Faversham Town moved second in the SCEFL Premier with a win at a soggy Snodland Town on Tuesday night with a performance that was only really lacking goals. 

That said, home skipper and stopper Shaun Wicks had an amazing night in the rain but was beaten just the once when Johan Caney-Bryan poked home what proved to be the only goal of the game after Callum Davies had headed a corner back across the goal for Caney-Bryan to apply the finishing touch from almost on the goal line. 

Repeatedly Wicks kept his side in the game as the home side struggled in front of the Faversham goal leading to a very frustrating night for the Lilywhites as Snodland put in a much-improved performance than Friday’s loss to Rusthall. 

Faversham were left to rue meeting a keeper in this much form and Tashi-Jay Kwayie in particular was left holding his head on several occasions, and the first of those was the game’s first chance as the visitor’s striker raced clear only to be denied by a keeper standing strong and true.

Kieron Campbell went close with a drive from a free kick before Faversham took the lead. A deep corner was headed back by Davies and Caney-Bryan was on hand to force the ball over the line to give the Lillywhite’s the deserved lead.

Kwayie will be disappointed not to have doubled the lead just before the break as he snatched at a Nathan Wood cross. 

If the first period had been one way traffic, the second half was played on a dual carriageway as how Faversham did not at the very least their lead was down to the Snodland keeper’s brilliance. 

Time and again Wicks denied the red charge down the slope at the GI Landscapes Stadium – he denied Kwayie with a stop with his legs; Caney-Byran saw a shot beaten out and then the rebound bundled behind and then from a Wood centre the Faversham striker was denied by a miraculous reflex stop; Wood was then stopped by a brave save – and all those were on top of Matt Newman sending a free header wide.

Davies and the keeper both finishing in the net after a brilliant free-kick into the Snodland box had eluded everyone and Ian Draycott facing clear not long after coming on as substitute beating the offside trap only to lob over the advancing Wicks for the ball to land on the roof of the net. 

Not even the sending off of Newman for two very soft yellow cards could knock Faversham out of their stride, but there was always a thought that with only one goal, the home side always had hope – hope that so nearly turned into reality when the ten men failed to deal with a ball into their box but there was not a yellow and blue shirt in sight to take advantage. 

Faversham now up to second in the table five points behind leaders VCD with a game in hand and two in front of third placed Punjab who have played the same eleven games as Faversham as the top three already seem to be breaking away from the pack. 

SNODLAND TOWN – Wicks, Cormack (Coltress), Lock, Gorse (Phillips), Paling (Brand), Hatton, Sobhee-Turner, Parle (Kasai), Oldfield (Ryan Thompson), Clark, Pepin 

FAVERSHAM TOWN – Russell, Ossai, Simms, Newman, Davies, Gorham, Wood, Collin, Caney-Bryan (Draycott), Kwayie, Campbell 

Subs – Hasler, Dan Thompson, Rooney, Bennett 

REFEREE – Mr. Bush