Greenways (0) 2 Reardon 59 Austin 90+2
Crowborough Athletic (1) 3 Tyrie 45 Lambert 65 Murrain 107
After extra time
Estimated attendance: 50
Admission: £3 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 28/4,391
The Government seem to be implying that Covid is going away, but once more it is the virus that brings another postponement and another change of direction. Tonbridge Angels Under-18’s game at Chatham Town fell victim to the protocols with cases in the Tonbridge camp, so it was off to Maidstone, and specifically, Cobdown, the strange present abode of Greenways, whose natural home is Gravesend. The attraction being the presence in the Crowborough squad of several past and present Tonbridge Academy lads, of which Ben Hermitage has been added.
Suitably wrapped up to face a cold evening, I probably ended up slightly overdressed as it was nowhere near as cold as I expected. However, my knowledge of the SCEFL Challenge Cup rule book was found to be wanting as the game found its way into extra time rather than going straight to penalties as I had wrongly assumed would be the case.
First clear chance of the evening fell the way of Crowborough’s Joe Tyrie, whose header from a corner cleared the bar.
The game drifted rather aimlessly through the first half-hour with neither side particularly threatening to break the deadlock.
A few minutes after, the referee showed the first of what was to be far too many yellow cards as a spot of handbags followed a robust challenge.
On 36 minutes, Greenways goalkeeper, Daniel Stevens, produced a decent save to turn away a shot from Elliott Duncan at his near post.
On the stroke of half-time it was the visiting Crows that opened the scoring when a corner found its way to beyond the far post from where Tyrie steered the ball home. Stevens made a desperate attempt to claw the ball back from the line but the linesman ruled it had crossed the line.
Greenways, who occupy a place in the lower reaches of the First Division, a level below that of their visitors, started the second period positively but, nine minutes into the half, it took a save from Stevens and the crossbar to deny Jack Funnell.
The referee was being kept busy with some heavy challenges that took the home side’s yellow card count to four by the 55th minute with Crowborough adding a couple to his paperwork.
But, on the hour, Greenways fashioned an equaliser that it would be hard to deny that wasn’t coming. A poor defensive clearance saw the ball recycled to Tom Reardon, who picked out the top corner with a really good strike.
Greenways parity was only to last six minutes when a piss-take of a goal from Jacob Lambert restored the Crows lead. Jinking his way across the edge of the box evading tackles before finding his path blocked; a pass wide returned as Lambert had moved into space, beat a couple more and a shot into the bottom corner. My £3 entrance money completely repaid!
In fairness to Greenways they didn’t give up the ghost and after having a goal disallowed and forcing Grant into a good save, they found an equaliser two minutes into time added. A corner was poorly cleared to the edge of the box from where Lucas Austin fired in a shot that took a wicked deflection, wrong footing Grant.
As referee and linesman hurried from the pitch at full-time, one was left to wonder what was happening but as it turned out they only had a pressing appointment with the Gents before embarking on the extra half-hour!
Crowborough dominated the extra half-hour and their greatest threat was a floodlight switch-off after 10 minutes. The Cobdown lights are on a timer that switches them off automatically at 10 o’clock and the stadium was plunged into darkness. After six or seven minutes, that seemed so much longer, lighting was restored.
Two minutes into the second period of extra-time, a Lambert corner was met at the near post by substitute Lucas Murrain to glance past the advancing Stevens.
The game was seen out with relative comfort by Crowborough although Lambert took another heavy challenge to earn the home side their fifth caution of the evening.
A long way from a wasted evening, even if it took a good deal longer than expected!
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