Sevenoaks Town continued their recent revival with a backs to the wall hard earned point against high flying Sittingbourne as the visitors edged back into the Play Off places in the Isthmian Southeast despite dominating in the Greatness Park monsoon. 

The Brickies had the ideal start as skipper Liam Smith crashed his side ahead after only ten minutes, but a real piece of opportunism from Jefferson Aibangbee on the stroke of half time gave the home side something to hang onto and that is exactly what they did surviving wave after wave of yellow and blue pressure and indeed but for a very smart brave save from Sittingbourne keeper Harley Earle, sub Daniel Duncanson may well have won the game for the home side as the visitors just couldn’t find a way through and on when they did Joe Boachie was “denied” by the whistle of referee Parker as he crashed home after keeper Jordan Perrin had been “fouled”. 

Backed by significant numbers inside the ground and one very vocal fan wearing a sombrero on the hill overlooking Greatness Park, Sittingbourne flew out of the blocks in pouring rain, and were ahead on ten minutes as the home side could not deal with Richie Hamill’s delivery and Smith buried the ball past a motionless keeper. 

Perrin had to be at his sharpest to keep out Henry Sinai’s drive as the ball fell to the winger, with the home side extremely fortunate that the referee viewed a challenge on Jay Beckford as the ball came into the box a fair one. Troy Howard then almost caught Perrin out with a cross shot that swirled and dipped in the soaking conditions. Howard and Hamill then combined brilliantly down the right, with the formers cross inches away from being poked home by a sliding Ryan Kingsford. 

It was only late in the half that the home side showed anything going forward and Earle had to be fully alert to keep out a near point blank header before snaffling up Josh Wisson’s follow-up. The home side then equalised in the last minute of the half totally against the run of play as  Aibangbee raced onto Ayomide Majkodunmi’s through ball to poke the ball past the advancing keeper. 

The goal gave the home side something to cling onto as the visitors continued their dominance in the second period. Sinai tested Perrin at the foot of his right post, and the keeper was extremely fortunate to not concede when he dropped Hamill’s free kick but there was not a yellow and blue Sittingbourne shirt close enough to take advantage.  

Beckford was left in a heap for a second time as the Brickies piled forward in search of a winner but again referee Parker waved away the claims. Top scorer Mitch May on as a sub after injury crashed a shot into Perrin’s side netting, before the keeper’s second big let off as Boachie crashed home as the keeper spilled another ball into the box as the referee this time came to his aid. 

As the home side defended deeper and deeper, in a rare forward attack, Wisson had Earle sprawling to hold onto a low skidding shot as the visitors pressed more and more. Beckford and Kingsland combined well down the right and Boachie’s touch was scrambled off the line as the home side held on. Donvieve Jones will have been disappointed not to test Perrin from the edge of the box and when Codey Cosgrave’s effort took a deflection to take the ball away from the keeper only to drop agonisingly wide of the right post, even the most ardent Sittingbourne fan had to acknowledge that the winning goal just would not come – a point highlighted by the celebrations of some of the home fans at the final whistle with honours even. 

SEVENOAKS TOWN – Perrin, Diomande, Dickens, Bath, Sawyer, Wisson, Aibangee (Kileba), McLeod (Gray), Jeffrey, Eroter (Futa), Majkodunmi (Duncanson) 

Sub – Northwood 

SITTINGBOURNE – Earle, Lukombo (Steventon), Jones, El-Mogharbel (Cosgrave), Smith, Arthur, Sinai (May), Hamill, Kingsford, Beckford, Howard (Boachie) 

Sub – Gnahore 

REFEREE – Mr. Parker