Herne Bay Over 35s 0 – 12 HBV
P Bishenden (4)
S Brown (2)
J Kennett (2)
L Brister
J Atkinson
S O’Brien
K Edwards

Today saw the first Herne Bay derby of the season, in which the league champions played newly promoted (and renamed) Herne Bay FC 35s.

With the MBS still a few days from match readiness, the venue was rearranged to the University's 3GX pitch, a suitably top quality surface for this highly anticipated game. Preparations for the game were somewhat disrupted by the postponement of all football last weekend and the expectation that the Kent FA would reschedule its unplayed Cup games to this weekend. They didn't, and the league reissued their fixtures at the start of the week.

The 35s lined up a few short on this bright but chilly day, the first day with a truly autumnal feel to it. They were particularly short upfront deprived of Richard Fell (knee), Scott Curtis (holiday) and Royston Gough (hamstring tear - which we are now hoping is less serious than we originally feared). Missing too was Haydn, another potential pacey presence in the front line who has by all accounts been excellent in training for the last few weeks.

In terms of who they did have, at the back Darren Knowles played behind a back four of Craig Wynne, Stu Munday, Lee Foad and Bill Bowman - all available for back to back games, as were skipper Simon Smith, Tom Powell and Leigh Gilpin who formed a powerful central midfield trio with Craig Gilpin and Matt Huckstep out wide. Miki Radulovic ploughed a lone furrow upfront.

Facing them was a formidable team, probably among some of the best sides we have fielded. Lewis Craddock started his second league game in goal with a back four of John Atkinson, Owain Williams, Ian Banks and Kev Edwards. In front of them was a midfield of Joe Kennett, Simon Brown and Danny Lawrence. The line up was completed by last game's man of the match Matty McHugh down the right with Steve O'Brien down the left side and in form forward Pat Bishenden down the middle. Louis Brister was making his first competitive appearance for the club and started on the bench.

Being only too familiar with their opponents today, the 35s opted for a defensive 4-5-1 set up hoping to absorb the inevitable pressure and hit the visitors on the break. They were urged to defend from the halfway line in order to remain compact and limit the space. This was undone in the opening seconds when early game enthusiasm and energy saw the 35s front line chasing down HBV high up the pitch and with space now open in front of them Kennett and Brown played the ball through the lines to open up an opportunity for Pat to blast home his first of four today from around the penalty spot.

HBV were as ruthless as they were devastating as wave after wave of attacks came down both flanks with McHugh and O'Brien, both masters of wing play, tormented the full backs. The willingness and clever movement of Kennett, Brown and Lawrence in midfield meant that Pat had support and numbers around him when the inevitable crosses came in. HBV then doubled their lead on 13 minutes in a flowing movement with a diagonal ball from Simon Brown over the full back which McHugh powered on to and sent in a perfectly weighted cross for Bish to sweep home his second.

Ten minutes later John Atkinson grabbed a goal from the edge of the six-yard box after a defensive misunderstanding saw the ball land at his feet. He opened his body up and fired into the top of the net.

At each goal, the 35s rallied and continued to play in the right way, despite a high paced and relentless press all over the pitch by HBV. It was perhaps the nature and intensity of this press that resulted in some stray paces when approaching the final third and meant that Craddock went largely untested in the first half.

On the half hour, both teams made changes, both like for like swaps. For the 35s, Lee McEvoy came on for Bill Bowman and for HBV, Louis Brister replaced Pat Bishenden in attack.

Just before half time, Joe grabbed a brace in quick succession. The first was a display of wonderful technique when he drilled the ball in to the far corner of the net on the half volley and on the turn. Minutes later, he had time on the edge of the area to look up and pick out a deftly executed shot that looped over the keeper and in.

Five goals at half time meant the 35s had some re-organising to do to neutralise the threat of the wingers. That meant moving to a back three of McEvoy, Munday and Wynne with wide men Huckstep and Craig Gilpin charged with shackling McHugh and O'Brien. The midfield three stayed as they were and Bill pushed up top in front of Miki. This actually worked to an extent and the start of the second half was probably the 35s’ best spell of the game before an injury to Craig Wynne led to his withdrawal from the game, as Lee Foad regained his place at the centre of defence.

With Simon Smith having tweaked something at the top of his thigh, Kidd left to kit up in the event the skipper’s injury forced him to retire so the reporting from here is a little more sketchy. Suffice to say that in the second half Simon Brown netted two, Bish grabbed another brace (one from a cut back from John Atkinson, one from a cut back from OB) to make it four overall, Louis Brister scored on his debut, Steve O’Brien netted and Kev Edwards scored against his old team with virtually the last kick of the game after an overload on the right, winning Scott Kennett a tenner in a bet he’d had with Richie Fell.

Other chances came and went as a relentless wave of HBV attacks rained down on a tiring defence. Danny Lawrence at one point juggled with the ball yards out before swivelling and blasting just over, denying him a goal that his overall debut performance deserved.

It's fair to say that, with HBV in that mood, it proved to be a tough day for the 35s. Rarely will they ever encounter another side that good and that clinical at Vets level and the result is one that half of the club can and should celebrate while the other half put it behind them as we turn our attention to the next games: The 35s are away to Ramsgate in a must win game and HBV play our first game at the MBS against Bourne.

Result: HBFC O35s 0 – 12 HBV
Man-of-the-match: Player's vote: L Gilpin / D Lawrence
Man-of-the-match: Opposition vote: D Lawrence / L Gilpin
Referee: P Taylor [100]