On a sunny afternoon at Herne Bay, the Sevenoaks Acorns secured a hard-earned 2-1 win against a spirited Herne Bay side, with debutant goalkeeper Elliot Smit putting in a *Man of the Match* performance. It was a day full of impressive individual contributions, with Elliot’s countless saves and Nicholas Baker’s first senior goal proving pivotal.

Herne Bay opened the scoring 15 minutes in, capitalising on an early defensive lapse. The Acorns, however, responded well, with midfielders George Crawford and Harry Creasy controlling the game, while Thomas Porter impressed in midfield during the first half before moving to right-back in the second, where he was equally effective. Thomas was calm and composed, making key tackles and helping to organise the defence as the game wore on.

Sevenoaks found their equaliser 10 minutes later, when Nicholas, showing great anticipation, roamed forward from his left-back position to unleash a sweetly struck shot that flew past the Herne Bay goalkeeper—his first senior goal, and a moment to remember.

The Acorns’ defence stood strong for the remainder of the match, with Jeroen Schippers battling on after taking an early knock to his knee. Despite being less mobile, Jeroen made important contributions, including a crucial late clearance from a Herne Bay short corner that kept the score level. Alongside him, Richard Young and Nicholas Baker continued to work hard to contain Herne Bay’s attack.

In the second half, the Acorns' forwards, led by the tireless running of Lucas Schippers and Jasper Heath, kept the pressure on the Herne Bay defence. Lucas drew the goalkeeper out twice but was unable to find a teammate with his passes across the goal. Ethan McKay added flair and creativity, weaving through defenders on the edge of the D, causing all sorts of problems for Herne Bay.

With just 15 minutes remaining, Sevenoaks earned a short corner, and Howard McKay stepped up to fire home the winning goal, sealing a well-deserved 2-1 lead. Pierre Smit, who traded his goalkeeper kit for an outfield role this week, enjoyed a solid run-out in attack, adding extra firepower to the Acorns' forward line.

Special mention goes to Elliot Smit, who was outstanding in goal on his debut, making a series of crucial saves that kept Sevenoaks in the game. Nicholas Baker also earned an honourable mention for his first senior goal, a truly memorable moment.

In an unusual twist, the juniors opted not to award a *Wally of the Week*—a rare occurrence in team memory. Instead, the team celebrated a hard-fought win, confident they can build on this performance in the coming weeks.