TENTERDEN HAVE THE FINAL SLEIGH IN SEVEN GOAL THRILLER

A controversial stoppage time winner denied a valiant Peckham side a point in what can only be described as a rather somewhat feisty affair at the Recreation Ground, Tenterden. Mary Phillip initially had a 15 man match day squad but was forced into a last minute reshuffle at the back. Nathan Gamester started in goal but with Adam Carrick a late withdrawal captain Nicky Meta switched to right back with Fareid Yassein moving into central defence to partner Jeremiah Duah Danso. Hassan Omar was promoted into the starting eleven at left back. Joe Thomas sat behind a midfield trio of Rashane Wilson, Jacob Kemp and Tidi Barry with Kieran Dowding up top alongside Chris Weber. On the substitutes bench was first team debutant Saul Dodds along with Gbolahan Jimoh and Camilo Andres Nieva.

Peckham got the game underway and within three minutes the match official showed that he would take no nonsense when Hassan Omar went into the book for kicking the ball away. Both teams looked well organised and Peckham’s defence denied their hosts an attempt on goal until the tenth minute but even this was an easy save for Nathan Gamester.

The hosts then had a penalty shout denied just before the quarter hour mark but the official was spot on as Jeremiah Duah Danso shielded the ball out for a goal kick and the attacker ran into him. Peckham were just lacking that certain something in the final third and so far hadn’t really threatened the Tenterden goal.

The hosts were awarded a free kick over by the nearside corner flag on 19 minutes which Nathan Gamester did well to get a fist to. Nicky Meta cleared the loose ball before Joe Thomas nicked it away from a Tenterden player then clearing the ball to Chris Weber on the halfway line. The Menace striker then played a diagonal ball out to stand-in winger Rashane Wilson who did well to turn his marker but was felled as he looked to line up his shot.

The dummy run over the ball the subsequent free kick from Kieren Dowding worked in wrong footing the keeper and he could only parry the ball into the top left hand corner of the goal after Nicky Meta curled it over the wall to make it one-nil with 21 minutes on the clock.

Tenterden were rattled and looked determined now to get back into the game. They began to target Hassan Omar, already on a yellow, maybe in an attempt to get him sent off. The stand in left back was cynically taken down on the 36th minute. A scuffle ensued when he reacted angrily in an attempt to help him off the floor before the Peckham physio was allowed on the pitch. The match official regained control and after consulting with his assistant no further action was taken either for the challenge or the aftermath!

The game continued and Kieran Dowding almost doubled Peckham’s lead four minutes from the end of the first half. A more central free kick from Nicky Meta some 30 yards out was only half cleared by the Tenterden defence. The ball fell to the striker who took a touch before shooting inches wide of the far post with the keeper well beaten.

With an additional four minutes played the hosts won a free kick 25 yards from goal which rattled the Peckham crossbar but was eventually cleared to safety. Seconds later the official brought the first half to a close and Peckham went in with a deserved slender lead.

With hardly anything between the two teams in the first forty-five minutes, the second half was going to be more or less the same. Randomly, former Doctor Who legend Tom Baker paused on his walk to watch the teams re-enter for the second half! Could his presence have an effect on the game? However even the long retired Time Lord couldn’t have predicted what was about to play out in the second half.

The hosts got the game underway and within two minutes of the restart Peckham were denied a clear penalty after Kieran Dowding was felled not once, but twice by the Tenterden keeper. Jacob Kemp had won the ball over on the far side and proceeded to cross it deep into the Tenterden area. As Dowding attempted to claim the ball the Tenterden keeper came out feet first and sent the Peckham man tumbling to the ground. Both players quickly got to their feet and as Kieran Dowding got to the ball again the keeper went feet first through the Menace man before it was eventually cleared for a throw-in. The Peckham players and bench were screaming for a penalty but upon asking the official as to why it wasn’t given, Kieran Dowding found himself being sent to the sin bin for his troubles! There are often bad decisions, and this was definitely one of them and one that for officials, even at this level you would expect to get right

Now with a man advantage the hosts fancied their chances of getting back into the game. Within a few minutes they were level after the official awarded a somewhat controversial penalty in the 51st minute. Jeremiah Duah Danso tackled his man and as the ball came down he proceeded to clear it but caught the Tenterden man’s leg as he attempted to make a block. The Peckham defender had clearly got to the ball first but the official deemed it a foul and pointed to the spot. It then went from bad to worse after Joe Thomas was then sent to the sin bin for pointing out that the earlier challenges on his team mate were worse than this challenge on the Tenterden player! The penalty was eventually tucked away after a three minute delay and the hosts were level.

Peckham were now temporarily down to nine men and despite their two man advantage, the hosts couldn’t break down a defiant Menace team and eventually both players re-joined the game. The hosts almost took the lead in the 66th minute after a speculative effort from 25 yards skimmed the Peckham crossbar. Was this a warning for Peckham, possibly so, but was it heeded?

A minute later Chris Weber was replaced by debutant Saul Dodds but it was the hosts that surprised everyone when they took the lead for the first time with 20 minutes remaining. With a free kick in almost an identical spot to Peckham’s goal scoring effort in the first half, the hosts opted to send the ball deep towards Peckham’s back post. A Tenterden man rose higher than the Peckham defence and headed the ball in off the far post with two unmarked players ready to pounce had it not gone in. It was a cruel blow for Mary Phillip’s side as they had been the better team by far up until this point. Peckham could have easily crumbled but a minute after Camilo Andres Nieva replaced Rashane Wilson they were back on level terms.

Peckham won a corner after Kieran Dowding’s close range effort was blocked by the Tenterden number 3. Up stepped captain Nicky Meta to take the corner from the far side and sent the ball deep towards the back post. It found the head of the unmarked Hassan Omar who headed it home in the 73rd minute to make it 2-2!

But there was still plenty of drama to follow as the hosts then retook the lead with just over ten minutes remaining. Tenterden were under immense pressure as Peckham looked to nick a third goal but managed to clear the ball out to their left wing. As the ball came down Fareid Yassein looked certain to collect it just inside his own half but unfortunately for the stand in centre back he slipped not once, but twice allowing the Tenterden number 8 to run on to collect the ball before sending a cross into the Peckham area. Hassan Omar attempted to block the cross but it fell kindly for the Tenterden number 15 who powered home past the helpless Nathan Gamester to restore their lead, 3-2.

The hosts now thought they had surely won the game but Jacob Kemp had other ideas five minutes from time. Camilo Andres Nieva looked to be going nowhere as the Peckham winger was surrounded by three Tenterden players but he saw a gap and played the ball inside to the Menace midfielder. He turned quickly before hitting the ball first time and into the far corner, much to the delight of the Peckham bench and the Menace faithful.

Peckham’s delight though, would soon turn to despair as the game entered added time. With a last substitution made in the 3rd added minute, the fresh legs of Gbolahan Jimoh replaced Kieran Dowding. As the fourth added minute approached more controversy ensued as the host nicked a winner with an unstoppable thunderbolt from 30 yards out.

Peckham thought they had won a throw-in, and it did look like the Tenterden man got the last touch, but the assistant gave it their way. A quick throw was taken and was clearly a foul throw but the game continued and the result was the winning goal.

Still the game continued and Peckham fought hard to try and get another equaliser, but a further scuffle followed in the 7th added minute after debutant Saul Dodds was not happy after a bad challenge against him. The hosts had targeted the Peckham player several times since he came on and this was obviously the last straw. Once the officials had calmed the situation down the Peckham man received a yellow card along with one from each team’s coaching staff. He wasn’t the last Peckham player to go into the book, Jacob Kemp saw yellow in the 9th added minute before the official finally ended the game a minute later.

The hosts celebrated as if they had just won a trophy, which in a way is a compliment to the Peckham team I suppose. But still there was time for more drama as Kieren Dowding was shown a yellow as he made his way into the dressing room after informing the official of the abuse he was receiving from a few Tenterden players.

Another disappointing result, not in the way Peckham played, after all for the majority of the game they were the better team. It was more in the manner that the game was lost, yes the winning goal was unstoppable, for any keeper but it was the lead up to their goal that was disappointing as well as the inexplicable non-penalty decisions. However that is football and we will have to take that on the chin (again), sometimes decisions go your way, today they didn’t.

This was Peckham’s last game before the Christmas break, their next game is at home against Bexley on the 30th December. So from myself and everyone at Peckham, if you are celebrating, have a wonderful Christmas.

Peckham Town FC (4-1-3-2): Nathan Gamester; Nicky Meta (c), Fareid Yassein, Jeremiah Duah Danso, Hassan Omar; Joe Thomas; Tidi Barry, Jacob Kemp, Rashane Wilson; Kieran Dowding, Chris Weber.
Subs. Saul Dodds (on for Chris Weber, Camilo Andres Nieva (on for Rashane Wilson) & Gbolahan Jimoh (on for Kieran Dowding).