This was expected to be a hard game and so it proved with Folkestone sneaking home by a whisker!

28/9/2013. London 3 South East.

This was expected to be a hard game and so it proved with Folkestone sneaking home by a whisker. The previous two weeks saw Folkestone notch up healthy winning scores with some delightful running and interpassing but this match was a different kettle of fish. This was a forward orientated game and Folkestone were not allowed the licence they were hoping for and had to work hard to contain a strong, physical Thanet side that played to their strength in the pack.
However it was Folkestone who lit up the large crowd within 90 seconds when young Jack Brooks took the ball in the middle of the park, chipped ahead and won the race for the touchdown which Seyhan Fell duly converted 7 - 0.
Adam Tolman and Mike Gardner were prominent early on in both attack and defence but it was Thanet who put pressure on the home side to gain a penalty but could not turn it into points.
Thanet were continually denying Folkestone sufficient clean, quick ball to let their fliers loose and both sides put a lot of effort into the rucks and mauls. Folkestone had the upper hand in the set scrums but were not as dominant in the line outs as they had been in previous weeks.
Thanet hit back with a try of their own when the ball was moved right to find space in the corner where they scored but could not add the conversion. 7 – 5. Thanet put another penalty into the Folkestone corner for a 'catch and drive' but sterling defence by the forwards repulsed the charge. The home crowd were getting frustrated as Folkestone could not get out of their own half and only terrific defence denied Thanet a score.
Jordan Godden was all over his opposite number at scrum half and his constant pressure helped snuff out any swift ball. Kevin Murray was on hand to assist and with Chris Petley were able to contain the half back pair to a certain degree.
Right on half time Thanet drove a loose maul over the line to take the lead with a converted try.
Half time 7 - 12.
The half time chat by Coach Darren Molloy got his team out of the blocks quickly at the restart and a burst up the middle by Gardner took the ball up the 5 metre line. Godden fed the line across the face of the posts only to see the Thanet centre knock a pass down giving Fell an easy penalty. 10 - 12.
The front row of team Captain 'Moose' Murray, Jack Cox and Matt Roots held their own against what appeared to be a heavier pack and on several occasions were able to drive them off their own ball with the beef being provided by Scottie Stewart and Dave Baxter.
Folkestone then took the lead with a sweet little try from Tolman after Kev Murray popped the ball up to him on the blind side to see him run it into the corner to score. No conversion 15 – 12. The odd dropped pass or one knocked out in the tackle cost Folkestone ground quite often and on one occasion Thanet were able to capitalize and slot a penalty drawing the game at 15 - 15.
Thanet were proving a difficult side to contain but Folkestone threw everything at them and were awarded a penalty which Fell duly slotted after one of the visitors tried to assist the referee in making decisions. Thanet were frustrated at this as they had the majority of the territory and possession only to find them trailing. Darren Molloy then brought on his subs in Blandford, Dagger and Randall and had a general shuffle around in both the pack and threequarters.
Another indiscretion by the Thanet outside half saw him take a rest in the 'bin' and the loss of a man in the centre of the line allowed Adam Tolman to waltz through and score which Fell converted. 25 - 15. In the space of three minutes Seyhan Fell put in two cracking tackles to deny Thanet a score at a crucial time in the match.
Thanet then kept Folkestone in their own 22 until they moved the ball along the line and a mistake by Folkestone allowed the visiting centre to score under the posts. The conversion made it 25 - 22.
Folkestone were under the cosh in the final minutes and managed to keep Thanet at bay until the referee blew the final whistle.
There were so many gutsy performances it was impossible to declare a 'Man of the Match' but credit must go to Adam Tolman, Seyhan Fell, Mike Gardner, Chris Petley and Jordan Godden for their individual performances.
Team: S. Fell; J. Morton, J. Eustace, J. Brooks, B. Brooks; A. Tolman, J. Godden; M. Murray (Capt.), J. Cox, M. Roots; S. Stewart, D. Baxter; K. Murray, C. Petley, M. Gardner. Subs: W. Blandford, A. Randall, R. Dagger.
Next week away to Old Dunstonians KO 15:00. Coach leaves at 11:00. Supporters welcome.