Saturday 13th May 2023, Kick-off 11.00
Kent Intermediate Challenge Shield Final
Gallagher Stadium, Maidstone
Admission: £7.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 200 (estimate)
With the regular season now completed in non league football, it is now time to scrabble around fixtures at Step 7 and below in the search of interesting games and new grounds to visit. While this game would represent a ground revisit for me, it was a cup final, and its morning kick off would mean that I could double up with a league title deciding game at Borden Village this afternoon.
This final would be between two clubs from the Kent County League Premier Division. Stansfeld (O&B) finished their season in 12th place in the league, following 12 wins and 3 draws from their 30 league games. They had a poor end to their league campaign though, picking up just two points from their final seven league games. Red Velvet, who won the league last season, have had a more modest season this time around,and they ended their league campaign disappointingly, taking just one point from their final four league games, but still finished in fourth place, following 17 wins and 3 draws from their 30 league games. In the most recent league encounter between the two clubs at Stansfeld, the game ended in a 1-1 draw, but back in late August, Stansfeld secured a 1-2 away win at Red Velvet. To reach today's final, Stansfeld had negotiated three rounds, winning 0-2 at Woodnesborough, 2-1 at home to New Romney, and Guru Nanak 0-2 away in the semi-final, while Red Velvet defeated Metrogas 2-1 at home, Crayford Arrows 2-1 at home, Halls AFC 4-0 at home, and then Danson Sports 3-6 away.
On a fairly warm but overcast morning, and with a decent crowd in attendance (although spectators today were only permitted along one length (including the main all-seater stand) and one end, Red Velvet had the first real chance, when what was more of a cross from the left by Lewis Oborne floated down onto the top of the bar. But on 16 minutes, it was Stansfeld who opened the scoring, when a corner was whipped into the box, and despite the keeper jumping up to vocally claim the ball, it was headed powerfully home by Oliver Wright. But their lead was to only last three minutes, when an inswinging free kick was floated into the box bu Jason Dyer, which was met with a header by Frank McLaren to divert the ball home. Red Velvet took the lead on 29 minutes, with a lovely first time clipped shot from the edge of the area by Dyer sending the ball in off the underside of the bar, and they had a good chance to open up some daylight in the scoreline in the 36th minute, when an excellent curved low ball forward was threaded through the defence by Alfie Moynes, finding the run of his team mate coming in from wide, but his eventual shot could only find the side netting.
So at half time, the game remained very much in the balance, but it didn't take long for Red Velvet to ease towards what turned out to be a comfortable victory. In the 49th minute, a Stansfeld defender seemed to have control of the ball on the left touchline, yet somehow the Red Velvet player emerged with the ball, then reaching the touchline, before crossing the ball low for Dyer to tuck the ball home from a central position ten yards out. They scored their fourth on 57 minutes when the ball was clipped in from the byline to be headed home by Dyer to seal his hat-trick, and the tie was put beyond all doubt on 64 minutes, when another cross from the byline was headed home from close range at the back post by Dyer, for his fourth of the game. That pretty much killed the game, although credit to Stansfeld for continuing to battle on, and they did have a couple of chances to reduce the deficit, but 5-1 was how it remained at the final whistle. to ensure that Red Velvet would lift the shield on the pitch shortly after the final whistle.
Video highlights can be viewed by clicking here
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