We took on Bearsted FC in the second round of the FA Vase on Saturday 23rd September.  Bearsted play in the Southern Counties East and have had a good start to their season, so we were expecting a tough match.

We made three changes from the team that started against Sheerwater the previous weekend, with our Captain, Callum Wilson returning, Rory Edwards back into the midfield and the return of Marlon Pinder back to our club occupying our striker berth.

The game started in a not too surprising nervy way for both sides, but the home side had the better chances in the first half and but for some good goalkeeping from our man ‘between the sticks’, Harvey Keogh and some last ditch defending we may well have found ourselves behind.  As for ourselves, yet again we played some good passing football but with little or no end product apart from one shot which was comfortably saved by the opposition goalkeeper.  The half ended 0-0.

The second half started much the same way as the first ended with our hosts initially in the ascendency and they took the lead in the 55th minute from what some observers at that end of the pitch said there was a ‘hint of offside’ about the goal from one of their strikers.  We then eventually grew into the game and started to pose some questions of the Bearsted defence and in the 71st minute we equalised through our Captain Callum Wilson.  This was after great work from Ade Batula on the right wing who left three Bearsted defenders in his wake as he crossed into the edge of the box to find Wilson who scored; the opposition goalkeeper made a valiant attempt to save the shot, but the ball nestled in the corner of the net.

Could we go onto to win the game, well we had a great chance when our substitute Tino Carpene was put through but was caught by a last-ditch tackle from an opposition defender.  The referee blew for full time at nearly 5 o’clock.  So we went to penalties to decide who would go through to the next round.

Unfortunately, we lost the penalty shootout 4-1 so were eliminated from the FA Vase for this year.

We have another cup competition to compete in at home on Tuesday in the Combined Counties League Cup against AFC Croydon Athletic with a 19.45 kick off at the Reg Madgwick Stadium in Cobham; why not come on down and support the team.