If you wanted a team to move top of a League in style, then this was it as the race for the Kent Invicta League took another turn!
With morning leaders Phoenix Sports clicking their heels, Hollands and Blair moved to the summit of the League with as one sided a victory as you could ever witness – and all that after Eltham Palace took the lead inside the opening two minutes!
Sadly that was as good as it got for the visitors as eighty eight horrendous minutes later they were to leave this part of Gillingham, on the wrong end of a humiliating defeat having also lost both central defenders to “lapses” of discipline!
Top scorer Ricky Freeman led the rout with four – taking his season’s tally to twenty nine – as Paul Piggott’s side took advantage of a Palace side that literally crumbled under wave upon wave upon wave of red shirted attacks as Blair went top of the table on goal difference from Phoenix as the race for the title took an intriguing twist.
Yes Phoenix may have three games in hand but they still have to play Blair, and should the Gillingham side win that game, then the end of the Invicta League’s second season could yet go to the wire.
But no one would have predicted the carnage that was to follow on this particular Saturday afternoon as Eltham took the lead in the second minute from the games first corner, Harry Rogers powered in a shot that thundered against Blair’s left post and following the ensuing melee, it was Rogers who rammed home the rebound to give the visitors the lead.
Blair responded almost instantly with Bryan Greenfield’s low drive bringing a stunning save out of Eltham keeper Ben Smith low to his left – the first of many that the keeper made during the game saving his side from an even worse hammering!
Stuart West then headed over Blair’s next chance before with only 12 minutes on the clock the home side levelled. A patient build up down the right saw the ball laid into Freeman whose through ball found Jordan Gallacher. Gallacher then cut inside and played a great pass to Mick Jenner who saw an opening and curled a super shot into the corner of the net beyond the despairing Smith’s dive.
Six minutes later and the wheels began to come off for the visitors as they not only did they go behind but they also lost central defender Danny Sandford to a moment of madness. The ball was played into the Eltham box and Freeman and Sandford clashed which left Freeman on the floor holding his face and as tempers flared, referee Cole consulted with one of his assistants before showing Sandford his second yellow card in three minutes as he pointed to the spot.
As tempers soared in the freezing conditions, Eltham’s Mark Naden was also shown a car for dissent, before Freeman stepped forward and held his nerve to net his 26th goal of the season.
Blair were now rampant – Billy Johnson’s header was cleared off the line by Steve Diamond before Freeman had a goal disallowed as Louis Valencia cleverly squared. Freeman though was not to be denied and a minute from half time, goal number 27 duly arrived – the impressive Gallacher saw his shot blocked by the over worked Smith in the Eltham goal only for Freeman to roll the rebound home. It could have been even worse for the visitors before the break, but Valencia this time had a goal chalked off.
The second half followed the same pattern – Blair piling forward and the magnificent Smith standing between the Gillingham side and a “cricket score”.
Only three minutes had passed in the second period when Smith pulled off his next stunning save – this time to deny Freeman’s header from another pin point Gallacher centre, before Gallacher himself joined the list of those denied by the Eltham keeper as Smith made a smart block with his legs. The young winger really was bewildering the visitors defence, and it was no surprise that one of his great runs was unceremoniously stopped on 56 minutes and Freeman duly completed his hat trick from the spot.
Eltham’s Palace finally collapsed on 58 minutes as they were reduced to nine men as skipper Robert Quick’s day was just about complete when he received his second yellow card for a clumsy challenge. Whilst some sides would have then just gone through the motion, Piggott must have been impressed as his side, if it were possible after what had already gone on, upped another gear – netting four times in twelve minutes!
Freeman added his fourth (and 29th of the season) from yet another Gallacher cross on 61 minutes – though it was especially tough on keeper Smith who produced a near miraculous save to keep out the strikers header only for the rebound to fall straight back to the striker who volleyed home.
Then it was the hard working Valencia’s turn to get on the score sheet netting twice in two minutes – his first and Blair’s 6th came on 65 minutes after Smith again denied Freeman with yet another brilliant save and yet again had no luck as the ball rebounded to Valencia who walked the ball into the net, before Valencia netted the goal of the game a minute later.
Jenner did well down the left and his centre dropped perfectly for the Blair number ten at the back post and his volley gave poor Smith in the Eltham goal no chance at all. Substitute Cliff Eldridge then completed the scoring on 73 minutes drilling the ball home from the edge of the box, although there was still time for the magnificent Smith to deny Freeman again – this time in stoppage time as the keeper produced his best save of a personally impressive performance with a staggering finger tipped touch over as Freeman looked odds on to score his 30th goal of the season.
When you look at the score line its hard to believe that a keeper who conceded eight in ninety minutes is a contender for the Man of the Match award especially when a player nets four times. But this was quite literally a one man rear guard action by Ben Smith that saved his side from an even bigger defeat, as Hollands and Blair went to the top of the League in some style. Whether they stay there is another matter, but the gauntlet now has definitely been laid down at Phoenix Sports front door.
HOLLANDS & BLAIR – James Smith, Jack West, Greenfield, Jenner, Johnson (Dampier), Stuart West (Chapman), Brookes, Freeman, Valencia, Gallacher (Eldridge).
Sub – Blackburn.
ELTHAM PALACE – Ben Smith, Lewis (Bunce), Diamond, Quick, Sandford, Beckingham, Whybrow (Belchamber), Rogers (Ciolek), Weston, Williams, Naden.
Subs – Dunne & Windsor.
Referee – Steve Cole
Assistants – Ian Crouch & Jaimie Goldthorp