In grizzly weather conditions Sporting Club Thamesmead and Lewisham Borough CFC put on an entertaining Southern Counties East Football League Division One match that ended with the honours shared.
Heavy rain sheeted across the ground, made worse by a strong wind, yet both sets of players gave everything, putting on an excellent show. At home, the Acre are yet to win a league game while Lewisham have just one victory on the road so it was hardly a surprise that neither side was able to find a winner.
Starting with the wind in their favour, the hosts had the first opportunity when the referee allowed play to continue, despite there being two balls on the pitch, and Asad Mohamed fired into the side netting. He had another chance soon after when firing over from the edge of the area.
However, it was the visitors who went ahead in the fifteenth minute when the lively Jeffrey Oredein made space to slip John Garcia away down the left and his low cross was met at the far post by Caden Olding who made no mistake.
Mohamed had a twenty yard shot pushed round the post by Adeshinayo Awoniyi and the Lewisham attacking midfielder then met a Jamie Williams corner at the near post with a header that flashed wide.
Olding burst through for the hosts and Awoniyi made a brilliant block save before Oredein had a shot well held by Oliver Hearn at the other end. Carrera was twice off target for the visitors then the Acres’ Wale Odedoyin snatched a shot wide when he probably had more time than he realised.
Odedoyin laid a corner off to George Dennis and he was thwarted by a combination of Tyler Kerlew-Stewart and Awonyi, then Darren Nyarko headed just over the bar for Borough.
When the second half started, Mohamed was again in action when he shot wide from Brandon Hatega’s lay back before Williams shot over on the turn. Abdulai Turay then replaced Mohamed and almost created a chance when his low cross was laid back by Chris-Emmanuel Loko into the path of Odedoyin and he again fired over.
Parity was restored in the fifty-seventh minute when Williams’ low corner found its way to the far post for Joshua Woods to fire home from close range.
John Garcia had a low shot saved by Hearn, then Turay hung up a cross that was just too high for Odedoyin to get over and he couldn’t keep it down. Once more, Thamesmead’s talisman’s radar was off when he volleyed wide from Hassan Omar’s pull back.
Hearn almost got caught out when his hurried clearance fell for Sineen Sineen but the Thamesmead goalkeeper got back to save his long range shot.
As the game moved into the closing stages Valentino Volpi shot wide for the visitors from the edge of the penalty area, then deep into stoppage time Omar went on a long run and had options but elected to shoot and Awoniyi made a routine save.
That was the last attempt of the match before the two sides shook hands on a point apiece.
SC Thamesmead: Hearn; Lambert (Skinner 90+1), Loko, Woods; Phillips; Cann, Mohamed (Turay 51), Williams (Omar 60), Hatega; Dennis, Odedoyin (Edmond-Kabangele 77).
Sub not used:, O’Keefe.
Goalscorer: Woods (57)
Yellow cards: Mohamed (7 foul), Williams (58 foul), Hatega (70 violent conduct)
Lewisham Borough: Awoniyi; Nyarko, Kerlew-Stewart (Volpi 79), Harvey, Penton; Webb, A, Garcia; Olding, J. Garcia (Sineen 68), Oredein; Carrera (Austin 81).
Subs not used: Crowder, Pindii.
Goalscorer: Olding (15)
Yellow cards: Webb (64 foul), A. Garcia (70 foul), Sineen (87 delay of restart)
Referee: Richard Airey
Assistant Referees: Bright Amedonu and Brian Statham
Attendance: 40