Lydd Town 3–4 Bridon Ropes FC
SCEFL Division One
Saturday 11 April 2026, 3:00pm
Lydd Town Football Club
Bridon Ropes secured a huge three points on the road in a hard-fought relegation six pointer, overcoming both Lydd Town and extremely difficult conditions to record back-to-back league wins.
Lydd won the toss and elected to switch ends to take advantage of a strong tail wind in the first half. The conditions immediately played a major role, with a fierce head wind making it extremely difficult for Bridon to get out or retain any control, forcing the side to play the conditions rather than their usual game.
The hosts made that advantage count early on. A delivery from the left wing found its way into the six-yard box, where a Lydd forward was on hand to tap home and give the home side a 1–0 lead.
Bridon battled to adapt, but just before half time a moment of persistence brought them level. A long clearance down the centre caused uncertainty in the Lydd back line. Their goalkeeper came out of his area to head clear, but the wind held the ball up and it dropped short. Yedidja Kossi reacted quickest, slipping between defender and keeper to calmly slot home for 1–1 at the break.
With the wind now in their favour, Bridon emerged for the second half with renewed intent and a far more attacking tempo. The pressure told on 55 minutes when Abdulai Turay collected the ball on the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful diagonal drive beyond the goalkeeper to give the Ropes the lead for the first time at 2–1.
Lydd responded well and continued to battle, drawing level on 66 minutes from a set piece to make it 2–2.
The game remained open, and Bridon’s attacking threat soon told again. After a spell of controlled possession, Leo Onye picked up the ball on the right wing near the halfway line, beat his marker and drove forward. With the goalkeeper rushing out, Onye showed composure to round him before finishing superbly from a tight angle with a low strike from outside the box to restore the lead at 3–2 on 72 minutes.
To Lydd’s credit, they continued to press and were rewarded with another equaliser on 78 minutes, setting up a tense finale.
With the game seemingly heading for a draw, Bridon found a decisive moment. Following a neat attacking sequence, Turay struck a thunderous effort from distance that left the goalkeeper rooted, sealing a dramatic 4–3 lead for the visitors.
Bridon showed resilience to see out seven minutes of added time, securing a vital victory. The win sees the Ropes leapfrog Lydd in the table with two games in hand, a significant boost in the closing stages of the season.
The challenging conditions made it a tough contest for both sides, but Bridon’s quality in key moments proved decisive.
With back-to-back league wins secured, attention now turns to Tuesday’s away trip to Greenways, before hosting Staplehurst in the final home fixture of the season on Saturday 18 April.
Bridon Ropes FC Squad
1 Ryan Reeves
2 Ivan Coromah
3 Adrian Brown
4 Jonathon Boateng
5 Salim Alleyne
6 Robinhood Mensah Sowah (C)
8 Theo Hayford
10 Jordan Samuel
11 Leo Onye
9 Yedidja Kossi
7 Abdulai Turay
12 Charlie Russell-Vick
14 Esrom McKonnen
Up the Ropes
