Match Report: Sheppey United FC vs AFC Greenwich Borough

Written By Lee Allen

Final Score: Sheppey United 0 – 3 AFC Greenwich Borough

Fixture: Pre-Season Friendly

Match Overview

Sheppey United suffered a 3-0 pre-season defeat at home against a sharp AFC Greenwich Borough side, who arrived full of confidence following impressive undefeated runs against Margate and Sittingbourne.

After a tightly contested, goalless first half where both sides traded chances, the visitors blew the game open early in the second half behind a quickfire double from Stefan Payne before sealing the victory late on.

Team News & Lineups

The Ites fielded a heavily rotated squad mixed with trialists to manage several pre-season injuries and absences:

  • Absentees: Mo Dabo and Harlain Mbayo were rested with knocks, while Josh Wisson missed out due to a pre arranged holiday before he signed for the club. Shaquille Gordon remains sidelined with a strained metatarsal, and Mams Diallo continues recovery from a hamstring injury.

  • Returns: Dylan Adjei-Hersey returned to action after recovering from a knock sustained in previous friendlies.

  • Expected Returns: Both Harlain Mbayo and Cole Kpekawa are expected to return for Tuesday's away trip to Rochester United.

Starting XI

Harley Earle (GK), Harry Lawrence, Trialist, William Oduwa, Danny Leonard, Ben Clark, Mikey Salako, Dylan Adjei-Hersey, Trialist, Alfie Evans, Josh Chambers.

Substitutes Used

Ethan Cole, Eman Okunja, Cameron Andrews, D'Jean Spencer, Trialist (#13, #14, #15).

First Half: Stalemate and Missed Chances

The opening 45 minutes saw a cagey affair with both sides creating opportunities to take the lead.

  • Early Pressure: Harley Earle was called into action early, making a smart save in the 19th minute following a defensive mix-up, followed by another crucial stop shortly after.

  • Ites Threaten: Sheppey had their chances—Alfie Evans tried an audacious long-range effort in the 30th minute after the visitor's keeper was caught off his line, but the shot was recovered.

  • Late Opportunities: Mikey Salako tested the Greenwich keeper in the 37th minute with a left-footed strike following clever work from Trialist #3. Just before the break, Josh Chambers found the net off an Evans lob, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Half-Time Score: Sheppey United 0 – 0 AFC Greenwich Borough with Earle the busier keeper

Second Half: Greenwich Take Control

The visitors struck quickly after the restart.

  • 47' — Goal (0-1): Stefan Payne broke the deadlock shortly after the whistle to put AFC Greenwich Borough ahead.

  • 55' — Goal (0-2): Payne doubled his tally and Greenwich’s lead with a composed finish to make it 2-0.

Sheppey pushed hard to respond, with Danny Leonard firing over the bar and striking wide after a neat one-two with Evans. Substitutions flooded in as the management team rotated squad players and trialists.

In the 63rd minute, Trialist #3 broke through on goal, but his shot was saved before the referee whistled for an attacking foul. As the game drew to a close, Mikey Salako had a goal disallowed for offside in the 87th minute.

  • 89' — Goal (0-3): Greenwich sealed a clinical performance, scoring a third late goal to wrap up a 3-0 victory.

Key Takeaways

While the result wasn't what the Ites were looking for, the fixture provided crucial minutes for returning players like Dylan Adjei-Hersey and valuable evaluation time for the coaching staff regarding trialists as the squad builds toward the start of the competitive season.

Report: Lee Allen

Photo: Marc Richards

Lee Allen
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