Erith Town 2 v 1 Crowborough Athletic

Saturday 30th November 2019
Southern Counties East League Premier Division
Erith Stadium, Erith
Admission : Donation to Food Bank (otherwise £8.00)
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 50

 

I had decided to take in this game following my lunchtime game at The Valley between Charlton and Sheffield Wednesday, to revisit a ground I last visited in 2008. To arrive ahead of kick-off, I would have had to have left The Valley with 5 minutes of normal time left to play. But at that time, Charlton were pushing hard for an equaliser (being 1-2 down), and so I chose to leave on the final whistle which would mean me arriving at the Erith Stadium about five minutes after kick off. In some ways, that turned out to be the wrong decision, as Sheffield Wednesday scored a third with the last kick of the game to win 1-3.

The Erith Stadium is about a ten minute walk from Erith station, and portable signage very helpfully guides visitors through the surrounding leisure complex to the entrance of the football ground. Access is gained by paying admission at a wooden hut in one corner, or alternatively today, spectators could enter for free by donating some non perishable food and drink items for the local Bexley Food Bank, a very laudable and most worthwhile initiative indeed by the football club. The ground is essentially one sided, with a path leading past the adjoining leisure centre and towards quite a large seating area, the outer two thirds uncovered, with the middle section covered by a stand. An inevitable consequence of being part of a leisure complex is that the football pitch has a running track around the outside, resulting in spectators being quite far from the action. However, excellent views can be had from the balcony on the first floor of the leisure centre, with some of this area covered, and bar stools and high tables are also available. From here, the Dartford Crossing is visible, as is some rolling countryside on the Essex side of Thames estuary. Inside from the balcony is a spacious bar area, and a whiteboard with team line-ups written on was positioned at the bottom of stairs leading  to the balcony and bar area. An old fashioned low slung pavilion is located in a far corner opposite the spectator area, housing the changing rooms and a hospitality area, and the Olympic rings on the front wall serves as a reminder of this venue being a training venue for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Considering the club has to share leisure centre facilities, with a one-sided ground and an athletics track, this is a surprisingly decent place to visit, with plenty of club signage to give the place identity, a very friendly welcome from all those encountered, and with excellent views still possible despite the running track. The 24 page programme was very well presented, printed in colour, with some good reading material and a decent array of stats and facts to preview the match.

After a sixth placed finish last season, Erith Town came into this game in twelfth place in the 20 club Division, following five wins and three draws from their opening 15 league games. They won 5-0 in their last game at home last Saturday against bottom side Greenwich Borough, and today they would play against the second bottom side, with Crowborough winning three and drawing one of their opening 17 league games, although one of those wins came last Saturday, 2-1 at home against Canterbury City. Looking at the league table, it is quite clear to see where their main problem has been, with a goal difference of -42, with the most notable defeats being 0-8, 0-6 and 0-5 at home, and 9-2 away.

On a sunny but chilly afternoon, the first half was an even battle, with Erith slowly gaining the upper hand, and on 26 minutes, a rasping drive from the edge of the area hit the crossbar, via a faint deflection, before bouncing over. But they did take the lead on 43 minutes, some good short passing around the edge of the penalty area ended with the ball being slipped through for Steadman Callendar to nip past the defence and tap the ball home just before the keeper could get there, to give the hosts a narrow lead at the interval.

The second half saw much more goalmouth action, and within a couple of minutes of the restart, Erith saw a goal bound header from a corner headed off the line, and a minute later, a curling shot forced a good save at full stretch by the keeper, and although the ball landed at the feet of an Erith attacker, the ball was blazed over the bar first time with the goal at his mercy. Erith forced further good saves from the visiting keeper, but Erith made it 2-0 on 61 minutes. Following a Crowborough attack, an Erith player raced down the right wing from the half way line before eventually crossing low for Callendar to tap the ball home from a central position. The game then seemed to be drifting towards a relatively comfortable home win, but on 80 minutes, Crowborough were awarded a penalty to general bemusement, and Tom Pearson struck the ball low into the right side of the goal, with the keeper diving the other eat. It's fair to say Erith's players were not happy, and Taylor McDonagh paid the price for prolonging his protests with a visit to the sin bin. As the game entered added on time, Crowborough really piled on the pressure with a succession of corners and saw a a shot force a superb reflex save by the keeper, a shot whistle just over the bar, and a weak shot from a very tight angle coming back off the near post. But in the end, time ran out and Erith held on for the three points, which overall they just about deserved.