SV Men 2nds Match Report

Vs Gillingham Anchorians

24th January 2026

Sutton Valence travelled to Gillingham for a midday clash with the Anchorians. Having won the
home leg convincingly, Sutton Valence were relaxed and in good spirits.
We started the game on the front foot, attacking in numbers, and Chris Sheldon fired Sutton Valence into the
lead after a perfectly weighted pass from Ben Tragett following a short corner. Anchorians
restarted the game only for Chris Johnson to read the defender’s mind and cut out the
attempted pass. Chris Stille had also raced forwards to pressure the Anchorians push back, and
Johnston played a perfect pass for Stille to round the keeper and score. 0-2 Sutton Valence and cruising..?
But Anchorians were not about to roll-over and conceding a second goal seemed to spur them
on. The Anchorians scored quickly to pull one back. Although Sutton Valence still with the majority of
possession and good work from Alex Hodges and Brett Angel in midfield, Anchorians scored two
more goals by breaking quickly in numbers. Half time Sutton Valence found themselves 3-2 down.
A rousing team talk by skipper Sharpe saw Sutton Valence start the second half with renewed spirits. Good
midfield play followed from Tragett, and Hodges, which allowed Tom Willson to get forward and
score, bringing the game level to 3-3.
Both sides now felt the game was anyone’s. Anchorians again attacked on the break and retook
the lead 4-3. It was still early in the second half, so Sutton Valence felt they had plenty of time to retake
control.

Good play from the Sutton Valence defence, switching from right to left, saw Blanchard find Stille in space
close to the half way line. Stille’s first touch took the ball spinning away from the oncoming
opponents. He then went on a fast run towards the D, skillfully avoiding oncoming tackles, and
astonishingly hit a solid reverse strike to level the score 4-4.
The game now swung in Sutton Valence’s favour, with attacking work in midfield from Andrew Lee and Angel,
allowed Sheldon to score his second and bring the score to 4-5 up.
With 10mins to go, Sutton Valence were tiring fast. Large holes were starting to appear as our attackers
struggled to get back when possession was lost. The young Anchorians never let up and soon
leveled the score once more: 5-5.
Sutton Valence were now on their last legs and holding-out for a draw, but it wasn’t to be. The Anchorians
clinched victory in the final few minutes, walking away as 6-5 winners.
With a total of 11 goals, it was a fantastic game for the neutral. Both sides played in good spirits
but SV came away disappointed. Next up is a home game against local rivals Marden, where Sutton Valence
will be looking to return to winning ways.

Report By: Chris Stille

Goals: Chris Sheldon x2, Chris Stille x2, Tom Willson

Team:
Alex Hodges
Andrew Hornsey
Ben Tragett
Brett Angel
Chris Johnson
Iges
Chris Sheldon
Chris Stille
Harrison Sharpe
Russel Blanchard
Tom Willson
Steve Parker
Andrew Lee

Next Match: Marden (H) 15:15