Despite the best efforts of Storm Amy, Phoenix Sports and Corinthian put on an entertaining start to the Southern Counties East Football League 2025 weekend.
By Sunday evening, the group of ground-hoppers will have attended six matches and their mission started with an enthralling Premier Division encounter.
Kicking off with the wind in their favour, the visitors tested Sam Freeman, the Phoenix goalkeeper, almost directly from the start when he was required to turn away a Jack Billings forty-five yard effort unconvincingly.
Will Efambe had a chance for the Sports that was thwarted when a Corinthian defender charged him down quickly and deflected it wide. Then a pass over the top put Jerson Dos Santos in behind but his shot across goal went wide of the far post.
In the seventeenth minute, Corinthian went ahead. A Jack Billings near post corner was headed into his own net by player-manager Jake Goodman under pressure from Caleb Afoke. It was not how Goodman would have wanted to commemorate his first match of being the boss after a spell as interim manager.
Four minutes later, it got worse for the hosts. Harry Barnes was cautioned for a late tackle, and his punishment was compounded when James Billings launched it forward and Tom Mitcham got on the end of it just ahead of Freeman to touch it home.
Mitcham then knocked a long pass down to Ross Obazee whose effort was saved and Obazee again went close when heading another near post corner into the side netting. As half time approached, Shawn Jewett-Ricketts came close to extending the lead when clipping an effort just over.
Early in the second half, Fletcher Carnell-Davis had a shot pushed over the bar at the second attempt by Freeman before the former Cray Valley PM goalkeeper made a brilliant reaction save from Obazee to keep his team in the game.
Lyle Della-Verde had a free kick held by Corinthian goalkeeper Toby Waller before the experienced midfielder hit a thirty yard shot narrowly wide.
Twelve minutes remained when the hosts pulled one back. A Harry Smart corner was headed home by new captain Ahkeem Belford.
Smart then broke two tackles as Phoenix started to apply more pressure but he shot wide from the edge of the penalty area. Barnes had a shot blocked before the hosts levelled in the ninetieth minute. Corinthian defenders made brave blocks from two efforts, however it came out to Jensen Grant and he fired home inside the far post.
There was still time for Corinthian’s Akash Santhosh to hit a shot that bounced into the arms of Freeman and then for Smart to head over at the other end after good work by fellow substitute Tyler Anderson.
That was as close as either team got to winning the match before they were forced to settle for a point apiece.
Phoenix Sports: Freeman, Aboagye, Grant, Goodman, Belford; Efambe (Smart 71), Barnes (Anderson 82), Morrison; Della-Verde, Younghah; Dos Santos. Subs not used: Anderson, Morris, Procter, Reid-Newth.
Goal scorers: Belford (78), Grant (90)
Yellow cards: Barnes (20 foul), Freeman (22 dissent)
Corinthian: Waller; Jack Billings, James Billings, Afoke (Williams 74), Wilson; Cheeseman; King, Jewson-Ricketts, Carnell-Davis; Obazee (Akash Santhosh 82), Mitcham. Subs not used: Drummond, Hodasi, Akshar Santhosh.
Goal scorers: Goodman og (17), Mitcham (21)
Yellow cards: Afoke (72 foul), Carnell-Davis (90+7 foul)
Referee: Oliver Storey
Assistants: Martin Belsom and Jerry Onyeka Nnamani
Attendance: 350