sladevbeck011103

Green drop eight places in seven days
Slade Green 0-2 Beckenham Town
Go Travel Kent League Premier Division
Saturday 1 November 2003
by Robert Smith

Slade Green failed to score for the first time in nine games as they suffered their first home defeat in the league this season.
 
Steve Shippey proved to be a menace to The Green all afternoon and he could easily have grabbed a hat-trick inside the opening half hour having been presented with three one on one situations with Green keeper Paul Vines.

Firstly he lobbed over, then screwed an effort wide of the post before firing the ball across the face of the goal.

With Paul McCarthy ruled out through injury and Tony Weir unavailable due to work commitments, Shaun Malyon began his first game of the season and he should have found the net on 10 minutes only to drill his shot wide of an open goal
following neat build up play by Sam Prett and Mark Barton.

Four minutes later Prett saw his overhead kick blocked on the line while an angled strike from Darren Laming was cleared off the line by David Weatherhead.
 
The woodwork came to the visitors rescue at Lee Barber's spectacular volley crashed against the post whilst keeper Craig Clarke was called into action going full stretch to tip away Mark Barton's goalbound strike.

Vines had to be equally alert at the end when he thwarted Nigel Pearce's header but the Green keeper was beaten on 38 when a long clearance from Clarke was met by Paul Smith who was left with time and space to place his header over Vines into the net.

The goal scoring activity dried up after the break however with 8 minutes of the second period played Beckenham doubled their lead, having picked up the ball on the bye-line Smith chipped the ball into the danger area to find Shippey who made amends for his trio of missed chances during the first half by heading the ball home.

Vines then came to the fore keeping out Pearce with a good save before. With Green pressing forward  Beckenham were thankful to their keeper Clarke who pushed Dave Martin's inswinging corner onto the cross-bar and then bravely saved at the feet of Prett after the Green hit man had been sent clean through on goal.

Three straight defeats have seen Green slump from fourth in the table down to 12th within the space of seven days but they will be boosted this week with the arrivals from Chatham of Peter Coupland and Phil Miles.