With a difficult start to the season so far, Rusthall got just what the doctor ordered with a straightforward encounter at home against a Kennington side who had no answer to the pace, spirit and togetherness of a Rusthall side looking to start their season properly. After a two-week break, fans and players alike were keen to be back in action in the late summer sun, and the Rustics went home happy with a 3-1 win at the end of an enjoyable afternoon.
With Ben Sangare not quite ready for a full 90 minutes, Frank Griffin once again lined up at the back with Robbie Bissett, Josh Reid returned to the fold- a new dad once again- and Lekan Osideko got the nod up front. Jeffrey Njuguna and Christian Lawal were tasked with locking down the midfield and Lawal especially excelled with a dominant performance- his best in green and white so far since his move from Tunbridge Wells.

The game was barely three minutes old when Rusthall took the lead- it was Lawal who started things with a fine interception in the middle of the park which fell to Josh Reid who advanced forward before playing an exquisite through ball which found the well-timed run of Jack Kirby. With work to do to evade the onrushing Owen Bushell and the desperate attempts of a bamboozled defence, Kirby remained calm and slotted the ball home with ease. While the goal rocked Kennington and Rusthall were clearly on top, the away side equalised after 17 minutes. It always felt like a set piece would be their only way in and so it proved with Tom Scorer levelling the tie with, in fairness, a header of high quality from a well-taken corner.

The lead was retaken just before half time and it was Kirby again who delivered. Robbie Bissett found himself with time, and from the halfway line delivered a superb dinked ball forward which landed perfectly on Kirby’s right boot. Having judged his run to perfection once again, sized up the advances of Owen Bushell, and tracked the flight of the ball, he still had the presence of mind to flick a first-time finish over the head of Bushell and into the net for 2-1. The lead was fully deserved and going into the break, Rusthall will have known they were well on top and looking set for the win.

The second half saw Rusthall maintain their dominance and looking a threat each time they came forward. Man of the Match Rahman Kareem was in the mood for some fun, venturing down his right flank and linking well with Josh Reid at every opportunity. Yassin Fares was causing chaos down the Rusthall left- chaos which, as ever, defenders could only deal with in ways which should have drawn more attention from the referee. Another inconsistent display from the man with the whistle saw no punishment for Kennington players who had obviously overstepped the mark with their words, and an immediate sin-bin for Rusthall’s captain Bissett for one surely innocent attempt to point out the rules. In any case, Rusthall put aside any frustration or distraction and extended their lead on the hour through Lekan Osideko. Again, Christian Lawal was heavily involved- this time, an expert pirouette saw him escape the attention of an already-flagging midfield, his ball through was missed by a defender whose feet couldn’t quite keep up with what his brain was asking them to do, and Osideko was in. Showing expert calm and composure, he finished well, adding to his late winner against Fisher in the previous home league game.

Rusthall could, and perhaps should, have added to their tally but with very little threat at the other end of the pitch, this was a comfortable afternoon for Jimmy Anderson and his players. Pleasingly, the quality on the Rusthall bench was evident as Dan Atta, Thompson Adeyemi, Rajan Sahni and Louie Clarke all came on and Rusthall remained fluid and utterly dominant. Ben Sangare was able to play a part towards the end- an important step in getting a very promising looking player back to full action.

With the Rustics climbing the table, with games in hand on many above them, and an FA Vase tie to look forward to next week, the mood was deservedly buoyant at the fulltime whistle.

- Simon Howe

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