Faversham welcomed fellow Kent side Hythe Town to Salters lane on a warm muggy evening at Salters Lane with both sides looking to follow on their success in the FA cup from the weekend into their respective Ryman league south campaigns.
The match started at blistering pace and Hythe took the lead with exactly a minute on the clock. Josh Burchell left wing cross was knocked down at the back post by Kenny Pogue into the path of the onrushing Sam Adams who fired a low shot low down to the keepers right.
In a very bright start by both sides, Hythe were to go close again,.Alfie May put a ball over the top for Frankie Sawyer, who rounded the goalkeeper but his effort was tame and was easily cleared from the goal line by defender Matt Bourne.
After a frenetic opening 10 minutes, the game settled down with the visitors in control for the most part, winning all the 50/50 challenges, before Faversham equalised from nowhere in the 28th minute.
George Monger found himself 25 yards from goal and struck an unstoppable strike left footed into the top left corner, hitting the underside of the bar and the stanchion in the process, in what surely will be the goal of the season. Suddenly, the home side were on top with Josh stanford firing just wide before Kieron Campbell shot straight at the keeper after cutting in from the right as the visitors suddenly found themselves all hands to the deck.
They survived to the break as the sides went in level at the break in an entertaining first half of football with both sides having dominated certain periods of the game.
Faversham started the second half brightly, continuing as they finished the first half by pushing the visitors back towards their own goal with only the final ball stopping their attacks from flourishing into chances on goal. It was Hythe however that forced either keeper into the first save of the second half. Captain Craig Cloke knock down from a corner found its way to Dave Cook, whose acrobatic shot forced Godmon to claw the ball over for a corner.
Faversham were still doing the majority of the attacking, zipping the ball about on the dry surface with Josh Stanford beginning to cause trouble down the left, his final ball letting him down when Grant was free in the centre.
For all the pretty football from Faversham, it was a punt up field and a flick on that created a half chance for Dean Grant on the turn in the box but the striker shot over under pressure. The home side still looked fragile at the back however, Ryan Cooper’s chest back to the keeper was misguided and substitute Richard Atkins stole into to bobble a shot towards goal that Godmon did well to smother.
The game was end to end as we entered the last 15 minutes with miraculous blocks from defenders at both ends of the pitch to keep out Luke Harvey for Faversham and then Frankie Sawyer seconds later for the visitors. Hythe retook the lead with 9 minutes remaining.
A corner from the right found Nick Reeves whose bullet header was fantastically saved by Godmon but only into the path of Alfie May who poked home from two yards to the delight of the few visiting fans behind the goal to give the visitors a crucial 3 points in the fledgling Ryman south table.
Faversham: Godmon, Cooper ©, Tenyue, Carrington, Bourne, Scarborough ( Harvey 23), Bewick (King 86), Campbell, Grant, Monger, Stanford
Subs not used: Dawodu, Ratcliff, Cheek
Yellow cards: Monger ( 8 mins)
Hythe: Mant, Webster, Burchell ( Gillett 47), Johnson, Cloke ©, Reeves, Cook, Adams, Sawyer, May, Pogue ( Atkins 62)
Subs not used: Saunders, Algar, Jackson,
Yellow cards: Johnson 79
Referee: Mr R Head