Croydon Athletic equalled their best-ever FA Trophy performance. They secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Sevenoaks Town, the second in 11 days.
First Half: Sevenoaks Strike First Before Pierrick Responds
The match opened with both sides exchanging blows, though neither goalkeeper was truly tested in the early stages. Sevenoaks drew first blood when Amadou Tangara turned a well-struck shot around the post, only for Nathan Jeche to head home James Jeffrey’s resulting corner.
Controversy followed five minutes later when David Bremang was put through on goal by an excellent pass from James Taylor. Bremang was hauled down by Max Davidson on his run toward the net. Despite Croydon’s appeals for a red card, the referee judged the challenge too far from the goal and issued only a yellow card.
Croydon found their equalizer in the 43rd minute. Jack Paxman’s corner was met by a Luke Dreher header, and after the initial attempt was blocked, Brandon Pierrick reacted quickly to drive the ball into the net. Finley Marjoram nearly put the Rams ahead just before the break, but his shot from the edge of the area was blocked by Bremang.
Second Half: Offside Drama and Late Equalizer
Croydon reshuffled at the interval, bringing on Ben Wynter for Luke Dreher. The substitute made an immediate impact, taking just two minutes to put the Rams ahead. Wynter picked up the ball on the left, beat his defender, and drove into the box before beating the keeper from a tight angle.
On 53 minutes, Croydon thought they had extended their lead. Luke O’Neill delivered a cross for James Taylor—making his 50th appearance for the club—who floated a header over the keeper and into the net, only for the assistant referee’s flag to rule it out for offside.
Sevenoaks capitalized on the reprieve and pushed forward, finding an equalizer in the 82nd minute. A deep ball into the area was headed down, and Tobii Adaje reacted to fire a powerful strike past Tangara from the edge of the box to make it 2-2.
Stoppage Time Winner
With the match heading toward penalties, Croydon found a winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Wynter carried the ball forward and released Marjoram, whose low cross swept across the face of the defense. Pierrick was on hand at the far post to turn the ball into the open goal, marking his second of the match and his 60th career goal for the club.
The referee blew the final whistle shortly after the restart, confirming Croydon Athletic’s place in the 2nd Qualifying Round, which will take place in two weeks.
