The race for the final play-off place in the Isthmian South East took yet another twist as Ashford United continued their fine end of season run with a 3-1 win over Sittingbourne.
The Brickies arrived at the Green Box stadium with points and goals to spare in their battle with Faversham Town for that last coveted place but left with just one goal and one point separating the two Swale sides with two games left as the Nuts and Bolts ran out deserved winners.
Ashford were ahead in the game as skipper Gary Lockyer touched home and they extended their lead just after the break when Miguel Scarlett blasted home. Ben Swift’s header gave Sittingbourne late hope late but the home sides wonderful run was stretched to a single defeat in thirteen as Lockyer drove home the third in the last minute.
Kicking with the gusting wind at their backs in the first half, Sittingbourne created the chances but couldn’t force the ball into the net.
From Henry Sinai’s magnificent early ball, Darren Foxley found himself in space at the back post but was caught between a header and a side-foot and only succeeded in looping a header onto the top of Roshan Greensall’s net.
The home side took the lead from one of their first attacks when Louie Collins and Oli Bates combined down the left and as Collins shot, the ball was steered in by Lockyer giving Rex Porter no chance at all.
A goal behind, the visitors created chances, one of which should have been taken before the break – Swift had a header cleared off the line from a Richie Hamill corner; Jean-Baptiste Fischer sent an angled lob bouncing wide; Jack Steventon couldn’t get the required connection on another Hamill freekick and from a hanging Hamill ball into the box, the half clearance went straight to Swift who fired well over.
The home side took less than five minutes to show the visitors how playing with the wind should be done after the break as they won the ball down the left and the ball into the box fell to Scarlett who hammered the ball past a hopelessly exposed Porter with some aplomb!
Sittingbourne went close to an immediate response as Mitch May seemed to have wrong footed Greensall with a shot, but the keeper recovered well to palm the ball to safety.
The Brickies then made a triple change which led to 45-year-old Derek Asamoah coming face to face with 41-year-old Barry Fuller in possibly the “oldest” match up of the weekend anywhere in the English Pyramid!
And whilst Asamoah gave Sittingbourne different options, it was the home side who continued to press – Kareem Isiaka was denied a tap in by Steventon whilst Lockyer blazed over from the edge of the box after good work from Jack Dixon.
There was hope of a late revival from the home side as from the third of three corners swung in quick succession from Hamill, after the first two had been scrambled behind for another corner, the third was powered home superbly by Swift to give the Brickies late hope… late hope that last all of two minutes as Isiaka’s cross drifted away from Porter and Lockyer netted the third and sealed the points.
ASHFORD UNITED – Greensall, Scarlett, Lewis, Fuller, Moses, Hasler, Dixon, West (Isiaka), Collins, Lockyer, Bates
Subs – Brooks, Garrett, Barnes, Hume
SITTINGBOURNE – Porter, Crowhurst, Graham, Hamill, Steventon, Swift, Sinai (Asamoah), Theobalds, May, Fischer (Smith), Foxley (Morgan)
Subs – Hoyte, Woodward
REFEREE – Mr. Joliffe
Images courtesy of Paul Golding