Saturday 18th April

PREMIER DIVISION

Chislehurst Glebe 1-1 Snodland Town

Hythe Town 0-9 Faversham Strike Force

Kennington 2-2 Stansfeld

Larkfield & New Hythe 0-0 Fisher

Rusthall 5-1 Bearsted

Sutton Athletic 3-4 Holmesdale

Tunbridge Wells 1-1 Corinthian

 

The penultimate Saturday didn’t just nudge the play-off race along — it kicked the door in.

The big winner of the day? Rusthall. A dominant 5-1 victory over Bearsted at Jockey Farm sees them leapfrog their rivals and take control of their own destiny heading into the final game. Jack Kirby struck twice early (2’, 28’) with Charlie Clover also on target (13’) to put them in command, before Louie Clarke added a second-half brace (57’, 64’) — the latter taking him to the top of the Golden Boot standings. Jake Embery’s penalty (46’) was a brief response, but this was one-way traffic.

Elsewhere, Larkfield & New Hythe and Fisher played out a tense 0-0 draw that ultimately suits the visitors more. The point is almost enough for Fisher to seal second place and the all-important home advantage in the play-offs. For Larkfield, it’s a frustrating one — and could mean a tougher route ahead.

Bearsted, after that heavy defeat, are suddenly looking over their shoulder. What once looked comfortable is now anything but, and they’ll need to respond quickly to avoid slipping out at the final hurdle.

Holmesdale edged a chaotic 4-3 win at Sutton Athletic in one of the games of the day. Mecca Samuels (5’) and Deandre Williams (36’) gave the visitors control before Harry Britten pulled one back (41’). Ollie Milton (65’) and Ashdon Day (70’) turned it around for Sutton, only for Ali Mansaray (84’) and a dramatic late winner from Williams (90+1’) to snatch it back for Holmesdale.

Faversham Strike Force produced the most eye-catching scoreline of the day with a ruthless 9-0 win at Hythe Town. It started with an own goal (1’) and never slowed down, with Alex Willis (36’ pen, 89’), Joe Kay (41’), Josh Oliver (45’, 50’), Harry Taylor (61’), Hayden Wood (70’) and Ali Wren (80’) all getting in on the act.

Kennington and Stansfeld shared the points in a 2-2 draw. Ryan Philpott (15’) and Fin Dent (53’) twice put Kennington ahead, but Jack Calvert (49’) and Nana Kufour (81’) ensured Stansfeld left with something.

Chislehurst Glebe and Snodland Town finished 1-1, with Nathan Mampono putting Glebe ahead (66’) before a late Snodland equaliser (88’) earned a share of the spoils.

Tunbridge Wells and Corinthian matched that scoreline as well, with Ross Obazee striking early for the visitors (5’) before Rhys Bartlett levelled in the second half (69’).

So, despite all that, we’re still none the wiser on exactly how the play-off line-up will look.

Exactly how you’d want it — tense, unpredictable, and set up perfectly for a dramatic finish.

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