Sevenoaks Town: 0

Faversham: 3

SOMETIMES in football the scoreline doesn't tell the whole story. Sevenoaks Town's 3-0 defeat to Faversham on Saturday was one of those occasions when that old adage certainly rang true.

It was always going to be the acid test for how far Simon Jones' side has come this season. The league leaders have only lost once so far, but Sevenoaks were far from outclassed.

They had numerous chances to hit the back of the net, but it was just one of those days when nothing went quite right for the hosts.

"I looked at the teams before the start of the game and thought 'they've got some really good players here," Simon Jones admitted.

"But by the end I would not have swapped any of our players for theirs. I honestly thought we were the better side on the day. We just did not take our chances.

"At the end of the day it was an entertaining game. It's a shame we did not get something out of it – although 3-0 flattered them."

Sevenoaks nearly got off to the perfect start.

Joe Creasey struck a stunning left foot volley from fully 40 yards, but his shot agonisingly hit the post with Rob French in the visitors' goal beaten all ends up.

Unfortunately that effort seemed to spark life into Faversham.

A strong, powerful side – they soon began to take control of the match. They were a constant threat from set-pieces and it was no surprise to see them take the lead from a corner. Sevenoaks had already been warned when Michael Smissen headed over, but from the next corner, albeit a somewhat dubious one, Dan Larkin rose highest and Smissen got the finishing touch.

Faversham then began to exert more pressure on proceedings. Sevenoaks centre-back Danny Twin was on hand with several last ditch tackles to deny them, while Damian Abel saw a header cleared off the line.

Yet the hosts were still in the game and had several chances to hit back. In form Billy Shinners missed a one-on-one, Creasey blasted over, while Joe Minter and John Alegbe both forced French into good saves.

At the other end, on the stroke of half-time, Dane Luchford's drive somehow stayed out to keep the score at 1-0 .

The second-half picked up where the first finished with both teams attacking at every opportunity. The referee threatened to spoil the flow of the game by brandishing no less than 10 yellow cards, but the players rose above it.

For Sevenoaks, Shinners saw a header flash wide and Chris Walker hit the post after great play from Creasey. It was going to be one of those days.

Faversham also had their chances. Smissen was inches away after charging down a Sean Funnell clearance, before the league leaders made the game safe on 75 minutes. A Twin challenge in the hosts' box saw the referee point straight to the spot and Lee Shearer made no mistake.

The decision was harsh on Twin, who felt he had clearly won the ball. It got worse for Sevenoaks minutes later when a speculative effort from Dale Skelton flew into the top corner.

This weekend Sevenoaks look to bounce back with a trip to Gay Dawn Farm, the home of Corinthian.

"They are no mugs," Jones said. "But it's a good opportunity for us – as long as the weather does not stop the game. If we give a repeat performance of Saturday, we will not go far wrong."