Faversham Town (0) 0
Merstham (0) 0
After extra time. Merstham won 5-4 on penalties.
Att. 678
Entrance: £5.00 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 60/6,404
Match Report
In truth, it wasn’t a great game for the neutral to view; it was tense with both defences dominating and chances at a premium.
Before leaving home and, certainly from early in the first half, I suspected that this game was going to go the distance and sure enough it took a penalty shoot-out to steer the visitors into Saturday’s final against Folkestone Invicta, who likewise needed extra-time to dispose of Whyteleafe.
The game had an ebb and flow that saw each side have periods of dominance but neither set of attackers could break down the resolute defending.
From a personal point of interest there was the ex-Tunbridge Wells pairing of Jack Harris and Josh Stanford in the Faversham team. Unfortunately, Harris got very little change out of a giant central defence pairing whilst Stanford, who I believe has been injured, was introduced as a 74th minute substitute and lasting only 15 minutes before picking up an injury that forced his departure.
A few chances for both sides were created after a dull first half in which neither side created a realistic opportunity.
Rob French, in the Faversham goal, smothered an early raid on the edge of his box and a free header at the far post was sent over the bar. In return, Faversham’s Stuart King, an 82nd minute substitute, saw a double effort blocked before Stanford turned the second rebound wide.
Into extra-time and Wayne Wilson tried his luck from 35 yards, but his free kick clipped the top of the bar on the way over.
Each side had a chance at the death to avoid the penalty lottery but for Faversham, Charlie Robertson glanced a header wide and Merstham’s Peter Adeniyi drove over the bar.
And so it was that 10 months effort was condensed into five kicks from 12 yards to carry their season forward. First up for Faversham was King, an ex-Folkestone favourite, but his shot was a nice height for Merstham’s keeper, Brannon Daly, to dive to his left and push the ball to safety.
One by one, the next eight players strode forward and executed their task with French agonisingly getting his hands to the fourth penalty but he was unable to keep the well-struck shot from entering the net. The final act was left to Adeniyi who sent French to his left and rolled the ball into the right hand corner before being joyously mobbed by his team mates.
For Faversham it is the second time in the last three years they have failed at the play-off stage and they can justifiably reflect that in many other seasons a total of 97 points and scoring 111 goals in the process would have won the championship. But this has been an extraordinary Ryman South season with Burgess Hill amassing 109 points and Folkestone 98 points to leave the Lilywhites in third place.
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