Here are just a few photo's I took at Sevenoaks when Maidstone United won the 2005 /2006 Kent League title.

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Well what a day that was. I had been feeling tense / nervous / excited all week about the match and decided to take the train down to Sevenoaks from London so I could have a few drinks beforehand to calm my nerves. Only problem was that once I was on the train they announced that due to problems in the Orpington area the train was no longer going to be calling at Sevenoaks but and was being diverted direct to Tonbridge!. Up went the anxiety levels.
Eventually after a very slow trip around the county via East Croydon, Redhill and Godstone we reached Tonbridge station and fortunately trains were running the other way between Tonbridge and Sevenoaks and even better it was only a three minute wait till the next rain was due. Another train was waiting at Sevenoaks for the Bat and Ball and I finally go to the ground about 10 minutes before kick off. No time for a drink but at least I had made it.

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It was a lovely warm sunny day and a crowd of 526 was packed into Sevenoaks Greatness Park ground but once there I found it really hard to concentrate on the match, knowing that whatever Maidstone achieved we would only be champions if Beckenham failed to beat Erith and Belvedere. An early goal from Lyndon Rowland meant Maidstone were in front but it was events at Park View Road that really mattered. News of an open goal and then a penalty miss by Erith and Belvedere in the first 25 minutes of their match only seemed to confirm that Beckenham were destined to be champions.

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Mo Takaloo added a second Maidstone goal just before half time and the news came in form Park View Road that it was still Erith and Belevedere 0 Beckenham 0; so with just 45 minutes of the league season left the Stones were still in front.

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The second half just went by in a bit of a blur. Despite the match being fairly typical of Maidstone with plenty of possession but few actual chances being created the Maidstone result never seemed in doubt against a Sevenoaks who tried hard and competed well. Great news came from Park View Road that on 53 minutes Erith and Belvedere had scored and a big cheer went up around the ground. It reminded me a bit of when we were playing Welling in the Kent Senior Cup final in 1989 in what at the time was a very dull 0-0 draw when news came through that our only challengers for the conference title, Kettering Town, had lost at home to Enfield and could no longer catch the Stones who were thus confirmed as champions.

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Erith and Belvederes lead did not last long though and Beckenham equalised seven minutes later leaving them half an hour to score a goal and win the championship. I lost count of the number of times I looked at my watch as time seemed to slow to a crawl, anxiously listening to any sound from the crowd which might indicate a goal at Park View Road. Time however did move on and with no further news from Park View Road Mo somehow missed a penalty half way through the second half Ryan Royston scored a couple of quick goals towards the end of the match to make the final score 4-0 to the Stones. A loud cheer went up at the end of the match, almost instantly followed by an even louder cheer as news came through that Beckenham and Erith and Belvedere had drawn 1-1 and Maidstone were confirmed as Champions of the Kent League in the most dramatic circumstances. I was so happy and relieved I hardly had the energy to run on the pitch to join the celebrations.

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A truly great day that will live in the memory for a long time to come, I really thought we had blown it after the 1-1 draw at Erith in March and I can still hardly believe we are champions. Thanks are due to Sevenoaks who tried to play some decent football during the match and let us celebrate without fuss. Hope things improve for them next season. And for the Stones, Ryman League here we come!

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