Match Report: Deal Town 3 – 0 Sheppey United
Sheppey United Crash Out of FA Trophy as Nine-Man Ites Suffer Injury Nightmare at Deal Town
FA Trophy 2nd Qualifying Round
Alfie Evans who suffered another back injury during the game
Sheppey United’s FA Trophy campaign came to a painful end at the hands of Deal Town, as an injury crisis compounded a miserable afternoon on the pitch. Misfortune, defensive errors, and baffling refereeing decisions saw the Ites crash out 3–0, eventually finishing the match reduced to nine men with no available substitutes remaining.
Heading into this cup tie, the main narrative revolved around fitness management. The Ites received a slight boost with Harlain Mbayo and Mams Diallo returning from injury layoffs to take places on the bench. Alfie Evans was cleared to start following a back issue, while Harley Earle tested his fitness during the pre-match warmup despite missing out on the matchday 16. Jobie Farr retained his spot between the sticks.
The match opened at a tentative pace, with neither side registering a meaningful chance in the opening ten minutes. However, that didn’t last. In the 13th minute, a costly loss of possession by Simon Kabamba allowed Deal Town to pounce on the turnover. A sharp low cross swept across the face of the six-yard box, giving Ben Chapman a simple tap-in to hand the hosts a 1–0 lead.
Just as Sheppey were trying to settling into a rhythm, disaster struck twice in quick succession. In the 32nd minute, Deal Town executed a sensational long-range lob from inside their own half, catching Farr off his line to double their advantage to 2–0. A few minutes later, Sheppey's pre-game fitness gambit backfired as Evans suffered a recurrence of his back injury and was forced off, bringing Alfie Hilden into the action early. Sheppey were in truth, very second best in the opening half.
Half-Time: Deal Town 2 – 0 Sheppey United
Sheppey shuffled their personnel at the interval, introducing Diallo for Kabamba. The Ites began the second half with renewed energy:
51' — Danny Leonard's driving run earned a corner. The second phase yielded a long throw, culminating in a Clark shot being blocked in the box.
54' — Excellent combination play through midfield released Spencer, who dragged his shot wide from a promising angle.
55' — Deal countered, forcing Farr into a confident hold from a heavy header.
After Mbayo replaced Leonard in the 58th minute, the game’s turning point arrived in the 66th minute. Salako saw a flicked effort cleared off the line before Clark was blatantly hacked down inside the penalty area. Despite furious appeals for what appeared to be a stonewall penalty, the referee inexplicably waved play on.
Sheppey continued to push for a lifeline:
71' — Hilden’s shot was blocked, and moments later Clark’s goalbound strike was tipped wide by a defender’s trailing toe.
75' — Hilden met a corner cleanly, only to send his header narrowly over the crossbar.
With Sheppey pushing numbers forward, Deal Town delivered the knockout blow. In the 82nd minute Sheppey lost possession and Deal attacked to score their third and seal their place in the next round at 3–0.
To complete a nightmare afternoon, Sheppey’s injury list spiraled out of control in the closing stages. Having already used all their substitutions, both Dylan Ajei-Hersey and second-half substitute Mams Diallo were forced off with hamstring injuries.
Unable to replace them, Sheppey were left to see out the final minutes with just nine men on the pitch, bringing a grim end to an unfortunate FA Trophy exit.
Its now a headache for the Batten brothers with several injuries and a cup-tied Alfie Hilden restricting options for their FA Cup tie at Snodland Town next Saturday.
Lineups & Match Details
• Sheppey United XI: Farr, Ajei-Hersey, Kabamba (Diallo), Lawrence, Wisson (Cole), Andrews (Sophee-Turner), Evans (Hilden), Clark, Leonard (Mbayo), Spencer, Salako
• Unused Subs: 0
• Goals: 0
• Bookings: Andrews, Diallo
• Sent-off: 0
Report: Lee Allen
Photo: Marc Richards