Match Report

Hill edged out in 9 goal thriller

Ide Hill saw their unbeaten league record vanish on a turbulent afternoon down at Camberwell Lane in a game in which they led twice, but ultimately fell to a last minute winner.

The hosts came in to the game off the back of a strong win at Fleetdown and looking towards a run of tricky fixtures to see where they lie realistically in the league and whether they could compete at the top of the table long term as their early season form had suggested.

And although Ide Hill started well and with encouraging intensity and bite, they fell behind after 5 minutes, a foul conceded on the far-right corner of the Hill box; Harry Tanner beautifully arced his free kick round the wall and into the corner for one nil. The goal was a setback but also somewhat against the run of play, so Ide Hill were undeterred and drew level deservedly on 15 minutes. A floated Ben Holder free kick met in the box by Barry Ryan who headed home his first of the day on an afternoon when he tormented the Farnborough defence throughout.

Ide Hill were quicker in the clinches and were breaking from midfield with regularity and their pressure told after 25 minutes, Callum Heath racing through from midfield, crashing through 2 tackles and, when clean through, smartly and unselfishly squaring for Ryan to tap in for his second of the game. The Hill were in a purple patch and could sense the game was there to win, but they couldn’t convert a host of good chances before the break, Jackson firing at the keeper from 12 yards, Ryan going close with a bicycle kick and two other rasping drives.

For all their late first half dominance, Ide Hill were lucky to go in to the break with 11 men and in front, a Farnborough breakaway from an Ide Hill corner saw a Farnborough forward played clean through, Jackson bringing him down and escaping with a yellow card, the subsequent free kick fired over.

It mattered little though as Farnborough came straight out after the break and equalised immediately, Mason Horne scoring the first of his 4 match-winning goals with a header from a set piece. Ide Hill roused themselves, but the game had become balanced due to a potent front three of Farnborough now posing a concerted threat, with a substitute powerful forward (Kalum Daini) added to the ranks and turning the tide slightly.

But Ide Hill regained the lead on the hour in what initially felt a crucial moment; Heath raiding once more down the right and sending over a peach of a cross to the back post, where Jackson stole in front of the defender and poked back across the keeper for 3-2. But this joy was criminally short lived, Horne grabbing his second quickly after the restart, an innocuous long ball caught goalkeeper and defender sleeping and Horne prodded home for his second. He then added a sumptuous hat-trick goal after 70 minutes, finding himself in a pocket of space between defence and midfield once more in a devastating performance and smashing in from 25 yards for the Farnborough lead.

Ide Hill showed impressive doggedness to keep fighting and plugging until the end though and drew level once more with 5 minutes left to play, Ryan completing his hat-trick from a clever set piece delivery from Sam Heasman. But ultimately the Hill showed worrying naivety in not seeing out the game, the powerful Farnborough forward from the bench (Kalum) twisting and turning on the break and squaring across the 6 yard box for an unmarked Horne to tap in for his 4th and the last minute winner.

Ide Hill stay second in the league, still enjoying an impressive autumn yet hurting after a strong performance that ultimately bore no fruit; they will look to take the intensity and goal threat into their next game against Faversham, minus the collective fragility and hopefully continue to pick up points against some of the big boys to come.

Ide Hill: McKay, Heath, Steggle, Pearson, Alteirac, Randall, Holder, Jackson, Kensell, Grant, Ryan. Subs: Bunn, Heasman, Howard, Piper, Driver.

FOBG: Green, Perfitt, Tanner, Knight, Warburton, West, L. Longhurst, Blaize, P. Lee, Blackman, Horne. Subd: Wallace, Daini.