It was an intense match for Hollands & Blair as they should have taken away all three points against a determined Bearsted side, but had to settle for the one at Star Meadow.  

Bearsted got us underway and came out looking like the better team with some great chances just falling short within the first 10 minutes.

The first chance fell for Lucian Scarlat who brought the ball down with a great touch but couldn’t recreate this greatness in his shot as it was dragged awfully wide.

Then just after, Constantine Scarlat had two great chances. The first chance being saved by the Blair goalie, Ben Nourse who parried the ball back at Scarlat, setting up Scarlat for another chance but this time he hit the bar.

But Bearsted’s attacking start to the game came to a halt when a Blair shot was cleared off the line, but Marshall Ratten was on the edge of the box to pick the ball up and then calmly slot it into the bottom right to make it 1-0 to Blair. This goal seemed to change the attacking spirit into Blair’s favour as plenty of chances started to come their way.

David Abe was the creator of these chances with his first chance just narrowly missing. Abe then went on an incredible run and almost made it 2-0 to Blair but his shot was just dragged wide. Bearsted just couldn’t defend the attacks as Ratten then got through on goal but his shot hit the post and finished an intense first half.

Some would say it couldn’t get any more intense than the first half, but it did. Bearsted came out looking for the equalizer when a pass split open the Blair defense but it couldn’t get past Nourse in goal who came out and caught the ball.

Blair then went straight up the other end with a response coming from Ross Ibbertson whose shot went well wide of the goal. Bearsted then responded to this attack and came close to an equalizer when Reece Collins burst down the wing and crossed it in towards the box with an incredible ball, but no one was there to finish.

But Blair looked to close the curtains on Bearsted as they recreated a famous scene from a Champions League Semi-Final when Pat Bishenden went on a great run through the Bearsted defence.

Bishenden then came one on one with the keeper Scott Andrews who rushed out to try and close down Bishenden’s chance but there was no stopping the cool, calm and collected striker who skipped past Andrews and slotted the ball straight into an empty net making it 2-0 to Blair.

However, this 2-0 cushion didn’t stop Bearsted as they continued on fighting with a shot coming from Scarlat but it was straight down the throat of Nourse in goal. Then Ratten destroyed the chance of Bearsted coming back with a great show of pace that got him through on goal. Ratten then put it over Andrews to make it 3-0 to Blair and what had to be game over.

But Bearsted just didn’t stop. A great chance fell for David Baranowski who was through on goal but Nourse brought the chance to a halt by pulling off a good save.

Then another good chance was thrown away as James Bessey-Saldanha picked the ball up on the edge of the box, but his shot went blazing over the top of the crossbar.

Then, all of a sudden, Bearsted pulled a goal out of thin air in the 80th minute. Peter Williams who had just been brought on as a sub got in on goal and coolly chipped it over Nourse who looked like he wasn’t going to be beaten in this match.

Blair responded to this chance as they got 2 on 1 with Ratten making an incredible run and unselfishly squared it towards Abe who took the touch then shot. It should have been 4-1 but Abe’s shot hit the crossbar.

Bearsted then responded and got a goal from this response with Williams’ shot finding the bottom right of Nourse’s goal. Blair really needed to hold out the Bearsted attacks, but they just couldn’t with 1 minute remaining and the last kick of the game, Bearsted found the equalizer which looked to have come from an own goal.

A quick low cross thundered across the wet pitch and plenty of players were drawn towards this perfect ball. Players from both teams then slid in to poke the ball in and somehow the ball did find its way into the back of the net!

Hossain Tavakolli then blew his whistle to bring an entertaining game to an end with Hollands & Blair having to settle with the one point after a very poor defence in this last 10 minutes cost them all 3.

 

Hollands & Blair FC: Ben Nourse, Harrison Pont, Jason Fregene (Captain), Ross Ibbertson, Billy Johnson, Calvin Sedenu, Jordan Gallagher (Charlie Dale and Yellow Card), Lee Garlinge (Jason Mensah), Pat Bishenden (Damon Lanckmans), David Abe, Marshall Ratten.

 

Subs not used: Callum Peck and Jason Hayes

 

Bearsted FC: Scott Andrews, Ryan Golding, Cameron Croucher, Andy Foster, Graeme Andrews (Captain), Matthew Hathaway (David Baranowski), Reece Collins (James Bessey-Saldanha), Jon Rogers, Constantine Scarlat (Peter Williams), Matt Garner, Lucian Scarlat

 

Subs not used: Matt Weller and Rob Lyall

 

 

 

Report Co Written by Ethan Fergusson.