After the disappointment of the previous weekend, the Crows made the trip to Erith Town with one clear objective: three points and nothing less. From the opening whistle it was obvious this wasn’t going to be a quiet afternoon.

Crowborough started on the front foot, with Forster going close inside the opening minutes, setting the tone early. The pressure kept coming and it didn’t take long for it to tell. On 11 minutes, an inviting ball into the box found Forster, who met it perfectly with his head and guided it into the back of the net. A deserved reward for a dominant start and a reminder that the Crows were in no mood to mess about.
Erith tried to respond but found chances hard to come by.
Jack Lyons tested his range on 17 minutes with a free kick that sailed just over the bar, close enough to make the home side nervous. As the half wore on, Forster continued to be a handful and was brought down on 27 minutes, earning a free kick and Erith’s first yellow card of the afternoon.
The biggest talking point of the half arrived on the half-hour mark when Erith’s keeper came charging out of his box and wiped out Rushy, who was through on goal. Somehow, despite not getting the ball and getting plenty of player, the keeper escaped with just a yellow. The Crows bench and travelling support were understandably baffled, while the referee stuck to his guns.
Just before the break, a moment of pinball football in the Erith box saw Crowborough fail to make the most of a golden opportunity, with a little too much individual play and not quite enough teamwork. Still, the Crows went into the break 1–0 up and firmly in control although we hoped for more team play in the second half.

The second half began with Erith showing more intent, but Holmwood had other ideas. A stunning save on 49 minutes kept the lead intact after a fierce effort from close range. Emotions started to bubble over shortly after, with a controversial free kick awarded against Goldsmith on the edge of the box, adding fuel to an already lively contest.
On 59 minutes, the Erith keeper departed the game, going down off the ball before being substituted. He walked off to polite applause, given on another day he could have seen red in the first half.
Crowborough stayed resolute as Erith pushed, with Holmwood again producing heroics on 75 minutes, throwing himself bravely into a two-on-one to protect his goal. Substitutions followed with new boy Mark Swainston coming on for Pring and Ayoola entering the action replacing Samuel-Smikle both in the 77th. Less than 10 minutes later saw a further two substitutions, Forster off for Lambden and Duncan off for Zabadne.
With Ayoola coming on only a short time earlier, it didn’t take long for him to make an impact.
In stoppage time, Ayoola somehow found a gear normally reserved for science fiction, bursting forward at the speed of light before claiming the ball and calmly finishing it, with onlookers still catching up with his speed. It was a 'wow' moment and one we look to seeing more of.

So that was that, Game over.
The final whistle confirmed a well-earned 2–0 victory for the Crows, a clean sheet, three points, and a performance full of grit, quality, and just enough drama to keep everyone entertained. Next we are back home on 27th Dec to Eastbourne Town, to work off some of those mince pies!