Beckenham Town 3 Tunbridge Wells 0

Match 61/11/948 - Saturday, 14 April 2012 - Kent League

Beckenham Town (2) 3 Curran 25, Turner 36 (pen) Fofana 60
Tunbridge Wells (0) 0
Att. 65

Entrance: £3 Senior
Programme: £1.00
Mileage: 78/4,608

Match Report

Beckenham was not where I expected to be at the beginning of the week, but it was a decent place to end up. Not a new ground, having been once before in 1992 when Tonbridge were finally emerging from their time in the Kent League, but new to That’ll be the Day.

Tunbridge Wells’ remarkable win at champions-elect Herne Bay on Bank Holiday Monday had opened up a realistic chance of finishing runners-up in the Kent League but were surprisingly swept aside by a Beckenham Town side that, on the day, showed why they have scored a lot of goals this season. The small crowd of just 65 was boosted by 20 or more that had travelled from Tunbridge Wells.

Tunbridge Wells enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and it was something of a surprise when the home side went ahead in the 28th minute through Nick Curran, but once ahead Beckenham dominated the game with the Wells struggling to contain the pace of Elstrom Die and Ben Slade.

A soft penalty, hotly disputed by the visitors, converted by Jamie Turner before half time gave the visitors an uphill struggle in the second half.

Once again, the Wells held the upper hand in the early exchanges of the second half but, on the hour, a daisy-cutter of a shot from Malik Fofana somehow found its way past Dean Nash, much to the amusement of his team mates who obviously could not believe what they had seen.

The Wells huffed and puffed in their attempt to mount a comeback, but despite a couple of efforts that went close they were comprehensively beaten and deservedly so.

Eden Park Avenue hasn’t changed a lot in the intervening 20 years between visits although there appears to be the on-going erection of a longer covered enclosure than the four “bus shelter” types that occupy a couple of positions behind one goal, and one on each of the sidelines. Straddling the half-way line is a small seated stand that would sit around fifty people. The changing rooms and clubhouse are combined in a cricket pavilion type structure.

Elsewhere, at my destinations that might have been, Gillingham’s threadbare mathematical chance of reaching the play-offs remain with a goalless draw at Oxford, whilst Tonbridge also gained a point at Weston-super-Mare.



And here is Beckenham's all-seated, two seater cantilever standAnd here it is . . . full!