2007/8 Season Reports

9^th March 2008 - Rusthall Rovers 3:3 Tenterden Tigers

After beating 4^th, giving 3^rd a run for their money (twice), it was time to take on 2^nd. The Rustics got off to a fantastic start with a well struck goal to the top corner from Nathan. Against the run of play Tenterden equalised, only for Nathan to hit back instantly and restore the lead. Some solid defending and great goal keeping from both sides kept the score at 2:1 to half time. The second half continued much the same with both sides coming close. Teneterden equalised 10 minutes in. Ollie got Rusthalls 3^rd to set up a frantic last 15. Tenterden equalised again with 5 minutes to go. Not settling for a draw, Rusthall continued to attack and find the winner, but the score stayed at 3:3. Well done lads, an awesome performance. As the Tenterden coach said you deserved the win. 

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24^th February 2008 - Rusthall 1:3 Foresters B

After last weeks fantastic performance this one can only be described as scrappy. Foresters, having most of the play, scored twice mid way through the half to give them a 2:0 lead at half time (Rusthall not helped to an injury to defender Jack Escourt early on). It could have been different, had Harvey’s shot gone the right side of the post midway through. An early second half goal from Foresters increased their lead and it was now a case of ‘playing for pride’. The lads were eventually rewarded with a goal from Harvey to set up a frantic last 5 minutes. Unlucky lads.

17^th February 2008 - Foresters B 5:1 Rusthall

Having beaten 4^th in the league last week it was time to take on 2^nd. Some of the lads had been ribbed at school by Foresters saying they were going to score ‘15’ following their 11:0 win at Langton last week. We just about had a team with 5 players unavailable due to the holidays/injuries. A reshuffle was needed and the lads responded well. Expecting an onslaught from Foresters, it was Rusthall who dominated the opening 20 minutes and were first to strike through Nathan. They say you are most vulnerable after scoring and shortly after we were punished with 2 quick goals to give Foresters a 2:1 lead through to half time. The second half was again end to end with both sides coming close. Foresters added a third midway through the half, before Rusthall had one cleared of the line. Two more late on giving Foresters the win. Unlucky lads. Another good performance. Well done to Chas and James Norman.  

10^th February 2008 - Rusthall 6:5 Broad Oak

After beating us 11:0 earlier in the season Broad Oak were probably expecting another goal feast and three points. With the lads constantly improving, they had other ideas. We decided to play up hill in the first half and were rewarded with 2 early goals from Nathan and Ben. Broad Oak pulled one back but Rusthall added a third from Nathan with Emre giving us a comfortable 4:1 lead at half time. Emre added a fifth making things look even more comfortable. The match flowed from end to end with Broad Oak throwing a ‘spanner in the works’ by adding 3 more to set up a fantastic final 10 minutes. A goal from each side finished the match with Rusthall the victors and myself with a very sore throat !! An excellent team performance and well deserved.

3^rd February 2008 - Ratton Rangers 8:2 Rusthall

An early start left the lads still asleep. After the last stunning performance, conceding a couple of early goals was not what we wanted. The fluent passing eluded us. Despite the efforts, we had to wait until the 25^th minute for the deserved goal only for Ratton to score two late on. The second half was much the same, lots of effort with no reward. Ratton ran out eventual winners 8:2.

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6^th January 2008 - Jarvis Brook 4:6 Rusthall Rovers

This was a must win game, and the lads didn’t disappoint.  One up in a couple of minutes (Nathan) and things were  looking good. Rusthall were playing some fantastic football, dominating the play and creating plenty of chances. We had to wait until 5 minutes before half time before the scoring resumed, (2 from Harvey and 1 for Jarvis Brook) taking us in 3:1 up. Jarvis Brook came out all fired up and scored 2 goals in the first 10 minutes to level the score at 3:3. (Not part of the script !!). Time to wake up lads. Harvey restored our lead shortly after with Nathan adding a 5^th. Another from Jarvis made the final 10 minutes interesting. Harvey adding his 4^th and Rusthall’s  6^th just before the final whistle. Well done lads, an excellent team performance and a well deserved victory. Also well done to Jack Estcourt who had a fine debut at left back.

18^th November 2007 - Tonbridge Junior 5:1 Rusthall

Our Achilles Heel strikes again, two down within 5 minutes. Rusthall then got into their stride with Cameron exposing them on the left having two attempts. A third came for Tonbridge after 15 minutes, against the run of play. Then came the ‘fluke’ of the season. Harvey and Cameron exchanging passes on left, Harvey whipped in a cross from the by-line which somehow managed to curl in. A fourth from Tonbridge saw them in at half time 4:1 up. The second half produced a much better performance from Rusthall. Again creating plenty of chances and playing some good football. This half saw this ‘miss’ of the season from Harvey, with an empty goal begging he managed to put it over the bar.

Time to turn second half performances into full matches !!

11^th November 2007 - Langton 7:0 Rusthal

Rusthall started this one where they finished last week. Despite a couple of key players missing (injuries), the reshuffled side took the game to Langton, playing some good football and creating plenty of problems, and could have gone in 3:1 up at half time instead of 1:0 down. The lads were all fired up and felt they could turn the game around. Three goals in 10 minutes deflated Rusthall but they carried on battling searching for the elusive goal. Another three late goals on the break gave Langton a flattering score line. Keep plugging away lads, it will happen soon.

4^th November 2007 - Tenterden Tigers 10:0 Rusthall

After conceding another early goal the lads settled. Injuries forced early substitutions and it wasn’t until the second half that the lads started to play, creating plenty of chances, twice being denied by the crossbar, but again lacking the killer touch. Tenterden romped away with it scoring in short bursts. A great second half performance.

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28^th October 2007 - Broad Oak 11:0 Rusthall

School holidays and football, not the ideal combination ! With a squad of now 16, we could only manage 9 players plus 2 younger lads for a trip to table toppers Broad Oak.

We started well enough soaking the early pressure and even coming close ourselves, hitting the cross bar twice. Of the three goals scored in the first half only one was worth talking about, with the other two being sloppy give a ways. The second half started with more sloppy goals and it just went down hill from there. A good solid first half.

Sunday 21^st October - Rusthall 0:2 East Peckham

Despite the result this was a fantastic performance. Two sloppy goals in the first 5 minutes was the only down side of the match. Once the lads had settled into their stride they created plenty of chances, only to be denied by some great goal keeping. The game flowed from end to end but neither side could add to the score sheet. Well done lads, great performance and some solid defending.

14^th October 2007 - Rusthall 2:8 Langton

The less said about this one the better !! A disastrous start saw Rusthall conceding five goals in the first 20 minutes, some of which were very sloppy. Towards the end of the half things started to improve. The second half started much better. Despite playing up hill Rusthall started to cause problems for Langton and were eventually rewarded with a goal after 15 minutes. This seemed to rattle Langton as tempers flared. The result finishing 8:2 in Langtons favour, but a much better performance in the second half. 

7^th October 2007 - CDJFL Cup - Rusthall 0:8 Ratton Rangers

A bad day at the office !!

3 players injured, 2 off sick and a few tired bodies from a week away with school wasn’t the start we wanted. Similar to last week we could not get going. We struggled to keep the ball and get the passing together which was done so well in earlier matches. 4:0 down at half time we changed to 5 in the midfield for the second half. This seemed to work as we started to play the ball around and create chances. Despite the efforts Rusthall went down 8:0.

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30^th September 2007 - Rusthall Rovers 0:4 Maresfield

After last weeks fantastic victory it was back down to earth with a big bump. The lads never really got going, but defended well. A mistake by goalkeeper James allowed Maresfield in for their first goal. Rusthall had few chances but it was Maresfield who added to the scoresheet going in 2:0 at half time. The second half was much the same with Rusthall failing to capitalise on their chances. Continuous rotating of substitutes, due to injuries, upset the balance of the side. Maresfield killed off the game with two quick goals midway through the half. But for James in goal the result could have been worse. With 5 minutes left Maresfield were awarded a penalty after Cameron had handled the ball. A well struck penalty was matched with a superb save from James, which more than made up for his earlier mistake.

23^rd September 2007 - Rusthall Rovers 3:0 Jarvis Brook

Victory at last ! The baron spell is over ! Have we turned the corner ? We hope so.

Rusthall welcomed back Emre Bicimili for his first match of the season. Having last season played in midfield, we decided to try Emre up front, and it paid off. Another evenly fought end to end match, only this time the result was on our side. Two goals in the first half and one in the second completed a hat-trick for Emre. It could have been more. Well done lads, great performance, and the first of many.

16th September 2007 - East Peckham 4:0 Rusthall Rovers

Another end to end match, which the result doesn't reflect. Rusthall applied the early pressure creating problems for the East Peckham defence but lacking that final killer touch. A perfect pass from Ben put Cameron through one on one against the keeper. He unselfishly passed to Harvey, who scored, only to be disallowed for offside!! Throughout the match Rusthall created plenty of chances, but again lacking that final touch. Something for the training ground!

Well done James, another fine performance in goal.

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End of 2006/7 Season Report

The last few games of the season have seen some great performances, only to come out the losing side. A friendly against Wealden Colts produced a well fought battle. Two early first half goals for Wealden, (against the run of play), unsettled the lads but they continued to battle on, only to concede two more late on to go in 4:0 down. Straight from the kick off Rusthall piled on the pressure and rewarded with a goal from Nathan Green. The early goal inspired the lads and they carried on attacking, adding a second  from Lewis Stack. Despite the Rusthall domination, Wealden came out the victors 4:2.

Carrying on from the last performance Rusthall took on local rivals Langton Green and again dominated the game. Rusthall worked the Langton keeper but failed to find the net, striking the post and crossbar. Against the run of play Langton grabbed a late winner.

A tough match against title chasers Hailsham was next. Rusthall held out until the tenth minute before Hailsham opened the scoring. Not giving in Rusthall equalised soon after from Nathan Green. Hailsham found there stride and went in 4:1 up at half time. An early second half goal from new signing Harvey made for an interesting second half. Despite the early goal Rusthall were unable to capitalise on the few chances created and eventually lost 8:2.

The penultimate game of the season was a double header away to Ridewaye. Having lost a few key players we struggled to make the twelve. Despite an out of shape side Rusthall played well and came close on a few occasions, making Ridgeway work for the eventual 4:0 victory.

Into the second game and time for some fun. The team was reshuffled with players playing out of their natural positions. Ridgeway scored early on and it was going to be a case of how many ! Rusthall’s relaxed mood produced some good football and again worked the Ridgeway defence and keeper. A missed second half penalty from Ridgeway only encouraged the lads to probe for the equaliser. That nearly came in the final moments. A goal kick was intercepted by Louis who looped in a shot from just inside the Ridgeway half  which had the keeper scurrying across his goal to push it round the post. Bad luck lads but it was good to see you leaving the pitch laughing and smiling.

The final game of the season was always going to be difficult against Jarvis Brook First Team who had won the cup the weekend before and look strong favourites to win the league. Despite the Rusthall team only having 9 players available and the bare eleven being made up with Jack Rusbridge and Ben Fitzgerald from the under 12’s – the team started very well. With 20 mins gone it was still 0-0 with the Rusthall defence of Sam Clayman, Henry Stone, Jack Cooper and Jack Rusbridge playing out of their skins. At half time it was 2 – 0 to Jarvis Brook and whilst the Cup Winners controlled the second half and ran out 8 -0 winners the effort put in by the under-strength Rusthall side was a credit to them.

So comes to an end a season many will wish to forget as it saw us winning only one game and drawing two but it could have been oh so different if only the league officials would listen to the clubs that make up their league. Well done lads for sticking to an impossible task and still having the commitment to give everything during training and the matches week in and week out – you are a credit to yourselves and Rusthall FC! Roll on next year!

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