The meeting of the top two in SCEFL was always going to be tight and after one hundred and twenty minutes in the Medway rain, Chatham Town and Beckenham Town still couldn’t be split and must do it all again on Wednesday.

But the home side were agonisingly close to a place in Round Two after taking the lead courtesy of Byron Walker’s “shot” – which was surely a cross – just before the hour mark! Deep into stoppage time – almost eight minutes to be precise – Stefan Cox brilliantly set up Malik Nosike to power home an equaliser that left Chatham shell-shocked; not even an extra half hour could separate the two sides – surely an early indication that the SCEFL title race once again that could certainly go to the wire!

Two very evenly matched sides with a contest that was played in constant drizzle kept the 400+ crowd interested if not completely engrossed as the first half seemed to be forty-five minutes where both sides seemed wary of making the mistake that would matter.

Ryan Hall was denied by a terrific Jack Evans block for the home side and from the corner, Chats keeper Jordan Carey was relieved when Luke Rooney’s header hit the outside of the post.

At the other end, Ike Orji exploited the conditions and drilled a skidding cross across the face of goal which could have been turned in by either Byron Walker or Paul Vines as both Chats slid in. In truth, a Rooney free kick that sailed high over the bar summed up the first half!

After the break, you sensed that it would take either a slice of luck or a moment of genius to break the deadlock, and Jon Pilbeam forced Beckenham keeper Michael McEntegart into a fine low save.

The Beckenham keeper though was as much of a spectator as the rest of us were just past the hour as Walker’s left wing “cross” sailed over the keeper and nestled in the back of the visitor’s net.

As you would expect from league leaders, Beckenham responded well, but couldn’t find a way through despite wave after wave of blue attacks. Ashley Carew saw a free kick beaten out by Carey being the only true occasion that the Chats goal was threatened as Leon Smith (before he left the game with a suspected broken finger) and Justyn Roberts stood their ground superbly until deep into stoppage time, the red wall was finally breached.

Just moments before Rooney whistled a pile driver inches past the right Chatham post, Cox did brilliantly down the right and his cross was simply perfect – begging to be met! Up stepped Beckenham sub Nosike who duly obliged powering home a header that had Carey clutching thin air!

And so to Extra Time, and despite making a fourth change (using the “extra” sub for extra time ruling) the home side spent the extra thirty minutes looking to create their chances with swift breaks but they stuttered before they could really test McEntegart, whilst his opposite number Carey brilliantly denied Rooney’s curling effort.

The closest either team came in the second period saw Beckenham sub Nosike just beat the far post with a low drive.

So, it’s all back to Eden Park Avenue on Wednesday night, and on these two hours, it could be a very long, late night…