CROYDON FC 6 – 1 LYDD TOWN

The Cinque Ports side were effectively sunk by our three goal opening salvo in the opening thirteen minutes on what was a bitterly cold afternoon.

Despite playing our joker before Christmas, we garnered “nil points” in December and saw ourselves slipping slowly down the rankings so we were fully aware of the need for three points against our penultimately placed visitors.

Yet anyone who saw the opening five minutes would have thought that Lydd were the higher ranking team as they started like express trains without troubling the scorers.

Then we cut them off like Beeching did many years ago – in the sixth minute, Neil Spencer shot low from the edge of the area, the goalkeeper dived, fumbled and we had opened our account. A modicum of luck maybe but when you have been in a slough of despond for six weeks, every little helps!

After December’s drought, goals were like buses for two minutes later, Kanan Fitton fired home from the right of the area to leave the visitors shellshocked, Fitton’s  second on thirteen meant that it was all but over and Lydd went into damage limitation mode.

It did appear that Trams had slightly stepped off the gas and the visitors weren’t helped by a lack of commonsense from their centre half who contrived to get himself cautioned twice in two minutes and therefore had his afternoon truncated on forty.

Lydd managed to hold out until the interval to allow themselves to regroup but occasionally conceded free-kicks in dangerous areas in their desperation after the restart.

We wasted a number of chances by shooting off target and on fifty-eight, Tom Barton centred low only for us not being alert enough to get into position. On the hour, Lydd conceded a free kick on the right of the arc and Barton stepped up to curl the ball inside the far upright to effectively put the game out of reach, subject to a catastrophe of biblical proportions.

Both teams rang the changes using all their subs to prevent players from getting further knocks and giving those on the bench match time.

Pat Ward was one of those and took advantage of his short time on the field. Fellow replacement Alfie Eldridge galloped down the right flank and outpaced the floundering defenders. He just kept the ball in by the goal line and laid it back into the middle to the onrushing Ward who took full advantage on seventy-four.

Lydd didn’t give up and caught our defence napping  on a few occasions but blasting off target. But with three minutes of normal time remaining, our defence politely allowed the visitors both time and space to play the ball around at will and hammering home to spoil any thoughts of a rare clean sheet.

However, we weren’t finished and after the ball had ping-ponged in front of goal, Ward netted number six  off the upright followed by Taylor being compelled to save with his feet.

Croydon: Taylor, Walters (Smith), Friend (Jenkins), Rufus, Clark, Palmer, Fitton (Ward), Spencer, Dale (Eldridge), Riches, Barton (White)

Match Report: Steve Tyler

Pictures: Paul Davis

Album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/croydongas/albums/72177720331384061/