Mead begin cup defence with victory
Saturday October 13, 2007
Premier Division Cup Group B
Thamesmead Town 4 Deal Town 1
By Mead reporter Stewart Erridge
Thamesmead Town started their defence of the Kent League Cup with a victory over a capable looking Deal Town team on a sunny saturday afternoon at Bayliss avenue.

Undoubtedly Deal Town were the better team in the opening period of the game, playing some good passing football and creating quite a few chances. Deal were unlucky not to opening the scoring when a well taken free kick from just outside the box grazed the Mead’s crossbar, but they didn’t have to wait long before they went in front, a long ball up field bouncing over Lou Watt’s head to the feet of the waiting Mark Pollard who duly dispatched the ball into the top left corner past Chris Connaely in the mead goal.

The goal seemed to act as a wake up call to Thamesmead who fought there way back into the game with some fine football of there own, Pedro Knight going close with a shot from the edge of the box, and Robbie Tarrant placing a header just over the bar from a sublime Peter Deadman cross.
Mead were back on level terms ten minutes before the break. Robbie Tarrant picked up the ball just inside the opposition half and played a long pass into the danger area, the Deal Town keeper came out to catch but mishandled dropping the ball into a crowded penalty area, Curtis Williams was the fastest to react stabbing the ball home to score his sixth goal of the season.
Both teams had opportunity’s to go in to the break with a lead, but neither side could convert there chances. Richard Dimmock and James Brown went closest for Thamesmead with good efforts, but as the teams headed down the tunnel to the dressing room the game would remain 1-1, with all to play for in the second half.

The second half picked up where the first had left off with both teams sharing possession and creating chances. The mead were unlucky not to find themselves in front when an excellent run from James Brown found Rikki Cable in a great position, unfortunately Cable’s shot only managed to find the backside of Richard Dimmock, who looked in some discomfort. Dimmock himself would go close only minutes later with another excellent twenty five yard free kick forcing a fine save from the Deal town keeper.
Just before the hour mark the mead found the breakthrough they had been looking for, Peter Deadman picked the ball up deep and played to Rikki Cable on the left wing, in typical Cable fashion he attacked the Deal defence twisting and turning like and acrobat before hitting a high and deep cross into the area, it was Pedro Knight who climbed the highest to head down Cables ball into the path of the waiting Robbie Tarrant who smashed the ball home to put the mead in front.
Deal were not done yet though and refused to give in, twice finding the side netting of the home teams goal, but it would be Thamesmead who would get the next goal, another trademark Rikki Cable run resulted in a corner for the mead, Robbie Tarrant stepped up and played in an in swinging corner which was headed of the line by a Deal defender straight into a waiting scrum of players in the box, Lee Loveridge climbed for the ball but was adjudged to have been fouled by the referee who awarded a penalty, Richard Dimmock stepped up and cooley dispatched the spot kick for his thirteen goal so far this campaign.

Thamesmead replaced captain Dean Kearley with Tony Gallagher, and soon after found themselves further in front, Pedro Knight embarked on a magical solo run down the left from just inside his own half, leaving the tired Deal defence in his wake, Knight fired in a cracker of shot which took a deflection of the last defender to beat the Deal keeper, it will go down as an own goal, but this one was all Pedro Knight, as his celebrations confirmed.

With fifteen minutes to go and the game effectively over, Keith McMahon introduced Chris Borchescu for the excellent Curtis Williams. Borchescu injected his pace into the game and was unfortunate not to find his name on the score sheet when his breath taking shot from twenty yards out forced a world class save from the Deal town keeper. Thamesmead continued to search for the elusive fifth goal, with Richard Dimmock twice going close to scoring, after being played through by Chris Borchescu out on the right, and also through Lou Watts with a long shot that flew inches over the bar from all of thirty five yards out, but it was not be and as the full time whistle blew at Bayliss Avenue Thamesmead could celebrate coming from a goal down to register a convincing victory.

Next up for Thamesmead are group B rivals Faversham Town on Tuesday 16th October, and on this showing the mead will be confident of getting a result down at Slater’s Lane.

Thamesmead Town line up (with player ratings)

Connaelly 6, Watts 6 , Deadman 6, Kearley 6 (Gallagher 5), Loveridge 6 , Brown 6 , Tarrant 6 , Knight 7, Dimmock 7, Cable 7, Williams 7 (Borschescu 6)

Subs not used: Chapman, Woodward