League

Burtonwood
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) Thanet City's Fardad Babakan started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. In the 3rd minute Fardad Babakan shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Gholam Reza Nekounam saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Gholam Reza Nekounam showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Soroush Akbari, who was totally free with the ball in the 7th minute. Soroush Akbari sent away a hard shot on goal in the 10th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. Soroush Akbari fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 11th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Gholam Reza Nekounam having to interfere. Gholam Reza Nekounam made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Fardad Babakan in the 19th minute of play. 20 minutes into the match, Burtonwood's goal looked a bit too open when Soroush Akbari came free, but Gholam Reza Nekounam reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. After a rather tough play, Thanet City's Soroush Akbari got a free kick in the 31st minute. When Bamshad Fatehi came up free with the goalie in the 33rd minute, the Burtonwood fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Bamshad Fatehi couldn't finish the play. An unexpected shot in the 35th minute by Bamshad Fatehi got the crowd on their feet, but to their dismay it went out on the left side. Farbod Eshkevari didn't succeed in stopping the ball in the 36th minute, which inside left pole to 1-1. When the match had gone on for 46 minutes, Bamshad Fatehi put it in 2-1 from a short distance just to the right of Farbod Eshkevari. All the noise was coming from the home fans when the whistle went for half-time. The home team had fought hardest to put themselves in a deserved lead.

After having played for 52 minutes, Soroush Akbari managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Thanet City's supporters crossed their fingers, but Soroush Akbari was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. In the 53rd minute, Soroush Akbari got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. An unexpectedly hard shot by Bamshad Fatehi in the 55th minute of play forced Thanet City's goalkeeper Farbod Eshkevari to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 56 minutes into the match, Bamshad Fatehi had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Farbod Eshkevari. Thanet City's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Bamshad Fatehi was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 3-1. Fardad Babakan could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 60th minute of the match, but Gholam Reza Nekounam made a huge save. A collision led to Burtonwood getting a freekick after 61 minutes play. Amin Golzar hit a great ball. Burtonwood's Gholam Reza Nekounam played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Fardad Babakan in the 64th minute of play. 68 minutes into the match, Thanet City's goal looked a bit too open when Siavash Javaheri came free, but Farbod Eshkevari reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Farbod Eshkevari took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Bamshad Fatehi, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. In the 80th minute, Bamshad Fatehi made a precise shot to the right of Farbod Eshkevari. Thanet City's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 4-1. Gholam Reza Nekounam took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Fardad Babakan, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. The supporters of Burtonwood booed when Thanet City was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 93 match minutes in a wonderful position. Changeez Alizadeh didn't get a good kick on the ball. Burtonwood's fans were exulted and cheered after their team won in a match that could easily have gone the other way.