MUSCLE, SWEAT AND GRIND EARN FOUR POINTS FOR FOLKESTONE TO STAY IN SECOND PLACE

My colleague, Amin Dahmoud, last week reported on a hard, physical match against Vigo in which Folkestone’s defence was superb and again the defence was called upon to provide services above and beyond the normal to secure a victory that could be significant as the season progresses. Bromley, in third place with a game in hand over Folkestone knew that a win would leapfrog them into the promotion places. But it was not to be as Folkestone won with the last kick of the game in a match that was so level in skill and effort that the 14- 14 draw – before that last penalty kick –could have been seen as a fair result (by some).

The Stones squad system, and strength in depth, was called upon as early and late changes saw five regular players absent - and with Captain Seyhan Fell on international duty for Cyprus. Happily, changes do not now necessarily weaken the team.

In a nervous start Folkestone knocked the ball forward three times, failed to find relief with a touch kick and conceded two penalties in the opening minutes and were pegged back in hard defence playing uphill on the otherwise well-maintained Bromley pitch. The wall held against a powerful attack force – but three kickable penalties in two minutes undid them as Bromley missed one, took a scrum option from another and succeeded with the third. 3 – 0.

A fourth penalty gave Bromley a 6 – 0 lead as Folkestone were still trying to find rhythm and movement, but a couple of penalties in their favour gave them relief. In the first 17 minutes of the game seven penalties were awarded and a similar number of scrums - all combining to frustrate the game – as though the cold, wet and miserable conditions were not enough.

It took time, but The Stones began to break out of the shackles – many self-imposed - that had held them in hard defence against the testing Bromley XV. Jon Morton cleared with a superb kick to the half-way line - the line-out was won and snappy passing gave Freddy Faiers a chance on left wing, but the final pass was forward. A Bromley scrum resulted and Folkestone forwards mightily heaved the big Bromley pack backwards – winning the ball in the process. Lewis Howland broke right, feeding Callum Palmieri who, instead of giving it to Jon Morton, put in a long crossfield kick towards the try line with the long-legged and very fast Freddy Faiers sprinting to collect it well and touch down all at the same time as resisting a strong tackle from the full back.

The word ‘Try’ is derived from the game in the 19th Century, as Steve Hughes will remember, when the objective of the game was principally to kick the ball through the posts or, alternatively, to touch the ball down over the line which then allowed ‘a try to kick a goal’. Callum Palmieri had this honour that he took magnificently 6 – 7.

Palmieri missed with another penalty kick, but Folkestone were beginning to click together now, and as half time came Bromley realised that their dominance in the first quarter was in jeopardy.

Decisions, and there many of them, were going against The Stones. Rob Godden and Kieran Smith were in middle of a stationary maul holding up the Bromley forwards – the referee then letting Bromley have the put-in at the scrum. James Mead was flattened by a tackle that was dangerous by any standards and Bromley were rewarded with a scrum on the restart after Mead was carried off the field. Coach, Darren Molloy send on his three substitutes – Shane Hills for the groggy James Mead – and Dave Jarvis and Dave Archer gave the extremely hard working and effective Kieran Smith and Dave Ballard a rest.

Bromley then attacked down the right and smart interlinking coupled with a crafty side-step beat the cover defence to give them the lead, but the easy conversion was missed from close to posts. 11 – 7.

But Folkestone were now handling and kicking well with Faiers, Eustace and Morton following up and Bromley had to concede ground. It was their turn to concede penalties under pressure and a kick from a second penalty in succession was put, with pin-point accuracy, to 5 metres out. The line-out was secured by Rob Godden – the maul assembled with Dave Archer and Jeremie Cowell at the front and the wiry Connor Leather holding the ball at the back – more players jumped in and Bromley creaked backwards and were physically heaved over the line just enough for Leather put his hand on the ball to have the try awarded. Callum Palmieri converted, and Folkestone had doubled their score to 11 – 14.

As Bromley regained ground upfield Folkestone ran off-side, but the referee played advantage and Bromley took it with a flat drop-kick from the 22-metre area. Reward for good effort. 14 – 14.

Now Bromley really went for victory with a vengeance. An attack helped by penalties put them right on the Folkestone line. Twice Bromley forwards crossed the try line and twice they were held up. For fully 6 minutes the whole Folkestone team blocked and tackled each covering each other – it was a superb piece of defensive team rugby against wave after wave of attack. Until, at last Bromley knocked-on and Palmieri cleared downfield.

Twenty-two penalties were awarded in this game 13 of them against Folkestone and 8 for, but the last one in the last minute was the crucial one. In similar way to their earlier try The Stones mounted a forward’s attack in the 10-metre zone having been put there by John Eustace and Tom Snare crashing through the centre-field. Bromley conceded ground as Folkestone piled in – and then were panicked into a blatant off-side offence in front of the posts – deep into stoppage time. 14-17. No nerves from Callum Palmieri as he won the game with three points for the penalty and four points for the team

No-one starred for Folkestone, everyone excelled ‘above and beyond’- and the team and the squad will well remember this win and how deep they had to dig for that reserve of strength and fitness.

Team: Mead, Faiers, Morton, Eustace, Murray, Palmieri, Howland. Snare, Leather, Ballard, Smith, Godden, Price, Cowell, Trinder

Subs: Jarvis, Archer, Hills

Scorers: Faiers 5; Leather 5; Palmieri 2, 2, 3.

Scores: Try, Faiers 6 – 5 (36 m) Conv. Palmieri 6 – 7 (37). Try; Leather 11 – 12, 9 56) Conv. Palmieri 11 – 14 (57), Pen. Palmieri 14 – 17 (80)