A James Jeffrey hat trick for nine-man Lordswood propelled the Medway side to within two points of the SCEFL Play Off places whilst leaving Kennington pinned to the wrong end of the table with Stansfeld. 

No one in the League have lost fewer games than Matt Barman’s young side and despite playing with ten men from the twenty-seventh minute and with nine for the final half hour, despite some scares at the back, this result was really never in doubt and left Kennington to face the trip back down the M20 to do a lot of soul searching. 

The game was open from the start and in the opening minutes, the visitors were gifted a golden opportunity as the home side gave the ball away trying to play out from the back.

There was huge hesitation between keeper Tom Hadler and his defenders and Finn Dent was presented with a chance to give the strugglers the lead but shot over from close range.  

In their first attack, Artem Kuchkov went close for the home side – Kennington keeper Joe Mant saving at full stretch to tip the low drive round the post. 

The home side were in front on eleven minutes as a Josh Reid corner ricocheted around the box and Jeffrey was on hand to sweep home his eleventh goal of the season. 

Jeffrey was denied a second shortly afterwards as he shot into the side netting from an acute angle before the home side did double their advantage at the midway point of the first half.

Reid’s good run found Kuchkov and the young Ukrainian’s effort took a wicked deflection and looped over Mant and into the net. 

The home side were reduced to ten men on twenty-seven minutes when Quadri Green was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge on Tommy Scorer, but the visitors failed to take advantage and Kuchkov had an effort beaten away by Mant following a long throw. 

On an unpredictable evening for the official, he must be complimented on the advantage he played in the centre circle as Lordswood made it three-nil before the break.

Skipper Archie Risden was crudely fouled as the home side broke but because Jeffrey was away, the official superbly waved play on as the Lordswood striker streaked away before sliding the ball into the net.  

The ten men were rampant – Jeffrey was denied a first half hat trick by the keeper’s right boot and Freddie Oliver was inches away with a crashing volley from a brilliant, angled ball from Harvey Broad, but Mant pulled off the save of the game to concede a corner. 

Kennington’s numerical advantage increased on the hour when Reid was shown a straight red card following a fracas and a coming together of referee and assistant, but the visitors could not find a way through a home defence brilliantly marshalled by Ryan Neal and Joel Odeniran, whilst the chances kept coming at the other end.

Rahman Kareem’s terrific run seemed to be halted rather crudely but the referee waved play on; home sub-Jay Hards raced onto Risdon’s through ball only to run out of room as he rounded the keeper. 

The home side did get the fourth that they deserved after Jeffrey was fouled by a defender and after dusting himself down, the tall Lordswood number nine completed his hat-trick from 12 yards. 

Naturally enough playing with nine eventually saw the home side start lagging and late on Dent fired in a low drive that skidded wide of the post across the greasy surface, and Hadler was almost caught out by Harry Lavender’s late dipping free-kick – the keeper furiously back pedalling to tip the ball over the bar. 

Lordswood move up to tenth in the table but with six points covering positions four to eleven, the fight for the SCEFL Play Off places is only just beginning. 

LORDSWOOD – Crump, Kareem, Broad, Neal, Odeniran, Risdon, Reid, Kuchkov (Hards), Jeffrey (Peters), Oliver, Green 

Subs – Folako, Allan, Ajao 

KENNINGTON – Mant, Hughes (Griffin), Sutton, Miller (Calvert), Whitting, Owen (Lavender), Sommerville, Scorer, Dent, Fisher (Guali), Lightfoot (Chan) 

REFEREE – Mr Zachwieja