beckenham220108

A little cold but the lack of wind made it a very pleasant evening on the excellent playing surface.

Neat and tidy – no change from the last time but I did think the clean but pretty small Portakabin changing rooms reminded us about the plight of the battery chickens.

The decision not to open the hot food kiosk was probably economically sound but RSG [Richard – ed] is not interested in economics, I’m afraid.

Another economic decision – and although against League rules, one that I fully understood (there wasn’t one).

They had a fair number of first-choice players in the starting line-up and in any case they do not run a reserve side. We had no current first teamers in the side at all but to the credit of our reserves, some spectators did not believe us.

It was rewarding to see our reserves representing the first team playing without any fear of a possibly embarrassing scoreline. They played some really good stuff and nobody let the club down at all. With this sort of attitude, they were able to take the game to some very skillful opponents in the second half when it might have been easier to have played ten at the back. Several players took the eye and reminded us how on an individual basis they could step up to first team duty if required. I won’t name those individuals but I will give my M.O.M to Kieron Byrne because I thought he played as well as anybody on the park – Beckenham included.

Very quiet (and very few). This was a low-key game with very little trimmings and although there was some good football played throughout, there was a lack of edge, a lack of tension and a complete lack of bad language, which was rather refreshing.

He had little to do and made few, if any, mistakes. Sometimes a ref can make his mark by appearing centre stage in a stormy match and asserting himself. At other times he can demonstrate equal skills by remaining ’invisible’ when he is hardly needed at all.

The way we attacked them in the second half.

The fact that we didn’t manage to score the goal we deserved – although James Gibson’s shot hit the cross-bar.