Crowborough Athletic’s gallant pursuit of Ashford United at the top of the Southern Counties East Football League ended in disappointment in the Gillingham sunshine.

The Crows were desperate for an Ashford slip up as they took to the Star Meadow pitch, but in the end were left frustrated by a Hollands and Blair side who were forced to play the final 38 minutes of the season with just ten men.

After a desperate first half which wasn’t helped by the visitors losing Sam Carrington and Lee Carey through injury – where the only chance of note was a Carey free kick for the visitors which twice crashed into the Blair wall – the second half in all honesty wasn’t a great deal better and really only came to life in the last ten minutes!

By then the home side had been reduced to ten men after full back Jack West was shown a straight red card by official Cutler after an altercation with Jason Barton.  To be fair to the official he was well placed and his response was instant to the clash, but few in the crowd could see why Mr Cutler had produced a red card.  It was later confirmed that the card was for “attempted gouging” but at the time it seemed very harsh…

Crowborough enjoyed the possession but didn’t look to have the cutting thrust that had served them so well all season, and it took 80 minutes for either keeper to make a save of note – but what a save it was!  Blair’s keeper Ronan Forde going full length to somehow reach Zac Attwood’s low drive…  and finally it sparked both sides into action and what a finale they gave to the spectators who had until that point been basking in the sunshine!

Unbelievably it was the ten men who almost broke the deadlock after a great ball in from Joe Sharp released sub Anthony Jeffers who was initially denied by keeper Dan Ellis before at the second attempt Blair’s young replacement was denied by a tremendous goal line clearance.  At the other end Forde then brilliantly tipped over Barton’s free header from a corner and Crowborough’s own substitute Dan Parry blazed well wide despite almost having the freedom of the penalty area!

Just to prove it wasn’t the visitors day veteran defender Jon Scarborough was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time which again seemed extremely harsh especially as it came in added time in the season’s final game.

In some respects Scarborough’s dismissal summed up the day for Crowborough whilst for Blair an eighth placed finish in Bryan Greenfield’s first season in charge left them wondering what could have been as they signed off their own campaign with just a solitary win in their final ten games.

HOLLANDS & BLAIR – Ronan Forde, Jack West, Louis Valencia, Lewis Taylor, Billy Johnson, Tom Staff, Jack Simon, Michael Jenner (Anthony Jeffers 80), Joe Sharp, Gary Lockyer, Brad Webb (Archie Miller 76)

Subs – Damien Hodge, Bryan Greenfield

CROWBOROUGH ATHLETIC – Dan Ellis, Dan Tear (Dan Perry 57), Tom Boddy, Jason Barton, John Scarborough, JackTurner, Sam Crabb, Lee Carey (Lewis Unwin 27), Zac Attwood, Sam Carrington (Henry Muggeridge 22), Gabriel Odunaike

Subs – Tom Pearson, Jamaal King