Lordswood avoid relegation in the Southern Counties East Premier Division as they pip Essex League side St Margaretsbury by a fraction on points per game

A last-minute penalty saved Lordswood from relegation in a thrilling finish to the season last Saturday.

Boss Richard Dimmock admitted he couldn’t watch as Dominic Wynter-Stephens scored from the spot to make it 1-1 against Holmesdale.

Elsewhere, relegation rivals Rusthall were in a ding-dong battle with Erith & Belvedere as their match finished 4-4 after trading last-minute goals.

Both teams were trying to avoid finishing second from bottom in the Southern Counties East Premier Division. Although Lords couldn’t climb up a place and finished in a relegation spot, their record among fellow step five teams is enough to save them from the drop.

Vacancies in the football pyramid meant that 12 second- from-bottom teams at step five level, from the 16 leagues, would receive a reprieve from relegation. The four with the worst points-per-game average would go down.

A record of 0.632 points per game for Lords bettered Essex League side St Margaretsbury’s 0.625, leaving them safe.

Dimmock had been appointed in December with the sole task of avoiding relegation and it’s mission achieved after the weekend point.

Dimmock said: “It was brilliant, absolutely brilliant!

“There were five minutes to go, 1-0 down, I sent both centre-halves up front, we had four or five up front. We hit the bar and I turned around and said ‘it isn’t going to happen’ but then there was a handball and a penalty and for the first time in my life I didn’t watch.

“My ticker was going, when I saw the bench jump up I was like, ‘oh, what a touch!’ and then I heard that Rusthall had gone 4-3 up and I threw everyone up.”

Dimmock knew his team could still be safe on points per game, but nothing was certain. Only a win would guarantee it. Bettering Rusthall’s result