The new season’s DFDS Kent Senior Cup is up and running and Sittingbourne are the first side through after a come from behind win to beat Ashford United. 

With both sides out of the FA Cup, the game was rearranged for a Saturday afternoon which undoubtedly helped swell the gate to over one hundred and fifty on a glorious afternoon at Woodstock Park. 

Two evenly matched sides even though the home side did show five changes from Monday’s draw with Sheppey United.

Given that it wasn’t really a surprise saw a first half that really didn’t offer much until almost on the stroke of half time, the visitors struck as Danny Parish did what Danny Parish does best and arrived late at the far post to coolly nod past Bobby Mason to give Ashford a deserved lead on balance of play alone. 

The Brickies rallied after the break and began probing and probing to find a way forward and the introduction of Chris Harris and the fit again Darnell Kithambo certainly allowed the home side to start creating the better of the few chances that there were. 

After much huffing and puffing, Sittingbourne eventually levelled the scores as Harris got on the end of a fine through ball to coolly slot the ball past the advancing Jacob Russell in the Ashford net for his first Brickies. 

Penalties were now looking large, but less than ninety seconds later, good work from Harris and Casey Nolan-Samuel down the right, saw the full back power a low ball into the near post and arriving to steer the ball home was JB Fischer for his first competitive goal for the Club as well. 

The Brickies are now away to either holders Margate or Hythe Town in Round Two.

SITTINGBOURNE – Mason, Nolan-Samuel, Graham, Singh, Tyrie, Goodman, Theobalds, Fischer, Piorkowski, Splatt, Osei-Owusu 

Subs – Woodward, Bloomfield, Kithambo, Harris 

ASHFORD UNITED – Russell, Simms, Carlse, Brand, Tululope, Gorham, Bola, Dymond, Akofi, Parish, Draycott 

Subs – Knight, Towns, Carney, Azeez, Ovenden 

REFEREE – Mr McKay 

Images courtesy of Paul Golding