Having clocked up two impressive consecutive away wins SLADE GREEN slumped to their third straight home defeat, when they went down to a Holmesdale side, who in their second season in the league, recorded their tenth Premier win within the opening 3 months of the season. It was a result that consolidated Holmesdale’s place at the top of the Kent League table, the goals coming at regular intervals (18, 57 & 73 minutes) via Joel Hughes, Matt Stares and Joel Greaves. The game was virtually ended as a contest when, just seconds after conceding their second goal, Green’s woeful disciplinary record was exacerbated by Dan Westerman picking up two yellow cards within 2 minutes and thereby reducing Green to ten men with still over half an hour remaining. Sam May along with manager Matt Longhurst and Assistant Manager Terry Ratchford also went into the referee Beadle’s notebook.

The first half of Saturday’s N.W. Kent combat saw Holmesdale posing Green a litany of problems down the right flank as their direct dashes towards the by-line created uncertainty in the home defence. It was such a scenario that had Joel Greaves whipping the ball across goal for Joel Hughes to drag it into the net from 5 yards out. Holmesdale also managed four other efforts on target in the first half, each capably handled by keeper Martin Grant. At the other end Green propelled three darts wide of the board, although they did put in a confident appeal for a penalty on 12 minutes when Lee Barnett’s header from Dan Westerman’s cross appeared to be handled in the box by visiting defender Ray Tolfrey. Referee Beadle said ‘no’.

The 5 minutes after the break rated as Green’s best period as they strove for a leveller. Four crosses mostly from the left tested keeper Danny Harwood’s goal, but it was the one centre from the right by wideman Westerman which landed on top of the far left side of the cross-bar before bouncing back into play, as on 57 minutes Matt Stares scrambled the ball home following goalmouth melee created by a cross from the right.

Then followed Westerman’s dismissal, shortly after Ryan Pacey put Joel Greaves through, and he swept past home keeper Grant’s challenge to raise the visitors goal tally to three. Six substitutions, a flurry of cards directed at a now dishevelled Green outfit, these distractions all contributed to 5 minutes if time being added on at the end. And during this extra period ex Green favourite, Lee Morgan, and the ever threatening Greaves both eschewed chances to increase Holmesdale’s margin of victory. But come the final whistle ‘Dale were happy to boost their goal difference to the height’s of plus 16. Green were left wondering what went wrong.