Beckenham Town 1-2 AFC Croydon Athletic

Beckenham Town 1 – 2 AFC Croydon Athletic
Location	Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3JL
Kickoff	25/03/2025 19:45

BECKENHAM TOWN  1-2 AFC CROYDON ATHLETIC
Isthmian League South East Division
Tuesday 25 March 2025
Stephen McCartney reports from Eden Park Avenue

BECKENHAM TOWN’S chances of grabbing an Isthmian League South East Division play-off place next month took a blow when they deservedly lost this poorly attended local derby to AFC Croydon Athletic.

Talisman striker Louie Theophanous, 33, clinically gave Derek Oldfield’s side an early lead with his 31^st goal of the season, before Danny Kedwell’s men levelled through another clinical strike, this time from striker Ibrahim Akanbi.

AFC Croydon Athletic dominated large chunks of the second half and claimed a deserved victory through an emphatic top-corner finish from substitute David Omilabo.

Apologises to Beckenham Town fans, Oldfield twice declined a post-match interview with this website.

Beckenham Town - who were thrashed 6-2 at Three Bridges at the weekend -  started the game on the front foot but it was their fifteenth-placed visitors that created the first chance of the game with five minutes and 15 seconds on the clock.

Central midfielder Ghassimu Sow threaded the ball through to Akanbi, who slipped a first time pass through to impressive left-winger Brandon Pierrick, who took a touch before placing his left-footed shot past the foot of the near post from eight-yards.

Beckenham Town grabbed the lead with eight minutes and seven seconds on the clock, however.

Visiting goalkeeper Amadou Tangara drilled a clearance up field, Beckenham Town’s central midfielder Sam Wood smashed a left-footed volley upfield some 35-yards from his own goal and over the top of Rams’ two centre-halves Michael Kamara and Luke Dreher.

Theophanous – who scored 22 goals for Beckenham Town and then dropped down a level to score seven for AFC Croydon Athletic last season – latched onto the long ball and kept composed and slotted his left-footed shot into the centre of the goal when he only had Tangara to beat.

Akanbi played a 20-yard pass inside to Pierrick, who unleashed a well-hit right-footed drive from 20-yards, which was held by Beckenham Town goalkeeper Mitchell Beeney, in between his legs.

AFC Croydon Athletic goalkeeper Tangara was called into action on the half-hour mark after Bradley Ryan – who played in behind the front two of Theophanous and Elliott Romain – drew a foul from Pierrick after cutting inside the Rams’ holding midfielder Cian McCarthy.

Wood drilled his left-footed 19-yard free-kick around the four-man wall and the 27-year-old goalkeeper dived to his right to push the ball towards safety.

Ryan swung in the resulting corner from the left and Joe Tyrie came up from the back and his towering header was destined for the roof of the net, only for Tangara to tip the ball over his crossbar.

Theophanous showed desire to steal the ball off McCarthy inside the Beckenham half before being chased by four visiting players but lacked composure and dragged his right-footed angled drive across the keeper and harmlessly past the far post from 25-yards.

AFC Croydon Athletic grabbed an equaliser with 44 minutes and 14 seconds on the clock.

David Boateng and Sow linked up well down the right before right-winger Preston Kedwell’s low cross seemed to be intercepted by Beckenham Town’s centre-half Jack Holland outside the penalty area.

However, Akanbi got to the ball first, spun the 33-year-old centre-half before clinically beating Beeney with a sublime low left-footed drive from 25-yards.

Akanbi’s fourth goal of the season gave Danny Kedwell’s men the momentum going into a dominant second-half performance.

The start of the second half was an open affair with Dreher running through the heart of the pitch before hitting a right-footed drive, which forced Beeney to dive to his right to push the ball towards safety after two minutes and 40 seconds.

Just 20 seconds later, the ball was hit forward and Theophanous unleashed a right-footed angled drive, which was comfortably held by Tangara, low to his right.

Pierrick was a threat down the left for the Rams and he cut inside before hitting the base of the far post – as Beeney dived to his left – with only three minutes and 44 seconds on the clock.

AFC Croydon Athletic came out with all guns blazing at the start of the second half and Wood fouled Joshua Bayliss and Bayliss’ left-footed free-kick took a deflection off the four man wall and forced the 29-year-old former Ashford United goalkeeper to dive to his right to tip around the post.

Beckenham Town weathered the storm and went close to grabbing the lead following a set-piece in the 64^th minute.

Sow fouled Romain and Wood delivered a left-footed free-kick from 35-yards and Holland’s back-header inside the box sailed across the keeper and just past the far post.

Beckenham Town were too reliant on Theophanous with no other player stepping up and the striker shrugged off the attentions of the vocal Kamara before cutting inside and trying his luck from 22-yards, only for Tangara to hold low to his left.

There was only going to be one winner as AFC Croydon Athletic dominated the final 20 minutes at Eden Park Avenue.

Pierrick whipped in a dipping free-kick from within the left-channel and Beeney clawed the ball around the top of the far post with a strong hand.

Omilabo floated the resulting corner in from the right and Akanbi’s free-header was straight at the Beckenham goalkeeper, who made a comfortable catch.

The away side were often keeping the ball on the deck with an attractive style of high-tempo attacking football - and Pierrick teed up Preston Kedwell, whose right-footed angled drive was comfortably saved by the busy Beeney beside his near-post in the 72^nd minute.

Man-of-the-Match Pierrick was released through on goal – after Romain lost the ball on the half-way line – and Beeney came to Beckenham Town’s rescue again with a one-v-one save.

With Beckenham Town hanging on, AFC Croydon Athletic sealed a deserved victory, the clincher coming with 43 minutes and 32 seconds on the clock, following a well-worked move and brilliant finish.

Dreher swept the ball out to Pierrick out on the left and he easily cut inside Tyrie (who had replaced the injured Robert Carter in the 18^th minute) before the impressive winger switched the play over to an unmarked Akanbi, who stabbed a first time pass inside to Omilabo, who emphatically drilled his right-footed shot into the top right-hand corner to net his fifth goal of the season that has seen the Thornton Heath based club managed by Jermaine McGlashan, Kamara, Keith Millen and former Ashford United boss Danny Kedwell.

The home side missed one further chance when right-wing-back Henry Douglas launched a long ball, the ball was knocked on by the vocal Holland and the unmarked Theophanous’ left-footed shot was comfortably gathered in Tangara’s midriff.

Ramsgate manager Ben Smith was in the crowd as his table-toppers visit here on Saturday. Smith’s side have picked up 96 points from their 36 (of 42 games) and are on course of sealing a promotion into the Isthmian League Premier Division after a 16-year absence from the seventh-tier.

The four-play off sides tonight are Sittingbourne (89 points from 36 games), Burgess Hill Town (77 points from 35 games), Margate (73 points from 36 games) and Merstham (64 points from 36 games).

Merstham lost 4-2 at home to Deal Town tonight and Beckenham Town are five points adrift but with two games in hand but are winless in their last three outings.

Beckenham Town remain in sixth-place in the table with 64 points (17 wins, eight draws and nine defeats), while AFC Croydon Athletic are now in fourteenth-place in the table with 46 points (11 wins, 13 draws and 12 defeats).

Beckenham Town: Mitchell Beeney, Henry Douglas, Freddie Nyhus (Felix Dudley 90), Jack Holland, Mudiago Wanogho, Robert Carter (Joe Tyrie 18), Abbas Agoro (Reggie Rye 54), Sam Wood, Louie Theophanous, Elliott Romain, Freddie Ryan (Alfie Bloomfield 88).
Subs: Casey Dudley

Goal: Louie Theophanous 9

Booked: Henry Douglas 40, Sam Wood 42, Felix Dudley 90

AFC Croydon Athletic: Amadou Tangara, Mondjioui Savane, David Akropah-Boateng, Cian McCarthy, Michael Kamara, Luke Dreher, Brandon Pierrick Keutcha (Darryl Siaw 90), Ghassimu Sow, Ibrahim Akanbi, Joshua Bayliss (David Omilabo 65), Preston Kedwell (Daniel Thompson 90).
Subs: Ambrose Gnahore, Kadell Daniel

Goals: Ibrahim Akanbi 45, David Omilabo 89

Booked: Michael Kamara 20, Brandon Pierrick Keutcha 36, Luke Dreher 65, Ghassimu Sow 90

Attendance: 228
Referee: Mr Oliver Kaya
Assistants: Mr Jordan Dixon-Walker & Mr Paul Agyei-Tabi
Observer: Mr Alan Escudier