It was Needham Market that claimed the Ryman North Championship with a comfortable win at Chatham Town.
Chatham Town hosted Needham Market on the last game of the season at the Maidstone sports ground with the visitors knowing a victory would guarantee that they would be the champions and be promoted to the Ryman Premier League.
Anything else however and Harlow could sneak in at the last minute and pip them to the post if they beat Thamesmead.
The visitors started brightly, penning back Chatham from minute 1 on the dry, hard service, without causing too much panic to the home defence with Chats keeper Ryan Nicholls marshalling his area well to claim a couple of crosses early on.
Needham were inches away from taking the lead in the 13th minute, Michael Brothers ran onto a ball in the right hand channel before cutting in and crossing towards Sam Newson but the striker was just inches away from connecting to the low cross with Nicholls smuggling the ball away to safety.
With 19 minutes gone, the visitors should have gone ahead, Luke Ingram crossed to the unmarked Ian Westlake who made Ryan Nicholls in the home goal make a stupendous one handed save high to his right. The goal appeared to be coming to crown them as champions.
Chatham had the next chance on 23 minutes, link up play from Greg Benbow and Corey Holder led to Austin Edwards firing a left foot volley just wide of the post from the edge of the box. It would have been a goal to saviour in the top divisions had the ball found the bottom corner
Needham Market finally took the lead on the 31st minute, Kieran Morphew, played a pass into Ian Westlake who in one foul swoop flicked the ball up and volleyed into the top corner. Two minutes later and the visitors had it in the net again but Michael Brothers was penalised for punching the ball into the net from Westlake’s cross.
With 43 minutes gone, Needham extended their lead and what a goal it was. Ingram crossed the ball to Michael Brothers who with a bicycle kick from the edge of the area, blasted the ball into the top right hand corner.
From the restart, Needham confirmed the championship with a third before half time. Kem Izzet was bought down in the box before dispatching the penalty himself down low to the keeper’s left to make it 3-0 at the break with the trophy on its’ way down to the Medway towns.
In a quiet start to the second period, it took eight minutes for anything of note to happen and it was a fourth for the champions, Sam Newson raced onto Kem Izzet’s chipped ball over the defence and fired home left footed under the keeper for his 33rd and his side’s 100th league goal of the season as the home side offered very little fight with nothing to play for but pride.
The Chats did force the away keeper into some work with 15 minutes gone in the second half, Kieron Mccann shooting straight at the keeper from 25 yards after a corner had been worked back out to him.
The home side did apply some pressure to restore some pride with a free kick being deflected wide from Liam Hickey.
Needham nearly made it 5 with 15 minutes remaining, Sam Nunn heading straight at the keeper from Ingram’s right wing corner. The away side were playing with swagger as they knew the title was theirs, Westlake and Morphew combining down the left to put Westlake beyond the full back, his cutback to the edge found Newson but he shot just wide of the left hand post.
With 85 minutes gone, Needham should have put the icing on the cake when Westlake found 17 year old Adam Mills in the centre but the teenager shot wide when he should have scored.
Mills was to rectify his miss by scoring the fifth a minute from time, smashing home fellow sub Regan Pelling’s centre to dispatch home from 5 yards. The final whistle went and Needham were champions.
Chatham: Nicholls, Benbow (Mccardle 45), Collins,Loft, Hickey,Hawkins,( Watson 79) Humber Steventon 62), Holder, French, Edwards, Mccann
Subs not used: Taylor, Kidman
Bookings: Hawkins, Mcardle
Needham Market: Phillips, Fenn, Coakley, Morphew, Hogg, Nunn, Ingram ( Mills 79), Izzet, Newson ( Pelling 79), Brothers ( Crisp 71), Westlake
Subs not used: Whight, Munson
Bookings: Brothers
Attendance: 266
Referee: Daniel Bonneywell