Faversham Town Football Club will, for the first time in recent years, be running a Goal of the Season competition.
The Goal of the season award will be sponsored by the ‘Halfway Line Shouty Men’ and will be purely based on the results of the below poll (the poll can be found at the bottom of this post).
The winner of the award will be announced at the End-of-Season presentation evening on Saturday 9th May. As a result, any votes after this date will not be counted.
A video compilation of the contenders in one highlights package is available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMH49CR4WO4
Please find the list of the 10 contenders below with match video highlights, where possible (with thanks to CK Kent):
1. Jamie Maxted v Westfield (No match video available).
Not a bad place to start off!
Faversham Town’s FA Cup adventure looked like it might be coming to an abrupt end at the very first hurdle at the Shepherd Neame Stadium in late August.
As the match ticked into the final minute of normal time Westfield, who had goalkeeper Craig Bradshaw in fine form led 1-0, despite the home side’s dominance.
There was a lot at stake in this FA Cup tie. Prize-money, Town’s momentum that they had built-up over the first few weeks of the season and a place in the First Qualifying Round.
It looked like away keeper Bradshaw would not be beaten and Westfield would be the ones to progress.
This was until Maxted stepped-up.
The left-back collected possession on the halfway line with 30 seconds of normal time to play, took one touch to get the ball out of his feet and somehow found the top corner from all of 40 yards to send the Faversham faithful delirious.
The Lilywhites went onto grab a winner in stoppage-time, however, it is Maxted’s strike that is set to live long in the memory.
Does Jamie Maxted’s goal against Westfield get your vote, as goal of the season?
2. Jack Harris v Leatherhead (match video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwrj5H3E8t8 Goal – 2:41 – 3:41).
Faversham Town travelled to Leatherhead in the FA Cup in September and got off to a dream start, taking the lead with just 38 seconds on the clock.
However Leatherhead levelled before half-time, and at this stage, the game was bordering on attack v defence with the visitors well and truly on the back foot.
If it was to be Faversham who progressed into the next Round of the FA Cup, they would need someone to do something special.
Step forward Jack Harris.
A clearance landed kindly for Harris and he caught the home goalkeeper off his line to smash a world-class looping volley into the top corner from around 20 yards out to seal a smash-and-grab 2-1 victory for the away side.
Does Jack Harris’s volley against Leatherhead get your vote for goal of the season?
3. George Monger v Guernsey (match video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3C4YpsFUjE Goal – 3:31 – 3:58).
Faversham collected a fantastic 3-0 win over Guernsey at the Shepherd Neame Stadium, as George Monger wrapped up the win with a fantastic finish.
The hosts had dominated this Tuesday evening mid-September contest to lead 2-0, going into the final minutes.
But Monger, who joined Town in the summer of 2014 from Dartford, was not in a forgiving mood.
Boss Ray Turner gave him just six minutes to make an impact with the Lilywhites looking to seal another impressive result, and boy, did he make an impact.
The midfielder rifled his long-range shot past the helpless Green Lions goalkeeper Chris Tardif to put the icing on the Faversham cake.
Will you be voting for George Monger’s long-range effort against Guernsey?
4. Dean Grant v Carshalton Athletic (match video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYuDfTbFVow Goal – 1:07 – 1:37).
This is the first team goal to make the list.
Dean Grant had already scored Faversham’s first in the 2-1 victory at Carshalton Athletic and it would have been impossible not to include one of his early season goals, given his excellent form early in the campaign.
Though, this goal wasn’t only about the goalscorer.
It was about the energy of Kieran Oliver, who hassled the Carshalton defender off the ball and Josh Stanford for making the run into the penalty box, before unselfishly laying the ball back to Grant.
With the form Grant had shown in front of goal by this fixture in mid-October, there was only one place that the ball would go. In the back of the net.
Does Dean Grant’s goal get your vote for goal of the season?
5. Kieran Oliver v Margate (match video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_x0c-8d_k Goal – 0:17 – 0:40).
Another goal Kieran Oliver was involved in, expect this time in this November Robert Dyas Cup clash, it was all about him.
Oliver picked the ball up in space, before the young striker unleashed a sumptuous 25-yard shot, which flew over hapless Gate trialist keeper Amadou Tangara and into the top right-hand corner.
The quality of the strike impressed some sections of the Margate contingent enough for them to applaud the goal along with the travelling Faversham fans.
Though, Margate did come from behind to win 2-1 and progress from this Ryman League, Robert Dyas Cup match.
Will you be voting for Kieran Oliver’s strike against Margate?
6. Sam Bewick v Folkestone Invicta (match video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Fu49EcUew Goal – 0:43 – 1:21).
Another team goal, although, the finish at the end of this one wasn’t bad either.
Following passes from Wayne Wilson and Charley Robertson, David Botterill clipped a left-footed pass over Folkestone’s defence to find Bewick, who volleyed in with his own weaker left-foot.
The goal was the Lilywhite’s first in the 2-2 draw with fellow promotion rivals Folkestone Invicta in late November.
Does Sam Bewick’s volley against Folkestone Invicta get your vote?
7. Josh Stanford v Folkestone Invicta (match video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Fu49EcUew Goal – 2:38 – 3:09).
It always takes a very good goal to break through Folkestone’s well-organised defence, although, I’m not quite sure how often two goals of this quality are scored against Neil Cugley’s men.
For the second time in the match, Folkestone took the lead relatively quickly after the restart.
However, on the 65th minute, Josh Stanford was thrown into the fray.
He took just 13 minutes to score for the home team, as he was allowed to run with the ball, before firing into the top left-hand corner from around 20 yards out.
Away stopper Tim Roberts must have wondered what he had done so wrong to be punished with two exceptional finishes.
If not, then how about Josh Stanford’s long-range strike? Same game, same place, different scorer, different goal.
8. Charley Robertson v South Park (match video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaoC3zMTMP0 Goal – 3:12 – 3:55).
Maidstone United loanee Charley Robertson is the next man to feature on the list for his fine individual effort in the 4-0 victory at South Park in January.
Robertson won possession off a home player for the away side on the halfway line.
The midfielder then broke down the left wing and cut inside to fire into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty box and complete a fine solo goal on 88 minutes, which had left several Park players in his wake.
Is Charley Robertson’s individual effort your goal of the season?
9. Wayne Wilson v Walton & Hersham (match video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkjORJxgJoE Goal – 0:45 – 1:21).
Wayne Wilson may be known as something of a set-piece specialist but he has scored 25 competitive goals this season so far. You don’t score that many goals by only scoring set-pieces.
Wilson proved he can also find the net with a moving ball in style in the away team’s 4-1 victory at Walton & Hersham in late March.
Josh Stanford ran onto a header from Harris and crossed low towards the Faversham skipper from the right flank.
He saw his powerful drive from the edge of the penalty area fly past Swans stopper Gary Ross and almost rip the net, such was the power behind Town’s opening goal of that particular afternoon.
Will you be voting for Wayne Wilson’s goal against Walton & Hersham to be goal of the season?
10. Wayne Wilson v Hastings United (match video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N_JwHU5VG0 Goal – 0:48 – 1:34).
But, Wayne Wilson is a set-piece specialist and he has scored some very special set-pieces in his career.
The pick of the bunch of Wilson’s free-kicks this term came in April’s last away game of the league season at Hastings United.
The Australian-born midfielder clearly had been saving his best set-piece for a bumper crowd with Wilson’s goal being watched by 900 in attendance at Pilot’s Field.
Even the Hastings supporters looked impressed, as Wilson beat U’s goalkeeper Josh Pelling to find the top corner from around 30 yards with a pinpoint free-kick to gave Ray Turner’s men a 1-0 lead.
But, the visitors did eventually go down to a 2-1 defeat with Wilson’s spectacular free-kick coming in a losing cause.
Will you instead decide to vote for the bread and butter of one of Wilson’s free-kicks. Picture by Ian Scammell.
Here’s your chance to get your vote in:
Faversham Town Football Club blog 