A huge crowd of 1208 were in attendance to watch Rusthall entirely dominate proceedings and leave Tunbridge Wells fans wondering where their next points will come from, and if they will play any home games before the Spring equinox.

The headline team news for both teams was the absence of the two captains, Robbie Bissett and Rory Ward. While Rusthall replaced their centre half captain with another defender in Louis Anderson, Steve Ives opted to replace central midfielder Ward with a full back- perhaps one of the reasons Frank Griffin and James Miles had the freedom of Jockey Farm to ply their trade. Josh Reid lined up at right back and excelled in the first half before succumbing to a hamstring injury just before the break- what a pleasing sight it was to see his replacement, Jesse Hammond, back in the green and white.

Last week’s limp performance at Fisher was a distant memory within minutes of the start, as Rusthall dominated immediately. With Griffin and Miles in cruise control in the middle of the park, and Jack Kirby gliding around the pitch as usual, Wells were struggling to work out what to do. With Yassin Fares and Louie Clarke in the wide areas and willing to do the defensive work as well as the creative stuff, Regan Corke and D’Armando Lawrence were unable to offer anything in support of a weary looking Trevor McCreadie who very much seemed to have enjoyed his Christmas. Charlie Clover loves a derby and looked well in the mood to inflict damage on a stuttering Wells defence- while he didn’t get on the scoresheet today, he made a difference as always and was able to enjoy his day, even cracking a few smiles at reference to his electrical antics which made headline news recently.

Rusthall could well have been in front already when the deadlock was broken, and it was Yassin Fares who gave the Rustics the lead. Wells attempted to play out from the back but embarrassingly lost the ball within three passes meaning Jack Kirby found himself wide on the right with time to choose what to do - he opted to deliver a looping cross to which Fares reacted quickest before deftly half-volleyingthe ball home giving George Bentley no chance, with defenders in red nowhere to be seen.

Reece Hobbs, in goal for the home side in place of the unfortunate Serine Sanneh who sustained a serious injury on Monday playing Baller League football for John Terry’s 26ers, enjoyed a peaceful first half, with Daniel Blunn and Louis Anderson in no mood to dish out Christmas gifts to McCreadie and Co. Rahman Kareem was in typically adventurous form in support of Fares down the left-hand side- a threat Matt Astle failed to deal with in any meaningful way across the entire 90 minutes. Jack Kirby added the second with a fine goal which began with excellent hold-up play from Charlie Clover- he exchanged passes with Louie Clarke before playing a superb through-ball to Jack Kirby on the left. He cut inside his man, took it past another hapless defender, before burying a low drive beyond the reach of Bentley who immediately shared his frustration with the shambles of a defence in front of him.

Half time arrived and 2-0 was the least Rusthall deserved for their dominant display. With Jesse Hammond entering the fray, there was a slight shuffle in defence but the Rusthall back line remained solid in the face of marginal improvement from the away side. While they did manage to pass the ball to one another more than twice in a row, they failed to lay a glove on Rusthall who were able to control proceedings with ease. The home side were grateful to have found Reece Hobbs this week when he made a superb save from a freekick which was expertly tipped over the bar. Serine Sanneh, watching on in a cast, will have been proud of that save, and delighted with the reception he received from the Rusthall faithful throughout the game.

Rusthall could have extended their lead with a few chances towards the end of the game but in the end, two goals were plenty against a side who looked bereft of ideas. Memories of an FA Vase defeat earlier in the season, and back-to-back defeats preceding this one, were banished as Rusthall maintained their push at the top of the league. Tunbridge Wells meanwhile, drop to 13th and will be beginning to look over their shoulders no doubt. As Rusthall boss, Jimmy Anderson, celebrates seven years in charge, Steve Ives will be hoping that ongoing issues with the Culverden pitch don’t result in most of their home games being played in March and April as has been the case in recent seasons.

A Merry Christmas indeed for all in green and white- the New Year sees the Rustics travel to Snodland Town for what promises to be a tricky encounter but for now, the Rusthall fans will be full of festive cheer as local bragging rights were secured once again.

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