South London Doves First vs Orpington Athletic
1 - 2
23 February 2020 · Metropolitan Sunday Football League<br>Division One
Away league match played on 23 February 2020.
Kicked off at 10:30 AM
1-2
vs South London Doves First
Away league match
Orpington went toe-to-toe with South London Doves this weekend and ground out an important 2-1 victory against a tough opposition.
Having not played for 2 weeks, Orpington were not at their usual best and struggled to make an impact in the first half. One moment of brilliance from Graham found Blyghton wide on the left who caused a defensive error, allowing the ball to fall kindly in the path of Kode who slotted home his 18th league goal of the season.
Orpington found little rhythm for the remainder of the half and looked lethargic as they tried to string passages of play together. To worsen matters, Blyghton was forced off with an injury, with Alex Wright coming on in his place.
Doves broke Orpington's defensive line just before half time. A free kick from the right was whipped in and turned into the net at the far post. Despite the linesman flagging for offside, the referee allowed the goal to stand and Doves secured a deserved equaliser.
In the second half, Downs was brought on to fire up the energy levels and Orpington looked far more up for the fight as they took the game to Doves. Chances for Downs, Adamou and Kode were all spurned, but with less than 20 minutes to go, Wright made it 2 in 2 as he converted at the far post following a melee in the box.
Doves lost a player to a second yellow card late on in the game, but they still put the pressure on Orpington, who dug in a held on for all 3 points. Handshakes all round at the final whistle and a nervous victory, but enough to keep Orpington at the top of Division 3.