Press Reports

By

Bill Baldwin

Gravesend Football League Press Officer

 
Text Box: GRAVESEND FOOTBALL LEAGUE Results & Report for Saturday 6th September 2008 Premier Division Craggs Farm 3 v 1 Swan Valley AFC Welsh Tavern (Sat) 3 v 2 Lullingstone Castle Division One Craggs Farm Reserves 1 v 4 Stone C & I Meopham 3 v 7 Bean Peacock Celtic 2 v 7 Viewpoint Reserves The Rising Eagles 1 v 7 N.K.Aces Waterloo 3 v 4 Woodlands Athletic Division Two Culverstone United 5 v 3 AFC Welsh Tavern Res Ash Green 8 v 0 Joydens Wood Earl Grey 2 v 4 Oakfield F.C.Stone 6 v 1 Meopham Reserves  The new Gravesend Football League season got off to a wet start with teams having to play on soaked pitches. Premier Division There were two games in the Premier Division where AFC Welsh Tavern (Sat) were at home to Lullingstone Castle and it was the hosts who held a 2-0 advantage at the midway point courtesy of Ky Hall-Shelton's brace. However, the Lullies came back strongly in the second half and were soon on level terms through Ricky King and Luke Pearson. The game produced end-to-end football and could have gone either way, but it was a fine late header from Lee Biggs which sealed all three points for Welsh Tavern. Craggs Farm entertained newly promoted Swan Valley at the AEI Henley sports ground and held a narrow 1-0 lead at the interval thanks to Dmitri Blowers. Swan tried hard to get back into the game and were rewarded when Stuart Sutton scored to make it 1-1. But Blowers added two more goals to his tally for a fine hat-trick and secured a 3-1 victory for Craggs Farm in a very good game played in an excellent spirit. Division One There were five games in this division and the fixtures produced 39 goals, with three teams scoring seven times. Craggs Farm Reserves were at home to Stone Club & Institute at the AEI Henley sports ground and were 1-0 down after just five minutes to a free-kick taken by Billy Kingwell. They had to wait until the second half to get back on terms when a cracking 20 yard effort from Lee Sturge made it one apiece. But they failed to take the initiative and Stone fired in three more without reply from Stuart Onyett, George Karnovski's fine free-kick and Gary Norman to secure a 4-1 triumph. New side Bean caught Meopham out with a weakened team at Judsons Rec, but it was Meopham who opened the scoring with a Harry Ring goal. By half-time Bean had gone into a 3-2 lead through Steve Andrews and Jack Barry (2), with Gary Witcomb adding Meopham's second. Meopham's regular keeper was not available and Bean took full advantage to emerge as 7-3 winners as Aston Quinn and substitute Lee Wilkins shared the goals for the victors, while Jeremy Aves scored Meopham's third. Peacock Celtic played host to Viewpoint Reserves at Thong Lane and took an early lead when Richard McNamara produced a brilliant diving header. But Viewpoint fought back to lead 2-1 thanks to a pair of goals from Rob Treleaven and he completed his hat-trick after the break, an achievement matched by club colleague Steve Coyne. Paul Waghorne was also on target for the visitors as they ran out 7-2 victors, with Tim Edwins nabbing a late consolation for Peacock Celtic. The game also produced an impressive debut for Viewpoint's 16-year-old Chris Stapley, the son of goalkeeper Glen who also played in the match. NK Aces, a new team, were away to The Rising Eagles at the Kings Farm ground. Eagles opened the scoring with a Ben Giles goal, but Aces came back when they were awarded a penalty from which Paul Sandhu scored. The second half belonged to the Aces, who fired home six more goals in a 7-1 success with Sandhu adding another three to his tally to go with solo efforts by Joe Lowry, Terry Wollen and Suki Nijjer. Waterloo and Woodlands Athletic had a great game at Kings Farm. Woodlands took the lead after 10 minutes with a header from a corner by Keith Marshall, but Waterloo replied five minutes from the break with a John Ryder goal. Waterloo then took a 3-1 second half lead thanks to Ryder and Ross Fegan, but Woodlands fought back to restore parity courtesy of two Karl Daly strikes. An astonishing turnaround in fortunes for Woodlands was completed six minutes from time when Neil Marshall headed home the winner to seal a 4-3 triumph. Division Two Top scorers of the day were Ash Green, who last season were called Duke of Wellington side, as they rattled in eight goals into the Joydens Wood net without reply in Division Two. Ash were only 2-0 up by half-time, but added six more in the second half with Ryan Gregory (4), Ian Welsh (2) and Lee Vigurs (2) doing the damage. Dave Morris was the hat-trick hero for Culverstone United in their 5-3 home success over AFC Welsh Tavern (Sat) Reserves. His goals were added to by a brace from Tom Kitchener, while Martin Hergest (2) and Dave Collard replied for Tavern. The shock of the day came in the encounter between Oakfield, who struggled in the lower reaches of the table last year, as they earned a 4-2 victory at Earl Grey. Oakfield led twice through Scott Matthews and Steve Walborn, but Earl Grey pegged them back on both occasions with strikes by Aaron Spencer and a 20-yard free-kick from Jack Woollcott. However, Oakfield were not to be denied and Matthews went on to complete his hat-trick to raise hopes of a bright season ahead for his side. New team F.C. Stone settled into this division quickly when they were at home to Meopham Reserves. Already 4-0 up by the interval, they went on to win 6-1 thanks to Kelvin Wheeler (2), Stacey Jordan, Jonathon Illingworth, Matthew Thomas and Stuart Hoffman. Gavin Milligan nabbed Meopham's consolation. Fleetway Printers, one of the longest serving teams in the Gravesend League, were at home to AZ 82 at Thong Lane and the hosts went 3-0 down to strikes from Ryan Green (2) and Jack Mathieson. Simon Collins reduced the arrears for Fleetway before the break, but the away side added two more in the second half from Scott Mulgrew and Raj Bhachu to make it 5-1 to AZ 82. Stand-in referee Peter Price was congratulated by both teams for his fine control of an entertaining game.