Danson Sports v Welling Park

Kent County League

Division 1 West

Saturday 14th January 2023

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.03

Danson Sports 2 Welling Park 2, attendance 15

14’ 0-1

16’ 1-1

77’ 1-2

90’ + 5, 2-2

@ Mayplace Sports Field, 3G Pitch

Perry Street

Crayford

DA1 4RB

No Admission or Programme.

Once again the Met Office forecast of heavy rain for 12 hours up until around 3 o’clock this afternoon was totally off the mark, with a number of my options on grass pitches going ahead, but I’d already decided to play it safe and visit yet another cage set up, this one having spectator access along three quarters of one side. Annoyingly, it has one of those curtain wires across the centre, used to divide the pitch for small sided games. I gave up counting how many times the ball hit it, after it was already at seven before we had even reached halftime!

The match was 5th versus 3rd in the league table, having drawn the reverse fixture 1-1 last Saturday. Welling Park went ahead after fourteen minutes, the striker just beating the ‘keeper to a through ball and poking it past him into the bottom corner. Danson levelled within two minutes with an angled shot into the far corner, which the ‘keeper got a touch to, but couldn’t keep out. It looked like Welling Park had won it when they went back in front late in the second half, scrambling in from close range after a corner hadn’t been cleared, but deep into stoppage time Danson made it 2-2, powering in a header from inside the 6 yard box after a corner was cleared and crossed back into the box.

Anyone travelling here by car needs to be careful of the car park charge, especially if it’s a cup match that might go to extra time and/or penalties, although you can park in the road outside if you don’t mind walking a hundred yards!

Above : Beware!

Old Sennockians v Old Alleynians III

Arthurian League

Junior League Cup

2nd Round

Saturday 14th January 2023

Kick Off 10.45 Actual 10.52

Old Sennockians 2 Old Alleynians III’s 1, attendance 3

8’ 1-0

65’ 2-0

81’ 2-1

@ Harris Academy, 3G Pitch

Tintagel Road

Orpington

BR5 4LG

No Admission or Programme.

Non stop rain on Friday meant Sennockians switched their game to the 3G pitch here at Harris Academy. Although there is no spectator access inside the cage, there is a raised viewing area that gives around 95% of unrestricted sight lines, so no problem.

The Junior League Cup is contested by teams from Division 2 and below, with this being bottom of Division 2 versus third in Division 3. I had been a bit apprehensive about watching a third team, but needn’t have been, as they turned up with a full compliment of players, as well as having three substitutes (one more than Sennockians!) and were a decent side to watch.

Sennockians went ahead after eight minutes, when a corner from the right was headed in off the underside of the crossbar from just inside the 6 yard box. Chances came at both ends and it was a surprise that it took until midway through the second half for a second goal to arrive, when a far post header, again from a corner on the right, saw Sennockians double their lead. Alleynians made for an interesting last ten minutes when a long range effort made it 2-1 and they had a couple of decent chances to draw level, but just fell short.