This day in Fleet history has seen some booming crowds down the years – with 3,600+ in the Fifties somewhat overshadowing the 372 that attended a Kent Senior Cup fixture the last time we played on this date!
It’s not been an especially happy hunting ground of late with the last four games on August 22nd all ending in defeats with no goals scored!
That’s in sharp contrast to the early years of fixtures on this date when the first four encounters all drew more than 3,000 supporters, three of those games at Stonebridge Road. But they’ve balanced out down the years with seven wins and seven defeats apiece plus a couple of draws across 16 games.
Below, we look at three of the more memorable August 22nd victories, starting in 1956…
22nd August 1956
Fleet 4-1 Yeovil Town
One title and two top three finishes in the three seasons before, Yeovil Town were no easy task on this visit to Stonebridge Road. But Lionel Smith’s Fleet were on an upward curve that would take them to the Southern League title two years later. But then, in 1956/57, this was the best Fleet supporters had experienced to date as their side ended the season in an all-time high of fifth position. And it was games like this that helped, imperious Fleet seeing off the Glovers by three clear goals. In front of 3,400 fans, Joe Thompson, Jimmy Scarth, Ted Boseley and Ron Walker struck for the second of four wins to begin the season in style.
22nd August 1992
Fleet 2-0 Poole Town
Notable as the day Fleet supporters (469 of them) first saw club record goalscorer Steve Portway put the ball in the net (there were another 151 to follow), it came in fairly undramatic fashion courtesy of the penalty spot after Jason Eede had been brought down. The other goal was scored by Portway’s strike partner and local boy Chris Fordred. Fleet’s new-look side under manager Garry Aldous continued to entertain and score freely through to February but then the Southern League Southern Division promotion train ran off the rails and supporters had to watch local rivals Sittingbourne as well as Salisbury pass us by as we finished a disappointing fourth.
22nd August 2015
Wealdstone 1-2 Fleet
Another Fleet side in red-hot form, Daryl McMahon’s men were simply unbeatable at the start of the 2015/16 season. This fourth win in a row – and one of 10 victories in the first 11 games – saw summer signing Jordan Parkes and Danny Kedwell continue their formidable scoring streak as Fleet took to the field in their new away kit of yellow shirts and black shorts. They struck on 51 and 62 minutes after Bradley Hudson-Odoi had given Wealdstone a surprise first-half lead but McMahon’s half-time team talk put fire in the Fleet belly and his surprise substitution, taking Matt Godden off and sending on Dean Rance proved inspired. Fleet were much the better side in the second half, Stuart Lewis hitting the post, although the Stones rallied strongly towards the end… but to no avail in front of a 764 crowd.
Other games on August 22nd:
1951 Dartford 2-1 Fleet (Att: 3,600) / Brewster
1953 Fleet 1-3 Guildford City (Att: 3,621) / Robertson
1959 Fleet 2-0 Yeovil Town (Att: 3,432) / Bridge, Baron
1964 Canterbury City 1-1 Fleet (Att: 952) / Roche
1970 Fleet 1-1 Crawley Town (Att: 791) / Jones
1976 Fleet 0-2 Crawley Town (Att: 833)
1978 Fleet 3-1 Ashford Town (Att: 679) / Brown, Keirs, Glozier
1981 Fleet 3-1 Barrow (Att: 1,010) / Pugh, Burrett, Dudman
1995 Hastings United 1-3 Fleet (Att: 584) / Cotter, Best, Munday
1998 Fleet 0-1 St Albans City (Att: 589)
2000 Farnborough Town 1-0 Fleet (Att: 452)
2009 Mansfield Town 3-0 Fleet (Att: 3,269)
2017 Fleet 0-1 Bromley (Att: 372)
Pl: 16 / W: 7 / D: 2 / L: 7
