FLEET WIN LEAVES PECKHAM FEELING DOWN

Fleetdown secured a last-minute victory, snatching all three points in a match where, on paper, Peckham should have emerged victorious. Unfortunately, Peckham's lapse in concentration during three set-piece situations dashed their hopes. Despite the absence of several key players, Mary Phillip assembled a strong squad of sixteen players for the trip to Dartford to face the bottom-placed Fleetdown United.

Nathan Gamester started as the goalkeeper, with Raymond Agyemang and Fareid Yassein in the right and left-back positions, respectively. Ben Whittaker partnered Jeremiah Duah Danso in central defence. Joe Thomas teamed up with Tidi Barry in midfield, while captain Nicky Meta played just behind the front Rashane Wilson up top, with Yacoub Suleman Camilo Andres Nieva on the flanks. The substitutes' bench featured Hassan Omar, Gbolahan Jimoh, Peter Tarrant, Yeison Arizmendi, and Ben Slade.

With the temperature already hovering in the low thirties before kickoff, it was evident that this would be a demanding match for all involved. After a brief delay, Peckham, dressed in all yellow, kicked off. They immediately launched an attack, but Rashane Wilson couldn't outmuscle the Fleetdown defender to reach the ball, and the defender cleared it with Raymond Agyemang then committing a foul just inside the hosts' half. The initial free kick led to a throw-in, but Fleetdown swiftly shifted play to the far side before delivering a cross into the Peckham area. The ball eventually found Fleetdown's number 17, who, unmarked, headed it straight at Nathan Gamester, only three minutes into the match. The hosts earned another free kick on the far side when Fareid Yassein fouled a Fleetdown player on seven minutes. The ball was swung into the Peckham area, but Jeremiah Duah Danso's presence disrupted the Fleetdown number 17, who this time headed wide.

So far, the game had been scrappy, with both teams struggling to maintain possession on a hard and dry playing surface. On the 12th minute, Peckham was awarded a free kick on the far side, about 35 yards from goal. Raymond Agyemang stepped up to take it but pulled his effort well wide of the goal. Nevertheless, the Peckham full-back made amends shortly after when he converted a penalty four minutes later.

The sequence started deep in the Peckham half when Joe Thomas cleared the ball from inside the Peckham area. Tidi Barry collected the ball on the edge of the area and played it toward the centre, attempting to locate Nicky Meta. Instead, it reached the Fleetdown number 14, who failed to control it. This allowed Peckham's captain to poke the ball with his toe, setting up Rashane Wilson to send it goalward from just inside his own half. At this point, any threat to the Fleetdown goal appeared nonexistent, but Yacoub Suleman persisted in the chase. The Fleetdown defender miscalculated his kick, enabling the Peckham winger to snatch it from him and the goalkeeper. Though moving away from the goal, he managed to pass the ball back to Rashane Wilson on the edge of the area. However, as he was about to shoot, Fleetdown's number three lunged at him, sending him tumbling to the ground. The referee had no choice but to point to the spot, and Raymond Agyemang stepped up, slotting the ball into the bottom left corner, sending the keeper the wrong way on the 17th minute.

Unfortunately, Peckham's lead lasted just over ten minutes, as the hosts continued to threaten down their left wing. Joe Thomas needlessly conceded a free kick by going through the back of a Fleetdown player when he didn't need to make the challenge. The hosts' number 14 stepped up and curled the ball into the area, finding his unmarked teammate with Nicky Meta not tracking him, who headed the ball home, leaving the outstretched Nathan Gamester with no chance after 28 minutes.

Six minutes later, Jeremiah Duah Danso attempted a shot from 40 yards, but it sailed high over the Fleetdown goal. The hosts then surprisingly took the lead after winning another free kick on the left wing, approximately 40 yards from goal, on the 37th minute. Again, the number 14 delivered a high ball into the Peckham area. Initially, the kick didn't appear threatening to the Peckham goal. However, as the ball descended from the sky, Nathan Gamester lost sight of it in the sunlight, allowing it to pass over his head and straight into the net. He then put on his cap!

As half-time approached, and with the water break and the host's substitutions, the referee was expected to add at least another five minutes. However, as the clock reached 45 minutes, the referee blew for half-time without providing an explanation. Despite protests, the first half concluded, and Mary Phillip delivered an animated team talk to her players, which was well-deserved. She also made a double substitution for the start of the second half, with Ben Slade and Hassan Omar replacing Rashane Wilson and Jeremiah Duah Danso. Eventually, the hosts began the second half, and whatever the Peckham manager had conveyed to her team seemed to work, as they equalised within seven minutes of the restart.

Camilo Andres Nieva did excellent work down the right wing, delivering the ball into the Fleetdown area. The Fleetdown number 5 managed to position himself between Ben Slade and Yacoub Suleman, putting the ball over his own goal and out for a corner. Raymond Agyemang directed the ball into the Fleetdown six-yard box, where their number 4 rose to head it clear but mistimed his jump. This allowed Ben Whittaker to head home from 6 yards and pick up his first goal for the club in 24 matches. Peckham then had a free kick denied just outside the Fleetdown area as Raymond Agyemang was brought down. The referee waved play on, claiming that the Peckham full-back had dived, but upon closer inspection of video footage, it revealed that the defender's knee had indeed contacted the Peckham player.

The hosts found themselves temporarily reduced to ten men as their number 9 was sent to the sin bin. The forward had clearly pulled Hassan Omar's shirt and proceeded to assert his innocence to the assistant and the match official. This was enough to earn him a ten-minute break on the bench, with 65 minutes played. Now with a man advantage, Peckham was expected to take control, but they failed to capitalise on it. As the Fleetdown player rejoined, Mary Phillip decided to replace Tidi Barry with Peter Tarrant in the 75th minute. With ten minutes left in the 90, Gbolahan Jimoh made his debut, replacing Fareid Yassein, but it was a debut he would want to forget.

As the game entered added time, the debutant blatantly fouled a Fleetdown player on the far side. Upset with his challenge, another Fleetdown player rushed to confront the Peckham man, who then threw himself to the ground. Eventually, the referee regained control and proceeded to book the debutant, first for the foul, and then again for feigning an injury, finally showing him a red card.

Peckham were now down to ten men with approximately ten added minutes to play. With five added minutes played, the hosts won a corner on the near side. Employing a training ground routine, the ball was rapidly delivered into a crowded Peckham area, finding an unmarked teammate who headed the ball home, surely securing the victory. Peckham had one last chance to equalise in the 8th added minute from another corner. The ball found an unmarked Peter Tarrant, but he headed his effort wide of the goal. After a total of twelve added minutes, the referee finally blew the full-time whistle.

Peckham's four-game winning streak, including three in the league, came to an end with their second league defeat of the season. It was a disappointing result and a lacklustre performance, quite unlike the Peckham team of the previous four games. Perhaps it was due to the heat, but the lack of organisation from set-pieces is perhaps the main culprit, combined with a lack of understanding going forward. Hopefully, the winning team we have witnessed in the past four games will return next week when we face Welling Park away. Cutting out cheap free kicks and being organised to defend set pieces seem an obvious place to start.

Peckham Town FC (4-2-3-1): Nathan Gamester; Raymond Agyemang, Jeremiah Duah Danso, Ben Whittaker, Fareid Yassein; Tidi Barry, Joe Thomas; Camilo Andres Nieva, Nicky Meta (c), Yacoub Suleman; Rashane Wilson. Subs: Ben Slade (on for Rashane Wilson), Hassan Omar (on for Jeremiah Duah Danso), Peter Tarrant (on for Tidi Barry), Gbolahan Jimoh (on for Fareid Yassein), Yeison Arizmendi (unused)