Rusthall progressed to the third round of the Kent Senior Trophy, and avenged a late defeat earlier in the season, by beating old foes Kennington 3-1 in cold, dark, windy November conditions. Dealing with a host of injuries once again, Jimmy Anderson was grateful to be able to put James Miles and the dangerous Yassin Fares back into the mix- the Italian winger enjoyed a successful afternoon and would prove to be the match winner.

The game began in a cagey manner with Rusthall trying to get to grips with the surface, and Kennington struggling to match the lofty expectations of their vocal goalkeeper. It was Kennington who broke the deadlock with a goal that most in the ground thought was offside- crucially, the linesman felt Rajan Sahni had timed his run well enough and he found himself one-on-one with Serine Sannah. Remaining calm, Sahni stroked the ball home and the deafening silence of a shared ground where the home fans are completely outnumbered by the travelling support was clear to hear.

Rusthall responded well and began to play their typical easy-on-the-eye brand of football. Fares was a constant threat down the left with the full back clearly terrified of getting too close. Ayodeji Owoeye was once again impressive and went close with a chance when through on goal from a crisp pass from Robbie Bissett. On the other side, Rahman Kareem and Josh Reid were linking up well and plenty of crosses came into the box but to no avail. Rusthall scored a perfectly good goal which was chalked off for offside- Charlie Clover’s left footed finish was unstoppable and nestled perfectly in the bottom corner but celebrations were cut short as the linesman rose his flag. Kennington seemed to have given up trying to find another goal so pinned back were they and eventually, Rustic pressure paid off as Joe Mant bundled Owoeye to the floor- a penalty the result. Up stepped Yassin Fares who fired home to level the match just before the break.

The second half saw Rusthall build on their dominance with Kennington unable to muster anything at all in response. Jack Kirby and James Miles were too good in the centre of the park, their touches and passes too crafty, too subtle, for the rather cumbersome opposition. Thompson Adeyemi was there to mop anything up that needed addressing and Daniel Blunn provided the backstop when needed, giving Serine Sanneh a quiet afternoon in his first match since turning 23. Josh Reid gave Lucas Mvongo a torrid afternoon, dribbling this way and that, a constant menace. Charlie Clover worked hard all afternoon and while he didn’t get on the scoresheet, he did provide the assist for Rusthall’s second as he swung in a pinpoint cross with his weaker foot, the ball dropped, Robbie Bissett spun around and smashed the ball in off the post.

It felt like Rusthall would add more to their tally but they had to wait until stoppage time to do so. Yassin Fares ran at the defence once too many for the defenders’ liking and he carved a path through a tiring backline before drilling his shot low past Mant. At a ground where Rusthall have not always done as well as they might, this was a pleasing win which provides a place in the third round of the competition. With Larkfield and New Hythe moving into top spot in the table, Jimmy Anderson will be keen to get back to league action, starting with a trip to Hythe Town on Saturday.

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