Staplehurst Monarchs 1 Sheppey Sports 0

Match 21/24/2260 - Saturday, 7th September 2024 - SCEFL One

Staplehurst Monarchs (0) 1 Adams 57
Sheppey Sports (0) 0
Attendance: 91
Admission: £5
Mileage: 1/913

A domestic matter of a dog that needs an injection took me to my home village club for the first time this season, because ultimately the dog trumps all! With the warm welcome, Staplehurst Monarchs is never a chore although the Twitter (I’ll never adopt X) feed from Chippenham was a distraction.

After the disappointment of losing out in the Play-off Final at Larkfield, the Monarchs have started the season well with two wins from their first three league games and progress in the FA Vase. It is something of an anomaly in the fixture list that in the first week of September they already find themselves three league games adrift of others in the division.

Their visitors were Sheppey Sports, formerly K Sports, who were forced to upsticks and relocate to Thanet following the sale of the Cobdown home.

All credit to the visitors for pitching up at all following the devastating news within the previous 24 hours of the sad passing of their player, Dylan Akue, at the frighteningly young age of 21. A minute's silence was impeccably observed and a bucket collection was organised by the home club. Dylan’s #21 shirt was hung from the Sheppey dug out.

Such is the lot of a Step 6 Chairperson that Nic Stonebridge was asked prior to kick off to remove a suspect package from the centre circle that might have been left by a four-legged interloper!

A full bloodied, competitive encounter ensued that Staplehurst just about deserved to edge with a goal after 57 minutes from a free kick, 30 yards out from Luke Adams.

Staplehurst might have found themselves ahead within the opening minute when a well worked move involving Dan Ashton and Harry Beech set up an opportunity for Jack Hyslop but his shot cleared the bar.

Sheppey worked their way into the game and, on 20 minutes, a cross into the box from Jez Hammond begged a touch in front of goal.

On the half-hour, another head-in-hands miss, this time from Adams, after a perfect set-up from Ted Rosetti left the game all square at the break.

Into the second period saw an old Tunbridge Wells favourite, Sheppey’s Josh Froggatt, sin binned for 10 minutes. Incidentally, it was a small Wells reunion with Lewis Mingle and Steve Lawrence in the Staplehurst side.

The breakthrough came when Adams' free kick, at first appeared to have been caught by the Sheppey goalkeeper, Harvey Mills, but the ball escaped his grasp and dropped behind him into the net.

The Monarchs had the momentum following the goal. A long throw into the box caused confusion with the ball ending up hitting a post and Mills kept his side in the game, saving well from Beech.

Sheppey had their moments in the closing stages with Lawrence making a good claim after an effort from David Latunde and a last gasp effort from Joe Jarvis that cleared the bar.

Twitter obliged with a hard-earned point for the Angels at Chippenham, so I strolled home happy to an equally happy cocker spaniel!