Chatham Town 2-2 Dorking - Avery prevents embarrasing defeat

Dorking play two league’s below Chatham, in the second tier of Combined Counties League football.

The unfortunate aftermath of that goal seeing Dorking ‘keeper Dan Coote shown a straight red card, after he punched the celebrating Avery in the mouth.

Already having amassed a lengthy injured list in the preceding games, manager Steve Binks’ preparations were not helped when three more players had to pull out of the squad just before kick-off.

Chris Tedder was relegated to the substitutes bench, in favour of veteran Steve Best, following a fitness test. Meanwhile, Danny Larkin was forced to drop out owing to the injured foot he acquired on Bank Holiday Monday - and Mark Brooks was a late withdrawal from the side, having injured his shoulder during the warm-up.

When these two clubs last met at this stage of the competition, nearly 20 years ago, the then high-flying visitors ran out comfortable winners.

This time, though, they were not to have things all their own way. That said, they were to take a shock lead in just the eighth minute of play.

Chatham had already had the ball in the back of the net themselves, Dominic Elmes stroking the ball past Coote at the Luton End with barely a minute on the clock - only to have his “goal” overruled by the Referee, who instead awarded a free kick to the visitors just outside the penalty Area, Roy Newman having tumbled to the ground during the build-up play.

Dorking’s goal was all the worse for coming out of nowhere, their first real foray into Chatham territory seeing Lester Boniface send the ball into the 18-yard box from the right - picking out Dan Lawrence, who had unaccountably been left all on his own by the Chatham defence.

James Tedder did his best to get to the shot, but to the delight of the handful of travelling supporters it crept just inside the right post.

Almost directly from the restart, the Chats might have been back on level terms.

Again it was Elmes who went close, letting fly from some 20 yards out - only to see Coote, who pulled off some remarkable saves throughout the game, turn the ball round the foot of the right post at full stretch.

Just seconds later, and a ball from wide on the left picked out 16 year-old Michael Scott - making his full debut for the first team - on the edge of the penalty area, his crashing volley once again being deflected past the upright by the agile Coote.

By the midpoint of the half, openings were few and far between for the visitors - but still Chatham could not make the breakthrough.

A case in point being a good move in the 23rd minute, which saw the ball played into the 18-yard box into the path of Elmes only for it to run away from him and into the grateful arms of the ‘keeper.

As so often this season, Chatham’s first line-up change was forced upon them when James Smith limped from the field in the 25th minute.

Having picked up a knock with the reserves the previous weekend, he was playing well but clearly struggling to keep up - and was replaced by Dave Botterill.

In the 28th minute, Steve Hafner saw his header held on the line by the Dorking ‘keeper - but the next major incident came in the 40th minute, when a hitherto clean game was marred by an agricultural challenge on Scott.

Having been left behind just once too often, Lawrence clearly wanted to slow the Chatham youngster down to his own pace - doing so in an ugly fashion, which earned him the game’s first yellow card.

Having been on the back foot for much of the half, Dorking came close to going in at the break with a two-goal advantage when Simon Cassidy broke through in the middle in the final minute. Letting fly at goal from Penalty Spot range he was denied, however, by a great one-handed save from Tedder.

As on the previous Monday, whatever the manager said to his players during the interval clearly did the trick - as Chatham were back on level terms within seconds of the referee restarting the game.
Tommy Binks created the opening, ending one of his surging runs with a pinpoint cross from the right - that picked out the head of Botterill on the far side of the goal. This time Coote never stood a chance, as the ball flashed past him into the back of the net.