Gillingham 0 Bradford City 1

Match 17/17/1467 - Saturday, 12th August 2017 - League One

Gillingham (0) 0
Bradford City (1) 1 Poleon 19
Attendance: 5,267

Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 58/1,105

Match Report

What are we to expect from Gillingham this coming season? My social media timelines are largely pessimistic and my personal thoughts are little different.

I'm sure Adrian Pennock's side will be more resilient with far greater endeavour than last year's dressing room rebels, but will that be enough to avoid the drop, on this display not without an injection of quality.

The reports from the opening league game at Doncaster, a goalless draw, and an honourable defeat at Championship Reading were encouraging but the fat zero following our name loomed large. The chances that went begging this afternoon highlighted that unless something changes, sooner rather than later, this could be a long, hard season.

Bradford City will probably prove to be very capable opposition and might well go one step further than last year's losing playoff finalists but Gillingham mostly matched them over the 90 minutes.

Tomas Holy was only asked to make a meaningful save in the dying embers of a game that Gillingham were chasing, but one defensive lapse was their undoing.

Bradford were the better side in the opening period and when Alex Jones was given a free ticket to cross from the bye line to a waiting Dominic Poleon with time and space to sweep the ball home from six yards.

Gillingham wasted a great chance to equalise when a cross into the box from Lee Martin found Alex Lacey who steered a free header wide.

Josh Parker brought a good save out of Colin Doyle but Bradford should have doubled their advantage when Max Ehmer was dispossessed on the edge of his box allowing Poleon to round Holy but then, unbelievably, rolling the ball past the post.

The second half saw Connor Wilkinson's claim for a penalty turned away and from a Martin corner, Josh Wright spurned another headed opportunity.

Wilkinson saw red after 74 minutes when a reckless challenge gave the referee a decision to make regardless of claims that there was no contact made.

The Gills showed their resilience with a fighting finish to the game despite their numerical disadvantage but were denied a point when their last kick equaliser from Gabriel Zakuani was ruled out for offside.

Stansfeld P Forest Hill Park P

Wednesday, 9th August 2017 - SCEFL 1

Stansfeld P
Forest Hill Park P
Match postponed due to waterlogged pitch

Wasted Mileage: 67/1,047

Never, ever, make the assumption that matches don't get postponed due to weather in August.

Tunbridge Wells 1 Beckenham Town 0

Match 16/17/1466 - Saturday, 5th August 2017 - FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

Tunbridge Wells (0) 1 Potter 69
Beckenham Town (0) 0
Attendance: 271

Entrance: £4 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/980

Tunbridge Wells took their place in the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup with £1,500 of prize money and the satisfaction of eliminating one of their supporters most disliked teams, Beckenham. In so doing, they also set up the possibility of a local derby against Rusthall, who were to play CB Hounslow at Culverden the following day.

The Wells welcomed back into their ranks their Wembley goalscoring hero Josh Stanford, who started proceedings with a good break and deliverance of a free kick that Jake Beecroft drove over.

Ex-Tunbridge Wells goalkeeper Rilwan Anababa made a risky dribble from his goal to eventually steer the ball to safety and a poor clearance on 28 minutes landed at the feet of Josh Biddlecombe who shot first time but over the bar.

The Wells dominated the first period but had to settle for parity at the break.

A heavy rainstorm, an hour into the game, had everybody on the south terrace scuttling for the sanctuary of the main stand and it was from there, eight minutes later, that we viewed Brad Potter meeting a Beecroft right-sided corner with a looping header to put the Wells deservedly ahead.

Beckenham had offered very little throughout and the Wells saw out their late rally with relative ease.

Tonbridge Angels 0 Slough Town 3

Match 15/17/1465 - Saturday, 5th August 2017 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Slough Town (1) 3 Flood 33 Williams 41 Dobson 90
Attendance: 167

Entrance: £5 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 19/954

Having fallen a bit behind, this is a cheat's post copying and pasting Jim Rowe's report on a match that I left with 20 minutes to go to get to Tunbridge Wells' FA Cup tie.

It was a disappointing and somewhat luck lustre final pre-season friendly as far as the Angels were concerned as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat against Slough Town who completely deserved their win. If Hendon, Angels first league opponent , had any spies at the game they may not have been too concerned at what they saw.

In fairness, Tonbridge did have some first team members missing and with Joe Turner and trialist Michael O perhaps lacking match time this was not an Angels side necessarily able to fire on all cylinders

Despite a relatively even first half with chances falling to both sides it was the visitors who found themselves two goals in front at the break.

The Angels defence had to be alert in the 4th minute when a fine Slough cross from the right was expertly headed away by Sonny Miles. From the resultant corner it needed a block clearance to keep the home goal intact.

Four minutes later Alex Akrofi pulled a cross back for the advancing Nathan Elder but it was the Rebels' Nathan Smart who put in a great defensive tackle to keep the game goalless.

Chances fell to Chris Kinnear in the 12th minute and Akrofi on 25 minutes while at the other end Slough's Alan Inns who had stayed up after a set piece and with the Angels defence unable to clear their lines properly saw his snap shot go straight to home keeper Anthony di Bernardo.

The deadlock was broken in the 32nd minute when the Angels appealing in vain for foul on Akrofi lost concentration and with the defence nowhere Chris Flood was able to run through and took his chance excellently. Slough doubled their lead on 42 minutes with the Angels defence unable to clear and Manny Williams shooting home from close in.

On resumption the home side did start to move the ball around with more accuracy and had some decent possession in the final third but too often there was no end product.

On 53 minutes there was a chance for Turner after he was put in by a Nathan Elder knock down but Jack Turner in the Slough goal dealt with the effort. Joe Turner turned provider on 69 minutes after good progress down the left wing, the cross was hit into the right area but no Tonbridge forward could take advantage.

As the game entered its final stages Andre McCollin had two great chances the first ended by a superb save from Jack Turner , the second he was muscled off the ball perhaps illegally by a Slough defender.

Slough with their two goal advantage were largely comfortable through the half but always looked as if they might have another goal in their locker. It duly arrived in the 90th minute through James Dobson who outwitted a tiring Angels defence.

Afterwards Angels boss Steve McKimm seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief that pre-season was finally over. "Is it too long? Perhaps, but you have to do it as preparation. Obviously supporters will be disappointed with the results at Chipstead and today against Slough but these results mean nothing in terms of competition and we can now start the business of playing for points. The players have fitness and training this week will concentrate on things like set pieces and the systems we will employ."

Punjab United 2 FC Elmstead 2

Match 14/17/1464 - Friday, 4th August 2017 - SCEFL 1

Punjab United (1) 2 Adam Cuthbert 4,72
FC Elmstead (1) 2 Bakare 42,52 (pen)
Attendance: 300

Entrance: £2 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 46/935

Having been at Punjab's final game in the Kent County League (and enjoying the free chapatis), I was glad of the opportunity that a Friday evening gave me to see their first game in the SCEFL. The game was played under their newly-installed floodlights which they acquired from Salford City.

The compact seating enclosure was a grand reunion for the hopperati who bagged most of the seats.

Those that bought a programme would have been pretty disappointed with a couple of sheets, poorly folded for £2. One can only hope that they realise that as a first effort, hoppers especially, they would be given a bit of slack but this was not acceptable, especially at £2.

The home side got off to a great start when Adam Cuthbert headed home from a corner.

After being on the back foot for much of the first period, Elmstead went into the break on level terms when Lekan Bakare converted at the far post following a right wing cross.

Elmstead got their noses in front early in the second half when Bakare converted from the spot after their number 9 had been brought down.

Although Punjab struggled to find their rhythm of the first half they earned a well-deserved point with a fine 25 yard free kick from Cuthbert, who curled it into the top corner.

I avoided the difficult exit from the car park by sitting in the car and watching Mo Farah's successful defence of his 10,000 metres world championship crown, capping a decent evening.

Aveley 0 Dulwich Hamlet 5

Match 13/17/1463 - Wednesday, 2nd August 2017 - Pre-Season Friendly

Aveley (0) 0
Dulwich Hamlet (2) 5 Dumaka 21,44,51 (pen), Tomlin 53 (pen), Yiadom 88
Estimated attendance: 300
New Ground: 314

Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £1
Mileage: 68/889

Match Report

The opening of Aveley's new Parkside Stadium might have been gate-crashed by an impressive Dulwich Hamlet, but most of the attendance would have gone home hugely impressed by the stadium.

On arrival a place in a 195-place car park was easily found, a vast improvement on the narrow lane leading to the old Mill Field ground, with a huge illuminated Aveley FC sign leaving no doubt as to where you have parked.

Once inside, the place is so newly finished that you can still feel the crunch of builder's sand underfoot, but your eyes are immediately drawn to the main stand that houses a large bar with an upstairs ,viewing area that is easy to imagine its earning potential from local community. If I was picky, I would be inclined to say that for a large structure the amount of actual seating is on the low side.

The purists, I guess, will point to the stand of the opposite side of the ground that looked to hold more spectators than the main and the two covered terrace enclosures that are strangely positioned either side of the goal, as Atcost structures. Quite why the enclosures behind the goal could not be joined up is hard to understand.

The 3G pitch played very well, to the point where an elderly lady seated a couple of seats away mistook the rubber pellets lifting from the surface as the pitch "cutting up" until she was informed by her son that the pitch was not grass!

Dulwich spoilt the party but gave the Bostik Premier hope that Billericay might be given a chasing after all.

Dumebi Dumaka opened the scoring after 21 minutes with a tap-in at the far post following a cross by Nathan Green. The striker doubled his and Dulwich's tally with a strike into the bottom corner from the left hand angle of the 18 yard box. He went on to complete his hat-trick five minutes into the second period when he converted from the penalty spot after the referee gave the award for a push on him.

Two minutes later Dulwich were awarded another penalty, this time for a trip on Nyren Clunis. Dumaka stepped to one side, to allow Gavin Tomlin to strike from the spot.

Dulwich completed their nap hand when Nana Boakye-Yiadom drove the ball high into the net from close range a couple of minutes from the end.

A good night was completed with an easy retreat from the car park, after fearing that the single gate entrance might be a bit of a bottleneck. Barring the result, Aveley can be rightly proud of their opening night.

Chipstead 3 Tonbridge Angels 2

Match 12/17/1462 - Saturday, 1st August 2017 - Pre-Season Friendly

Chipstead (0) 3 McLean 70 (pen) Echo 77, Henry
Tonbridge Angels (1) 2 McCollin 21 (pen) Thompson 48
Headcount: 62

Entrance: Free
Team Sheet: None
Mileage: 94/821

Pre-season took a worrying turn for Tonbridge Angels, not with the result of this game but the lengthening list of injuries that left them playing with 10 men before manager Steve McKimm left the touchline to bolster his troops for the final eight minutes.

Chipstead look half-decent but Tonbridge were in reasonable control of the game until they ran out of players early in the second period.

The Angels took the lead 21 minutes into the half when Nathan Elder was hauled to the ground. Andre McCollin stepped up to safely dispatch the spot kick to the diving keeper's right.

Seven minutes before the break, Liam Smith pulled up with a hamstring strain to be replaced by an Under-21s player, Ebs, who had been called upon late in the afternoon, along with his fellow substitute, Fernando.

Callum Adonis-Taylor failed to appear for the second period following a recurrence of an ankle injury giving Fernando his opportunity.

Andre McCollin's free kick after three minutes of the second half was knocked back by Elder into the path of Dan Thompson who rifled a shot through a crowded box and into the net.

The free kick proved to be McCollin's last piece of action, having taken a stamp on the foot, it was not worth the risk of him continuing and with no further substitutes available, the Angels were down to 10 men.

Chipstead got back into the game when they were awarded a penalty following a foul by trialist known only as Michael. Anthony Di Bernardo saved Callum McLean's first effort but the rebound fell back at his feet for him to lash home.

Leon Echo's season might just as well end now on a high as a perfectly executed scissor-kick from the edge of the box found the bottom corner brought the Chips level after 77 minutes.

Seven minutes remained, and one minute after McKimm entered the fray(!), Henry was sent clear to drive a shot between Di Bernardo and his near post to give the home side a fine comeback win.