For my first report of 2025 I travelled down to Ashford to watch the Southern Counties East Football League (SCEFL) Premier Division fixture between Kennington FC and VCD Athletic. The weather was barely above freezing, with a promise of potential snow to come, so I was glad to be watching football at the Homelands Stadium, which offered a decent clubhouse for warmth before the game and at half time!

The Homelands Stadium is always a decent spot to watch football, benefitting now from a 3G pitch, a large grandstand and good on site facilities. Attendances for Kennington FC are usually between 100 and 150 each week, with the match with Lydd Town in August, realising a crowd of 401, as the highest this season.

Kennington FC have found this season a mixed bag, since their struggles to avoid relegation the 2023-24 season. They came into today’s game in fifteenth place with just four points separating them from the drop zone. Kennington FC have found goals hard to come by this season with Fin Dent, Kimsley Gatakata, Kyron Lightfoot and Rahana Sahni all having top scored with just four goals. Manager Dan Scorer would have been desperate for his side to return to winning the days in today’s game, against a VCD Athletic side who have been prolific on the road this season.

VCD Athletic, in full named Vickers, Crayford and Dartford Athletic and formed by employees of the Vickers armaments factory during the First World War in 1916, are managed jointly by Danny Joy and Ross Baker. VCD Athletic have had a remarkably positive season so far, coming into today’s fixture in top place, just two points clear of league favourites, Faversham Town in second place, although their rivals have two games in hand. Today’s away tie against one of the league’s more inconsistent teams would have flagged as a venue for an essential three away points, as VCD Athletic aimed to pile on more points, forcing Faversham to keep pace with them for the only automatic promotion place from the league. VCD Athletic would have been looking to top scorers, Ollie Freeman (14 goals), Bethel Gboda (12 goals) Nathaniel Olawole and Charlie Heatley (both 5 goals) to deliver results today.

The game opened, in front of a crowd of 170, with VCD Athletic going straight on the offensive. In the 22nd minute the home side took the lead, against the run of play, when a late challenge saw them win a penalty. Kennington FC’s Fin Dent fired the resulting kick home to make it 1-0.

Just nine minutes later VCD were back in it, when a neat pass from Nathaniel Olawole found its way to Francis Babalola, who ruthlessly finished to make it 1-1.

At the break the teams went in to seek some warmth and inspiration, with the scores still tied and with the outcome to the match very much up for grabs.

In the 55th minute a fine headed finish by Finn Dent saw him bag his second of the match, putting Kennington FC back into the lead at 2-1.

In the 81st minute Zak Byron was show the red card for pulling down Kennington FC’s Nathan Sahni when through on goal at the edge of the penalty area. The resulting free kick was wasted but by now VCD Athletic’s forward play was becoming frenetic and the home team were able to wait on the counter attack and see out the remainder of the game.

At full time it was Kennington FC who took all three points for a 2-1 victory. VCD Athletic’s players and management would have been really frustrated with the missed opportunity here and table topping rivals Faversham Town’s win against Corinthian also rubbed salt into the wound, as VCD surrendered the lead at the top of the SCEFL table.