The Swans ensure Ryman league survival

Walton & Hersham 4 Herne Bay 2. A 163 mile round journey to watch Herne Bay play their fourth game in eleven days. It was a very tired looking side who visited a Walton & Hersham team who still needed points to avoid the possible drop. It was the Swans who looked more eager and capable of taking the points.

They went ahead on 25 when a corner from John Clark deceived Luke Nelder and the ball dropped just inside the unprotected far post. By half-time they had scored twice more through Tony Reid (32 mins) and Harold Odametey (36 mins). Walton & Hersham, a side not known for prolific scoring, went further ahead in the 52nd minute with a goal from James Awofisan. The introduction of Byron Walker and Billy Bennett for Tunji Agbajae and Ben Brown gave Bay more impetus. What followed was one of the strangest things that I have seen in football. Billy Bennett struck a thunderous shot from the edge of the area. The ball struck the underside of the bar and dropped the wrong side of the line.

The ball spun back towards the goal, and just as it looked likely that it would sneak under the bar it went over. Joe Nelder reduced the deficit on 72 minutes with what would have been his third goal in as many games if the referee had seen his shot cross the line against Corinthian-Casuals before Gary Sayer made sure.

Dean Grant came on for Nathan Eastwood. Bay continued to push forward and a cross-come-shot from James Turner, 2 minutes into time added on, saw the Swans’ keeper flap at the ball and fail to keep it out of the net. The fourth defeat on the bounce and play-off contenders Folkestone Invicta still to come.