Sittingbourne 2-1 Fleet Town - The whole team have been brilliant - Gary Abbott

Who would have thought when, just after Christmas the club announced that the players would no longer be played that in the first week of April, Gray Abbott’s kids would be within five points of the play-off place the manager was so desperate to miss last season.

“I probably said a month ago that we weren’t looking at play-off’s being realistic as we’ve got youngsters in there,” Abbott admitted after the game, “but with them you know what you get – you get hard work, you know that you get them battling and you get enthusiasm from them too – they want to go out and they want to play. 

“We can’t fault them – we’ve won five of the last seven – it should really have been six in seven – and if that had been the case, we’d have been two points behind Burgess Hill (who are currently in the last play-off place).  Everyone’s going to look at tonight and say they’ve won again – five points off the play-off’s but played a game more than everyone else.  We’ve played one more than everyone else and have got the points even if we are a bit short of the top five, but we’ve got those points – it’s now down to the others to go and get them.” 

Fleet Town, making their second trip to Swale in four days, didn’t at all look like the side that drew with Faversham at the weekend, and to be fair the Brickies could and perhaps should have won by more. 

The manager said, “What a great month we’ve had and long may it continue.  Winning at Worthing on Saturday gave them a lot of confidence and the good thing about it is the character as we’ve gone one goal down on Saturday and won, and then the same things happened tonight. 

“We gave away a sloppy goal again – we don’t seem to be starting well and then that could change the game and all credit to the boys.”

And that sloppy goal came after just two minutes as Josh Pearson got on the end of a ball behind the home defence and coolly from the edge of the box lifted the ball over keeper Matt Reed who looked on in anguish as the ball dropped into the net. 

It could have been two moments had had Reed not expertly dealt with a viciously swerving cross from the dangerous Darren Wheeler so immaculately.

Then on 10 minutes came the home sides first real attack on goal and their equaliser. 

Sittingbourne were awarded a free kick 25 yards out to the right of the box, and after Dan Palfrey dummied to take the kick, Reeves stepped up and curled the ball around the wall and into the net. 

Fleet keeper Luke Hutchings will perhaps he could have done better after allowing Reeves an awful lot of the goal to aim at!

Reeves was involved in the build up to what proved to be the winning goal on 29 minutes. 

After making a real hash of a free kick down the Brickies left, Reeves won possession back and headed into the box only to be fouled by Chris Page, and referee Foley had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. 

Reeves dusted himself down and as the keeper dived to his left the ball nestled in the opposite corner!

The Sittingbourne skipper duly celebrated his second goal of the night, but perhaps we shouldn’t have been too surprised as the Sittingbourne boss explained after the game.

“Reevesy keeps telling me he can score goals and tonight proved it – finally,” Abbott said with a smile on his face as wide as the Kings Ferry Bridge. 

“But seriously,” he continued, “You know what you get with him. He’s been magnificent, and if I’m completely honest I’m still shocked that we’ve got him. 

“A few of our players have gone since January when we couldn’t pay them anymore, and of that bunch who have gone, I think they’ve missed the best player I really do.  I’m convinced he could do someone a real job in the Ryman Premier without any problem.  I’ve seen a lot of centre halves this year in that league and he’s certainly right up there – his timing of his header is magnificent and I’m sure it will happen for him one day!”

Only the width of Reed’s crossbar stopped Pearson from levelling on the half hour as the striker’s shot on the run rebounded to safety off of the woodwork, and then in first half stoppage time, Jack Hooper couldn’t keep his header down from Palfrey’s corner.

Hooper was denied the second half’s first chance as only a brilliant saving tackle from James Scott denied the Sittingbourne winger a certain third for his side before sub Ishantie Charles combined with Palfrey for Ryan Golding to send a shot into the car park.

The home side continued to press – Golding had a header this time go too high, Reeves whipped in a vicious corner that bounced through the box and away to safety before Golding was denied and probably put off by Fleet keeper Hutching literally come flying out of his 18 yard box sadly for the home side Golding just couldn’t find a striped shirt after being forced wide and the chance was gone.

There was always a thought that Fleet could stage their second robbery of points in Swale in four days after the 93^rd minute equaliser at Salters Lane. 

On 86 minutes Emmanuel Oldyede forced Reed into a fine block with Palfrey blasting the rebound to safety, and the history looked as though it was going to repeat itself when on 93 minutes Fleet were awarded a free kick bang in front of goal some 25 yards out. 

Fortunately for the home team, Pearson stepped up and drilled the ball into the wall and with it the points went into the Sittingbourne pot!

After singing Reeves’ goalscoring heroics, Abbott then turned the spot light on Reeves’ developing partnership with rookie Luke Medlen. 

“The pair of them have been outstanding for the last month!” said a very proud manager.  “Luke has only just turned 17 and he’s quiet.  He just gets on with his game and you don’t hear a word from him and I’m not sure he even says anything on the pitch, but he goes about his job so quietly but does the right thing. 

“OK, he had a couple of dips tonight but he’s only a young man and we expect that because it happens in every League.  But their partnership has been brilliant! 

“Ryan Palmer’s come in tonight and done a great job at right back and he was probably one of our best players tonight.  But the whole team, the whole team, have been brilliant. 

“We gave young Luke Girt a debut tonight – he’s only 16 years old and he’s done really well too – we took him off because he was getting tired before he run out of steam.”

One final word must be directed at the officials – who to be fair were largely anonymous throughout which is usually a sign of  a good officiating team! 

No, the comment is really I suppose directed at the appointment secretary – why oh why on a night when there was a big European game on the telly do you send three officials from the North side of London to Bourne Park on a Tuesday night. 

The expense claim produced by the officials must have wiped out all but a few pounds that the Brickies took during the evening – just another ridiculous example of the powers that be shooting the little clubs not just in the foot but squarely between the shoulders too!

Sittingbourne:  Matt Reed, Ryan Palmer, Dan Palfrey, Nick Reeves, Luke Medlen, Sam Collins, Luke Girt (Ishankie Charles 56). Paul Semakula, Ryan Golding, Hicham Akhazzan (Jaie Nuttall 84), Jack Cooper.
Subs:  Connor Coyne, Richard Whyte, Matt Burt

Goals:  Nick Reeves 10, 29 (pen)

Booked:  Ryan Golding 89

Fleet Town:  Luke Hutchings, Chris Page, Nick Hutchings (Emmanuel Oldyede 70), Alex Frostick, James Scott, Iain Hendry (Ashley Groombridge 75), James Pilgrim, Jamie McClurg, Josh Pearson, Darren Wheeler (Luke King 84), Wes Harrison.
Subs:  Liam Flanighan, Sam Somerville

Goal:  Josh Pearson 2

Booked:  James Pilgrim 66

Attendance:  92
Referee:  Mr M Foley (Palmers Green, London)
Assistants:  Mr S Bates (St Albans, Hertfordshire) & Mr G Gray (Hatfield, Hertfordshire)