Title rivals Lewisham Borough and AFC Whyteleafe took a break from league action when they met in the Southern Counties East Football League Division One Cup.

Lloyd Davis elected to put out a strong team for the hosts while the visitors fielded a mixture of first team and fringe players. The difference told as the hosts controlled the game from start to finish.

They thought that they had gone ahead early on when Bryan Zepo’s shot ricocheted into the path of Zacchius Ajose. He netted but his joy was cut short by an offside flag.

Gaspar Mico dribbled a shot wide for the visitors before Lewisham were again on the attack. Zepo got in behind the defence but James Shaw made the right decision in not coming out which allowed him to make a good save. 

Shaw was again in action when doing well to push Ajose’s shot over, but there was nothing that he could do to stop the Borough from going ahead. Ajose slung in a corner that demanded a finish and Adeyinka Adekunle obliged with a close range header.

Khiani Shombe, the Lewisham goalkeeper, then had to be alert when a miss-placed defensive header allowed Temi Alaka to burst through. Shombe made a tough tackle leaving the Whyteleafe player in a heap but calls for a penalty, or for a yellow card for diving, were ignored correctly by the referee.

Zepo then found Ajose who played it on to Freddie Horlock. His shot had the accuracy but not the power to beat Shaw. As half time approached, Montel Williams skewed a shot wide after a slick enterprising Borough move.

Mico’s trickery gave him a chance for a shot early in the second period. Although his effort was blocked out it fell to Helge Okome who skied his effort.

Just shy of the hour mark, Zepo dispossessed Antone Douglas allowing him a run on goal. As he rounded Shaw, the goalkeeper clipped him but didn’t knock him down. A fraction of a second before Zepo netted, the referee blew his whistle to award a penalty. That meant that he had no option but to dismiss Shaw for denying Lewisham a goalscoring opportunity. Okome donned the goalkeepers shirt, and after a very long wait, Zepo passed the spot kick into the bottom corner.

Seven minutes later, the hosts ended the contest. A cross from the right was flicked on by Darrel Thompson and Zepo tapped into the empty net.

Against ten men, Lewisham continued to flood forward. Zepo sent a free kick over then he pulled it back for substitute Nana Kuffour who headed wide. Zepo volleyed wide from Donnell Scarlett’s cross before Shombe had a rare piece of the action when he smothered Taurean Roberts’ attempt.

Helge twice saved Khayrie Harris then the makeshift goalkeeper’s clearance hit a defender and fell into the path of Horlock who struck a first time effort wide.

In stoppage time, Shombe was finally called into making saves, first from a drive from Dami  Olorunnisomo and then at the near post to thwart Mico.

He was not to be beaten, though, and Lewisham saw out the remaining minutes comfortably.

Lewisham Borough: Shombe, Thomas, Scarlett, Williams, Harvey, Burton, Ajose, Adekunle, Zepo,  Horlock, Harris.

Subs: Amposah, Thompson, Kuffour, Brown, Beqiri

Goal scorers: Adekunle (35), Zepo pen (61), (68)

Yellow cards: Horlock

AFC Whyteleafe: Shaw, Olorunnisomo, Teodorescu, Leeward, Osei, Clark, Alaka, Orome, Roberts, Mico, Mensah.

Subs: Douglas, Hibbert-Delgado, Ward, McGeoghegan, Orlebar.

Goal scorers: None

Yellow cards: Leeward, Orlebar

Red card: Shaw

Referee: Mitchell Jukes

Assistants: Thomas Amber and Oliver Storey

Attendance: 56