Bounced into the Menace Arena today we did, absolutely bounced in. I’ve seen bullets leave guns slower, superheros fly to the rescue more lethargically, even the odd Government cover-up click into gear less swiftly.

Our ten day isolation having come to an end on Friday, Finn and I practically ran down the south circular on our way to see the Menace, pausing only to slap a Dennis & Gnasher sticker on the back of the pony in the neighbouring Riding School yard (harness life ain’t easy). Saturday and the promise of football had been circled in red on the kitchen calendar on isolation day two, and had done so much to keep our spirits up while stuck indoors.

Reaching the ground early gave me time to scan the table. 42 points from 19 for Peckham puts them a point behind leaders Red Velvet, who have played four games fewer; New Romney in third and Stansfield (O&B) in fourth might be seven and nine points back respectively, but with two and four games in hand could still make up significant ground. Peckham needed a win to continue to put pressure on those immediately ahead and behind them.

Ide Hill came into the game solidly in mid-table, on the back of two defeats by a margin of one goal. Seven points clear of relegation but seventeen shy of promotion, they would doubtless see taking home a point from the Menace Arena as a solid return.

Starting for Peckham Town today were nine of the eleven who started last week’s 3-0 away win at Tudor Sports. Egleton’s suspension saw Nzimbakany come into central defence alongside Carrick, with Dance and Hashemi at full back. Behind them, Morgan Campbell made his debut in goal, regular keeper George Legg having temporarily skidalddled. Elsewhere, the side was unchanged, Montella and Gabor up front supported by a midfield four of Thomas, Barry, Dowding and Meta.

Joining us for the first time pitchside were the latest additions to the Arena, two extremely smart new dugouts with pristine red and white seats. Let’s see how long the away one stays that way after a few one-sided home victories!

One minute into the game and Ide Hill were one goal to the good. A ball over the top saw Higgins run in behind the defence; his shot was saved but only into the path of Grant, who tucked the rebound into an empty net. 0-1. It looked offside, but no flag was forthcoming from the (home) linesman.

However, Peckham responded instantly. A free kick some forty yards out was chipped into the area. Stephane Nzimbakany rose majestically, looping a header over the keeper and into the net. 1-1 and only two minutes gone.

Now the game could settle down a little, with Ide Hill arguably having the better of the exchanges as they had conditions in their favour, albeit that their best openings often owed something to errors from the home side. Thomas was robbed in midfield, and Ide Hill worked the break to Grant but his tame shot was down Campbell’s throat. Minutes later the Peckham stopper rushed out to close down Higgins who had broken free on the corner of the area - the pressure from the keeper saw the shot trickle wide. With 15 minutes gone, the away side hollered for a penalty after their player fell on the ball in the area; the referee was unmoved.

Some wasteful Peckham finishing interspersed Ide Hill’s pressure. Hashemi’s cross from the left, after good combination work with Dowding, caused havoc but no shot on target resulted, before first Gabor and then Montella shot over, the latter after a thrilling surge out of defence by Nzimbakany quickly turned defence into attack.

On 20 minutes, it was a defensive error that eventually lead to Peckham Town taking the lead. A poor goal kick from the Ide Hill keeper barely made it to the centre circle, and was met by a strong head from Gabor, releasing Joshua Montella behind the defence. He had time to pick his spot, curling the ball into the corner of the net. A trail of bubbles stretching past the away dugout ensued, as the home fans delighted in the turnaround. 2-1.

Now Peckham attacked with renewed enthusiasm. Barry surged into the box, only to see his cross plucked off the head of a teammate by the Ide Hill keeper. Dowding ran half the length of the left wing, only to be stopped by a foul, the free kick coming to nothing. And Montella surged through on goal on the left of the area, only for a heavy final touch to allow the keeper a chance to intervene.

Ide Hill were almost through on 32 minutes, only for a splendidly timed block by Nzimbakany to deny the chance of a shot. It was only a brief respite however.

Seconds later, Ide Hill were level. Passing the ball around in front of the Peckham back four, a weak shot deflected off a defender and into the path of a grateful striker, who with time and space slotted home the equaliser. With a little over half an hour gone, it was 2-2, the goal coming from nothing.

And that wasn’t all. Three minutes later Ide Hill were back ahead. Peckham failed in an attempt to play out from the back, the ball breaking to the away side on the edge of area, where Vidler had space to shape a lovely curved shot past Campbell’s despairing dive. 2-3.

For the remainder of the half, Peckham tried to find an equaliser, but several hopeful shots produced nothing, and indeed the home side were grateful for an offside call after Ide Hill had put the ball in the net.

Upon the resumption, Peckham made two changes. One was switching Dowding and Meta to right and left wing respectively, the other was bringing on Norman Hong for Tidi Barry. Both moves were to be decisive.

Coming down the hill, and with the wind behind them, Peckham looked a different proposition. But, in terms of attempts on goal, the first ten minutes of the half were as uneventful as any passage in the first half as Ide Hill settled into a more defensive pattern and Peckham looked to gradually assert themselves and probe for opportunities.

Kieran Dowding, now on the right wing, was causing the Ide Hill defence most concern, as much of Peckham’s best attacking play looked to go through him. On 49 minutes he and Dance worked some space to provide a cross for Gabor, but his effort was over. Five minutes later Dowding broke up an Ide Hill attack and in an instant released Montella with a long pass, but again the shot was off target.

It was a superb, determined piece of individual effort from Hong that eventually created Peckham’s third goal. Decisively winning the ball in midfield he surged forwards into the area, reaching the byline before pulling back a cross for Joshua Montella to slot home at the near post. 3-3 with 20 minutes to play.

Now it was all Peckham, as the home side strove for a winner. A searching Hong diagonal freed Dowding, who rounded the keeper and cut the ball back from byline, only for Montella’s shot to be cleared off the line. Moments later Dance, after winning a tough physical battle, also fed Dowding, who cut inside this time and fired off a good shot that the keeper was behind all the way. It seemed only a matter of time.

Goal number four for Peckham duly arrived on 76 minutes. Meta sent in a lovely cross from the left, a Montella flick-on took the ball away from the Ide Hill keeper, and Kieran Dowding pounced at the far post. The crowd behind goal went wild, as Dowding wheeled away in celebration, his crucial goal a fitting reward for an excellent afternoon’s work. 4-3.

Certainty arrived with six minutes to play, as Marcus Black was suddenly freed by an excellent pass from deep by Hong; the striker, on as a sub for Gabor on 65 minutes, rounded the keeper and was celebrating long before the ball crossed the line to make it 5-3. The eight minutes between Peckham’s fourth and fifth goals were notable mainly for the approximately seventeen unsuccessful attempts made by the Ide Hill goalkeeper to move his water bottle out of the goal mouth and into the net.

Up by two goals and in no mood to allow the visitors any way back, Peckham largely controlled possession and territory until the final whistle, which sounded after a powerful shot from outside the box by Hong had whistled just wide. A goal would have been a just reward for his game-changing contribution from the bench; he would have to settle instead for the King of the Match award and the love of the crowd of 151.

Now all that remained was to clap the players from the pitch, say goodbyes, and check out how other scores had gone. Having found that all three of Red Velvet, New Romney and Stansfeld (O&B) had won, the Menace’s second half turnaround felt all the more vital, ahead of next week’s tricky away trip to sixth place Hawkinge Town.

Turning for home, Finn - fresh from chasing the post match bubbles round like a dog who’s just been told his tail’s on fire - couldn’t stop raving about how Peckham had come from behind twice to win, and was desperate to know when the next game would be. Which put me in mind of something Adam Carrick said in his match report two weeks ago. Thanking the fans for coming he said how grateful the players were for the support, and for us sacrificing our Saturdays. Adam, it’s hardly a sacrifice when the days are as great as these! Seeing Peckham Town was literally the first thing we both wanted to do coming out of isolation: in fact, I feel like to earn that 5-3 win, we should have done a month!

Team: Campbell; Dance, Hashemi, Nzimbakany, Carrick; Meta, Dowding, Barry, Thomas; Gabor, Montella