Ruthless Erith Town defeated Sevenoaks Town in an entertaining Isthmian League South East Division encounter at the JM Clark stadium in Thamesmead.

Four unanswered goals gave the scoreline an emphatic look, but it was harsh on the visitors who had a number of chances of their own and played their part in the excitement.

Nathan Jeche hsd the first chance of the match for the Oaks with a shot that was saved easily by Harrison Firth then Tolulope Jonah’s acrobatic volley flew just wide. Therefore it was slightly against the run of play when the home team went ahead. James Dyer delivered a corner and Michael Arthey headed it home at the near post.

Dyer then had a chance of his own when James Miles burst forward and put him through but his side footer flew well over. Jonah was denied twice in the visitors’ next foray, first when his shot was cleared off the line by Harry Taylor, and then when his follow up was saved low by Firth.

Jack Holland headed over for Erith from an AJ Dyche free kick before they doubled their lead seven minutes before the break. Dyer’s fierce thirty-five yard free kick flew back off the crossbar and Deven Reid-Solanki was first to the rebound and he fired home. 

Early in the second period, Taylor got on the end of a Miles free kick but Harry Brooks got down to smother it. However, the Sevenoaks goalkeeper was beaten again four minutes later. He got a hand to Reid-Solanki’s powerful drive but it appeared to be going in before Taylor made sure when prodding it over the line.

Taylor spotted Brooks off his line and went for an audacious forty-five yard shot that flew well wide before Jeche went close for the Oaks with a header that was nodded off the line by Dyer. Ross Craig fired high over for the Dockers then Kevin Diomande shot across the face of goal at the other end.

End to end football continued when Dyer got on the end of a Craig cross and looped a header onto the top of the bar and over then Firth was well positioned to save Tamas Amgbaduba’s flicked header. Tobii Adaje’s side footer went over from the edge of the area then Brooks beat out a fierce drive by Tahjae Anderson.

Still striving for a goal, Adaje sent a shot straight down Firth’s throat, Noah Carney flicked a near post header wide of the other upright, and a shot by Ayo Majekodunmi rolled harmlessly wide.

However, it was the Dockers who rounded off the evening by scoring a fourth with three minutes remaining. Dyer closed down a defender and nicked it away to former Sevenoaks striker Jefferson Aibangbee, and his rocket flew past a helpless Brooks just inside the post.

Erith Town: Firth; Craig (Blunn 73), Holland, Wenham, Dythe; Dyer, Miles (Goodwin 69); Reid-Solanki (Tahjae Anderson 58), Arthey (Valler 58), Tyler Anderson (Aibangbee 58); Taylor.

Unused subs: None. 

Goal scorers: Arthey (15), Reid-Solanki (39), Taylor (49), Aibangbee (87)

Yellow cards: Arthey (51 foul), Taylor (76 foul)

Sevenoaks Town: Brooks; Diomande, Jonah, Dickens, Davidson (Amgbaduba 39); Majekodunmi; Carney, Borders, Moumi Goueth (Perez 54), Barrington (Adaje 41); Jeche.

Unused sub: Howard. 

Goal scorers: None 

Yellow card: Diomande (42 foul)

Referee: Ben McDonald

Assistants: Ben Marshall and Liam Dawson

Attendance: 189

Pictures supplied by Steve Blunn.