Deal Town FC

MENS FIRST TEAM

Deal Town played Merstham FC on 25th March 2025 in the Isthmian League South East Division. Deal Town won four - two against Merstham in front of a crowd of 372 at Merstham. The Deal goals came from Tom Chapman, Macaulay Murray and Jamie Kennedy (2).

A midweek trip to Surrey, for the previously postponed fixture vs Merstham, following a result which saw us deliver one of our best performances of the season at Sheppey Utd was the reward last night.

The home team had hit their previous visitors, East Grinstead, for nine so the DTFC trip was one with a little trepidation! Replacing an injured Alfie Foster was Morgan Page.

It was a flurry of corners for DTFC which commenced procedings and an injury to Rory Smith, who was replaced by Jamie Kennedy, punctuated the first 10 minutes, coinciding with the forced repair to the goal net of Adam Molloy. MFC’s first attack was beaten away by Molloy and their front line looked pacey; DTFC were on the front foot straight away in an effort to match MFC.

Both teams were working hard all over the pitch to gain possession and make their respective control of the ball count. Robe (H14) and Henry (H20) were looking dangerous for the hosts and Molloy was needed to beat away a shot sent in from the former, eventually heading for a throw in. DTFC were quick to reciprocate and a ball from Ife Oni into TC inside the Merstham penalty area was smashed away for a corner. The resulting delivery coming back in again to TC, who despatched for Deal to take the lead. 

Whilst this lead might have been a little against play, the need to be cautious was immediately brought home; the H9 Johnson, son of ex-Fulham forward Andy Johnson,  danced through the midfield and, despite two attempts to pull the shirt off his back, he found the bottom right corner for an equaliser.

Despite the setback, DTFC continued to surge forward, predominantly on the right through TC and Ife. A speculative cross come shot from Macca had the home keeper scrabbling to touch over for a corner and the subsequent corner had a penalty box scramble which came to nothing. The match boiled over slightly near half time when a melee developed in the away penalty area, following a poor tackle by Healy (H7). It took a full SIX minutes to get to the root of the issue and, in the end, it seemed to be dealt with.

HALF TIME: Merstham 1 – 1 Deal Town

The second half started much the same as the first, with both teams looking to get directly into the opposing box. The home team were looking a little more dangerous and Henry (H20) was unmarked when the ball flashed across the box; it became an easy tap in on 55 minutes and
the visitors looked slightly dejected. 

However, as the first hour had shown, there were plenty of options from the players on the pitch and they continued to drive forward. A forceful run on the left looked to open up Merstham and an ill-advised challenge led to a penalty; the subsequent kick calmly dispatched by Macca, for a deserved equaliser.

This was the start of an electric five minutes where young Kennedy gained his reward, for an excellent 50 minutes since replacing Rory Smith. He first pounced on a through ball on 64 minutes; a deserved lead for the Hoops. Immediately from the kick-off and another pass from TC, before Kennedy was there again to put the ball in the net for the 4th goal for DTFC. This was a hammer blow for the home team, who were somewhat taken
aback by this explosive five minutes for the visitors.

The tempo of the game was rising; a tackle in the midfield with the previously cautioned Hammond and Khinda (H2) resulted in another melee, which took time to resolve. The substitution of Wilkinson replacing Hammond seemed like a sensible option, as the game began to boil up.

Both teams continued to pound each other’s back line in an effort to break through. With just over 10 to go, it was the substitute who was substituted; after an excellent and committed 70 minutes, where his strength and ability showed what a talented young player he is, Kennedy left the pitch to be replaced by Hatcher.

With both teams having been committed throughout, it was not surprising that all were starting to tire and any chances were not being taken advantage of. Of the two teams, it was the home outfit who were desperate to get back into the game; the chance of a third giving them an impetus to snatch a point if they could. Try as they might and efforts going forward were being rebuffed. Club Captain Kane Smith entered the field in the 90th minute, soon to end up in the referee’s notebook for a tactical challenge on the right edge of the box. Some would say a necessary challenge, which prevented a direct attack. Nothing came off the resulting kick and the final whistle saw the away team and supporters elated with probably their best performance of the season so far.

FULL-TIME: Merstham 2 - 4 Deal Town

It was Jamie Kennedy selected as the MAPS away man of the match. 

Deal Town Starting XI: Adam Molloy, Jack Paxman, Jack Penny, Morgan Page, Tom Chapman, Macaulay Murray, Ben Chapman, Rory Smith, Zak Hammond, Ife Oni, Josh Vincent.

Subs: Kane Smith, Owen Wilkinson, Alex Smith, Archie Hatcher, Jamie Kennedy.

Deal Goals: Tom Chapman ('25) Macaulay Murray ('60) Jamie Kennedy ('64, '65)

Referee: Hawkes

Attendance: 372