Despite falling behind early on Forest Hill Park beat Faversham Strike Force at the Ladywell Arena to take them into the final of the Presence & Co. Southern Counties East Football League First Division Cup.
They have already worked their way through to the SCEFL Challenge Cup Final, and are leading the race for the Division One title so their remarkable bid for a treble is very much alive.
Referee Mark Fitzpatrick had no option other than to brandish his yellow card to Alex Willis for a bad foul in the first minute. However, the Faversham striker’s evening took an upturn ten minutes later when he headed his team in front from Tom Carter’s cross.
Five minutes later, the scores were levelled when Zak Ansah got on the end of a cross drilled in by Tobi Coker.
Coker fired a free kick over for the hosts before Joe Kay was unable to keep his header down from a corner at the other end.
After that, it became a war of attrition as a hard bumpy pitch made it difficult to get it down and play. Willis shot wide for the visitors however it was the Dons who went ahead in the last minute of first half regulation time. Ed Mbango crossed and Temi Alaka forced it home.
There was still time for Faversham’s Cian McCormack to have a header saved by George Kamurasi before the first half drew to a close.
Ali Wren, for the visitors, had the first chance of the second period with a header wide from a deep free kick then, at the other end, Alaka shot wide of the near post having been played in by Coker.
Out of the blue, and probably out of character for the difficult conditions, Forest Hill’s third goal was a stunner. Coker let fly with a spectacular volley from twenty yards out that gave goalkeeper Harry Earls no chance. It took three minutes to restart the game as some shenanigans inside the penalty area caused a group melee ending in Ainsley Everett being cautioned as he left the field to be substituted.
Wren had a shot deflected wide and Faversham thought that they had pulled one back in a goalmouth scramble that was hacked off the line.
As the game moved into the last five minutes Wren had a header saved easily then Nathan Palmer shot well wide at the other end. Another flare up resulted in two more players cautioned before Ryan Palmer followed his brother’s lead with an effort that was off target.
Soon after, the match closed and the Dons will meet Clapton Community in the final.
Forest Hill Park: Kamurasi, R. Palmer, Morgan, Barrance, Johnson, Bell, Coker, Everett (N. Palmer 67), Ansah (Fischer 67), Alaka (Ryan 69), Mbango.
Subs not used: Anderson, Steeds.
Goalscorers: Ansah (16), Alaka (45), Coker (64)
Yellow card: R. Palmer (51 foul), Everett (67 ungentlemanly conduct), Bell (88 ungentlemanly conduct)
Faversham Strike Force: Earls, Bleu Landau (Smith 73), Alexander, Kay, McCormack (Tiernan 84), Wren, Carter (O’Donnell 79), Riches (Beau Landau 79), H. Taylor (K. Taylor 40), Willis, Wratten.
Subs not used: None.
Goalscorer: Willis (11)
Yellow card: Willis (1 foul), K. Taylor (73 foul), Tiernan (86), Wren (88 ungentlemanly conduct)
Referee: Mark Fitzpatrick
Assistants: Chris Clarke and Julian Cowan
Attendance: 110