Becks’ first competitive game since March 14th saw a couple of goals in either half book their place in the next round as they ran out comfortable 4-0 winners down on the South Coast.

Goals from Steve Townsend and a Ryan Hall penalty in the first-half were followed by Junior Kaffo’s header just after the break and a fourth with 15 minutes left from new skipper Harvey Brand.

Just one new face appeared in the starting eleven with centre-half Callum Henry (an offseason pickup from Nuneaton Borough) partnering Rob Carter in central defence. The pair were flanked by Jamie Brown at RB and Archie Johnson at LB. In a 4-3-3 formation Junior Kaffo provided the holding midfield role sitting behind Brand and Bertie Valler. Hall led the line flanked by the mercurial Stefan Cox on the right and Townsend on the left.

Becks started the brighter with Brand’s close range volley forcing an early corner and wingers Cox and Townsend both looking lively and forced early if comfortable saves. The major talking point in the first fifteen minutes however was the repercussions of a fan inadvertently disturbing a wasp’s nest on the grass bank which saw a number of spectators quickly scattering for cover.

Twenty minutes in and having enjoyed the bulk of possession Becks took a deserved lead. Townsend won possession and fed the overlapping Archie Johnson whose cutback cross found Townsend now advanced to the edge of the ‘D’. Checking back he unleashed a shot that deflected off Mile Oak’s Foster to cruelly wrong-foot the keeper at the near post and give the visitors the lead. 

The same duo then combined down the left again just minutes later to play in Cox at the far post and after his effort was well saved, Brand’s attempt to turn in from close range was eventually scrambled away in a melee. 

After having an earlier tap-in correctly ruled out for an offside during the build-up, Ryan Hall then won and converted a penalty six minutes before half-time to put Becks firmly in control. Played in by Brand, Hall was heading away from goal when he, keeper and defender converged. Feeling the contact, the experienced striker did not need a second invitation to go to ground. To derisory shouts from the home fans, the referee had no hesitation awarding the spot-kick. Stenning in goal dived low to his right and got a hand to Hall’s penalty but couldn’t prevent the ball from finding the corner of the net.

Just three minutes after the break the game was effectively ended as a contest when Junior Kaffo timed his run perfectly, ghosting in from a Bertie Valler corner and deftly glancing a near post header into the opposite corner for Becks third goal of the night. 

During a scruffy period punctuated by shots from Johnson, Hall and Kaffo and more Beckenham corners, a rare defensive lapse almost gifted the hosts a route back into the game. Henry – who had looked very assured up until this point – mistimed a defensive header. Michael McEntegart in goal did well to save low from Mile Oak forward Martin.

Archie Johnson was then booked for a silly trip having been fouled moments before. The LB responded just a minute after new forward Tunde Aderonmu’s introduction for Valler by providing the cutback from the by-line that saw an unmarked Brand arrive to sweep in number four with a first time effort that climaxed a quick-fire counter.

To their credit Mile Oak kept going but with substitute forwards Tyrone Pink and Jamie Humphris both having joined the fray, it was Becks who looked more likely to score again before the referee finally blew for full-time.

Job done. The result booked Beckenham a ticket to the Preliminary Round where they will play away at league rivals Tunbridge Wells on Saturday September 12th 2020.

BECKS LINEUP McEntegart; Brown, Johnson, Carter, Henry, Kaffo, Cox (Pink), Valler (Aderonmu), Hall, Brand (c), Townsend (Humphris)

Subs not used: Robertson, Medita, Wilson (GK)

Att: 285