Two second half goals from Bola Dawodu earned Faversham Town just their second home League win since late October as Phoenix Sports were left rooted at the bottom of the table.

After a first half that saw both sides have the chances to go in front, two long throws into the visitor’s box – the first just four minutes after the break – caused absolute mayhem and Dawodu swept the loose ball home on both occasions to deservedly give Faversham the points and totally deflate the Sports challenge.

Two sucker punches from which Phoenix never recovered and possibly highlights their season as in the opening half at least, Steve Boyle’s side created enough to take the lead as they desperately search for the boost to finally kick start their floundering season.

Faversham suffered an early set-back when D’Jean Spence was forced out early on after tracking back and could have been behind as Byron Walker looped a header onto the top of Pat Ohman’s crossbar before George Whitelock forced the home keeper into a smart save and that was followed by a Steve Carvell drive that was rising when it cleared the bar. 

The home side then got into their stride and dominated the remainder of the half. A preview of what was to follow when Charlie Dickens got to a long throw from Lewis Chambers before keeper Steve Phillips but couldn’t divert the header on goal. Manny Oluwasemo then did brilliant to set a great chance up for Sam Bewick but the midfielder completely missed his kick in front of goal, before Phillips did brilliantly to deny Tyrell Richardson-Brown as he raced through.

Within the opening ten minutes of the second half, Phoenix’s defensive frailties had highlighted their season long struggle as two massive throws from Chambers weren’t dealt with at all and as the ball ping ponged around the box, Dawodu capitalised to register his second and third goals of the season. That said, Phillips was totally incensed after the opening goal and demanded answers from referee Dunn who simply waved away the keeper’s protestations.

As you may expect, the double whammy of going two down so quickly really knocked the stuffing out of the visitors and in the final analysis as so often in the past, it was only the agility of Phillips that kept the final score respectable as the keeper denied Clark Woodcock with an acrobatic save; sub Dean Grant with an instinctive save with his right foot and then again before Jono Richardson’s header – from another Chambers bomb – flew narrowly wide.

Phoenix huffed and puffed but created little as they desperately tried to get back into the game but when a flying Walker failed to connect with Tom Cousins’ cross, the writing was well and truly on the wall as they slumped to their fourteenth League defeat of the season.

Meanwhile, for James Collins and his Faversham squad this was morale boosting and could prove to be the ideal platform going into Christmas with mouth-watering derbies against Sittingbourne, Ashford and Whitstable to come over the festive period.

FAVERSHAM TOWN – Ohman, Bioletti, Dickens, Dawodu, Chambers, Richardson, Woodcock (Geddes), Bewick, Oluwasemo (Grant), Spencer (Ogboe), Richardson-Brown 

Subs – Eyles, Hlabi

PHOENIX SPORTS – Phillips, Douglas, Cousins, Ramazani (Kaffo), Adeyemi, Clark, Thompson-Fearon (Shoderu), Hever (Martin), Walker, Carvell, Whitelock

Subs – Bird, Barnett

REFEREE – Mr Dunn