ATTENDANCE: 105

TEAM: DELO, EASTWOOD, BREMNER, G COOK, LLOYD, DENLY,B BROWN , FIRTH,
HARVEY, SOUTAN, DIMMOCK
SUBS:    LAWRENCE (Firth)  LAWSON ( Harvey ) KNIGHT (Dimmock)
Pointon,  (not used)

Man of Match: Gary Cook

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KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION CUP QIARTER FINAL
HERNE BAY   3 -  2  CROYDON
TUESDAY  30TH  JANUARY  2007

A typical cup tie: a game of two halves and what a result! Bay came from 0-2 down at half time to snatch the winner three minutes from time.
The less said about the first half the better! Croydon were very, very good and Bay very, very poor. Croydon chased every ball down, never allowing Bay time on the ball and as a result Bay’s passing game when AWOL. The visitors were always quicker to the ball and thoroughly deserved their half time lead. They opened the scoring with a tremendous free kick by Warner. Jack Delo got a hand to it but so perfectly placed was the kick that it was impossible to save. Their second came just before the break; the extremely fast and skilful winger, Dabrowa, skinned young Sam Kettle and slotted the ball under Delo.
Bay started the second half very positively. Richard Dimmock replaced Kettle. Playing with three up front they took the game to Croydon. This time it was Bay putting the visitors under pressure. The fightback started in the 57th minute, a poorly taken corner somehow found its way to Dave Soutan, who had been left totally unmarked by  Croydon’s defenders advancing  out to get an offside. Fortunately the flag stayed down and Soutan coolly stroked the ball into the net. The second goal came three minutes later, again Soutan from a corner, this time heading in a better cross  from Sean Bremner. This goal was the result of a mistake by the keeper, Harwood. Instead of letting the ball go out for a goal kick , he somehow contrived to knock the ball out when under no pressure from a Bay player.
Croydon now looked rattled and feeling very heavy legged. That is the good thing about Winch’s Field it does drain the legs. Croydon had chased everything in the first half and this exertion was to be their downfall.  They tried to raise their game but the forwards, with the exception of Dabrowa, just couldn’t outpace the Bay defence any more. Steven Lloyd and Gary Cook dealt with every threat much more easily than they did in the first period.
The game looked as if it would go into extra time. Ben Brown came on for Rhys Lawson and it was Brown’s defense splitting pass in the 87th minute that put Luke Harvey through for a one-on-one with the keeper. Harvey doesn’t get phased by this and  he allowed Harwood to come out towards him and when he was in ‘no-mans land’ he drove the ball under him into the bottom corner to put the finishing touch on a great comeback by Bay who became the  first side into the semi final draw.
A great display of football from Dimmock in the second period. For a big guy he has superb control and never wastes the ball. His presence alone caused Croydon’s defence so many problems. From looking very controlled at the back they became very nervous and the mistakes followed.

ATTENDANCE: 103

TEAM: DELO, EASTWOOD,  KETTLE, G COOK, LLOYD, DENLY, LAWSON, FIRTH,
HARVEY , SOUTAN, BREMNER
SUBS:   DIMMOCK (Kettle) LAWRENCE (Firth) B BROWN (Lawson) 
WARD, KNIGHT (not used)

Man of Match: Dave Soutan

KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
VCD ATHLETIC  0  -  2  HERNE BAY 
SATURDAY  27TH  JANUARY  2007

What a performance by a very young Bay side, having an average age of 20. Gary Cook being the elder statesman at 25. It was a welcome back to Luke Harvey and 1st team debuts for 16 year old Sam Kettle and 19 year old, Lee Taylor.
Bay took the game to the FA Vase last 16 team showing them no respect for their Vase achievements. Harvey and Aaron Firth causing the VCD defence all sorts of  problems with their pace and positional interchanging. Sam Denly and Dave Soutan were absolutely immense in the midfield. Steven Lloyd and Cook solid as a rock at the back. A really  assured performance at left back from Kettle and between the sticks Jack Delo was never really threatened. Sean Bremner moved to left midfield and Taylor provided the link between the defence and attack. The first half was scoreless but Bay  were leading on points.
The second half was a completely different story. VCD were just not in it. They were just pushed aside by a dominant Bay who were playing some superb passing football on a very good surface. With the pressure building Bay knew they would get the breakthrough their play deserved and in the 55th minute they opened the scoring. The VCD defender under pressure from Harvey , could only push the ball out for a throw in deep. A quick throw to Firth, led to a darting run through the defence. A frantic clearance went straight to Bremner, 20 yards out. Noting the keeper was off his line, Bremner floated the ball towards the far post into the net, despite a desperate effort by the defender to keep the ball out. 1-0.
Bay were now dictating the play and VCD just didn’t have an answer to their quick counter attacking play.
After another 15 minutes play Bay wrapped the game up with a very good goal.  A VCD attack saw the ball dribble into Delo’s hands. Quick thinking by Delo, seeing that the home side had pushed virtually every player forward in search of the equalizer, he launched an exocet of a clearance straight down the field deep into the VCD half. Harvey , who had chased every ball, battled with the defender and gained possession. Seeing Firth completely unmarked he passed the ball back to him. Standing 25 yards out, Firth expertly volleyed the ball over the keeper. 2-0.
Bay continued to pull VCD apart; the football just got better. With 10 minutes to go it should have been 3-0. Soutan hit a pile driver of a shot which smashed against the bar . Firth followed up and was very unlucky not to get on the end of it with a desperate attempted diving header. Playing with a fractured hand Firth fell awkwardly inflicting further damage to his hand . Richard Dimmock replaced him and carried on where Firth had left off, causing  VCD problems with his clever footwork and ability to hold off the challenges.
The man of the match award could have been given to any number of team, but at the end it was awarded to Sam Kettle. He didn’t put a foot wrong, looked very assured and composed, never gave the ball away, passed with great authority and prevented VCD from leveling the scores with a great goal line clearance.
 
ATTENDANCE: 151
TEAM: DELO, EASTWOOD,  KETTLE, G COOK, LLOYD, DENLY, TAYLOR , FIRTH,
HARVEY , SOUTAN, BREMNER
SUBS:  KNIGHT (Taylor)  DIMMOCK (Firth) B BROWN ( Harvey )  WARD (not used)
Man of Match: Sam Kettle

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KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
HERNE BAY   1 -  3  GREENWICH BOROUGH
SATURDAY  20TH  JANUARY  2007

This was Bay’s first Saturday fixture of this year;  their first since 23rd December, and it showed. For the first half they were just on the pace. Greenwich were quicker to the ball and a yard faster than Bay.
Playing with the strong wind at their backs, Greenwich threatened with almost every attack. The speed of the front players, Nugent and Hubbard giving Bay’s defence all sorts of problems.  Bay’s young forwards could not get into the game . Too many times the long ball over the defence fell short, mainly due to the strong wind. The flowing passing movements of the previous games had gone. Greenwich looked the team in form. In the 17th minute they took the lead. A corner kick floated into the box, up went Cook and Eastwood with Nugent. The ball struck a hand and the referee pointed to the spot. Nugent made no mistake despite a valiant attempted save by Delo. Bay tried to up their performance and were unlucky not to be level when a Denly volley was brilliantly turned over the bar by keeper, Holder.
Despite Boro’s 1st half dominance Bay got to the interval only 0-1 down.
There were, quite rightly, a few critical comments from the manager, who was obviously very disappointed with Bay’s 1st half performance so you can imagine his disappointment when, after only one minute's play of the second period, Bay gifted Greenwich their second goal. A long ball over the defence saw Eastwood under pressure from Hubbard. A poor header back to Delo fell woefully short and Hubbard nipped in to toe poke the ball under Delo into the net. From 0-2 down Bay pushed forward; substituting Pointon and Bremner for Knight and Lawson. This had an immediate effect. Pointon forcing  another great save from Holder. This was followed by another suberb Denly shot turned around the post. Then unbelievably another defensive blunder gifted the visitors with their third goal. After 65 minutes Hubbard chased a lost cause, outpaced Ward and fired in a low shot. Delo saved but lost control of the ball. Grabbing the ball at the second attempt the danger seemed to be averted, but the ball was kicked out of his hands by a Bay defender straight to substitute, Banner, who gladly accepted the pass to hammer home.
Bay never gave up and 5 minutes later Denly at last beat Holder. Receiving a ball on the edge of the area a left foot volley thundered into the back of the net to give Bay a glimmer of hope. Despite the constant pressure Bay could not reduce the deficit any further and Greenwich ran out deserved winners.

ATTENDANCE: 103
TEAM: DELO, EASTWOOD, WARD, D COOK, LLOYD, DENLY, LAWSON, , FIRTH, SOUTAN, LAWRENCE
SUBS:  POINTON (Knight)  BREMNER (Cook)  DIMMOCK (Not used)

Man of Match: Sam Denly

KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
HERNE BAY   3 -  1  HYTHE TOWN
TUESDAY  9TH  JANUARY  2007

Bay kept up their impressive form winning and scoring another three goals.
Hythe came to Winch’s on the back of Bay's 0-4 humiliating defeat by West Wickham in the Kent Senior Trophy and they were determined to put that game behind them and improve on their league position of 6th place.
A slightly different line up tonight with Ronan O’Connor and Nigel Pointon on the bench and starts for Danny Lawrence and Aaron Firth for the 2nd match running.
It was Firth who made the first goal, running at the Hythe defence he drew the challenge of two defenders  and slotted a simple ball through to Rhys Lawson who was completely free inside the box. Lawson made no mistake in side footing the ball into the bottom corner. This with only 5 minutes on the clock. Soon after this Firth beat the offside trap, but a fantastic tackle on the edge of the box prevented  the lead being extended. The other Aaron; Knight, also squandered a good scoring opportunity but his shot lacked any power. Then in the 38th minute Jason Brazier put Hythe on level terms with a penalty kick.  Danny Cook making an unnecessary challenge on the Hythe forward in the penalty area.
Bay clearly dominated the second half, aided by the strong wind at their backs but it wasn’t until the 78th minute that they deservedly took the lead. Aaron Firth lost his marker just outside the box and unleashed a thundering left foot volley forcing the Hythe keeper to make a fantastic save. Unfortunately for the keeper the shot had too much power and the ball looped over the line. In case their was any doubt Dave Soutan followed up ending in the back of the net with the ball. Two minutes later Firth put the game beyond Hythe, reacting the quickest to a loose ball in the box.
Nigel Pointon came on for Cook and should have increased the lead further when he outpaced the defenders  to go one-on-one with the keeper, but hit the ball wide of the target. A 1st team appearance for U16 Sam Kettle. Replacing Dave Ward at full back he made an impressive debut, impressing the Hythe committee judging by their comments at the end of the game. Well done Sam.
It certainly bodes well for the club with the youth providing a number of fringe 1st team players. Another promising youngster Ben Brown was on the bench.

ATTENDANCE: 67
TEAM: DELO, EASTWOOD, WARD, D COOK, LLOYD, DENLY, LAWSON, LAWRENCE , FIRTH, SOUTAN, KNIGHT
SUBS: KETTLE (Ward)   POINTON (Lawson)  O’CONNOR ( Cook) B BROWN (not used)
Man of Match: Aaron Firth

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KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER
FAVERSHAM TOWN 0 -  3  HERNE BAY 
SATURDAY  30TH  DECEMBER  2006

On a rain and windswept Salters Lane , Bay returned to winning ways and scoring goals. It was a credit to the three officials to allow the game to be played to completion, particularly on a day when a number of other matches were abandoned due to the diabolical weather conditions.
Bay made their usual slow start and found it difficult to pass, control or even stand on the slippery, muddy surface. Faversham made the most this and threatened Jack Delo’s goal with Andy Martin firing over the bar. Slowly but surely Bay got in  the game and managed to play some very good football, despite the conditions. As they got on top  it was inevitable they would score. The first goal came after 28 minutes. A Gary Cook free kick  from the half way line was intercepted by central defender, Holden. The quick footed, Aaron Firth robbed Holden and raced into the penalty area, unleashing a low left foot drive which left keeper Jurgen Wild floundering in the mud.  A minute later Sam Denly fired a volley  from 20 yards but this time Wild turned the ball over the bar. HT 1-0
Aaron Knight was introduced for the beginning of the 2nd period. His introduction changed the game completely. Bay were absolutely superb, playing with confidence, slick passing and dominated the home side. It took 15 minutes of further play before Bay doubled their lead. From another free kick, Knight floated in a cross. Faversham raced out instead of defending the ball, but Denly, beat the offside trap, dived full stretch and headed  past Wild.
Four minutes later Firth scored his second. Rhys Lawson put Knight away down the right flank. From the edge of the area he drilled a ball into the penalty area. Firth slipped as he tried to turn the ball into the goal, but somehow regained his balance, flicked the ball up and completed an overhead kick from the prone position to send the ball high into the back of the net to the delight of his fellow team-mates.
Danny Cook and Ben Brown came on as substitutes for the last 30 and 15 minutes. Brown almost made it 4-0 with a free kick which just sailed over the bar.

ATTENDANCE: 235
TEAM: DELO, EASTWOOD, WARD, COOK, LLOYD, DENLY, LAWSON, POINTON, FIRTH, SOUTAN, BREMNER
SUBS: COOK D (Pointon) KNIGHT (Ward)  BROWN (Denly)

Man of Match: Aaron Firth

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KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
HERNE BAY  0 – 1  WHITSTABLE TOWN
WEDNESDAY 27TH DECEMBER 2006

Herne Bay manager, Jason Lillis believed Bay were ‘mugged’ in the holiday fixture on Wednesday evening when unbeaten Whitstable Town reclaimed top spot in the Kent League table, courtesy of Steve Marshall scoring his tenth goal of the season in a smash and grab raid at their local rivals Herne Bay tonight.  A crowd of 536 saw Marshall send the Oysterboys wild with a clinical finish, into the top right hand corner, to end Herne Bay’s three match winning streak with just three minutes from time.
Marshall had the game’s first chance after nine minutes when he glanced Marlon Button’s first corner of the game past the far post. Bay’s leading goalscorer, nine goal burly striker Richard Dimmock, unleashed a right-footed effort from 25-yards which dropped agonisingly over three minutes later. And his skipper, central defender Gary Cook, tried a long  range shot that was never going to trouble visiting goalkeeper Kevin Fewell.
Whitstable, created their only their second real chance of the game after 26 minutes when Marcos Perona’s shot arrowed just over from an acute angle. Dave Soutan’s left-footed volley screamed  just wide of the post after Whitstable had cleared Nigel Pointon’s cross from the right towards him. The dominant home side squandered another chance when Dimmock’s right-footed snap shot whistled past the right post. Whitstable created an excellent chance to snatch the lead on the stroke of half time but former Bay striker, Stuart King’s lob dropped just over the bar after being played in by Tommy Martin.  Bay had dominated the play during the half and were disappointed not to be in the lead when referee, Phil Knight blew for half time.
Brave defending from Cook prevented Whitstable from taking the lead eight minutes into the second half. King latched onto Button’s through ball and left Steven Lloyd in his wake as the defender came sliding in. King then took the ball around goalkeeper, Jack Delo, but Cook was on hand to poke the rolling ball out for a corner.
Fewell made a low save from Dimmock after neat build up play from Sam Denly, who stole the ball from Gary Sayer out on the right in midfield, and from  the impressive Rhys Lawson.  Dimmock went close again just three minutes later when he dinked the ball into Fewell’s grateful arms with a 25-yard shot, after a square pass from Nathan Eastwood.
Whitstable started to control the play and were getting more into the game. They finished the game strongly scoring from one of their three chances created in the last fourteen minutes.  King, with 13 goals already this season, unleashed a left-footed curling free-kick from 30-yards, which finished up in Delo’s grateful arms.  King then latched onto a through ball from Jimmy Stouts and fed Marshall and with only the goalkeeper to beat, Marshall couldn’t find a way past the Herne Bay goalkeeper.<
But with the game heading towards a goal-less stalemate, Bay were awarded a free kick deep in the Whitstable half. Central defenders, Cook and Lloyd went forward, leaving Eastwood and Sean Bremner back in defence. Dimmock’s free kick was comfortably saved by Fewell. Wasting no time Fewell launched a long kick way into the Bay half. Eastwood went to meet the ball and his attempted clearance went vertically upwards. Bremner also mis-timed the second clearance , slicing the ball to Marshall on the edge of the area. His first time volley smashed into the high part of the net, giving Delo no chance.
The whole Whitstable bench, management and players alike, raced onto the pitch in total delight, knowing that this would win the game and send them to the top of the Kent League Premier Division and complete a season double over their local rivals.

Attendance:  536

Team: DELO, EASTWOOD, BREMNER, COOK, LLOYD, LAWSON, POINTON, DIMMOCK, SOUTAN, KNIGHT.
Subs:  FIRTH (Knight)  O’CONNOR (Pointon)  BROWN (Lawson) WARD, D COOK (not used)

Man of Match:  Sam Denly

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KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION CUP GROUP A
HERNE BAY   3 -  0   SLADE GREEN
SATURDAY  23RD  DECEMBER  2006

Bay went into this game knowing only a victory would see them into the quarter final draw to be made on 13th January 2007. The added bonus of winning would be to head the group and get a home draw!
Bay started off very strongly and with only 4 minutes on the clock Sam Denly out jumped the keeper at the near post to head the ball into the goal to help settle Bay’s nerves.  Slade Green never seemed to get into the game and failed to match their last two performances against Whitstable and Thamesmead. In fact, for the second game running, Jack Delo did not have a save to make throughout the game. The lead was increased in the 28th minute when following a corner Richard Dimmock  with a flick on header found Soutan at the far post and he made no mistake firing a low drive into the bottom corner. At the interval Bay were well worth their 2-0 lead.
After only five minutes of the second period play the game was put beyond any doubt. Bay won a free kick 30 yards out. Dimmock’s  kick  struck the hand of the Green defender and the referee awarded another kick this time 10 yards nearer.
Gary Cook hit the kick around the wall giving the keeper no chance. 3-0.
Soutan went close on a number of other occassions; one a thunderous volley which the keeper turned over the bay. Rhys Lawson also went close but this time the keeper turned his shot around the post. Bay should have won this game by a cricket score, only some fine saves by the keeper kept the final score down to the three. The victory was the important thing and Bay achieved this with aplomb. Having now scored 17 goals in their last five games Bay can look forward to the Bank Holiday games against Whitstable and Faversham with a great deal of confidence and belief!
Good performances from Soutan, Lawson and Denly today. Also the game showed what a good young prospect Ben Brown is.
Attendance 69
Team:    DELO, EASTWOOD,BREMNER, COOK G, LLOYD, DENLY,
O’LEARY,  POINTON , DIMMOCK, LAWSON, SOUTAN
Subs: D COOK  (Dimmock) B BROWN (O’Leary)  WARD (Eastwood)
DEER, HANSON (not used)
Man of Match: Dave Soutan

Kent Football League Premier Division Cup Group A
Herne Bay 5 - 0 Lordswood
Tuesday 19th December 2006

Referee, Paul Harris carried out a pitch inspection before the game. no worries about the pitch, this time fog!  He decided that as he could see the whole pitch the game would have to start the game. Fortunately the fog didn’t worsen and the game was played to completion.
It took 40 minutes for Bay to break down the Lordswood defence although it did not look that way at the start when Nigel Pointon first time shot smacked against the crossbar with only a minute of the game played. As the half progress
Lordswood came more into the game and it was against the run of play when an unmarked, Gary Cook headed Bay into the lead from a corner kick. Richard Dimmock nearly doubled the score a minute later but his header also struck the bar, with the keeper nowhere. HT 1-0.
The second half was totally dominated by Bay, with Jack Delo not having to make  a save throughout the period. The 2nd goal, which came in the 65 minute, was a carbon copy of the first. This time Dave Soutan heading home after being left unmarked in the box from another corner. 2-0.
From this point Bay piled on the pressure but just could finish Lordswood off. Then in the 82nd minute, man of the match, Pointon put the result beyond doubt. Dave Ward putting Sean Bremner away down the left, Bremner crossed the ball and Danny Cook hit a low drive into box, which Dissa deflected past the keeper. 3–0.
6 minutes later Dissa broke through the defensive wall again and hit a sweet lob over the advancing keeper. 4-0.  Ward again the provider.
Lordswood were now in total disarray. Bay wrapped up the game with their first five goal haul of the season. Bremner’s through ball found Soutan free, one-on-one with the keeper. Without hesitation Soutan hit a low drive into the bottom
corner 5-0. Full marks to the three officials, the best performance seen this
season.

A disappointing crowd of 45, Bays lowest attendance for a very long time.

Team: DELO, EASTWOOD,BREMNER, COOK G, LLOYD, DENLY, O’LEARY,  POINTON , DIMMOCK, KNIGHT, SOUTAN
Subs: D COOK  (Dimmock)  LAWSON (Knight)  WARD (Denly) BROWN (not used)

Man of Match: Nigel Pointon

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Kent Football League Premier Division
Erith Town   1 -  3  Herne Bay
Saturday  16th December  2006

For the third match running Bay scored 3 goals away from home. This time Erith Town were the victims. A very impressive first 20 minutes saw Bay continually threaten the Erith goal, and it came as no surprise when Nigel Pointon opened the scoring.  A fine Ronnie O’Connor cross found Dissa totally unmarked 12 yards out; his firm header giving keeper, Clark no chance.
Bay then for some reason took their foot off the pedal, allowing the home side back into the game. Erith forced a number of corners and from their third corner, the referee blew for a penalty, adjudging Steven Lloyd to have leant on the Erith forward.  Ryan Hatcher stepped up and hit the ball, high to Jack Delo’s right. Delo chose right and palmed the ball away to safety. For the remainder of the half Bay struggle to get on top. Both sides missed several gilt edge chances in this half  and when the half time whistle went  Dissa’s goal separated the two sides.
The second half started the same as the first half finished. Some frantic defending from early Erith pressure and Bay conceded their second penalty of the game when Dave Soutan brought down the Erith forward. Soutan being lucky not to leave the field of play as he  already had been booked early in the game. Matt Tompkins took the spot kick, drilling the ball into the bottom corner. This seemed to recharge Bay and one minute later Richard Dimmock drilled a 30 yard free kick, through a hole in the defensive wall to leave Clark floundering.
Now Bay were back in front there was only going to be one winner, particularly as Erith town’s forwards never really looked like forcing a save from Delo. In the 89th minute of normal time Bay extended their lead. Nathan Eastwood, who had a splendid game cleared the ball from his own penalty area sending a fantastic ball to Dimmock on the left. Dimmo advanced, nearly losing the ball to the defender’s challenge, recovered his composure and sent over an inch perfect cross for Ronan O’Connor to volley home from close range to secure the points.
In the additional 8 minutes played by the referee, Bay had shots from Dimmock and O’Connor narrowly miss the target.
Another game spoilt by the referee, 10 bookings in a non-physical game, 5 for each side. This referee appears to  want to be the centre of attention and just does not allow the game to flow. He flashes yellow cards at every opportunity! Three players received cards for their first infringement. Surely some common sense needs to prevail as this is costing clubs serious money.

Attendance: 25

Team:  DELO, EASTWOOD, BREMNER, COOK G, LLOYD, O’LEARY, POINTON  SOUTAN, DIMMOCK, O’CONNOR, KNIGHT
Subs:  DENLY (Bremner) LAWSON (Knight)  D WARD (Soutan)D COOK   (not used) 

Man of Match: Jack Delo

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KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
THAMSMEAD TOWN   4 -  3   HERNE BAY 
SATURDAY  9TH DECEMBER  2006

The usual Bay slow start saw Thamesmead take the lead as early as the 4th minute. A quick passing move by mead’s forward led to a simple tap home by Ross Cable. Bay fought their way back into the game and found Mead’s offside tactics very easy to break down. Rhys Lawson forced a fine save from the keeper after Jack Delo’s  long clearance. It came as no surprise that Bay equalized within 15 minutes. A great crossfield pass from Nigel Pointon beat the offside play leaving Aaron Knight the simple task of beating the keeper, which he did very calmly.
10 minutes later Bay were in front; taking the game to Mead and beating the offside tactics with almost every attack, this time Dissa latched onto the through ball and coolly lobbed the advancing keeper from fully 20 yards.
Thamesmead, the current league leaders were not to be outdone, despite their uncharacteristic poor defensive play. They continued to threaten with their very good forward play. But it was Bay’s poor defensive play that gave the incentive back to the home side. In the 43rd minute, Bay were having tremendous problems getting the ball out of their penalty area, and were made to pay when Dean Kearly latched on to the loose ball and smashed the ball home from 6 yards. One minute later Mead forced a corner, which again Bay failed to clear. Robert Tarrant raced in and send a strong header to give Thamesmead an rather lucky, 3-2 half time lead.
Mead started the 2nd period  the same as the 1st. Despite hitting the bar they failed to increase their lead. Bay hit back with Richard Dimmock being put through by a superb flick header from Dave Soutan. Dimmo let fly with a strong left foot volley which gave keeper Sam Mills, no chance. 3-3. The rest of the game was very even with both sides pressing for the winner. However the match officials contrived to spoil the game with so many dubious decisions which led to player frustration from both sides. In the 86th minute Dimmo again beat the offside trap, running from inside his own half, and was through on goal, but the officials gave offside. Much to his annoyance he said too much to the official and was booked. Straight from the restart Thamesmead went onto the attack and Ricki Cable latched on to another defensive error and drilled the ball home to give Mead the victory. Dimmo again had words with the official and was duly dismissed from the field of play.

Attendance: 55

Team:    DELO, EASTWOOD,BREMNER, COOK G, LLOYD, DENLY, LAWSON,   , HAYWARD , KNIGHT, SOUTAN
Subs: FIRTH (Pointon) O’CONNOR (Denly) O’LEARY (Lawson),
D COOK   D WARD(not used) 

Man of Match: Nigel Pointon

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KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION CUP GROUP A
HYTHE TOWN   1 -  3   HERNE BAY  
TUESDAY  5TH DECEMBER  2006

Jeckel & Hyde Herne Bay produced a superb performance away at Reachfields. In a must win game, Bay produced the required performance to ensure an easier path into the quarter final draw. They still have not qualified, but  have now put it within their own hands to progress further in this League Cup competition with two home games against Slade Green and Lordswood to come before Christmas.
The start of  tonight’s game was delayed for 15 minutes because of the late arrival of Bay’s players in reaching the ground caused by operation stack on the M20.
Hythe chose to kick with the strong wind at their back in the first half, but despite their pressure could not find the net.  Jack Delo was in inspired form during the first period and his efforts kept Bay in the game. A fantastic save from a Lee Winfield pile driver, turning the ball over the bar in the 20th minute was the highlight of the first period. Another great save fifteen minutes later certainly gave Bay the belief that they could come away from the game with the points.
It came as no surprise that Bay took the lead in the 43rd minute. A clever Aaron Knight free kick totally confused the Hythe  defence. Instead of floating a high cross to the back post, his chip-kick was played towards  the near post where Gary Cook found himself totally free to simply slot the ball into the goal from close range. Hythe struck back straight from the restart and levelled the scores when Stuart Taylor rose to high above Bay’s defence to rifle a bullet header into the net.
The 2nd half was all Bay. But it took another 25 minutes before they took the lead. A Delo clearance floated in the wind and beat the Hythe defenders to the bounce. Rhys Lawson gambled and picked up the ball, coolly slotting the ball under the advancing Hythe keeper to put Bay deservedly in front.
Hythe fought back but Bay’s resolve was impressive. Delo capped a fine, all-round performance by hitting Bay’s third goal from the penalty spot. The goal came about when Knight’s header rebounded off the crossbar fell to Aaron Firth. A reckless challenge from the defender brought Firth down and referee, Carter had no choice but to award the penalty. Delo’s spot kick was hit with so much power that if the keeper had got behind the ball he would have been pinned to the back of the net!

Attendance: 63

Team:    DELO, EASTWOOD,BREMNER, COOK G, LLOYD, DENLY, LAWSON,  FIRTH , HAYWARD , KNIGHT, SOUTAN
Subs: D COOK ( Hayward )
O’CONNOR , S KETTLE (not used) 
 
Man of Match: Gary Cook

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KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
HERNE BAY  1 -  2  CROYDON 
SATURDAY  2ND DECEMBER  2006

Herne Bay dropped three places to 13th, their lowest Kent League position for  many, many seasons, with this defeat at the hands of league new boys, Croydon. This win moved Croydon up to 4th.
Bay lined up for this game in a 3:5:2 formation; forgoing the 4:4:2 that worked so well against Slade Green in the week. They started the game very slowly and seemed all over the place at the back. The visitors made the most of this confusion and opened the scoring after 7 minutes after a defensive error let Neil Johns through. Bay’s troubles continued and Croydon’s forwards were having all their own way. On 19 minutes they should have been 2-0 up. Awarded a penalty after Aaron Knight was adjudged to have brought the forward down. Fortunately Tim Murdock hit the ball well wide of the mark, despite sending Jack Delo the wrong way. This seemed to give Bay confidence and they started to get back into the game and from this point took the game to the visitors. Starting with an early substitution, Sean Bremner replacing Gary Cook and reverting back to 4:4:2. A very good 25 minutes followed for Bay. It was now the turn for Croydon’s defence to look a little shaky. A couple of good saves from the keeper keeping their lead in tact. Then on 44 minutes Bay’s effort brought dividends. A Bremner free kick was floated  into the penalty area. Sam Denly’s header hit the Croydon defender and rebounded out to Steven Lloyd who hit a fine left foot volley from 15 yards to level the scores. A Denly shot, straight after the restart, was turned over by the Croydon keeper and the teams left the field for half time level at 1-1.
A very disappointing start to the second half, particularly after getting back into the game in the latter stages of the first half. After a great defensive interception from Nathan Eastwood, he followed this with a very sloppy pass to Bremner,  which missed the target by 10 yards and went out of play for a Croydon throw in. Directly from the throw, the ball was carried into the box by Johns and his low drive was met at the far post by Ray Freeman, who made no mistake from close range.
From this point  Croydon played out the rest of the match determined not to let Bay back into the game. This they achieved and when the final whistle went they were delighted to come away with the points which their play deserved.

Attendance: 135

Team:    DELO, EASTWOOD,  SOUTAN, COOK G, LLOYD, DENLY, POINTON,  FIRTH , DIMMOCK, O’CONNOR,  KNIGHT
Subs:    HAYWARD ( Firth)   LAWSON (Pointon) BREMNER (g Cook)
 B BROWN , S KETTLE (not used)  

Man of Match: Ronan O’Connor

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KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE
PREMIER DIVISION CUP GROUP A
SLADE GREEN  0 -  1   HERNE BAY 
TUESDAY  28TH NOVEMBER  2006

Bay kept alive their League Cup ambitions with a much better display tonight .
On a superb playing surface Bay passed the ball around with authority and never looked in any danger of losing, but in order to ensure progressing into the quarter final draw they have to win all of their remaining fixtures!  Tonight they did this but only by the single goal. In fairness a 3 or 4 nil scoreline would not have been out of place, with Aaron Firth, Sam Denly, twice, and Nigel Pointon all just missing the target or producing a good save from the keeper.
Bay changed the team set up slightly from Saturday’s line-up ; Aaron O’Leary moved to left back,  produced a quality performance for 65 minutes before retiring with a slight injury. Nathan Eastwood returned after missing the last game with ‘flu. Richard Dimmock started up front alongside Firth.
The whole shape of the team looked, and performed better.
Dissa produced a non-stop performance, belying his years. In the centre Sam Denly and Ronan O’Connor worked ceaselessly. At the back Dave Soutan and Steven Lloyd were dominant in the air. Up front Firth and Dimmock combined well, causing Green’s defence no end of problems.
In the past seasons Slade Green have been a real bogey side; always managing to get a draw from games that Bay have dominated. It appeared as if this would be the case tonight! Despite  tremendous pressure the goals just didn’t come, but when it did, in the 62nd minute what a beauty it was.
O’Leary in his own penalty area ,passed to O’Connor. Seeing Eastwood free on the right, O’Connor switched the play with a cross-field pass. Eastwood sent Pointon away down the right, who in turn delivered an inch perfect pass to Dimmock, standing on  the edge of the box.  With his back to the goal Dimmo turned to his right and coolly lobbed the keeper to give Bay a deserved lead and as it turned out the winning goal.
Denly  could have put the game beyond doubt in the 85th minute when racing through the defensive line his curling shot beat the keeper but just curled  too much and missed the target by inches.
In the end Bay were very happy to record the win. They now have to repeat this performance in a weeks time in the all important League Cup game at Hythe. A game Bay must win!

Team:    DELO, EASTWOOD ,O’LEARY,  SOUTAN, LLOYD, DENLY, POINTON,  FIRTH , DIMMOCK, O’CONNOR,  KNIGHT
Subs:    LAWSON ( Firth)   WARD (Eastwood)  BREMNER (O’Leary)
 G COOK (not used)  

Man.of  the.Match:  Nigel Pointon

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KENT SENIOR TROPHY 2ND ROUND
WEST WICKHAM  3 -  1  HERNE BAY
SATURDAY 25TH NOVEMBER 2006

If Herne Bay had played with half the desire, passion and commitment that the West Wickham players showed they would be facing a nice quarter final home tie against Hythe Town . Instead they will now have another Saturday without a game as they exited another cup competition.
The game started very promising. A slick passing move between Nigel Pointon and Aaron Firth took Bay into the heart of  Wickham’s defence.  Firth flicked the ball into the path of ‘Ronnie’ O’Connor, who lashed a first time volley through a mass of players into the bottom corner of the goal from fully 22 yards. 5 minutes gone 1-0.
From here the game went downhill quickly. Instead of piling on the pressure Bay eased off, allowing the home side to get back into the game. Twenty minutes later the home side drew level. A poor back pass from Sam Denly to last man, Dave Soutan led to the goal. Soutan tried to beat the advancing forward, lost his footing and was robbed of the ball by the quick Wickham forward, Ashley Everett who easily raced towards Jack Delo and coolly slotted home.
After a further 15 minutes of agonising play by the visitors, Wickham took the lead when Sam Kevin lashed the ball into the net following some comical attempts to clear the ball from a number of corner kicks. Bay were in total disarray and failed to cope with Wickham’s direct football and continual harrying when Bay had the ball. In the first half there were  10 back passes to Delo and each time his kick gave the ball back to the opposition. In the second  5 back passes, one which led to the third goal. Bay were not confident with the ball and just couldn’t slow the game down and take a hold of the match.
Wickham’s third goal, which came in the 60th minute, came courtesy of a back pass which Delo sent his kick straight to the Wickham midfield. The ball was sent back into the area and after frantic defending a corner was conceded. From the resulting kick Delo punched the ball back towards his own goal; if it wasn’t for Wickham’s No. 2 Paul Barham who sent the ball over the line it would have been an own goal. Nothing else can be said about the performance.

Attendance:  55

Team: DELO, D COOK, BREMNER, SOUTAN, LLOYD, DENLY,
LAWSON, POINTON, FIRTH, O’CONNOR, KNIGHT.
Subs:  DIMMOCK (Pointon) O’LEARY (Lawson) WARD (Cook)

Man of match: Steven Lloyd

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KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
HERNE BAY 2 -  1  BECKENHAM TOWN
SATURDAY 11TH NOVEMBER 2006

A very eventful game today which started with one of the assistant officials not turning up; Terry Sedge standing in as linesman. Beckenham arriving at the ground late. Bay awarded a penalty after only 5 minutes play. Beckenham having two players and their physio sent off after 44minutes. The police called in to deal with four unruly members of Beckenham’s playing staff. New contract player Aaron Firth scoring his first goal and Bay’s winner.
Bay started this game very positively and forced a number a basic errors from the visitors. In the 5th minute a slick passing moving involving Richard Dimmock and Nigel Pointon in the penalty area put Sam Denly in the clear. Denly being brought down by Becks keeper, Chris Lewington. Referee Simon Finnigan having no
hesitation in awarding a penalty. Dimmock making no mistake from the spot kick.
Bay continued to press forward and should have been three up, but for two
fantastic saves from Lewington; the best diving at the feet of Rhys Lawson  to thwart a certain goal after 20 minutes play.
Ten minutes later the visitors were awarded a free kick, after a Ronnie O’Connor foul 30 yards out. The resulting free kick was pushed into the box and somehow  Beckenham’s new signing Wade Falala flicked the ball in from close range at the far post. This was Beckenham’s first real threat on Bay’s goal!
Bay went straight back at the visitors and after ten minutes of real pressure thye fireworks started. Nathan Eastwood was viciously hacked down after beating the Beckenham defender. Referee, Finnigan, immediately showed the red card but before the player left the field of play the players of both teams were involved in a major fracas. Denly being punched by Becks number 5 and the Physio charging around the pitch trying to attack any player in blue. The whole Beckenham bench, including a number of spectators, were on the pitch acting very aggressively. After restoring order, the game restarted with Beckenham down to 9 men and no physio.
The second half was a very lack lustre affair with the visitors defending in bulk, relying on the quick break in an attempt to steal the game. These tactics worked extremely well and Bay were struggling to break down the defensive wall. Then in 75th minute Bay got the break they needed. Dimmock received the ball on the edge of area and crossed the ball into the box, where Aaron Firth rose high above the defensive line to put a looping header over the out stretched arms of Lewinton and into the back of the net, much to the relief of the Bay management and fans alike.

Attendance:  128

Team: DELO, EASTWOOD, BREMNER, SOUTAN, LLOYD, DENLY, LAWSON, POINTON, DIMMOCK, O’CONNOR, KNIGHT.
Subs: FIRTH (O’Connor) O’LEARY (Knight) LAWRENCE (Lawson)
D COOK,  HANSON (not used)

Man of match: Dave Soutan

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KENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION CUP GROUP A
HERNE BAY   1 -  1   HYTHE TOWN 
TUESDAY  7TH NOVEMBER  2006

End to end stuff in this league cup fixture, but Bay will feel this was a case of two points lost rather than on gained. It appears that Bay just do not get  that little bit of luck, the odd
ricochet goal. With the number of shots fired in the first half  the scored could have easily have been  6-2.
It was Hythe who made their intentions known straight from the start. A long ball hit deep into the left half  was completely misjudged by defender Danny Cook. Lee Winfield raced into the open space, collected the ball and charged towards Jack Delo’s goal.  Letting go with a ferocious right foot drive from the edge of the box, the ball crashed into the net after smashing against the junction of the upright and bar. 0-1 after 85 seconds!
Undeterred Bay fought their way back into the game  and forced a number of corners.
Rhys Lawson was causing the Hythe defence all sorts of problems with his electric turn of pace. In the 12th minute Lawson ghosted past three defenders and it came as no surprise when the frustrated left back pulled him down 20 yards out. Sean Bremner  sent in a dangerous cross from the free  kick; the ball was headed clear , but to the Steven Lloyd standing unmarked 10 yards out, who drilled the ball into the bottom corner.
For the rest of the half Bay mounted attack after attack  and no matter how many attempts they had at Walker in the Hythe goal the ball was somehow  kept out. This is where Bay could do with a little bit of luck.
The second half football was the same as the first  but Hythe cme back into the game
drawing a couple good saves from Delo. Bay substituted Danny Cook immediately at the start of the 2nd half  bringing on Nathan Eastwood for his first  game of the season.  New signing Aaron Firth also made his home debut, replacing Nigel Pointon, who’s son had been  rushed  to hospital with a ruptured appendix. Firth’s introduction to Kent League football was quite interesting as in his first challenge he was literally knocked to the ground by a strong arm challenge.
Lawson was still giving the Hythe left back problems with his turn of speed, unfortunately the end ball  always seemed to lack direction, failing to find the Bay forwards. Lawson was replaced by Aaron O’Leary with 10 minutes to go but despite this change of personnel Bay just couldn’t find that decisive strike to secure the three points.
A good overall performance and a full 90 minutes from Sam Denly, returning to first team action after breaking his metatarsal eight weeks ago.

Attendance:  100

Team:    DELO, D COOK , BREMNER,  G COOK, LLOYD, DENLY, LAWSON, 
POINTON, DIMMOCK, KNIGHT, SOUTAN, 
Subs:    FIRTH ( Pointon)  EASTWOOD (D Cook)   O&