from the left of the six yard box but the Sheppey striker was not to be denied for long when he got the wrong side of Freeman Rogers to fire home a powerful strike to give the visitors an equaliser that had been a while coming.
If the first half had been a period of two halves, the second sadly for the majority of the crowd wasn’t as Sheppey took control of the game.
Just four minutes into the half, they took the lead when Roberts set up Renford Tenyue to drive the ball into the bottom corner.
As the skies darkened and thunder started to roll around the ground, the outcome of the match was as good as wrapped up as Birch, his opening torrid minutes banished, waltzed into the box to give Ryan Freeman an opportunity which was parried by Lee-Wharton but only into the path of Roberts who finished from close range.
With the result beyond doubt the main attention turned to the skies and whether a huge amount of rainfall was about to dump itself on a largely coat-less audience. Thankfully the spots never turned into anything significant until a few miles into the journey home when it became torrential.
One game into the SCEFL season and I will make the not-so-bold prediction that Sheppey and Chatham will take the two promotion places.
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