Positive response to a poor result is crucial to any team in any league and on Tuesday evening, Rusthall put aside the disappointment of Saturday’s FA Vase defeat, bouncing back strongly to beat an impressive Phoenix Sports side 1-0 with another goal from centre-back, Daniel Blunn.

With captain, Robbie Bissett, missing through injury, Jimmy Anderson was forced to shuffle the pack with Frank Griffin moving into defence and Thompson Adeyemi taking up Griffin’s midfield berth to play against his former club. Louie Clarke returned from Butlins to take up his customary attacking position meaning the second coming of Yassin Fares would have to wait until the second half, the Italian maestro taking his place on the Rusthall bench.

It was clear from the off that Phoenix would pose a threat, one of very few teams in the league who would actually try to play football. Sitting low and soaking up pressure, they were quick on the break with Will Efambe a particularly quick option down the left-hand side. It was new signing, Paul Lee, who had the first chance and in truth, he should have scored. Played in behind the defence, he found himself up against Serine Sanneh, whose reactions to get down low and palm the ball away were thankfully better than his navigation skills, having arrived to the game at the home of Phoenix about and hour and a half before kick-off. Rusthall were grateful for the quality of their number 98, and his ability to hot foot it from Bexleyheath, not long after when he made a point blank save after a corner was well-delivered.

In front of Sanneh, Blunn and Griffin were working hard to repel attacks, and the excellent Louis Anderson and Rahman Kareem were doing all they could to nullify threats in wide areas. At the other end of the pitch, Jack Kirby went closest for Rusthall with a fine drive from the edge of the area which beat the keeper but not the crossbar- the ball bounced up off it and behind for a goal kick.

Rahman Kareem, a player who has really bought into what being at Rusthall is all about, and who is proving a hugely popular player with the fans, saw a fine, low strike fly narrowly wide- a goal is surely not far away for Rusthall’s rampaging number 13. Charlie Clover and Louie Clarke were hustling and bustling but not getting much joy out of a well-organised Phoenix back line- any attacking threat the home side carried was down the left-hand side with Josh Reid and Rahman Kareem linking well, but crosses into the box were not causing much damage.
The second half was a different affair- Phoenix, having had the best of the first half, retreated even further back and Rusthall began to dominate proceedings. Changes in shape and personnel saw Yassin Fares enter the fray in a left wingback/free role, the Rusthall fans delighted to see surely the best player ever to pull on a green and white shirt back home and looking sharp. Any attempts at hitting Rusthall on the break were seen off by Blunn and Griffin who more than had the measure of the Phoenix attackers while Jack Kirby and James Miles demonstrated their class and composure on the ball but real chances were few and far between. Serine Sanneh made yet another incredible save from close range and it seemed he would be a shoe-in for Man-of-the-Match, having played a major role in keeping the team’s fifth clean sheet in the last six games. However, Daniel Blunn stole the headlines and the post-match champagne, with the winning goal on 85 minutes. Substitute, Jack Low, controlled the ball with typical grace before firing low from the edge of the box. Confusion reigned as the ball was lost in a sea of players before Blunn prodded the ball home to the delight of the majority in the ground.

Phoenix failed to rally in the remaining minutes of the game and Rusthall saw the game out comfortably to claim a vital three points and move up to third in the table. The Phoenix players were quite rightly applauded as they left the field, the spirits high among the home fans having heard news of Tunbridge Wells’ failure to build on their win at the weekend with a 4-0 home defeat to Punjab United. One suspects there were no fans on the pitch at the end of that one.

Having claimed 24 points after just 10 games, Rusthall have matched their season total from 2021/22, and eclipsed their season total from 2023/24. This time last season, Rusthall found themselves bottom of the league with just five points- things are proving to be very different this season and Jimmy Anderson will be looking for more in the coming games, starting with another home game on Saturday afternoon when Larkfield and New Hythre will be the visitors.

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