Saturday 26th September
Premier Division Fixtures
Beckenham Town v SE Dons
Chislehurst Glebe v Petts Wood & Holmesdale
Corinthian v Erith & Belvedere
Fisher v Bearsted
Hollands & Blair v Tunbridge Wells
Phoenix Sports v Larkfield & New Hythe
Rusthall v Faversham Strike Force
Snodland Town v AFC Greenwich Borough
Sutton Athletic v Kennington
Premier Division – Saturday Preview
A full programme of Premier Division football takes place on Saturday, with all 18 clubs in action and plenty at stake at both ends of an increasingly competitive table.
The headline fixture comes at St Lawrence College, where leaders Fisher travel to Bearsted. Fisher have moved three points clear at the summit after a spectacular 6-3 victory over Petts Wood & Holmesdale on Tuesday night, taking their tally to 20 points from nine matches. They have now scored 29 league goals, comfortably the highest total in the division, and Festos Kamara’s hat-trick was the highlight of their latest win. Bearsted sit fourth with 13 points from seven games and were involved in a 2-2 draw with Snodland Town in midweek. With two games in hand on the leaders, Saturday provides an opportunity for the Bears to reduce the seven-point gap.
Second-placed Hollands & Blair are also at home as they welcome Tunbridge Wells to Star Meadow. Blair continued their excellent start with a 2-1 win at Faversham Strike Force on Tuesday, Mo Cham scoring both goals including the winner deep into stoppage time. That moved them onto 16 points, four behind Fisher with a game in hand. Tunbridge Wells produced one of the more remarkable games of the midweek programme, racing into a 3-0 lead against Corinthian inside 15 minutes before being pegged back to 3-3 before half-time. Remarkably, there were no further goals after the break.
There is another intriguing contest between two sides currently around the leading group when Snodland Town host AFC Greenwich Borough. Snodland’s point at Bearsted took them to 13 from eight games, while Greenwich suffered their first league defeat of the season on Tuesday, going down 2-0 at Chislehurst Glebe. Borough have played only six league matches so far, fewer than most of those around them, and remain on 11 points.
Third-placed Kennington return to action with a trip to Sutton Athletic. Kennington did not play in midweek and have 14 points from eight games, while Sutton climbed into the top half with an impressive 3-2 victory at Beckenham Town. Ashdon Day scored twice before Luke Northwood struck the winner five minutes from time.
Rusthall will be looking to build on one of the standout results of Tuesday night when they host Faversham Strike Force. Rusthall went to SE Dons and came away with a 3-1 victory, moving up to sixth with 12 points from seven games. Strike Force, meanwhile, were denied a point by Blair’s late winner and remain on 11 points after nine matches.
After that setback, SE Dons make the trip to Beckenham Town. The Dons have played only five league matches and their defeat against Rusthall was their first at this level, leaving them on seven points. Beckenham also suffered disappointment in midweek, twice getting themselves back on terms against Sutton before eventually losing 3-2 at Eden Park Avenue.
Tuesday’s victory over Greenwich lifted Chislehurst Glebe into the top half and they now welcome Petts Wood & Holmesdale. Luke Medley and Brandon Barrance were on target in Glebe’s 2-0 win, while Petts Wood & Holmesdale will be looking for a response after conceding six at leaders Fisher. They did find the net three times themselves in that game, but remain among the sides towards the bottom of a very congested table.
Phoenix Sports have the quickest turnaround of the weekend after their dramatic 3-2 victory at Erith & Belvedere on Wednesday night. Khayrie Harris scored all three Phoenix goals, each coming after he cut in from the right onto his left foot, with his hat-trick winner arriving in the 84th minute. Phoenix are back at Mayplace Road East on Saturday to face Larkfield & New Hythe, who had no midweek fixture.
Finally, Corinthian host Erith & Belvedere. Corinthian will take heart from the way they recovered from three goals down to earn a 3-3 draw at Tunbridge Wells, with all six goals arriving during an extraordinary first half. Erith & Belvedere remain at the foot of the table on three points after Wednesday’s narrow defeat to Phoenix and will be looking to end a run of league losses.
With Fisher setting the early pace but several clubs having games in hand, Saturday’s nine-match programme offers another opportunity for the shape of the Premier Division table to change significantly.