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Sevenoaks Town Youth 4 v 4 Glebe Youth
1-0 Duncan (21), 2-0 Duncan (25), 2-1 Braddick (35),
3-1 McDonald (50) (og), 3-2 McDonald (58), 3-3 Powell (63),
4-3 Muzunye (83), 4-4 Jallim (85).
On a cold chilly day this match was an excellent advert for the Kent Youth League with two good footballing sides playing attractive passing football .
It was a fairly uneventful start with the first opening not coming until the 16th minute when Rashaar Smirkle’s throughball put Louis Henry in on goal but Sevenoaks keeper Nicky Tolhurst was quickly off his line to make a good block on the edge of his box.
Minutes later Smirkle made space well on the edge before hitting a fierce dipping shot that Tolhurst gathered moving to his left. The home side then took the lead on 21 minutes with a goal that had a touch of fortune to it.
The impressive Sam Harris sent over a deep corner from the left to the far post which fell to Lovejoy Muzunye who flicked the ball back into the crowded goalmouth where a Glebe defender in trying to clear smashed the ball against Elliot Duncan sending the ball flying back into the net. It was two shortly afterwards when Duncan’s floated free kick from wide left deceived the stretching Glebe keeper Ted McDonald as the ball sailed over his outstretched arm and into the top far corner of the net. Muzunye then had a shot from the edge of the box fly just over before on 28 minutes Sevenoaks were awarded another free kick some 25 yards from goal.
Their free kick specialist Duncan bent the ball around the Glebe defensive wall but this time McDonald moving smartly to his left made the save.
Glebe centre forward Smirkle was looking dangerous every time he got the ball and just after the half hour mark he turned well before hitting a powerful shot that flashed narrowly wide.
Then good closing down by Sevenoaks almost earned them a third goal when Sam Braddick’s attempted clearance was charged down by Caleb Edorh, the ball flying to Duncan who stretching managed to toe poke it goalwards but McDonald was able to get down low to his left and turn it out for a corner. Glebe then pulled a goal back on 35 minutes when a Jonas Whitmore corner from the right found the run of the unmarked Braddick to the near post, who stooping was able to head the ball home low to the left of Tolhurst.
A sweeping passing move then nearly saw Sevenoaks restore their two goal margin as Charlie Pickard’s crossfield pass found the run of Harris down the left and he raced forward before whipping over a deep cross that flew over McDonald but landed on the roof of the net.
Just before half time the home side went close again when a Harry Edwards pass put Edorh in on goal on the left of the area and he cut back inside and hit a rasping drive that McDonald saved well low at his right hand post.
It was the visitors who had the first chance of the second half when Ben James, with the wind behind him, hit a 35 yard speculative shot that thudded into the chest of Tolhurst.
Mis-communication in the Glebe defence then gifted Sevenoaks a third from Braddick’s back pass to McDonald, who had advanced off his line to receive the ball but slipped as it was reaching him and could only slice it back into his own net.
The visitors were not discouraged by this mishap and had a good spell of possession as they tried to get back into the match.
Firstly Whitmore’s deft pass put Oscar Powell in on goal but Tolhurst was quickly off his line to make a good close range save before Kai George had a 25 yard shot fly narrowly over.
Glebe did reduce the arrears on 58 minutes with another bizarre goal when McDonald’s wind assisted free kick from the half way line was allowed to bounce in the crowded box by the Sevenoaks defence and with Tolhurst, perhaps put off by the multitude of players in front of him, unmoving as the ball flew into the top corner of his net.
Glebe then drew level through a superb strike from Powell, who picking the ball up some 25 yards from goal rifled home an unstoppable shot that flew home high to the left of Tolhurst.
Having been pegged back it was then the turn of the home side to have the majority of the play as they looked to regain the lead.
Muzunye had a shot on the turn saved by McDonald before Dio Sartori’s excellent lofted pass put Edorh in on goal but his low shot was well saved by McDonald diving to his left.
On 77 minutes another good passing Sevenoaks move saw Sartori’s pass find Duncan down the left who in turn played in the over-lapping Harris who dribbled into the area where his close range shot was blocked by McDonald.
Another mix-up in the Glebe defence on 83 minutes looked as if it would gift the home side all the points when a long ball forward was headed back by Braddick to his keeper, who had unfortunately ventured off his line to cut out the original pass, leaving the ball bouncing towards the un-guarded goal with Muzunye just getting to it and firing it home from close range before McDonald could get back.
However amazingly a minute later Glebe were again level when James’s long ball into the box was neatly touched home from close range by Tafari Jallim low to the left of Tolhurst. Duncan then had a free kick from wide left fly narrowly wide across the face of goal before in stoppage time Paul Driver had a long range shot fly just over.
