In a commanding display of football, Beckenham Town faced off against Danson Sports for the 25/26 season curtain raiser, at Club Langley
After some confusion around which pitch was to be played on and some running to find corner flags, the match finally kicked off at 10:20 am and concluded with a resounding 6-1 win for Beckenham, putting the KYL central division on notice. They are here to compete for honours.
Beckenham Town lined up in a familiar 4-3-3 formation, The back four consisted of Harry and Max centrally, flanked by Harvey and Anton. Two deep midfielders Lewis and Evangelos were tasked with shielding the defence and facilitating the creativity of maestro Sam ahead of them. Turkson and Dom were to attack from wide areas, and Joe would lead the line.
After a sloppy first 5 minutes, where a defensive/goal keeping error almost cost a goal, but for a decent goal line clearance from the imperious Harvey Gray, Beckenham began asserting their dominance, utilising their formation to create space and opportunities out wide. Sam Graney picked up the. All early, putting Joe in on goal with a sublime through ball that Joe couldn’t convert.
Shortly after, with Beckenham now in full control, Dom Morgan put Joe through on goal again, this time converted with a routine finish for the menacing striker. As the first half progressed, Beckenham Town's relentless pressure paid off, creating numerous chances. The Beckenham midfield won every header from Danson’s long clearances. Lewis Hayden won another with power, which the Joe was quick to pounce on, driving forward, resisting heavy pressure from the defender behind, and slotting home to the keeper’s right.
Shortly afterwards great work from Turkson Appiah created another chance, with him slotting the ball into Dominic Morgan. Dom still had work to do though as the ball was slightly behind him, and the keeper was quick off his line. But composed as always Dom was able to side step the on rushing keeper, for a simple tap in.
Referee Anthony Kilula called an end to the 1st half with Beckenham commanding a significant 3-0 lead.
The second half saw Beckenham Town continue their offensive onslaught, with the attacking players linking up effectively with the striker.
Beckenham struck again early, with Joe terrorising Danson. Breaking through their defensive line, Joe had only the keeper to beat. However this time the keeper dived bravely at joes feet to deny him, only for the busy Tommy Barbara to be supporting from beneath, pouncing on the rebound and driving the ball home into the bulging net.
Danson were able to claw a scruffy goal back against the run of play, when keeper Sami, struggled to hold onto a high ball.
But soon after the break, Turkson Appiah who was now beating his man at will, had driven into the box and fired at goal, for the keeper to make another great save. Unfortunately the ball only ricochets as far as the supporting Joe Inglis, who slotted hime from short range for his hat-trick.
Beckenham were now on cruise control and the Danson players were holding on for the final whistle. But there was no containing Turkson out wide, who with 2 assists, was unlucky not to have the goal he deserved when his shot went narrowly wide, causing the side netting to bulge. There was also no controlling the power of Joe Inglis who saw two more 1v1s with the goalie go begging.
Late in the game Joe was through on goal once again and drove home low to the keeper’s right, for his 4th of the game, making it 6-1 to Beckenham.
Danson Sports struggled to contain the Beckenham attack, managing only a single goal in response to the barrage they faced. Despite their efforts, they were unable to mount a serious challenge, and the match ended with Beckenham Town securing a comprehensive 6-1 victory.
This match not only highlighted Beckenham Town's attacking capabilities but also their solid defensive structure, which will serve them well in future encounters. The performance was a testament to their hard work through summer and their teamwork on the day. The boys are off to a great start, setting a high bar for the coming games.
