Rochester & District League
Division 1
Saturday 26th June 2021
Kick Off 14.15 Actual 14.21
A.E.I. Sports 2 Cliffe United 7, attendance 85
11’ 0-1
47’ 0-2
55’ 0-3
77’ 0-4
81’ 0-5
82’ 0-6
84’ 1-6
87’ 1-7
90’ 2-7
@ Cliffe Woods Recreation Ground
Merryboys Road
Cliffe Woods
ME3 8UL
No Admission or Programme.
I was actually heading for a cup match at Sheering in the Hertford & District League. My estimated arrival time was an hour before kick off according to what my SatNav was saying when I left home, already factoring in a delay of 14 minutes en route. The roads around the approach to the Dartford Crossing were in total gridlock, and by now I was looking at arriving just 4 minutes before kick off. There was no movement of the traffic whatsoever, even though I had managed to circumnavigate a fair few miles of the queue by taking a route away from the M25. I decided to bail out and head for a game in the Rochester & District League instead and arrived at my alternate choice nearly an hour before the kick off.
I don’t know why I didn’t just head here in the first place. It was 2nd versus 1st in the league table, in what was both teams last game of the season and the visitors led the table by a point. There was a decent crowd too, helped no doubt by the fact that both clubs play their home games here. There were also three match officials on duty, but I wouldn’t think this is the norm, for what is tier two of this league.
It was a very tight first half. Cliffe United scored early on and could have been two or three up. Half an hour into the game an A.E.I. player left the field with an injury, and his day was made worse, when he received a red card for something he said to the Linesman as he was getting changed out of his kit at the side of the pitch. It was still only 0-1 at the break, but within two minutes of the restart Cliffe United doubled their lead and when it became 0-3 eight minutes later, the title was won. A.E.I. let their heads drop and they totally capitulated. Cliffe United didn’t ease off and ran in three more goals, with little resistance from a tiring looking home defence. A cracking free kick from the angle of the 18 yard box did pull it back to 1-6, but the visitors soon restored their six goal lead. With the last kick of the match, a cross from wide on the touch line sailed over the ‘keeper into the far corner of the net to make it 2-7, but it was little consolation to the hosts. They had been well and truly beaten.
Cliffe United certainly looked like worthy champions. They were unbeaten during the league season, with a 1-1 draw with Sittingbourne Town being the only game they didn’t win.
