Both teams had differing reasons for wanting the points when Sporting Club Thamesmead entertained AFC Greenwich Borough in the Southern Counties East Football League Division One.

Had the visitors won, they would have gone top of the table with a game in hand, however, it was the Acre who claimed the spoils to help ease their relegation concerns. They started the day one point above the bottom three, but claimed a vital victory in a hotly contested local derby.

Abel Vendrells-Parcerisa had the first effort for Greenwich with a shot that Oliver Hearn palmed away. Although it came out to Fraser Page, it was at an awkward height and he could only hook it wide. Bradley Ryan then shot wide before the hosts stunned them by going ahead.

Hesitant midfield play allowed Wale Odedoyin to nick it away and thread it through to Joseph Ikuesan and he showed great composure when drawing out Javarn Pitterson before clipping it past him with the outside of his boot.

Hearn was again called into action when making an excellent save from Vendrells-Parcerisa before he made a more comfortable one from a low shot by Stefan Payne. Vendrells-Parcerisa then stretched to get on the end of a cross by Samuel Oguntayo but couldn’t direct it on target.

It wasn’t all one way though, and Pitterson made a brilliant save from Henry Phillips and when the Acre midfielder swung in the corner, it clipped the crossbar on the way over.

Shortly before half time, Hearn again denied Vendrells-Parcerisa when pushing his shot over after he had cut in from the right wing.

Early in the second period, Mathias Bakare twice shot narrowly wide for Greenwich before Payne’s shot was pushed out by Hearn and the Acre’s goalkeeper got up quickly to smother Ryan’s follow-up.

Ikuesan’s strength and skills allowed him to create an opportunity for himself but he shot inches past the post before Page combined well with Oguntayo at the other end and Hearn was again called into making a good save. 

Pitterson saved comfortably from Chris-Emmanuel Loko before Ryan eased across the edge of the penalty area and hit a shot that was deflected just wide.

Just over fifteen minutes remained when Asad Mohamed held it up well for the home team before laying it off to Phillips and his shot was saved superbly by Pitterson. Phillips took the subsequent corner and Daniel Palfrey rose highest at the far post to power his header home.

Three minutes later, it got tougher for Greenwich when the already booked Bakare threw the ball at the head of a Thamesmead player giving referee Dylan Wood no option other than to send him off.

Although Vendrells-Parcerisa had a shot beaten out, Greenwich ran out of ideas and Thamesmead saw out the remainder of the match in relative comfort. Hearn had particular reason to be happy as he had the honour of being the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a league game against the Borough.

SC Thamesmead: Hearn; Cann, Loko, Palfrey, Lambert, Cravid; Geddis, Phillips; Ikuesan (Dennis 75); Odedoyin (Awokere 81), Mohamed (Osbourne 88).

Subs not used: Solan, Williams.

Goalscorers: Ikuesan (14), Palfrey (74)

Yellow cards: Odedoyin (28 delay of restart), Loko (38 foul), Ikuesan (66 foul), Lambert (81 foul)

AFC Greenwich Borough: Pitterson; Sartori (Panyi 54), Evans, Sesay; Penney; Vendrells-Parcerisa (Carey 87), Bakare, Ryan (Miles 78), Oguntayo; Page (Williams 65), Payne.

Sub not used: McNamee.

Goalscorers: None

Yellow cards: Bakare (25 foul), Sesay (48 foul), Evans (62 foul)

Red card: Bakare (77 Ungentlemanly conduct)

Referee: Dylan Wood

Assistant Referees: Temitayo Okulaja and Martin Belsom

Attendance: 165