Still all to play for though.
Match report supplied by guest reporter, Mark Matthews.
The good old British weather once again descended on Alderbrook when we least expected or wanted it, and following the big tease of a full morning of sunshine, the drizzle casually drifted across the hills of Sussex from midday, to turn a match that would have potentially been Dancing on Ice into the Battle of the Somme, without the guns. The Crows were able to name a virtually unchanged side apart from the notable absence of Jack Walder, who is struggling with a knee injury picked up last week during the Hollands & Blair game, Tom Vickers slotting straight in to act as the midfield rock, sitting just in front of the back three. Connor Pring took Tom’s place on the bench.
The pattern of the game was pretty much set in the first sixty seconds of action, as the Crows kicked off attacking the clubhouse end, moving the ball neatly forward before Beckenham intercepted and launched it back over everyone’s heads, creating an early half chance for Humphries on this occasion which Dan Ellis saved with his legs. The resulting long throw-in was then headed well over the bar, giving Beckenham two attempts on the Crows goal in the opening minute. However, it was the Crows who eventually settled first, passing the ball really well across a slippery surface which favoured the home side all the while the rain continued to fall. Beckenham, by contrast, had decided that the pitch looked far too risky to use and started the majority of their attacking play with long punts over the midfield for the forwards to try and run on to, not necessarily a bad tactic given the conditions. Tom Phipp had an early “sighter” of goal on 4 minutes, blasting a shot over the bar before Henry Muggeridge forced a great save from Overton in the Beckenham goal a few minutes later. Crows were recycling the ball well and pressing high up the pitch, with the forward line looking very lively from the start. Following a series of corners, Tom Phipp eventually collected a stray clearance on the edge of the Beckenham box with 8 minutes on the watch and curled a delightful shot into the bottom corner for the opening goal, with Overton somewhat unsighted in a crowded penalty area.
Stefan Wright then picked up a booking for Beckenham after a poor challenge on Phipp on the edge of the Crowborough box, and the Crows had a couple of half-chances to extend the lead before Beckenham equalised slightly against the run of play. A cross came over from a set piece and was headed back across the Crowborough box by Benner before being volleyed with gusto into the roof of the Crowborough net by Junior Kaffo about 10 yards out. The equaliser galvanised the Crows however, and they continued to take the game to the visitors with some neat football, Henry Muggeridge in particular in his element, probing and exploring opportunities all over the pitch, with Zac Attwood, Ross Treleaven and Trevor McCreadie willing runners in front of him. Things got a little niggly in midfield with series of minor fouls, Humphries collecting a second booking for Beckenham after keeping hold of the ball following a small transgression in the centre circle by one of his colleagues, while The Crows continued to dominate. The passing and movement was especially good from the Blues throughout the first half, Muggeridge having a couple of chances to restore the lead, but with the constant drizzle, it was difficult to find the right final ball. As the chances mounted up for the Crows, we eventually found a second goal after Ross Treleaven forced his way into the Beckenham box and a last ditch defensive tackle saw the ball squirm out to Trevor McCreadie who hit a superb low drive from a tight angle for 2-1. The final action in the first half came courtesy of the dugouts, with the referee stopping the game for a few minutes to lecture both benches on the art of loving thy neighbour, after a heated argument broke out for no apparent reason.
Crowborough’s first half domination really deserved a bigger lead and as the rain eased off during the half time cuppa, this looked like it could be a factor as the pitch became sticky now rather than slick, which certainly hampered the passing for both sides as the second 45 got underway. There were no personnel changes at the break and Borough continued where they left off initially, creating a couple of half-chances before Beckenham equalised again with their first attack of the half. The ball was worked neatly down the Beckenham left hand side before being squared back across the box to stick kindly in the goalmouth mud where it was seized upon by Farrell who gratefully dinked it into the net for 2-2, barely 5 minutes into the half.
All square again and without the rain to lubricate the surface, the quality of the game dropped a little while the pattern generally remained the same. The Crows would work the ball neatly forward before the move broke down and Beckenham would launch a counter attack. There were a couple of messy scrambles in the Beckenham box, the sticky surface contributing to some suspect defending, and Crows had a good shout for handball after one such incident before the ball was hackled away for a corner. In truth, the conditions now supported the defending team at both ends of the pitch, with Tom Boddy, Jack Turner and James White fully in control at the home end and Dan Ellis largely a spectator. Beckenham picked up a third booking, James Hawkins slightly unlucky after sliding into Boddy a little later than he’d planned, and the game settled down into a very even affair. The Crows picked up their first booking on 71 minutes, Tom Phipp adjudged to have tripped Wright, and Beckenham had a couple of chances of their own, with Boddy expertly blocking a shot which trickled on into the arms of Ellis, and then from a free kick that ran straight through to the Crows keeper before briefly alarming the home faithful by sticking in the mud in front of him. With 10 minutes left, the Crows started to press again, with Sam Carrington replacing Ross Treleaven, and almost making an instant impact with a long range effort that caught the Beckenham keeper off of his line, drifting annoyingly just wide. A minute later Carrington became the second Borough player in the referee’s notebook with a robust challenge before Tom Vickers had a chance from 25 yards which flew wide. Zac Attwood worrying limped off with 5 minutes left, to be replaced by Dan Perry, and Beckenham’s Jack Hope had his name taken by the referee for pulling back McCreadie as he tried to burst clear. Beckenham had one final chance from a free kick which Benner headed well wide when he should’ve done much better, and Tom Vickers became the third booking for the Crows, right at the death, for something I didn’t see.
All in all, a fair result given the conditions although Crowborough probably just shaded it on their first half performance. For me, Tom Vickers had his best game in a Crowborough shirt and gets my vote for Man of the Match, as he was at the heart of everything good that we did, with Henry Muggeridge a close second. The officials had good games too, with sensible refereeing and a keenness to let the game flow as much as they could, given the testing circumstances.