Rusthall took a giant leap towards safety with an impressive 2-0 win over Bearsted- almost a year on from a 2-0 defeat to the same opponents in the final game of last season. While the result 12 months ago, despite the loss, secured 6th place in the table, this win brought an altogether different feeling, reminiscent of the final game two seasons ago when a frantic 4-4 draw against Erith and Belvedere secured safety. While the Rustics aren’t yet mathematically safe, this result, coupled with a Billy Bennett inspired 4-1 win for Faversham Town over Welling Town, brought a buzz to The Jockey Farm Stadium which has perhaps been harder to find this season.

Manager Jimmy Anderson was missing for this one, serving a one match stadium ban for picking up one too many yellow cards so it was over to Ollie Saunders, Joe Charlesworth and U23 boss Lee Chambers to run the game from the dugout, with valuable support from injured skipper, Callum Taylor. It was a back four protecting the brilliantly entertaining Serine Sanneh in goal with Jeffrey Njuguna and Abdullah Khalil in the full back positions and Lenny Styles and Dan Blunn in the middle. All five at the back were excellent throughout, nullifying any hint of a threat from the away side. Dylan Riches and Ben Branch provided cut and thrust in midfield and Steadman Callender was supported by the pace, trickery and drive of Jack Lyons, Kalani Barton and the excellent Jack Kirby.
Rusthall showed their intent from the off- Jack Lyons winning the ball, moving forward with ease and threatening Bearsted’s goal with a rasping drive which forced Frankie Leonard to make a desperate save. It was clear that the Rusthall players were here to put a shift in, to work for each other, to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. After 12 minutes, they were in front. Jack Kirby- what an impact he has had since coming to the club- released Kalani Barton down the left-hand side and he breezed past Jordan Tingley before playing a low cross towards Steadman Callender whose effort from close range was saved by Leonard. Fortunately, Jack Lyons was on hand to steer the rebound in from a couple of yards out- it was, in truth, a fairly scruffy finish to an excellent team goal but one that could turn out to be vital.
Bearsted struggled to respond and offered little threat in attack while looking a little vulnerable in defence. When Jack Kirby picked the ball up and moved forward, the waves parted and he was able to advance to the edge of the box before finding Jack Lyons on the right. He looked up and laid the ball to Ben Branch on the edge of the area who unleashed a curling drive which looped over Leonard, smashed against the crossbar and bounced down, over the line according to the well-placed assistant referee. A 2-0 lead felt absolutely right and in fact it could easily have been increased as Rusthall continued to create chances. Callender went close with a fine shot which went narrowly wide and Kalani Barton, in his most impressive performance in green and white, went close with a shot which ended up in the side netting.
The opinions of the Bearsted management team on their first half performance were made clear by the host of changes they made at the break. For Rusthall, it was a case of digging in and making sure the lead didn’t slip- something that has happened annoyingly frequently this season. Despite their changes, Bearsted continued to stutter and Serine Sanneh was able to enjoy his afternoon- he would later go on to be voted both Players’ and Manager’s Player of the Year- a real sign of the impact he has had. Chairman’s and Supporters’ Player of the Year, Dan Blunn, continued to marshal the defence alongside the excellent Lenny Styles whose clearance into the car park towards the end of the game brought perhaps the biggest cheer of all. Jack Kirby went close to extending the lead with an audacious lob from 40 yards out which caught Frankie Leonard out but couldn’t beat the crossbar but ultimately, two goals were sufficient to beat a side who, despite their good form going into the game, couldn’t put anything together to worry the home side.
There were huge cheers and a sense of pride when the final whistle blew which continued late into the evening as players, management and supporters all joined together for an evening of celebration and awards. Rusthall play Glebe away next week and, if Welling Town fail to beat Kennington on Tuesday, they will go there knowing that safety will be secured. On today’s performance, Rusthall should look to Glebe, and indeed next season, with great confidence.

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