Liam Smith’s 86th minute looping header rescued a deserved point for Hythe Town in a fast-paced Kent derby as they came from behind to deny Sevenoaks Town their third successive home League win at this early stage.
Reeling from their four nil home drubbing against Phoenix at the weekend, Steve Watts’ side were ahead courtesy of Frannie Collin’s strike on 27 minutes.
Their lead lasted for only four minutes though as Tyrell Richardson-Brown took advantage of a defensive slip.
The home side then went in front courtesy of Kyle De Silva’s penalty before Smith got on the end of a corner and looped the ball over the defence and wheeled away in celebration as the ball dropped into the net.
Hythe could have been in front before they scored as they went close twice. Firstly, cutting in from the right, Nick Dembele’s fierce drive produced a stunning save by Sevenoaks keeper Ben Bridle-Card, who somehow managed to tip the ball onto the bar.
Then from a Collin free kick, Dembele’s touch beat the keeper only for Dean Gunner to clear the ball off the line although some of the Hythe players were appealing for the goal.
The goal did come though shortly after as Collin did brilliantly to hold off a defender before drilling home. If Collin’s goal was a great strike, Richardson-Brown’s effort was perhaps even better as he drove home from the edge of the box after perhaps riding his luck in the build-up.
The chances kept coming as Dan Parkinson shot through the crowd only for Hythe keeper Nathan Harvey to somehow save well before on the stroke of half time, the keeper reacted even quicker and smarter to De Silva’s deflected effort.
In between, Collin will have felt that he should have put Hythe back in front, but after rounding Bridle-Card, he ran out of room and the angle in the end proved too tight.
There was no let up to the extraordinary pace of the game and if anything, the second half got even quicker with the surface of the Bourne Stadium pitch even slicker under what turned into near torrential rain.
Dembele beat the Oaks keeper to a corner but couldn’t head into the net before Harvey pulled of a sensational save to deny Ryan Fowler as he went full length away to his left.
Dembele again went close with a volley that flew a yard wide taking a lot of the defence by surprise before with ten minutes left Mr Warren adjudged Tom Wynter to have handled a cross and De Silva thought he’d won the game for the home side.
Smith though had other ideas Collin’s deep corner was met by Smith well beyond the back post and the full back’s header looped back across the box and dropped just under the bar and into the net.
Honours even then in the pouring rain on a wet Wednesday night in Sevenoaks.
SEVENOAKS TOWN – Bridle-Card, McFarlane, Taylor, Parkinson (Holmes), Tennett, Gunner, Wright (Davisson), Fowler, Thompson (Deakin), De Silva, Richardson-Brown
Subs – Ripley & Elliott
HYTHE TOWN – Harvey, Smith, Gordon, Rogers, Wynter, Beckwith, K Dembele (Brown), Webster, Flisher (Walmsley), Collin, N Dembele
Subs – Botley, Trespaderne & Oldaker
REFEREE – Mr Warren