Bay 0 Erith & Belvedere 0

Saturday 28th October 2023.
Isthmian League Division One South East
Herne Bay 0 Erith & Belvedere 0
Attendance. 401

Herne Bay: Harry Brooks, Sam German, Tom Hanfrey (Jacob Gilbert 62), Harrison Pont, Liam Friend, Frankie Smith (Jack Richards 67), Gil Carvalho, Mo Kamara, Michael Salako, Danny Walder (Kane Rowland 66), Theo Osinfolarin. Subs not used: Finlay Whitton, Daniel Carrington.
Yellow card: Jack Richards

With Herne Bay in fourth place, and after drawing away at Broadbridge Heath and Beckenham Town, two teams that on form and league position, Bay might have been expected to beat, the season was throwing up some unexpected results. Erith & Belvedere came to Winch’s Field 13 places and eight points behind Herne Bay and were on a run of only one win from their last 12 league and cup fixtures (three draws and eight defeats), whilst Bay had lost just once in their last six league outings and not at all on a Saturday, but nothing could be taken for granted.

The two teams above Herne Bay in the table, Ramsgate and Sittingbourne, were not in league action, so Bay had the chance to jump up to second place, and they made it…just. Knocks and niggles were still having an impact on team selection. Archie Burnett made way for Theo Osinfolarin. There were places on the bench for Jack Richards and Kane Rowland, after some time out, and both came on to get some minutes in their legs, but Bola Dawodu joined the injury list.

It was an incident packed game with neither side finding the cutting edge to break the deadlock although both keepers played a big part in ensuring the match remained goalless. Early on in the proceedings Sam German needed to be alert to prevent Jedidiah Brown making contact from a Marcel Barrington cross and Theo Osinfolarin defended a Finn O’Mara header by nodding it over the bar. At the other end Osinfolarin cut in from the right and fed Mo Kamara but his shot was deflected for a corner. Tom Hanfrey curled in a great cross, again from the right, with Liam Friend just failing to make contact at the far post and a short corner from Hanfrey to Osinfolarin was returned to the defender but he struck his shot over the bar.

In the 22nd minute Osinfolarin was tripped by Bailey Akehurst and from Danny Walder’s resultant free-kick Jordan Perrin came out and appeared to clatter into Hanfrey, sending him to the ground. Despite appeals for a penalty the man in black was not interested. Six minutes later he was interested as Gil Carvalho found the back of the net but the assistant had his flag raised for offside, much to everyone’s surprise. Things carried on in the same vein with Herne Bay the dominant force. German met a Hanfrey corner but his header went past the post and three minutes before the interval a Deres’ corner was flicked against the bar by O’Mara.

Erith & Belvedere were livelier in the second period. A Barrington through ball was deflected into the path of Chris Dickson but his strike was off target, Denzell Olopade shot well wide and Dickson chipped over Brooks…and the bar, Dickson played in Barrington but he found the side netting. On 57 Michael Salako nodded back across the goalmouth and a header from Danny Walder brought a great save from Perrin. With 15 minutes left Salako found the side netting after being set up by Osinfolarin.

The moment that could have changed everything came four minutes from time. Barrington beat the attention of Friend and brought a great save from Brooks, the parry found Dickson but again Brooks was up to the challenge and he was at his brilliant best to deny the third attempt from Josh Ajayi. A triple saved which helped him to win the Man of the Match award.

The point moved Bay up into second place, but there was a feeling that it was two points dropped rather than one point gained against a side who were unable to add to their meagre goal tally of five from nine attempts.