Kent County League

Division 2 East

Saturday 28th September 2024

Kick Off 14.45 Actual 14.51

Bocca Juniors 4 Gillingham Town 3, attendance 43

15’ 1-0

31’ 1-1

35’ 2-1

40’ 3-1

46’ 3-2

64’ 3-3

73’ 4-3

@ Pitchside, 3G Pitch

Stanhope Road

Stanhope

Ashford

TN23 5RN

No Admission or Programme.

The 19 mile drive south east from this mornings game took 38 minutes, all without motorways and along some very narrow lanes, arriving around twenty five minutes before the scheduled kick off, but as it kicked off six minutes late, there was plenty of time to spare. The ground here is as bad as it gets. It’s a 3G cage, but without a designated spectator area. There is a grass pitch running parallel, with the changing rooms beyond that, about 50 yards away. Quite how the F.A. or indeed any league in the country allow/want these set ups being used for competitive games is beyond me (this mornings visitors Skippers also play here). Anyway, it seemed no problem watching inside the fence. That is, until the second half was about to start. A member of staff had arrived during halftime and told everyone to get behind the fence, or the Police would be called to forcibly remove those not complying. It meant the first 15-20 minutes of the second half were spent peering through the mesh, but once she’d left, those who’d bothered to stay, slowly edged their way back inside, albeit limited to the area immediately adjacent to the gate.

Bocca Juniors had started the day top of the league table, having been replaced by Skippers, who’d won my earlier game, but knew a win here would see them return as leaders. Gillingham Town came into this in ninth place and for long periods never looked liked getting anything from the game. A speculative effort that sailed over the ‘keeper, dropping into the far corner, saw Bocca take the lead, but Gillingham hit back to level the scores just after the half hour mark, heading in a diagonal free kick at the far post. Bocca hit back with two goals in five minutes to lead 3-1 at the break. Within a minute of the restart the visitors pulled a goal back and having had another effort hit the post, made it 3-3 just after the hour, volleying in from close range after a ball was pulled back across the six yard box. Bocca managed to edge back in front with seventeen minutes left and although Gillingham did get an equaliser, the Referee failed to notice the ball had crossed the line before the ‘keeper got to it, so it wasn’t awarded.