Party poopers Phoenix Sports scored a late winner to spoil Chislehurst Glebe’s celebrations when playing their first competitive game on their new 3g playing surface in their revamped stadium.
After a first half with few talking points other than one goal and the referee’s whistle, the second period was full of incident before the Sports went home with the three Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division points.
From the kick off, it was clear that Paul Agyer-Tabi’s whistle was sub standard however, it took him fifteen minutes to request a replacement. By that time, the visitors were already a goal ahead. In just the third minute, Lyle Della-Verde’s corner was headed back across the goal by Jake Goodman and Dominic Morgan-Griffiths struck it home cleanly from ten yards.
Joe Nelder fired over after a well worked Foxes corner routine fell into his path. Akheem Belford and Will Efambe then combined well to create an opening for the Sports’ Jerson Dos Santos, but his shot had no power and was too straight giving Nathan Edwards an easier than expected save.
Although having almost no back-lift, Montrell Deslandes hit a powerful shot wide for the hosts before Efambe’s twenty-yard drive was saved by Edwards at the second attempt.
Early in the second period, Tyler Anderson found Della-Verde on the edge of the penalty area but his attempted curler flew straight into the arms of Edwards. Chislehurst then started asking more questions. The Sports’ goalkeeper Sam Freeman was forced into a hurried clearance and it fell to Ryan Kelly whose first time effort from thirty-five yards flew over.
Muhammed Cham drilled a long range effort just wide then Nelder was thwarted by a Goodman goal line clearance. Jamie Philpot tried a chip from thirty yards that flew inches over with Freeman struggling before the Sports’ goalkeeper made a brilliant save with his feet to deny Khavarn Williams before recovering well to claim Deslandes’ follow up.
Having weathered the storm, Phoenix scored a second when Morgan-Griffiths delivered a corner and Goodman powered home his header from close range.
Three minutes later, the hosts pulled one back when Thibault Boud Abie lashed home a thunderous free kick. After two further minutes, the Foxes levelled. Philpot burst forward and unleashed a shot that struck a defender and came back to him His sweet connection with his follow up flew home giving Freeman no chance.
At that point, with the momentum in their favour, the hosts appeared most likely to go on and win it. Freeman was happy to turn another Boud Abie free kick around the post before Williams was unable to hit the target from distance.
Six minutes remained when the Sports stunned their hosts by going back ahead. Substitute Ben Morrison burst down the left wing and hit a fierce low cross that Edwards could only knock out. It fell into the path of Dos Santos and he bundled it home from five yards.
That appeared to deflate the Foxes and they might have conceded again in stoppage time when Efambe nicked it away from a defender and found Ellis Procter but he couldn’t get enough power on his shot to worry Edwards.
Moments later, the sound of the referee’s replacement whistle ended the proceedings with Phoenix the victors.
Glebe: Edwards; Maher (Hodasi 89), R. Green, Radojevic, Nelder; Boud Abie; Cham (Q. Green 81), Kelly, Williams; Deslandes (Lawrence 90), Philpot. Sub not used: Flynn, Bulti.
Goal scorers: Boud Abie (72), Philpot (74)
Yellow card: Deslandes (44 foul)
Phoenix Sports: Freeman; Aboagye, Goodman, Grant, Belford; Barnes (Campbell 81); Anderson, Morgan-Griffiths (Morrison 75), Della-Verde, Efambe; Dos Santos (Procter 89). Subs not used: Reid-Newth, Mills.
Goalscorers: Morgan-Griffiths (3), Goodman (68)
Yellow cards: Aboagye (72 foul), Della-Verde (71 foul), Belford (86 foul)
Referee: Paul Agyer-Tabi
Assistant Referees: Michael Dye and Kenechukwu Aghsili
Attendance: 210