Tunbridge Wells (2) 6 Harris 21,88, Irvine 28,54, Stanford 73, Fuller 78
Canterbury City (0) 0
Att. 381
Entrance: £3 Senior
Programme: £1.50
Mileage: 26/5,934
Match Report
Poor old Canterbury City rocked up at the Culverden Stadium as literally lambs to the slaughter. Following the removal of Simon Austin from his managerial position, the majority of his players left in his wake and it was a very youthful City side that were charged with the role of gatecrashers at the Wells' welcoming home party. The Wembley appearance has had the desired effect of boosting the attendance and it was a very healthy 381 that were in a joyous party mood despite the Vase defeat.This one-sided match, in which the visitors accepted their fate with a smile on their faces, was a mere sideshow as the Wells' supporters recounted their day at the national stadium. From early morning breakfasts (with beer involved!) to traffic worries on the M25, everybody had a story to tell with one significant thread to every tale
. . . nobody had any complaints.
There was much discussion as to the Wembley starting eleven, the omission of Jack Harris and who may have made way for his inclusion. Everyone had an opinion, nobody had a recrimination. There was a unanimous acceptance that Spennymoor were a damn good team and that whatever side Martin Larkin had picked, it would have taken a monumental performance to turn the Northern League side over.
On the pitch, there was no sign of a hangover from the weekend's celebrations. Harris and Andy Irvine swept the home side into a two goal half time lead and after the break, further goals from Josh Stanford and Joe Fuller plus seconds from Harris and Irvine added up to an easy six-goal romp.
Wembley has given the club a magnificent platform from which to move forward. A tilt at the Kent League title next season would almost certainly sustain a regular attendance of 300, a number that would be envied by many a Ryman League club. The club and its supporters are making all the right noises regarding their ambition for Ryman football, but they have a further wish . . . they want to go back to Wembley!
The final whistle brings the curtain down on this memorable season, one of unparalleled success. Even Tonbridge's escape from relegation has to be considered something of a success, although we will conveniently forget the Kent Senior Cup Final! Despite Gillingham winning a championship for the first time in my time with the club, for me the most memorable moment would have to be the Wells walking out at Wembley, it is something that I had never given thought to, but gives hope that anything can happen in this game of ours.
Lifetime match total (including England's game against the Republic of Ireland to come): 2,276
Number of grounds: 254
No comments:
Post a Comment