More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Competitive football returned on Saturday behind closed doors and there were plenty of goals.
Fans might not have been able to attend but managers took the opportunity to put their new-look sides through their paces against local opposition.
Southern Counties East side Chatham Town have been making some bold signings over the summer and they stuck plenty of goals past Rochester United.
Summer signings Dan Bradshaw, Andy Pugh and Ryan Hayes were all in action at Rede Court Road against the SCEFL Division 1 side.
There was some debate on twitter about the final score, but whether it was 8-0, 9-0 or even 10 won’t have concerned Chats boss Scott Lindsey, as his team showed their attacking prowess straight away.
Former Sheppey hot-shot Bradshaw was on the scoresheet, as was ex Dartford striker Pugh, while captain Jack Evans claimed at least one of the goals too.
Teams from the Isthmian League also took the opportunity to find their feet.
Premier Division Folkestone Invicta were beaten 2-1 by South East Division side Ramsgate.
The Rams were the home team and they came from behind to win the match, both of their goals being scored from distance.
Johan Ter Horst netted an early opener for Neil Cugley’s side and the Rams missed a chance to level when Ryan Johnson put a penalty over the bar.
Matt Longhurst’s side finally equalised in the second half when full-back Ben Wilson scored from the edge of the box and the same player then won it with a strike from 40 yards.
Sittingbourne manager Darren Blackburn finally got to take charge of a competitive match - four and a half months after taking charge. He even played the latter stages of their match against Borden Village, which ended in a 3-1 win for the Brickies.
The club thanked their fans for staying away from the game, saying: “We want football to return safely as soon as possible so we’re taking steps to ensure we comply with government advice on gatherings.”
Faversham Town have had a busy summer recruiting and some of their newcomers were on target in a 4-1 victory over SCEFL side Rusthall.
Stephen Okoh, Michael Hagan, Ben Francis and Harry Harding all scored for James Collins’ side. It’s the first of nine friendlies for the club this month.
There was action at the Gallagher Stadium as Maidstone United’s development side took on Kent Football United. The match ended 2-2 with Javlon Campbell scoring twice for the SCEFL side.
The chairman of the Kent County League, Gavin Hoare, meanwhile, reminded their teams that they shouldn’t be taking part in pre-season games unless they have returned Covid-19 forms to the league.
In a message to member clubs, issued on Sunday evening, Mr Hoare said: “To date only about one third have returned their Covid-19 forms to league. That means two thirds of you should not be playing friendlies and are putting many people at risk.
“We have clear evidence of a team playing a full-on friendly before August 1. If you get charged by the authorities please do not expect any support from the league as we take a very dim view of it.
“There are many instances recorded on social media and other sources showing clubs already not adhering to the guidance and in essence doing their own thing. This is not acceptable and if the league continue to see and be told of these occurrences then the committee will have no option but to meet and decide on what actions we can take.”
