Glebe 1 Beckenham Town 3

Match 53/17/1503 - Friday, 3rd November 2017 - SCEFL

Glebe (1) 1 Zeppo 40
Beckenham Town (1) 3 Atkins 25,75 Farrell 49
Attendance: 155
New Ground: 319

Entrance: £4 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 72/3,593

Match Report

The game was played to a backdrop of a local firework display that was impressive and worth the entrance free alone and the game on the pitch was not short of the odd incendiary that either.

Now, I’m not heading down the anti-Beckenham road as is commonplace in the SCEFL community but it does seem, whether they are the culprits or otherwise, that a little skirmish is part and parcel of every game. On this occasion, it was Glebe’s Max Fitzgerald that saw red after an exchange of pleasantries with Beckenham’s Al Hassan.

Beckenham have put in two decent performances that I have viewed in the last fortnight at Rusthall and this one at Foxbury Avenue. I don’t think they have the capability of challenging Crowborough or Sevenoaks for the title this term, but they are much improved from last season.

After abortive attempts through a pre-season friendly that wasn’t played in the main stadium to a waterlogged pitch, I was finally able to pay my money to the young lady stationed in her beehive hut. There is a 100-seat Atcost, a covered enclosure behind the far goal and the playing surface looked very good. All very tidy. Whilst I didn’t use the clubhouse, it looked from the outside an excellent and well-used facility.

Friday night football brought a good crowd although my guesstimate was quite a long way in excess of the official given figure of 155.

Beckenham made much of the early running without particularly stretching Dean Nash in the Glebe goal but it was the visitors that took the lead after 19 minutes when a cross from the left found the head of Richard Atkins to glance the ball past Nash.

Shameek Farrell rattled the Glebe crossbar before the fracas that saw Fitzgerald seeing red. What actually happened in unclear, but a Becks player went to ground and needed treatment for what appeared to be a clash of heads before the referee consulted his assistant and handed out his punishment.

If there was any injustice it spurred Glebe into life and a fine run and shot from Brian Zepo into the bottom corner to level the scoreline at the break.

Beckenham quickly got their noses back in front when a shot from the edge of the box from Farrell found the bottom corner.

After 69 minutes the visitors as good as wrapped up the game when a shot from distance was spilt by Nash for Atkins to touch home the rebound.

Beckenham were good value as was the entertainment on the field and in the night sky.