Lewisham Borough 3 Larkfield & New Hythe 2

 

Lewisham Borough 3 Larkfield & New Hythe 2

SCEFL Division One Cup Final – 07/05/2024

ATT; 201 - at Corinthian FC.

Two days after the madness of Wembley Stadium and Bromley being promoted to the Football League it was time to get back to the soul of football.

Lewisham Borough taking on Larkfield & New Hythe in the SCEFL Division One Cup final at Gay Dawn Farm home of Corinthian FC. My good friend Nigel had been watching his local team at Ladywell Arena this season along with his mate Petros who was in his first season of following a club and they were both in attendance for this one.

The two sides had met in the promotion play offs a week earlier, with Larkfield winning a penalty shootout 13-12 and going on to secure promotion the next weekend. Lewisham finished fifth in the final play off place with Larkfield coming second, eleven points better off, but still eight pints behind winners Whyteleafe.

With this the final game of the season for both sides, it was a great chance to sign the campaign off in style.

I arrived at the ground around 7:15pm and the car park was almost full then, there were a number of people heading towards the turnstiles in Lewisham colours, the blue and yellow of The London Borough of Lewisham. It was £8 to get in and £2 for a programme, which wasn’t bad value at all. 

I’d seen Lewisham play before, but quite a while ago. A home game with Eynsford back in their Kent County League days and an away match at Holmesdale more recently, but I’d never seen Larkfield & New Hythe.   

Wearing my Bromley hoodie a couple of people came up to say hello and ask about the game on Sunday and what happens now. Nige & Petros turned up a few minutes later having been in the bar to settle the nerves.  

By kick off there was an impressive number supporting Borough including the Mayor of Lewisham herself. They made up more than half of the 201 attendance and made their presence heard. The burger van inside the ground was doing a fantastic trade, I just opted for a can of Irn Bru, but Nige & Petros said the burgers were very good and looking at them I kinda wished I hadn't had any dinner before I left.

The game got off to a frantic start, on what was a fantastic pitch and both sides seem to enjoy playing on it. After sixteen minutes Lewisham got the breakthrough when   Edward Asiamah showed great determination to win the ball in the box and coolly slot it home for 1-0. On twenty three minutes, Larkfield drew level when Matt Day was in the right place at the right time to convert a cross from ten yards out. Two minutes later Bryan Zepo put Borough back in front with an audacious lob from outside the box that caught the keeper off his line and dropped in just under the bar to send the Lewisham fans wild. Lewisham extended their lead on 30minutes when Georgi Steeds converted a penalty to make it 3-1 and they could have scored more as the half went on.  

The Borough fans near we were saying how much the players were enjoying passing the ball round on a good pitch rather than the surface at Ladywell Arena which is surrounded by an athletics track with javelins and discus landing on it all week. Corinthian FC is a really nice place to watch football, along with the lovely pitch there is a unique pavilion in one corner housing the changing rooms, a covered seating area behind the goal and a small raised stand along the side with bus shelter style covered standing dotted around. The far side of the pitch is an open grass bank which is fenced off to spectators and at the top there is some nice looking houses. The whole Gay Dawn Farm sports complex seems very popular for various sports.  

3-1 at the break and as I walked round I saw Mike from KSN and had a quick chat. I also bumped into an old TFT subscriber in Mark who had stopped going to Bromley a while back and was now following Lewisham. It was also good to chat to Petros about his impressions of following a team for the first time and we laughed at when his partner had come to a game and she’d asked him why everybody was so angry!   

The second half was a tale of half chances and lots of stoppages as cramp and heavy challenges took their toll. The Borough fans kept up their vocal support and also tried to wind up one or two of the opposition players. With ten minutes to go the tension rose as Larkfield pulled it back to 3-2 when Jordan Carey connected to a cross inside the box. The yellow and black side had brought on their first choice keeper up front to add an extra aerial option up top. Would Borough hold on? Solid defending and a few well times substitutions saw them keep their nerve and end the season with a hard earned trophy.

At the end of the final, the Lewisham players came over to their fans to thank them for their support and share handshakes and hugs before lifting the trophy to a great cheer as I headed back to my car and tackled the country roads leading back to the suburbs.

I like the spirit and sense of community about Lewisham Borough and I hope they kick on again next season, challenging at the top of SCEFL Division One. While Larkfield & New Hythe begin life in the SCEFL Premier Division.    

Col.