K Sports 2 Tunbridge Wells 2

Match 13/21/1878 - Monday, 2nd August 2021 - SCEFL Premier League

K Sports (0) 2 Butler 47 Oshin 69
Tunbridge Wells (0) 2 Wells 54 Hudson 88
Attendance: 207

Admission: £4 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 36/712

Aaron Lee-Wharton was the hero as Tunbridge Wells managed to leave Cobdown with a point following Harry Hudson’s headed equaliser a couple of minutes from the end in a tightly contested game.

In a mirror image of the opening minutes of Saturday’s game against Sheppey, Regan Corke was the early threat giving Jordan Wells the chance to press K Sports goalkeeper, Charlie Walker, into action.

K Sports had the opportunity for an eighth minute lead after James Nurdin had brought down Isaac Bignell with a clumsy challenge. Victor Aiyelabola’s spot kick was saved low to his left by Lee-Wharton, who then reacted brilliantly to turn aside the follow-up from George Batten.

In terms of chances, the game was nick and tuck throughout the first half, the best of the efforts coming from Josh Froggatt, whose impudent lob from 30 yards wasn’t too far away and Lee-Wharton needed to be at his brilliant best to claw an Aiyelabola effort out of the top corner after 40 minutes.

K Sports needed just two minutes of the second period to open the scoring. Bignell supplying the cross for Kane Butler to fire home a shot that took a deflection to wrong foot Lee-Wharton.

Tunbridge Wells responded well and in the space of two minutes, both full backs Nurdin and Frankie Griffin tested Walker before, in the 55th minute, Jordan Wells crashed home a shot from 30 yards that left the goalkeeper grasping at thin air.

In the 66th minute, K Sports were offered another golden opportunity to regain their lead when Robbie Bissett was deemed to have brought down Butler on the right side of the box. Responsibility this time fell to Ian Batten, but he could only watch with despair and amazement as his shot bound for the top corner was clawed away by Lee-Wharton with an incredible save.

The relief for the Wells lasted just moments when following the resultant corner, Michael Oshin stabbed home a loose ball in the six yard box.

Tunbridge Wells went in search of an equaliser and the home side looked hard for a third that would put the game to bed, so good chances came at both ends.

On 72 minutes, substitute Euan Sahadow found Corke at the near post but his shot was turned away by Walker and quickly followed by K Sports Max Morgan being sent through only for more heroics from Lee-Wharton saving at his feet.

Hudson was thrown forward in the search for the equaliser and with seven minutes remaining firstly his shot was deflected wide for a corner, from which, his header was narrowly wide.

But Hudson was to be the saviour. A shot from the left was pushed away by Walker but Corke recycled the ball from the right and stood up a cross for the spring-heeled Hudson to bury with a firm header.

Tunbridge Wells, almost certainly went home the happier with their first point of the season whilst K Sports, for 24 hours, lead the embryonic table.

K Sports 2 Oakland Leopards 1

Match 03/18/1596 - Thursday, 5th July 2018 - Pre-Season Friendly

K Sports (0) 2 Morgan 87 Gethin 89
Oakland Leopards (1) 1 De Loa 3
Headcount: 62

Admission: £3
Programme: £1.50
Mileage: 27/104

The days of the novelty pre-season friendly are that of yesteryear. Those of us with longer memories can remember Tonbridge playing a team from Kuwait at the old Angel Ground or Gillingham v the Japanese National team. Unfortunately, for a SCEFL team, a home fixture against lofty opposition from the National League will, in general, mean a visit from a team made up of youngsters and trialists with perhaps a couple of first teamers seeking fitness.

So it was that a visit from Oakland Leopards, from the west coast of America to K Sports, a club who themselves are mapping a path through the English pyramid, made for one of the more appetising fixtures on the pre-season list.

In the matchday programme, something of a novelty in itself for K Sports, who met with criticism from groundhoppers last season for the various excuses for not producing one, there was a message from Edward Stephen, coach of the Leopards that told of the challenges that the young players of his club faced as residents of Oakland, a city that when I visited in the early 1980s, we were told in the hotel not to venture out after dark, seemingly not a lot has changed.

Stephen wrote that his Under-19 boys were all local Latino kids from low income families and lived in parts of Oakland known for drugs, violence and shootings. It is not uncommon to hear gunshots in the background during training sessions. Despite all the negativity of Oakland’s environment and reputation and the hostility directed towards minorities it is inspiring to see their strength and determination to overcome challenges that kids should not have to face.

The Oakland side have crowdfunded $9,000 to make-up a total of $45,000 needed to fund the trip which will also include fixtures at Redbridge and Biggleswade.

The Under-19 game ended with a 3-2 win for K Sports before the senior game.

For those that might end up reading this in the United States, and Oakland in particular, we are “enjoying” a heatwave in Britain and the south-east in particular, so the teams took to Cobdown’s 3G surface on a very warm, muggy evening.

The Leopards got their evening, and their tour, off to the best possible start when they took the lead after just two minutes. A wonderful through ball from Prince Bere sent Eduardo De Loa through on goal to shake off a couple of challenges and slot the ball past the K Sports goalkeeper Adam Highstead (without a K Sports team sheet, I’m hoping their programme team was near to correct).

As an attacking force for Oakland, it was as good as it was going to get for the majority of the first half that became a rearguard action with the Leopards keeper, Thomas Soto excelling.

Soto pushed an effort over the bar after nine minutes whilst a minute later, Connor Morgan crashed a header against the bar.

The Oakland goal led a somewhat charmed life and coupled with some resolute defending they managed to see their lead through to half-time intact.

As is the norm of pre-season, a plethora of substitutions actually saw K Sports lose the momentum that they had from the first period. After four minutes of the second half, it took a great saving tackle to deny Jesus Hernandez and the goalkeeper made a good save from Armando Castro.

On the hour, a shot from Bere brought a fine save low to his right from Highstead and the custodian was brought into action again soon after by Diego Garcia.

As pre-season games go, this one was really compelling and into the last ten minutes, K Sports threw themselves forward to salvage something out of the game but continued to find Soto a human barrier. In the midst of a World Cup in which goalkeeper's punching of the ball has been brought into question, Soto acrobatically punched the ball to safety on numerous occasions.

Oakland’s resistance was finally broken with three minutes remaining, after Soto had brilliantly tipped over, the resultant corner was met with a towering header from Morgan to level the scores.

K Sports found a winner within 60 seconds as a cross found the glancing head of Matt Gethin to pinch the spoils.

The Leopards had one final effort that was deflected over the bar before the referee brought the curtain down on a very worthwhile evening.

One can only wish Oakland Leopards the very best of luck for the rest of their tour and hope they make many friends along the way, their football ethic deserves no less.

K Sports 0 Tunbridge Wells 1

Match 79/17/1529 - Tuesday, 9th January 2018 - SCEFL Challenge Cup R3

K Sports (0) 0
Tunbridge Wells (1) 1 Kendall 16
Attendance: 65

Entrance: £3 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 30/5,221

Jason Bourne’s 100th game in charge of Tunbridge Wells saw them secure a place in the quarter final draw of the SCEFL Challenge Cup. His side produced a good first half performance and followed this with a steadfast defensive second period that denied their promotion chasing hosts a scalp from the division to which they aspire.

A sweeping move from both Tunbridge Wells full backs saw Alfie Hall producing a devastating cross to the far post where his right-sided counterpart, Alexx Kendall was positioned for a simple tap-in.

The Wells dominated the half and should have entered the break more than the single goal to the good. Josh Biddlecombe sent the ball across the face of the goal that begged a touch that Jon Pilbeam just failed to make; John Shea brought a decent save out of Rhys Coates and when the exciting Franco Mici produced a mazy run and pass, Pilbeam’s shot struck a post.

K Sports may feel that their priorities are elsewhere this season but they gave it their best in the second half and Jack Bradshaw’s save from Sam Winch was as match winning as Kendall’s goal.

The neutrals alongside me in the seats thought it was a poor game, but for Tunbridge Wells supporters, starved of success, any victory is to be applauded and out of the debris of this season a cup final is now only a couple of games away.

K Sports 0 Glebe 2

Match 117/16/1424 - Tuesday, 4th April 2017 - SCEFL 1

K Sports (0) 0
Glebe (0) 2 Jeffery 51, Golding 54
Attendance: 112

Entrance: £2.50 Senior
Programme: £1.50
Mileage: 40/8,012

Match Report

At Rusthall a couple of weeks back and in the first half of this match at K Sports, I failed to see what has taken Glebe to the cusp of promotion, as champions, to the SCEFL Premier. In the second half, I finally got it.

On their own admittance, at Jockey Farm, Glebe's overriding intention was not to lose the game and, perhaps, there was a similar mindset here at Cobdown, but once Aaron Jeffery had fired them into an early second half lead, quickly followed by Ryan Golding's sure-fire finish, there was to be only one winner as Glebe marched on to the summit of the table.

The first half was a real stalemate with neither side creating much in the way of genuine chances and nothing much in terms of eye-catching football.

K Sports' central defender Liam Dawson brought a good save out of Adam Molloy with a header following a cross from the right after eight minutes and Caine Smith blasted over the crossbar two minutes later as the home side started on the front foot.

Glebe created a couple of half-chances with Joe Cullip saving at the feet of Andre Tobon whilst Ryan Golding hit a long shot that sailed high into the night sky.

Six minutes into the second half, Glebe opened the scoring following a cross from the left by George King which was headed against the crossbar at the far post by Jamal Alexander with the rebound being tucked away by Aaron Jeffery.

Within a couple of minutes, Glebe virtually wrapped up the game when a cross from Alexander was only partially cleared to the feet of Golding, who showed he had not lost any of his predatory instinct with a firm shot that gave Cullip no chance.

To K Sports credit they kept going forward and Gabriel Luckhurst forced Molloy into a low save, diving to his left. But the game ended as a contest when K Sports' young defender, Jack Salisbury, collected a second yellow card to sentence him to forlornly watch the remainder of the game from behind the perimeter fencing.

Nearly everything, I understand the changing rooms need to be closer to the pitch, is in place for the Ditton-based club to have a real tilt at promotion next season. I have watched football played on three Ryman Premier 3G pitches in recent weeks at Worthing, Harlow and Hendon and, in my opinion, this pitch is vastly superior to all of them.

K Sports 4 FC Elmstead 1

Match 49/16/1356 - Friday, 4th November 2016 - SCEFL Division 1

K Sports (3) 4 Smith 4,40 Barratt (o.g.) 8 Norman 74
FC Elmstead (1) 1 Babalola 45
Attendance: 341

Entrance: £5
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 40/3,899
New Ground: 297

Match Report

The grand opening of K Sports new ground (the same Cobdown location as their old ground) brought a bumper attendance of 341, an amazing number given that the eight games in SCEFL Division One on Saturday amounted to just 275 with the largest being Glebe's at 52. I cannot admit to knowing too much about the standard at this level, but it was very watchable with the home side giving people every reason to return for the next home game. Whether they will, is open to question.

The new venue has a 3G pitch which played well and didn't look particularly inferior to their senior neighbours, Maidstone United. There is a small stand straddling the half-way line that, guessing, would hold around 120 people. The high perimeter open mesh perimeter fencing does give a feel of a cage which doesn't offer a lot of character. But at this level, it does what it says on the tin, and doubtless, will be good for the club's coffers as it gets rented at any time during the week.

K Sports (if anybody knows why they are called that, please leave a message) are a club that has had many guises. Aylesford Paper Mills became APM to become APM Contrast before their present name.

They celebrated the opening with a goal after just four minutes. Jason Perry, who caught the eye on the evening, deceived the Elmstead defence from a free kick, slipping it straight through to Caine Smith, who drove his shot past the goalkeeper.

One quickly became two, after eight minutes, when a long throw caused confusion that ended with Reece Barratt poking it past his own keeper.

Five minutes before the break, Smith was played through with a superb pass over the top from Gabriel Luckhurst, he rounded the goalkeeper and scored from a tight angle close to the bye-line to make it 3-0 to K Sports.

Elmstead gave themselves a lifeline with a goal on the stroke of half-time when Dexter Babalola latched onto a pass from Jack Jeffreys to round the keeper and score.

A fine drive from 25 yards by Norman after a corner was cleared to him was the highlight of the second half.

The Elmstead goalkeeper did well to deny Smith a hat-trick saving with his feet and his 85th minute save from Ashley Cooper was a class above this division.

K Sports have played all their games away from home whilst waiting for their ground to be completed and presently sit in mid-table. It is going to be interesting to see where they are going to finish with the run of home games they will now have and, even more so, how many people they are going to attract on a week-to-week basis.