VCD Athletic v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South. 7th of March 2020.

VCD Athletic 3

Ashford United 1

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

The latest installment of Ashford United’s bid for promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division took us to Oakwood, in Crayford, just west of Dartford. This afternoon, we took on VCD away – or, to be exact, Vickers, Crayford & Dartford Athletic.

This promised to be a very different match day experience to the one that Mrs Milton Keynes Correspondent and I enjoyed a fortnight ago, when we had a weekend away in Guernsey. That involved a very relaxed day of socialising in the bar with the islanders, with an occasional glance outside to see how many goals the lads had scored. (We ended up winning 0-6, which was an astonishing score line, against a good side). Today, however, I was ‘on duty’, and so it was just me and my notebook. Also, whereas the journey to Footes Lane, in Guernsey, had been by car, ‘plane, taxi and bus, today I kept things simple and drove. With the spread of the corona virus gathering momentum in the UK, I didn’t really fancy being cooped up with a load of people on a coach or a train. (I’m actually amazed that humans can get a virus from lemonade).

Looking through my archive of match reports – (I don’t go out much; about as often as the Olympic flame, in fact) – I was a little surprised to find that I have only done a couple involving VCD. The first of these was from about ten years ago, on the 19^th of January 2010. This was a Kent Senior Cup tie, when Vickers were in the Isthmian League Division 1 North and Ashford Town had been going through a period of playing very little football - this was partly due to The Homelands pitch having been unplayable, mostly because of waterlogging, but at one time because of being under six inches of snow. The previous match had been on Boxing Day, with the game before that taking place on the 12^th of December. Ashford, then managed by Steve Lovell, won that match 1-2, with goals from Tom Murphy and Mark Lovell, who was scoring for the first time following a 14-month injury lay-off. Skipper Danny Lye played in central defence on that occasion, due to a fairly severe injury crisis.

I was back at Oakwood a couple of seasons later, just after The Reformation, when we played a Kent Invicta League game against Erith & Dartford Town, who were ground sharing with VCD at the time. That game ended 2-2, and Erith & Dartford went on to change their name to Kent Football United.

My next trip here was not until the 2017-18 season, the day before Christmas Eve, and this was actually Ashford’s first ‘proper’ game away to VCD, having never before had a game here in the league or in the FA Cup, FA Trophy or FA Vase. Jason Whitmore was Ashford’s Manager at the time, and the match was memorable for a last-minute equaliser scored by Andrew Dalhouse, who rose at the far post at a corner, and powered a header in off Joe Mant’s crossbar.

Ashford spent most of that 2017-18 season very close to the bottom of the league table, but we arrived in Crayford today as league leaders, albeit purely due to having a better goal difference than Hastings United, who were level on points and with two games in hand. It would seem that Hastings are warm favourites for the title and the one automatic promotion spot, which would mean Ashford having to settle for the promotion play-offs for the second consecutive season – in which case it is extremely important to finish either second or third, to at least guarantee a lucrative home tie for the play-off semi-final, and maybe the final. Our hosts today had been in and around the play-off zone during the early part of the season, but have slipped away of late, starting today’s game down in ninth, all of 20 points behind Ashford.

One thing that Tommy Warrilow has in common with Steve Lovell, apart from being among the best Managers we’ve had, is that he came to Oakwood having to deal with a bit of an injury crisis, particularly in central defence. To add to the injuries, Ashford’s best central defender, Mo Kamara, began a suspension today as a result of the red card he received against Chichester City last Saturday. It was good news, therefore, that the experienced Matt Bourne returned in the centre of the defence, this afternoon. In fact, the team sheets that were scattered around the Oakwood bar before the game indicated that Tommy Warrilow had been able to put out a strong side, and with a full complement of substitutes, in spite of the squad being pretty much down to the bare bones. Bourne was again partnered in the centre by Jake McIntyre, whom we have got to know more as a left-back. The full-backs today were Ben Wilson on the left and Tariq Ossai on the right.

Our midfield looked strong, with Lee Prescott in the defensive position in front of the back four, and three creative midfielders in the form (from left to right) of Aaron Conlon, Tom O’Connor and Tommie Fagg. In the continued absence of Jay May, there was a second start in a week in attack for Adrian Stone, alongside relatively new signing George Purcell. That meant that top scorer Dave Smith, who has scored 23 goals so far this season, again started the match on the bench – as did Tashi-Jay Kwayie, Theo Osinfolarin and reserve goalie Lee Hook. Josh Wisson was also named as a substitute and took part in the half-time kick-about with the other subs, but it’s likely that he is not yet fit enough to play, following an injury to a metatarsal bone. Sam Mott was in goal, and wore the skipper’s arm band, as usual.

It was a largely overcast, but dry, day, and there was scarcely a breath of wind. Also, the Oakwood pitch looked immaculate, so there was no excuse today for not playing good football. Unfortunately for the Ashford faithful among the crowd of 120, most of the good football came from VCD, this afternoon. In fact, the home side looked a pacier and slicker side from the outset and might have put the match to bed very early on. As early as the second minute, a quick passing movement put ex-Ashford midfielder Bode Anidugbe (21 appearances for The Nuts & Bolts last season, including both play-off games) clean through on goal. Bode managed to chip the ball over the advancing Sam Mott, but wide of goal. There were pleas for a penalty, as Anidugbe tripped over Sam after releasing his shot. There was definitely contact, but the referee was not interested.

Just three minutes later, right winger Alex Gaggin rounded Ben Wilson, inside the Ashford penalty area, and pulled the ball back from the by-line, but Ali Fuseini managed to miss the target from about 12 yards out. In the eighth minute, Vickers were very nearly through on goal again, when a couple of slick passes put the prolific Charlie MacDonald behind the Ashford defence. There were some rather hopeful appeals for offside – although it was clear from the halfway line that MacDonald was onside – before Tariq Ossai came across with a covering tackle.

In between these scares, Ashford did try to get the ball on the ground and play some passing football. In fact, the boys looked like they might create something going forward during the early part of the half, but always looked vulnerable at the back to VCD’s pace and ability to spring swiftly from defence.

Ashford’s first glimmer of a chance came in the ninth minute when, after a good passing movement, the ball was pulled back from the by-line to Tommie Fagg. Although Ciggy put in a good shift today, he was unable to provide any end-product, and on this occasion his low shot was easily saved by Nick Blue (who wore orange) in the VCD goal. Two minutes after that, Adrianho was off target with a shot from a tight angle, after latching onto a diagonal pass from Lee Prescott – but I’m rather scraping the barrel for Ashford half-chances to describe.

Vickers took a deserved lead in the 21^st minute, and the goal came about as a result of some sloppiness in the Ashford back five – rather making a mess of a goal-kick, and demonstrating the folly of ‘playing it out short from the back’ at this level. Sam Mott played the ball to Matt Bourne (I think), who appeared a little surprised to receive the pass and had few ideas as to how he was going to use possession. He played the ball back to the Ashford ‘keeper, who was now already under pressure and was forced into a fairly aimless clearance. As soon as the ball went to a VCD player, the visitors were in trouble, and, a couple of quick passes later, Ainsley Everett had the ball on the angle of the six-yard box and was able to chip the ball over Sam Mott and into the net.

Ashford responded with an attack in the 24^th minute, which resulted in a corner, on the left. Matt Bourne met Aaron Condon’s cross with a side-footed volley, which George Purcell put wide of the goal with a swiveling shot from close range – Bourne’s shot was on target, but would have been either comfortably saved by the goalkeeper or cleared by a defender. Three minutes later, however, VCD doubled their lead, and this time the goal was fairly typical of the sharp passing game that had made them look dangerous throughout the first half. A brief flurry of slick passes ended with a dinked through-ball putting Charlie MacDonald behind Ashford’s defensive line. MacDonald is very much a class act at this level, and has an impressive goal scoring record, so it was no surprise to see him, Jimmy Greaves-like, round the advancing goalkeeper and tuck the ball into the net.

The home side should have gone further ahead three minutes later, with MacDonald this time being the provider, taking possession of the ball near the by-line, nipping in front of an Ashford defender who was trying to allow the ball to go behind for a goal kick. The Vickers captain pulled the ball back to Ali Fuseini, who just needed to hit the target from close in, but somehow managed to steer his first-time shot wide. Seconds later, it was Alex Gaggin’s turn to be put through on goal, but he rather fluffed an attempted chip over Sam Mott’s advancing frame, from a similar position from which Ainsley Everett had opened the scoring.

During a fairly nerve jangling first 45 minutes for Ashford supporters, I felt that Jake McIntyre’s performance at the back provided the main source of comfort. He looked calm and self-assured, and seemed to deal with everything fairly well. In the 33^rd minute, he popped up in the VCD penalty area, at a corner that was delivered by Aaron Conlon, but his looping header went just over the bar. However, it was when the home side broke out from defence that Ashford looked particularly shaky, and this was seen in the 37^th minute, when losing possession very quickly saw the visitors back-peddling and struggling to contain a 3 v 3 situation. Eventually, Charlie MacDonald’s attempt to dink the ball over Sam Mott went just wide of the post.

In truth, VCD could easily have scored four or five goals in the first half and were in complete control – but then came a moment of sheer, inexplicable madness, in the 39^th minute. Lee Prescott floated a ball forward towards Adrianho, who was deep inside Vickers’ penalty area, but too close to the by-line to present a real danger to Nick Blue’s goal – which is why it came as a complete surprise to see Raphe Brown reach up with a gloved hand to tip the ball into touch. The referee was well positioned and had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. A little while ago, Brown would have been sent off for the deliberate hand ball, but the current interpretation of the law is that the award of a penalty together with a yellow card is a sufficient punishment. George Purcell stepped up to take the kick, and hammered the ball, low and hard, into the middle of the goal. That was George’s fourth goal for Ashford, in as many starts.

So Ashford climbed the long slope to the dressing rooms at half time just 2-1 down and very much in the game, when 4-0 or 5-0 would have been a fairer reflection of the first 45 minutes’ play.

Within five minutes of the restart, VCD went 3-1 up, and this effectively ended the game as a contest, but there was a very small window of opportunity for the game to have turned out rather differently. Within the first minute of the second half, Jake McIntyre found himself in an advanced position – well inside the VCD penalty area, in fact – and managed to deliver a cross from the by-line. This was met with a powerful header from Adrianho, which cannoned off the outside of the post. Although there is no doubt that Vickers thoroughly deserved to take the three points from today’s game, it’s impossible to say what would have happened in the parallel universe where that header sneaked just inside the post.

Whilst on the subject of mitigating facts, it should also be put on record that the home side’s third goal included a large element of good fortune. Ainsley Everett made a good run down the left wing, and his cross found Raphe Brown, who turned and shot in an effort to atone for his earlier ‘brain fade’ that had gifted Ashford a goal. The shot was on target, but Sam Mott had it covered and was about to make an easy save when the ball deflected off Alex Gaggin and into the net. It was one of those random deflections that often comes off a defender – but the fact that it came off Gaggin means that the young winger was credited with the goal.

Within a minute of the restart, there was a deflection in the other penalty area that just might have resulted in a goal to Ashford – but it was not to be. After a free-kick was taken short, Tom O’Connor crossed the ball into the VCD goalmouth, resulting in a booming clearance thumping against Robert Hylton-Bartley’s head from point-blank range. Any ensuing scramble was halted by the referee, who, quite correctly, halted the game, given current concerns about concussion injuries in sport. Hylton-Bartley was down, receiving treatment, for some time, and was replaced by Michael Aziaya 18 minutes later, quite possibly as a concussion-related precaution.

Ten minutes prior to being substituted, Hylton-Bartley talked himself into a pretty daft yellow card, in an incident that could well be used as an advert for the FA’s ‘Respect’ campaign. It began with Hylton-Bartley quite clearly calling the lino a “prick”. Unsurprisingly, both the lino and the referee felt that this was unacceptable.

“You can’t call my assistant a ‘prick’,” said the ref, waving a yellow card.

“Why not?” replied Hylton-Bartley.

No doubt the reason for the caution entered in the referee’s report was “for being a complete dick head”.

As for the game, VCD very comfortably managed the match to its conclusion, with few alarms. Like most teams protecting a two-goal lead, they took plenty of time with free-kicks and throw-ins. (The player taking every kick and throw appeared to be mentally reciting Happy Birthday twice – I’ve no idea where that idea could have come from). Tommy Warrilow replaced Lee Prescott with David Smith, in the 78^th minute, to play with three up front, and threw Tashi-Jay Kwayie on in place of Aaron Condon, for the final two minutes plus seven minutes of added time, to play with four up front, but it was all to no avail.

As well as being, by common consent among the travelling fans, Ashford’s worst performance of the season, this was also a costly loss, given that all of our rivals at the top of the table won. That means that, with eight games remaining, there is still plenty of work for Tommy Warrilow and the boys to do before a play-off position is secured.

Cray Valley (Paper Mills) v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South East. 25th of January 2020.

Cray Valley PM  3

Ashford United 1

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

This was my first game for a few weeks, mostly due to having missed the planned trip to Burgess Hill Town on the first Saturday of the year. That was because I was laid low with a virus. The lads won 0-7 – so that will teach me a lesson. The last game I saw was the 1-0 defeat away to Haywards Heath Town, at the end of which I felt that it was probably 50/50 as to whether Ashford United would secure a play-off place at the end of the season.

In my absence, the situation had changed markedly, with Tommy Warrilow’s boys having won all seven games, six of those being league games. This had elevated the club to a fairly comfortable second place in the table, five points clear of third-placed Whitehawk, albeit with the teams immediately below us all having a game in hand. Looking upwards, Hastings United appear well placed to be champions, being four points ahead of us, this morning, and having played a game fewer. Hastings demonstrated the strength of their resolve by luring our excellent right-back, Jerald Aboagye, away from us on the eve of today’s very difficult game. It is a move that can only tighten the Sussex club’s grip on the one automatic promotion place this season. I’d suggest, therefore, that Ashford’s main aim should be to secure either second or third place at the end of the season, to be sure of at least one home promotion play-off tie in front of a huge crowd.

When Ashford beat Sevenoaks Town 4-1, last Saturday, to make it seven wins in a row, it was both Tommy Warrilow’s longest winning streak as Ashford Manager, and Ashford United’s longest run of wins in the Isthmian League. It has also been an impressive sequence of performances, with 22 goals scored and just three conceded. However, it is by no means our best run since The Reformation. Not by a long chalk. The longest so far is 16 wins, which were put together during the 2013-14 season. We scored 39 and conceded 14 during that run. Arguably slightly more impressive was a 12-game sequence of wins during the 2016-17 season, when the goal tally was 43 for and just nine against – 13 of those goals were scored by Shaun Welford, with Adrianho scoring eight of them.

Today’s match was against last season’s FA Vase runners-up, Cray Valley Paper Mills. Unsurprisingly for a club that also gained promotion from the Southern Counties East League in good style, The Millers have not found life particularly daunting at Step 4 in the non-league pyramid. They have been in and around the play-off places all season. Our hosts today occupied fifth place, the final play-off berth, this morning, ten points behind Ashford and with a game in hand.

Today’s venue, Badgers Sports Ground, in Eltham, is a very familiar one, of course. I have not only been here for a number of fixtures against Cray Valley, but also seen us play Greenwich Borough here a few times. Up until the end of last season, both of those clubs were tenants at Badgers, but Greenwich have been on a marked slide since the heady days of having Gary Alexander in charge with an eye-popping budget. I won’t go into the details of the sad tale, but, after several months of strife, this week saw Greenwich Borough’s resignation from the Southern Counties East League. (They had, in any case, been playing their home games at Phoenix Sports’ ground, in Barnehurst, this season).

So passes the club that launched the career of Ian Wright, who went on to play for Crystal Palace, Arsenal and England, eventually climb to the height of Director of Football Policy at Ashford Town. Let’s hope that Borough can regroup and eventually reform.

Although the trip to Eltham is a well-trodden path for me, which has usually entailed a journey by train as far as Kidbrooke Station and then a 25-minute walk to the ground, today there was the novelty of being able to make the trip almost entirely by coach. After a five-minute drive to Milton Keynes Coachway and a change of coaches at Victoria, I was able to get off at the coach stop at the top of Middle Park Avenue. That’s about as near to a door-to-door journey as I am going to get!

The first point of intrigue, on arrival at Badgers, was the question of what Tommy Warrilow was going to do, in terms of team selection, to cover for the loss of Jerald Aboagye – in addition, how was he going to respond to the loss of key central midfielder Josh Wisson, who will be out for about four weeks after injuring a metatarsal bone last Saturday? (Apparently, Dave Smith trod on Josh’s foot while celebrating a goal – FFS, Smithy).

Well, the first point to make is that Tommy was not at the game today, leaving Assistant Manager OB in charge. In terms of team selection, it was Theo Osinfolarin who got the nod as Jerald’s replacement at right-back, in spite of the recent (re)signing of full-back Ben Wilson, who was one of five named on the subs bench this afternoon. (The logic there was probably that Ben’s usual position is on the left side of defence). The back four, in front of Club Captain Sam Mott, was completed by Jake McIntyre, Matt Bourne and Mo Kamara. Protecting the defence, in place of Josh Wisson, was a new signing – Dquame Coleman, who was making his debut this afternoon. I have to say that Dquame looked a natural replacement in this role. He looked to be very much the Tom Huddleston type of player – the understated but efficient stroller. The midfield ‘engine room’ was made up of Lee Prescott and Tom O’Connor, with the in-form Aaron Condon (SEVEN goals in the previous four games) wide on the left, and Jay May and Dave Smith up front. Joining Ben Wilson as named substitutes were Tariq Ossai, Lee Hook (the reserve goalie who can also turn his hand to outfield duties), Giorgio Russo and Benjamin Binder.

It was a pleasant day for football. Cloudy but dry, with barely a breath of wind. It was also pretty mild for the time of year, which is why I am duty-bound to name and shame the glove wearers starting the game for Ashford. In no particular order of wimpishness, they were: Osinfolarin, T., O’Connor, T. and Smith, D. (As an aside, I’ve sometimes wondered whether players wearing gloves should be disqualified from taking throw-ins, on the grounds that the extra grip must give them some sort of unfair advantage?).

On the subject of wardrobe malfunctions, there was no sign of either team, or today’s match officials, being ready to walk onto the pitch at 3pm today, and the game eventually kicked off four minutes late. This was apparently due to the referee objecting to the fact that the green shorts which were part of Ashford’s usual, Norwich City-style away strip clashed with those of Cray Valley’s all-green home strip. The solution was for Ashford to borrow the light-blue shorts of The Millers’ away kit, and it must have taken a while for the last-minute change of costume to take place. It reminded me of the time that we played away to Corinthian-Casuals, and there was an issue with our black socks clashing with their navy blue socks, so Ashford Town had to borrow the pale blue socks of Casuals’ second strip. One problem this afternoon was that a few of our players still wore those green ballet tops that are currently very fashionable, so their green sleeves still clashed with those of the Cray valley players. Anyway, Ashford marched out from the dressing rooms looking distinctly Brazil-like, with green numbers on their yellow shirts, and light-blue shorts.

A feature of Ashford’s recent good run of results has been a noticeable improvement in the team’s defensive record, with just the three goals conceded in the last seven games – and that was immediately following a period of THIRTEEN consecutive matches without a clean sheet, with just the one clean sheet in 21 games, (yes, really). It is impossible to tell the extent to which the very recent changes in personnel in the defensive department were to blame, but Ashford found themselves behind after only three minutes today. Cray’s opening goal came from the first attack of the game. Denzel Gayle broke through two tackles, inside the Ashford penalty area, and squared the ball to Francis Babalola, who smashed the ball low, into the net.

The situation very nearly got rapidly worse for the visitors, just five minutes later, when there were loud and confident appeals for a penalty from Cray. They looked certain to double their lead, but a shot from about ten yards out was stopped on the line by an Ashford arm. Presumably, the shot was hit at such pace that the referee decided that the defender was unable to get his hand out of the way. (I will not analyse the incident further, as, quite frankly, the interpretation of the Hand Ball Law changes on such a regular basis that I am not sure that I understand it anymore).

Theo Osinfolarin was certainly given a thorough examination in the right-back position, with No.11 Ryan Flack being his main tormentor. Flack beat Theo, on the edge of the 18-yard box, in the 14^th minute, but his cross into the centre was sliced clear by Matt Bourne. In the 20^th minute, Flack fed the ball wide to Babalola, who showed good control, before cutting inside and sending in a low shot – which Sam Mott saved comfortably. Three minutes later, The Millers’ No.11 once again got the better of Osinfolarin, and this time it was the head of Matt Bourne that headed his cross behind for a corner. The resulting cross passed dangerously through the Ashford penalty area, but with nobody in green able to get that vital touch.

So all the decent chances during the first half an hour were at the end that Cray Valley were attacking. (That was the end that had not a soul behind the goal, which contrasted with a good turn-out of Ashford United fans at the other end, and elsewhere, in today’s crowd of 131). The home side was full of players with quick feet and neat skill, and their front two, in particular – Francis Babalola and Gavin Tomlin – were threatening with their pace and movement throughout the game. As for Ashford’s front two, Jay May worked hard challenging for aerial balls, but mostly near the halfway line, and Dave Smith showed some good individual skill when on the ball, but the visitors had virtually no worthwhile possession in Cray Valley’s half.

It was no surprise when The Millers doubled their lead, in the 31^st minute, and it was also not a huge surprise that it was the impressive Babalola, with some exemplary finishing, who was again the scorer. He received the ball with his back to goal, just inside the penalty area, and turned Matt Bourne before expertly slipping the ball past Sam Mott from an acute angle.

It was a minute after going two goals down that Ashford put together their first decent attack. After a brief spell of possession, the ball was spread wide to Jake McIntyre, who drove in an excellent cross, but a Cray defender got to the ball a fraction before Dave Smith. This was the lads’ first measured and controlled sortie forward – previous attacks had been of the hurried, one-touch variety, which had succeeded in nothing more than losing possession.

The visitors did finish the half with a couple of good chances, though. In the 42^nd minute, Theo Osinfolarin, on the right, for once turned the tables on Ryan Flack, beating him on his inside, transferring the ball onto his left foot, but his effort on goal curled wide of the far post. Then, two minutes later, the head of Jay May fed the ball into the path of Aaron Condon, who let fly with a tremendous shot with his left foot, which hammered against the post. Otherwise, Ashford were comprehensively outplayed by Cray Valley during the first half, and the home side thoroughly deserved the 2-0 lead at the break.

For information, the spectator in the Cray Valley goal was Andrew Walker.

The second half, with Ashford playing down the slope - which is such an endearing characteristic of non-league grounds - was more even. Although the majority of chances were created by Cray, Ashford did have some possession in the opposition’s half. In fact, we managed a shot on target in the opening seconds of the half, just as the Badgers Sports Ground floodlights began to shed light on the turf, but Tom O’Connor’s volley was directed straight at Walker.

The first incident of note after the interval was the issuing of a yellow card to Francis Babalola, in the 49^th minute, after a challenge on Sam Mott. It seemed to be a fairly routine clearance for Sam, but he was left writhing on the ground, suggesting that Babalola had ‘left a foot in’.

The first substitution of the game was made by Ashford, with debutant Dquame Copeland being replaced by Tariq Ossai. Copeland was subbed immediately after mis-placing a pass into touch, but I am sure that this was purely coincidental. This was the first mistake that I saw Copeland make, and, in any case, the substitution had a tactical feel about it, with Ossai providing a more attacking option.

The fact that Ashford pressed forward a little more in the second half might have had something to do with the fact that the home side sat a little deeper, but Cray Valley still looked very dangerous on the break. Usually, a break-out from defence found Ashford faced with a 2 v 2 situation at the back, with Cray players rushing forward to support the attack quicker than Ashford were getting players back. This was certainly the case in the 58^th minute, when the visitors’ defence soon found itself out-numbered, but on this occasion the attack ended with Hassan Ibrahim, who made 14 appearance for Ashford earlier in the season (scoring twice), shooting just over the bar. Seconds later, Gavin Tomlin turned and shot low from the edge of the Ashford penalty area, but Sam Mott was able to make a comfortable save.

On the hour, the referee produced a second yellow card, this time for Jake McIntyre. This appeared to be a little harsh. Jake was late with a tackle on Denzel Gayle, but only because Gayle was a little too quick for him. There didn’t seem to be any intent or cynicism in the foul.

Ashford’s only goal of the game, which came in the 65^th minute, was actually a little gem. It’s the sort of goal that will probably be quickly forgotten and ‘unsung’, but it resulted from a good build-up and an excellent finish. The goal actually began with a mistake from Lee Prescott, whose pass to Mo Kamara was rather short, and Kamara, as the last man in the back line, briefly appeared to be in all sorts of trouble. As so often, however, his skilled footwork and strength saved the day for him, and he managed to successfully dribble his way into the Cray Valley half. Just as he was picking up momentum, and there seemed to be the possibility of him going on one of his trademark solo runs through the heart of the opposition’s defence, he spread the ball wide into the path of Jake McIntyre. It was a perfectly weighted pass, and Jake sent in a measured, first-time cross. He found Jay May in the penalty area, who, with his first sight of goal, smashed the ball into the net with his right foot.

This was the cue for the pace of the game to increase a couple of notches, with both sides increasing the tempo. Very shortly after pulling the goal back, the ball was fed forward to Dave Smith, who chested the ball down to Tom O’Connor, who was surging forward behind him, and Tom’s first-time shot went inches over the bar. Suddenly, Ashford discovered that football was possible again. This was inspired, one-touch stuff, and for a very brief time it really was just like watching Brazil.

However, Ashford’s forward play generally lacked sufficient quality to create further clear-cut chances. The second, and final, Ashford substitution was made in the 78^th minute, with Ben Wilson replacing Jake McIntyre, and playing very much as a left-sided midfield player. Wilson came close to making an impact within four minutes of coming on, when he met a floated Aaron Conlon free-kick with a glancing header, but this went straight at Andy Walker.

The home side replaced Ryan Flack with Daniel Smith at the same time that Ben Wilson made his appearance, and later sent Warren Mfula on in place of Francis Babalola, in the 84^th minute. The latter substitution might have been prompted by the fact that Babalola was on a yellow card, but it did give him the opportunity to receive a well-deserved ovation when he came off. He certainly looked the best player on the pitch, this afternoon.

Ironically, just a minute after Babalola’s substitution, Cray Valley scored the goal that sealed the 3-1 victory and gave them all three points. Mo Kamara again launched a solo run, attacking the centre of The Millers’ midfield, and when he was dispossessed the ball broke to Denzel Gayle. Once in possession, Gayle showed Kamara how a solo goal should be scored, beating two Ashford players and carrying the ball all the way into the penalty area, before slotting the ball past Sam Mott. The wild celebrations from the entire Cray Valley team made it seem like they had won a semi-final and got through to a Wembley final again. In truth, the euphoria was probably a reflection of the quality of the goal, and also a sign that this was an important three points for the club, which considerably strengthened their credentials as contenders for a place in the play-off bun fight at the end of the season.

There was just one other incident of note, (apart from Jay May contriving to get himself yellow-carded in the first minute of injury time). In the last minute of normal time, Mo Kamara either sliced a cross or made an audacious attempt to chip the goalkeeper. Either way, Andy Walker was left helpless as he watched the ball sail over his head and was no doubt relieved to see the ball come back off his far post.

So three goals to Cray Valley, and one to Ashford United, who hit the post on two occasions – but that is not to suggest that Ashford were unlucky this afternoon, as both teams got what they deserved from today’s game. There is no doubt that Cray were just too good for us, on this occasion, and I am once again left with the feeling that our lads have regularly come up short when confronted with the better sides in this division. That is now seven league defeats this season, which is more than any other team in the top eight of the division, apart from Phoenix Sports. However, Ashford remain in a strong position, with 16 games still to play, and were helped, today, by the fact that the teams immediately above and below us, (Hastings and Whitehawk, respectively), each dropped two points.

Haywards Heath Town v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South-East. 7th of December 2019.

Haywards Heath Town 1

Ashford United 0

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

First of all, Happy Pearl Harbor Day, everyone. And, appropriately enough, there was a nip in the air this morning.

So that gets the Pearl Harbor joke out of the way. I think I’ve probably used that particular gag about five times, now – whenever I go to an Ashford game on the 7^th of December.

Back in the world of dreams, today Ashford United travelled to West Sussex, to take on Haywards Heath Town – and I took advantage of the direct rail service between Luton and Haywards Heath and followed suit. Ashford had played four times since I last saw them – in the 2-2 draw away at Herne Bay – and they had won two and lost two. Others have described this as being further evidence of the team’s inconsistency this season. I disagree with this. I reckon that Tommy Warrilow’s squad has been remarkably consistent, in that they have beaten the teams occupying the lower reaches of the division but have been beaten by the better sides. During those last four games, convincing victories had come against struggling Hythe Town and Ramsgate, whilst we had lost to Whitehawk and Guernsey, conceding three goals in each match.

Given that analysis, it was difficult to know what to expect from today’s game, since Haywards Heath Town started the day well down the table, but with four or five games in hand of the other teams in the division. Haywards Heath are a decent team, and I reckon they are ‘nailed on’ to finish in the top half of the table at the end of the season. Therefore, a draw, or at least a very tight game, was probably the expectation. In truth, today’s contest really should have finished as a goalless draw. Unfortunately, a defensive howler by Mo Kamara, in the 43^rd minute, gifted the home side a half-time lead, and a very solid defensive display by our hosts ensured that Ashford never looked like getting on terms, in spite of dominating possession for at least the final hour of the match.

The defensive qualities of Haywards Heath apart, there was never a likelihood that I would be purring about this match being a ‘good advert’ for the Isthmian League, as there was not a great deal of quality shown in the final third of the pitch by either side. That is in spite of the two teams on show being among the better sides in the division. There was no excuse for this, as there were perfect footballing conditions today: a fairly mild day, for December, and barely a breath of wind. Tommy Warrilow was also able to field what was recognisable as being pretty much his strongest side. Club captain Sam Mott in goal, with a new-look central defensive pairing of Matt Bourne and Mohammed Kamara, with Jerald Aboagye and Jake McIntyre the full-backs on either side of them. The arrival of the experienced Bourne has enabled Josh Wisson to resume his defensive midfield role. The midfield quartet was completed by Lee Prescott in the centre, Aaron Condon the wide man and Tashi-Jay Kwayie, who very much pushed up in support of the usual strike pairing of Jay May and Dave Smith. On the subs bench were Tom O’Connor, Theo Osinfolarin, Levi Gold, Benjamin Binder and ‘keeper Lee Hook.

The game was played in a fairly low-key atmosphere. This was partly due to there being a small crowd, of just 102, but there was no chanting or singing from either set of supporters. The very vocal choir which used to follow Ashford United in away games appears to have long abandoned the cause, and their absence is almost certainly partly responsible for the fact that the average league gate at Homelands is currently 117 down on last season’s average. I am happy to report, however, that there were many familiar faces of long-standing supporters in attendance, and without this away following the gate would have been very meagre indeed.

The Haywards Heath Town support is certainly not the most vocal, but the home fans were woken up early when The Blues, playing in blue & white striped shirts, blue shorts and blue sockies, launched an attack straight from the kick-off. Ryan Warwick carried the ball deep into the Ashford penalty area, but his shot went high and wide. Early half-chances for Ashford fell to Dave Smith and Tashi-Jay Kwayie. In the eleventh minute, Smith got on the end of a very long clearance from Sam Mott, taking the ball on his chest just 20 yards from goal, but his curling shot went well wide. Three minutes later, Tashi-Jay’s long-range shot went well over the bar, hitting nothing but the tall netting protecting the block of flats situated just behind the goal.

There were two other chances created by The Blues during this early period. In the 18^th minute, Callum Saunders dinked a through ball into the Ashford penalty area, in the path of centre-forward Trevor McCreadie. This seemed all too easy, from the point of view of the Ashford defence, but the striker’s weak shot was well saved by Sam Mott. Three minutes later, a good, cross-field move by the home side ended with Saunders putting a low cross into the centre. This found right-back Hamish Morrison, of all people, in the six-yard box; he attempted to neatly guide the ball past Sam Mott, but instead deflected it straight to the Ashford ‘keeper.

From about the half-hour mark, Ashford United began the enjoy the majority of possession and territorial advantage, but without being able to breach the Haywards Heath defence. David Smith, in particular, was very closely marked, and had very little space in which to work. As a man who had gone into this game as Ashford’s top scorer, having a strike rate of almost a goal a game, (he had actually scored 17 goals, at a rate of a goal every 105 minutes), it is probably fair to say that Haywards Heath had done their homework properly.

Just as it appeared that the half was about to end goalless, and at about the time that I was thinking that Ashford might have a problem scoring if the home side somehow managed to get a goal, that is precisely what happened. In the 43^rd minute, Mo Kamara received a square ball from his defensive partner, Matt Bourne, and had acres of space in front of him. Mo has shown, on at least two occasions this season, that he is perfectly capable of slaloming with the ball between opponents, and beating an entire team. Like a hound who had suddenly heard the hunter’s horn, he bounded forward from deep inside his own half. He had already got up a good head of steam when he encountered his first obstacle, in the person of Kieran Rowe. Unfortunately for Kamara and Ashford, Rowe’s tackle was a good one, and, having robbed the United defender, he was clean through on goal. It was a chance to score handed to him on a plate, but Rowe took the opportunity brilliantly, rounding Sam Mott with a classy drop of the shoulder, to virtually walk the ball into the net. So The Blues went in at half time with a 1-0 lead.

The second half was all Ashford, as the visitors continued as they had ended the first half. On the plus side, there was no shortage of effort from Warrilow’s men, and they did well to continually win the ball back, and maintain a fairly constant pressure. Ashford’s problem, however, not for the first time this season, is that they lacked the skill and the guile to break down a good, well organised defence. Generally, The Blues’ defence held a strong line in front of their 18-yard box. When the ball did enter the box, it either did not fall to an Ashford player, or there were plenty of blue & white-shirted bodies available to make a block.

The result was that Luke Glover, in the Haywards Heath goal, had very little to do. He did, however, have to make a save in the 51^st minute, after a free-kick was awarded to Ashford for a foul on David Smith. This was taken by Jake McIntyre, who managed to curl his shot over a four-man wall, but this was straight at Glover, who easily made the save. In the 57^th minute, Tashi-Jay Kwayie had a ‘double attempt’ from inside the penalty area, but both of his shots were blocked.

The first Ashford substitution was made in the 63^rd minute, when striker Jay May was replaced by gifted midfielder Tom O’Connor, with Kwayie pushing up to partner Dave Smith in attack. This might have been partly for tactical reasons, but Jay did limp off rather feelingly. Tom immediately added a hint of creativity to the midfield, put was unable to have a telling impact. There was a brief scare for the home defence in the 65^th minute, when a long throw from Jake McIntyre was allowed to bounce inside The Blues’ six-yard area, before being collected by Luke Glover; then, seconds later, Lee Prescott almost succeeded in putting Kwayie through on goal, but Tashi-Jay was unable to control the ball, managing only to poke the ball to the waiting goalkeeper.

It was a measure of the extent of the Ashford pressure that, when the home side eventually got the ball upfield, winning a corner, they conspicuously took as much time out of the game as they possibly could before taking it. Callum Saunders sauntered over to the corner flag at a pallbearer’s pace. When the kick was eventually taken, it ended with a Blues player hitting a shot that was so wild that it ended up on the roof of the block of flats behind the goal.

Ashford did not help their cause with some wayward shooting, when attempting to threaten Luke Glover’s goal from distance. In the 74^th minute, Glover made a punched clearance from a corner from the right. The ball bounced towards Lee Prescott. The experienced Ashford No.7 had plenty of time in which to steady himself, and hit the ball cleanly, and he made measured strides towards the ball – but cluelessly hit it high and wide. In the 80^th minute, Prescott had another attempt at a long-range shot, after Aaron Condon had squared the ball to him, but he again hit it high over the bar. Do the players ever practise shooting? (Asking for a friend).

So the game very much resembled an ‘attack v defence’ exercise during the second half – in which case the defence won emphatically, and, for that reason, Haywards Heath deserved the three points for the victory. I feel that Ashford might have deserved a point for sheer persistence and effort, but it was not to be. The final squeak of a chance in ‘normal time’ came in the 83^rd minute. Jerald Aboagye sent in a long cross from the right. This was headed back across the face of goal, almost under Luke Glover’s crossbar, and there were pleas for a penalty as Tashi-Jay Kwayie challenged for the high ball at the far post, but the referee waved these away.

Tommy Warrilow’s final throw of the dice was to replace Josh Wisson with striker Levi Gold, to form a three-man strike force, but this was too late for the change to have any impact. Hope was finally extinguished when, a minute into injury time, Dave Smith went into what looked to be a 50-50 challenge, which ended with both players on the turf injured, and a crowd of players indulging in a spot of mild ‘hand-bags’. The upshot was that both David Smith and Levi Gold were shown a yellow card – to add to the yellow card that had been shown to Haywards Heath’s Ryan Warwick, on the hour mark, for a foul on Jake McIntyre.

The extended delay was just what Haywards Heath wanted, of course, and it appeared to have taken the game pretty much to full time, but the match continued deep into the early evening. In fact, as much as eight minutes was added on for stoppages. It was during this time that Ashford had their two best chances of the half, resulting in two excellent saves by Glover, who finally had to show what he was capable of. First, he made a good, reflex save when a shot emerged from a crowded goal mouth; then, he came swiftly out of his goal to thwart a Mo Kamara cross after the Ashford centre-back had penetrated deep inside the Haywards Heath penalty area.

So Ashford left the Hanbury Park Stadium empty-handed, having once again come up short when confronted by one of the division’s better teams. In spite of the gloom, we remain within the play-off zone, dropping one place in the league, from fourth to fifth. United face VCD Athletic in the Kent Senior Cup on Tuesday, but the next league match, next Saturday, will be against leaders Hastings United. Unless there is an improvement in the ‘final third’ of the field, I fear we might struggle to get anything from that game.

Herne Bay v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South-East. 16th of November 2019.

Herne Bay  2

Ashford United  2

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

It is difficult to predict the direction in which Ashford United’s season will go. The narrative at the start of the season was that, after an excellent 2018-19 season, which culminated in a fourth-place finish and being denied promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division only after extra time in the play-off final, it would be more difficult this season for Tommy Warrilow, given the need to operate with a smaller playing budget. However, Tommy’s boys appeared to make light of the loss of several star players at the start of this season, by reeling off five straight league wins.

But closer analysis of this start to the campaign now reveals that this might have been a bit of a false dawn, since four of the five teams that Ashford beat were positioned between 15^th and 20^th in the table at the start of today. It is therefore hardly surprising that the lads then lost the next three league games – against teams currently in the top four of the division – but the apparent slump in form had certainly seemed to be taking a toll on the lads’ confidence. That is why it was very important that they emerged with a win away at Whyteleafe on Tuesday night, a hard-fought 3-4 win, with both of the club’s main strikers, David Smith and Jay May, getting on the scoresheet.

For the record, Whyteleafe were 11^th in the table this morning. Today’s opponents, Herne Bay, started the match in seventh position, a place and two points behind Ashford, having played two games more. That means that the lads’ task today was to achieve a league victory over the highest-placed team in the division since the 1-2 win at Phoenix Sports in the season’s opening fixture.

I was thoroughly looking forward to this match, not least because it was my first visit to Winch’s Field. In fact, I can’t remember having previously been to Herne Bay, the town of my Mother’s birth. Although I’m not particularly a ‘box-ticker’, today’s excursion means that the remaining important non-league grounds in Kent that I have not attended are now just those of Ebbsfleet United, Margate, Faversham Town and Deal Town – oh, and Hythe Town.

As I had expected, Winch’s Field is a typical, old-fashioned (and that’s a compliment) non-league football ground, set among the semi-detached properties of the local community. Not a pre-fabbed stand in sight. The main stand is long, extending for almost the length of the pitch, on one side, and there is covered terracing at each end. In fact, Herne Bay FC seems to be a proper, well-supported football club. Today’s excellent attendance, of 355, was swelled by Ashford United’s usual strong away following, but this is the first time that I have been to a league match at which there were more home fans behind the goal than Ashford fans at the other end. (And they made more noise, on this occasion).

Sam Mott once again wore the captain’s armband, in goal, for Ashford – and I was delighted to see former Ashford United favourite George Kamurasi in goal for Herne Bay. Big George was a key member of Ashford’s 2016-17 double-winning side, and also played for us during the two seasons either side of that campaign.

Ramell Lake once again wore the No.3 shirt – which no doubt had something to do with the fact that Mr & Mrs McIntyre had just given birth to a baby – but the rest of the Ashford side appeared to be pretty much as expected. Josh Wisson and Mo Kamara were in central defence, with Jerald Aboagye at right-back. Danny Walder and Tom O’Connor were in central midfield, with Aaron Condon out on the left, no doubt with a remit to supply some quality crosses, and the returning Laurent Mendy on the right side of midfield. Laurent played in five full games for us at the end of last season, including all four hours of the two play-off games, in addition to making four substitute appearances. Jay May and David Smith led the attack today, having scored three goals between them in Ashford’s 3-4 victory over Whyteleafe on Tuesday. My assumption is that Zak Henry was absent due to suspension, following his recent red card.

Tommy warrilow was able to name a full quota of five substitutes today – Benjamin Binder, Tashi-Jay Kwayie, Theo Osinfolarin, Levi Gold and Lee Prescott – whilst there were just three bums on the home side’s bench. Two names that leapt from the Herne Bay teamsheet were Zak Ansah, (because that’s a scary prospect for any opposing team), and Laurence Harvey, who played as a young central defender for Ashford Town in 2009-10, and for Ashford United in 2011-12. He has developed into a big, strapping lighthouse of a centre-half !

The match began beneath a covering of high, grey cloud, which persisted for the duration of the match, and the Winch’s Field floodlights were illuminated as early as the eighth minute – and it was the home side that made the brighter start. In the opening seconds, Tushuan-Tyreese Walters, to name but three, sent in a cross from near to the right corner flag, which was met by his strike partner, Zak Ansah, but Ansah failed to make a clean contact, and Sam Mott gathered easily. Soon afterwards, Walters was again on the attack, and cut inside left-back Ramell Lake far too easily for Ashford fans’ liking. He shot for goal, but his weak shot went wide. Walters and Ansah were to look dangerous for the remainder of the half.

Ashford’s first opportunity was created in the 11^th minute, and this was a tremendous solo effort from centre-back Mohammed Kamara. A long kick-out from Big George was taken on the chest by Kamara, deep inside his own half, and a slaloming run took him as far as the edge of the Herne Bay penalty area, but he fired a fairly wild shot wide.

The Bay took the lead in the 17^th minute, and it was a goal that demonstrated the home side’s attacking quality. It came after an Ashford attack had broken down, and Bay turned defence into attack in an instant, soon having a two v two situation with the Ashford back line. Tushaun-Tyreese Walters carried the ball into the Ashford half, and had support from Zak Ansah on his left – but he required no assistance, showing great footwork to beat two players before slotting the ball home from a distance of about 15 yards.

The first half of this game was generally fairly even in terms of possession, but Herne Bay appeared to be the better organised and more coherent side, and had more pace, and more quality in attack.

David Smith did force Big George into making a save, in the 20^th minute, when he made room for a shot from 20 yards out - but the Ashford defence was backpedaling, just seconds later, as the home side rapidly counter-attacked once again, being halted only by an offside flag. Jay May worked tremendously hard all game, but received little decent service this afternoon, spending most of his time either flicking on long clearances in the direction of David Smith, or dropping very deep in search of the ball. May went on a solo run, in the 25^th minute, through the heart of the Herne Bay defence, which he attempted to finish by placing a toe-poked shot just inside George Kamurasi’s left-hand post. Big George was able to make the save, but was at full stretch, diving low.

But the best chances in the first half fell to the home side. In the 32^nd minute, Mo Kamara was unable to organise his feet in time to clear an attempted through-ball, and so this let Walters through on goal once again, but this time Sam Mott came out to make a save. Two minutes later, Zak Ansah showed brilliant skill when, with his back to goal, just outside the penalty area, he turned and nutmegged Josh Wisson in a single, fluid movement. Leaving Josh several yards behind, Ansah had just Sam Mott to beat. He tried to do so by placing the ball to Sam’s left, for what would have been a beautiful and (at this level) quite astonishing goal, but the ball rolled just wide.

However, Ansah’s quality was to shine through, in the last minute of the first half, when he put Bay 2-0 up. The Ashford defence was in a little disarray as the home side counter-attacked after an Ashford move had broken down, and the ball broke fairly conveniently into the path of Keiron Campbell. The Herne Bay No.11 spread the ball to Ansah, in acres of unmarked space on the left, and he had all the time he needed to steady himself and measure a chip into the far corner of the net.      

Earlier, in the 37^th minute, Daniel Lawrence had received the first of seven yellow cards that were shown, in what was never a dirty match. This was for a tackle from behind on Tom O’Connor. Three minutes later, Jay May had also been booked, after he had dropped particularly deep, well into his own half, in fact, in order to pick up possession. As he was approached by a Herne Bay player, Jay instinctively stretched out a fully-extended arm in order to hold off his opppnent’s challenge. Unfortunately for both men, Jay’s hand connected with the face, and so the referee deemed it worthy of a yellow card.  

So the situation looked pretty grim for Ashford at half time. They had been clearly second-best to a team beginning the afternoon seventh in the division, and the squad was beginning to take on a fairly mid-table-ish look. But, to the surprise of many, the boys showed tremendous character to not only dominate the second half, but also score a couple of goals to earn a point that had looked unlikely on the evidence of the first 45 minutes. It is fair to say that the first half-hour of the second half was ‘all Ashford’, but in spite of fairly monopolising possession of the ball, the visitors made little impression on the Herne Bay defence. In fact, the home side looked more likely to score from an occasional lightning-fast break.

Much of the credit for the turn-around in the game must go to Ashford manager Tommy Warrilow, who made a tactical change at half-time, sending on the attacking midfield player Tashi-Jay Kwayie in place of left-back Ramell Lake, and so relying on a three-man back line, with Josh Wisson in the centre.

Kwayie actually came closest to scoring for Ashford during the early part of the half when, in the 49^th minute, following a corner on the left, he hit the bar with a looping header. But Herne bay went even closer to scoring, in the 59^th minute, when another very fast break sent Walters clean through on goal again. A goal here probably would have wrapped up the three points for the home side, but Sam Mott kept his team in the game, with a good save. There was another scare for the Ashford captain in the 69^th minute, when he saved a long-range shot from Thomas Carlton, but then had to smother Ryan King-Elliott’s attempt to put the ball in from the rebound.

Ashford continued to mount attacks on the Bay defence, and gained reward for the fairly constant pressure in the 70^th minute. It was probably inevitable that the ball would fall nicely to an Ashford player in an attacking position sooner or later, and it was appropriate that that man should be the substitute, Tashi-Jay Kwayie. And he made no mistake, thumping the ball home, from about 15 yards.

Tashi ‘celebrated’ the goal by getting himself yellow-carded, just four minutes later, for what looked to be a fairly obvious, and fairly daft, late tackle.

And so the half continued along much the same lines, with Ashford pressing forward and dominating possession, and Herne Bay maintaining an acute threat on the counter-attack. There were certainly good chances for the home side to score a third goal. In the 80^th minute, the diminutive Keiron Campbell sprung out of a defensive position with a turn of pace that the current Ashford squad simply doesn’t possess. As Campbell charged into the deserted Ashford half, Josh Wisson came across with a desperate attempt at making a saving tackle. Josh, who again impressed, this afternoon, always looked like he was going to come second in this race, and the most likely outcome appeared to be that he would miss the ball, clean up his man and be sent off – but Josh somehow managed to avoid both runner and ball. Campbell sped away, bearing down on the Ashford goal, but Sam Mott was able to save the eventual shot at his near post.

In the 83^rd minute, (two minutes after Tommy Warrilow had replaced Danny Walder, a holding midfielder, with Levi Gold, a striker), the three-man Ashford defence was again left to deal with a fast Herne Bay raid. This time, it was Zak Ansah who tried to hit the target, but his low, well-hit shot was foiled by an equally well executed save.

Ashford were rewarded for clearly ‘winning the second half’ with an equaliser just a minute from normal time. A cross came in from the right, and Big George was screaming at his defence to clear the ball from his six-yard line. For once, the defence failed to do so, and David Smith took the opportunity to swivel on the loose ball and fire home from close range.

There was a feeling that this would be the final meaningful action in the match, with both sides leaving Winch’s Field with a point, but there were still plenty of incidents to come, with the game extending for a further ten minutes, once injury time and injury time for injuries inflicted during injury time had been added on.

First, on the stroke of the 90^th minute, Tushaun-Tyreese Walters received a yellow card for a late tackle on Laurent Mendy; this was his second yellow card, so this led to him being sent off, necessitating the short walk from the touchline on the far side to the dressing room. Five minutes into injury time, Levi Gold picked up a yellow card and David Smith went down injured, limping off, to be replaced by Theo Osinfolarin. There were also chances created at each end of the pitch, the last of these, at 4.55pm, being a Herne Bay free-kick, with Zak Ansah standing over the ball. It needed little imagination to envisage Ansah winning the match with a final piece of sublime skill, but his shot at goal went inches wide.

So not a totally convincing performance by Ashford, but the point was well deserved, given that the manager had had the courage to change things at half time, and the players had responded by putting in a much improved second-half performance. In fact, a pretty good week’s work for Tommy Warrilow and his boys, with four points gained from two matches, both of them away from home, and both of them against a good team. The point lifts Ashford up a place, to fifth, which constitutes a play-off berth. There is still room for improvement in what remains of the season – and we have only played ten of our 38 games – but there is surely cause for optimism that Ashford can continue to nibble away at those play-off positions.

Sevenoaks Town v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South-East. 19th of October 2019.

Sevenoaks Town  3   

Ashford United  0

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

The corresponding fixture last season, which took place almost exactly a year ago (give or take a couple of days), was notable for some Ashford United fans’ very vociferous and very determined protest aimed at Sevenoaks manager Micky Collins. That involved a litany of personal insults hurled at Collins from the high ground at one end of the Greatness Park pitch, before, during and after the match, which the home side won 1-0. The winning manager hardly endeared himself to the Ashford faithful when he smacked our (then) manager, Gary Alexander, around the back of the head at the conclusion of the game.

Much has changed since last year. Alexander has moved on to be manager at Glebe, in the Southern Counties East League, being succeeded at Ashford by Tommy Warrilow. Collins is still in charge at Sevenoaks, but I was a little surprised to find that there was a semblance of a protest at today’s game. It involved just a handful of people, and a drum and some banners, and I heard no insults descending in the breeze, so it appeared to be more of a vigil than a protest.

It was actually a day of protests, with a huge march organised in London in support of a ‘people’s vote’ on Brexit. I was a little concerned that the influx of people to the capital might jeopardise my trip across ‘town’ to Sevenoaks, but there were no problems. There were plenty of marchers passing through Charing Cross Station, with various banners – my favourite was a very simple one, featuring a photo of Boris Johnson with the caption “Liar – Charlatan – Twat”. But I was heading to a far more important event than a demonstration about the country’s democratic soul and future economic prosperity – I was off to Greatness Park for the clash of the teams lying in second and third place in the Isthmian League Division 1 South-East.

Whatever limitations Micky Collins might have in terms of inter-personal skills and the ability to make friends and influence people, there is no doubt that he has done a wonderful job as manager of Sevenoaks Town. Having gained promotion to the Isthmian League at the end of the 2017-18 season – a year after Danny Lye led Ashford United to promotion by the same route – Collins managed the club to a very respectable tenth-place finish last season. The football club was arguably already punching above its weight, (rather like its manager), during that campaign, and there is a suggestion that the club can take things to the next level this time around. Today’s deserved 3-0 victory over Ashford United means that Sevenoaks top the table this evening, with Ashford slipping down to fourth.

There will be no panic buttons pressed at Homelands after today’s poor result, given that this was only Ashford’s seventh league game of the season, but the worry for Tommy Warrilow and all concerned with the club is that the current squad has been found wanting when coming up against two of the better teams in the division – Sevenoaks today, and Cray Valley Paper Mills, the team currently third in the table, two weeks ago.

One mitigating factor is that the relatively small Ashford United squad was involved in an FA Trophy replay, which went to extra time, on Tuesday evening. That is not to say that the lads looked tired or jaded this afternoon. In fact, for the first hour of the match, Ashford looked perfectly capable of winning the game, given the number of chances that they managed to create, even though Oaks had taken a 1-0 lead just before half time. No, the problem, this afternoon, appeared to be a lack of quality up front in the finishing department. If the lads were lacking anything, it appeared to be more a lack of confidence in front of goal than a lack of energy – which is a little strange for a team that went into today’s game having won nine games out of 13 so far this season.

Tommy Warrilow opted for what looked like a 4-1-3-2 formation today, (although I’m no expert on these things). Theo Osinfolarin retained his place at left-back, a position he occupied in the Trophy replay, away at Witham Town, in midweek, meaning the man normally in that position, Jake McIntyre, had to settle for a place on the bench. Similarly, goalkeeper Aaron Lee-Wharton was named as a sub, having filled in for Sam Mott last Saturday, since Motty played in goal today, and wore the captain’s armband. The remainder of the back five consisted of Mo Kamara and Josh Wisson in central defence, with Jerald Aboagye at right-back. Zak Henry played deep, just in front of the back four. Hassan Ibrahiym, who scored Ashford’s two goals on Tuesday night, was in midfield with Lee Prescott, with wide-left man Aaron Condon making up the midfield trio. Jay May and David Smith resumed their ‘little & large’ act up front.

The substitutes bench was completed by Danny Walder, Ramell Lake and Benjamin Binder – but I should point out that Ashford used no substitutes at all, this afternoon, which suggests that Tommy Warrilow has learnt something from his old boss, Neil Cugley !

It was in the 42^nd minute that the home side took the lead, but up to that point Ashford had looked the team most likely to prise open the opposition’s defence, in spite of having looked a little shaky at the back sometimes. The visitors had not been shy about using ‘Route 1’ football, (which I have no problem with), and the preferred weapon seemed to be the long ball looking for the head of Jay May, which would flick the ball into the path of David Smith. May also showed himself to be very adept at sliding the short ball through the Sevenoaks high defensive line, but nobody in the yellow shirt of Ashford was able to muster enough quality to supply a finish.

The first clear chance for the visitors came in the 12^th minute, when Zak Henry made a rare run forward, exploiting the space that opened up before him, before sliding the ball left, to David Smith – but Smith pulled his shot wide. Three minutes later, it was Jay May’s turn to miss. Having set up an attack with a ‘trademark’ flicked header for Smith to run onto, May soon had the chance to finish it off when running onto a square pass, but his shot was horribly miscued.

Ashford’s best chance of the first half came in the 18^th minute, after some brilliant work by Aaron Condon. With the aid of deft dummy, inside his own half, Condon was away and free down the left flank. He laid on an inch-perfect pass for David Smith to run onto, inside the penalty area. Smith did just about everything right, taking the ball around goalkeeper Patrick Lee, but Lee probably did his job in forcing the Ashford striker wide, making him shoot from quite an acute angle, and Smith’s low shot hit the far post.

Ashford looked most vulnerable in defence when attempting to play the ball out from the back – which is something that they very much share with one of the 2018 World Cup semi-finalists. There is probably some Spanish technical term for this business of passing the ball around in your own penalty area, instead of hoofing the ball clear, but to fans of non-league football it is simply ‘fannying around at the back’. And this fannying around nearly cost the visitors a goal in the 23^rd minute, when one of the Ashford defenders, with Sam Mott out of his goal in order to take part in the passing game, presented the ball to ex-Ashford United forward Adrian Stone, who was standing on the edge of the 18-yard line. Stone really should have scored, but instead side-footed the ball against the bar.

Of course, it was great to see Adrianho still playing at this level. One of my favourite all-time Ashford players, having also played during the Ashford Town era, he scored eleven goals, at a rate of a goal every 116 minutes, in Ashford United’s double-winning 2016-17 season. Frazer Walker, who played at right-back for Sevenoaks Town this afternoon, also played a big part in that promotion-winning season, and the home side’s No.11, Tyrell Richardson-Brown, scored three goals for Ashford during the following season (2017-18).

The Ashford defence had another dodgy moment approaching the half-hour mark, when there was some confusion between Mo Kamara and Sam Mott as to who was going to deal with a through-ball from the Sevenoaks defence. This gave an opportunity to Frankie Sawyer, who looked to be the home side’s most dangerous player, with his pace and movement, to nip in between the two – but Kamara saved the situation with a brilliant tackle.

Just prior to this, in the 24^th minute, Dave Smith had spoilt a neat one-two between himself and Jay May, with a heavy touch, just as he was through on goal, enabling Patrick Lee to come out and collect. Hassan Ibrahiym also wasted a chance, in the 30^th minute, when he shot wide after carrying the ball deep inside the Sevenoaks half, ignoring several good opportunities to pass the ball.

Oaks actually had the ball in the back of the Ashford net (for the first time) in the 33^rd minute, after a sustained attack during which Ashford were unable to clear the ball, but only after the referee had blown his whistle for a free-kick. However, most chances in the first half were created, and missed, by Ashford. In the 34^th minute, David Smith did well to beat two players inside the Sevenoaks penalty area, but his chipped cross to finish the move was careless, and went over Aaron Condon’s head. Smith also won a free-kick in a dangerous area, in the 38^th minute, when he managed to convince the referee that he had been bundled over from behind, (as strikers do), but Lee Prescott’s shot at goal from the resulting free-kick was always going well over the bar.

So Sevenoaks might have been second-best during the first half, in terms of the number of chances created, but they were soon 2-0 up, thanks to a couple of well-taken goals – one in each half - from corners. The first of these, three minutes before half time, was a beauty. The ball was slung in from the left, and centre-half Daniel Cumber met the ball on the full volley, a couple of feet from the ground, and steered it into the corner of the net. For some reason, in the confusion that followed the goal, Ashford captain Sam Mott managed to get himself a yellow card, (for something he said to the ref, maybe).

It was very important for the visitors to hit back as soon as possible in the second half, and we were possibly unlucky not to do so. Almost straight from the kick-off, Mo Kamara went on a run through the midfield area. He fed the ball through to David Smith, who, in spite of being tightly marked, and with his back to goal, managed to turn and shoot. Lee, in the Sevenoaks goal, got down to save, but, not for the first time this afternoon, was unable to gather the ball, and Jay May, following up, neatly dinked the ball over him and into the net. The realisation immediately sunk in that the referee had already blown his whistle. (He was making that signal with his hand that referees make to indicate an offside decision – but this particular ref had one or two episodes of signalling the wrong reason for a free-kick when his lino put the flag up).

The second half was generally much more even in terms of the number of chances created by the two sides, with the Ashford defence being breached several times. On one such occasion, in the 49^th minute, a Sevenoaks move flowing from right to left found Kyle De Silva with a clear sight of goal, but he pulled his shot wide.

But Ashford strived hard for an equaliser during the early part of the second half, and in the 50^th minute, we had what looked to be a good shout for a penalty. Aaron Condon was making his way along the by-line, when his cross clearly struck a Sevenoaks hand, but cries for a penalty were immediately waved away by the ref. In the 54^th minute, Josh Wisson, who was really solid this afternoon, sent in a long-range shot that went just too high, then, two minutes later, Jay May met a corner from the right with what would have been a perfect downward header, but this was comfortably blocked on the line by a Sevenoaks defender.

On the hour, Lee Prescott was guilty of a slightly embarrassing ‘air shot’, after the ball was pulled back from the by-line, but his failure to put foot to ball almost had more serious consequences for his team just two minutes later. Attempting a clearance from his own 18-yard area, he missed completely, the ball bouncing up to strike him on the hand. This looked like a clear penalty, but the ref again waved away the penalty appeals.

Chances continued to be created at both ends. In the 66^th minute, Kyle De Silva again found himself with a clear sight of goal, with time to set himself for a shot – but his effort hit the far post. A minute later, David Smith went clear, in the inside-left channel, and this time struck the ball really cleanly, but his shot was well saved by Patrick Lee in the Sevenoaks Town goal. Then, in the 68^th minute, Micky Collins made the first of his two substitutions of the afternoon, sending on his son, Louis, in place of striker Frankie Sawyer.

The Ashford defence appeared to be fast asleep, in the 70^th minute, when two simple passes found Kyle De Silva completely unmarked in the penalty area – but The Oaks’ No.7 hit his shot just wide.

A major turning point in the game came in the 72^nd minute. Jay May got up well to meet a long cross from the right, heading the ball down to David Smith in the centre, just a few yards from goal. It seemed certain that Smith would score, but Patrick Lee somehow managed to keep the ball out. Then, in the 78^th minute, Sevenoaks scored that all-important second goal. From a tackle from Josh Wisson, the ball broke to Adrian Stone, in time and space, but his shot was well saved by Sam Mott. However, from the resulting corner, Adrianho got up well to meet a deep cross and plant the ball into the net.

Go – o – o – a – l       A – dri – a – a – nho – oo – oo

That goal effectively ended the game as a contest, but there was still time for a fair amount of farce, and some nastiness. In the 82^nd minute, David Smith and Ben Gorham challenged for a high ball, with Gorham ending up on the floor with blood trickling from his brow, gesturing that he had been struck by Smith’s elbow. There appeared to be no intent involved here, and the referee clearly agreed, as Smith received no more than a yellow card. Three minutes later, however, Gorham took the opportunity for what looked to be clear retaliation for the elbow in the face, and so he was probably fortunate that the colour of the card that he saw was also yellow. That incident seemed daft enough, but, just a minute later, Ryan Fowler was guilty of a nasty-looking tackle on Hassan Ibrahiym, and this time the referee had no hesitation in pulling out the red card. It seemed to be a fairly brainless thing for Gorham to do, with the three points already in the bag.

Micky Collins made his second, and final, substitution in the final minute of normal time, with Alec Fiddes replacing Adrianho for the six minutes that the referee had added on. It was in the fifth of those six minutes that Sevenoaks finished off a very good afternoon for the club with a third goal. It was a fairly tired and sloppy goal, from the point of view of the visitors, as the ball was given away, allowing Louis Collins a free run on goal. Collins still had Sam Mott to beat, but did this expertly, rounding the ‘keeper and calmly slotting the ball home – like watching Jimmy Greaves, it was.

So a pretty good day for Collins Snr, with his boy getting onto the scoresheet late on, and the fact that Hastings United dropped two points at Haywards Heath this afternoon sent his team to the top of the table - but plenty for Tommy Warrilow to think about, with this being his heaviest league defeat as Ashford United manager.

East Grinstead Town v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South-East. 21st of September 2019.

East Grinstead Town  1

Ashford United  3

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

First game of the season for me - and Ashford’s eighth – although I did turn up for the game at Whyteleafe last week. On that occasion, ten minutes before kick-off, what sounded like a space ship descended upon the ground and landed on the pitch. Sadly, it was an air ambulance, and because it had come to attend to the mother of one of the Whyteleafe players, the match was, quite rightly, called off.

There were no such problems today, though. It was the perfect Saturday. A cloudless, late-September afternoon. All the trains ran on time – and Ashford United won away. Today’s win lifts Ashford to second in the division. More importantly, it maintains our 100% record in the league, after five games. Sevenoaks Town are the current leaders, a point ahead of us, but having played two games more.

After last season’s highest-ever finish for the Club since The Reformation – fourth in the Isthmian League Division 1 South East – the narrative over the summer was that things would be tougher for us this time around, in the light of a significant cut in the playing budget. That may well eventually turn out to be the case, but there has been no sign of this so far. On the evidence of my first sight of the boys, we appear to have a very solid team, and I would trust in Tommy Warrilow’s experience and pedigree as a manager to ensure that we are there or thereabouts, challenging for promotion, at the end of the season.

The team news, on arrival at the ground, was that our hosts, East Grinstead Town, had made six changes since their last match – which was probably a reflection of The Wasps starting the day third-bottom of the league, having managed just the three points from their first six games. For Ashford, Jay May, with just one goal to his name so far this season, had been relegated to the bench, with Tashi-Jay Kwayie playing further forward, to partner David Smith up front. This change might have been partly to do with the fact that Tommy Warrilow had a new name to put on the team sheet, that of Aaron Condon, who wore the No.11 shirt this afternoon. Another slight surprise (to me) was that Sam Mott, our goalie, was Ashford’s captain, although the rest of the team had a very familiar ring about it, with Warrilow having stuck with pretty much the same team during the season to date: Josh Wisson and Mohammed Kamara in central defence; Jerald Aboagye at right-back and Jake McIntyre at left-back; Danny Walder, Zak Henry, Lee Prescott and Aaron Condon in midfield. Joining Jay May on the bench were Hassan Ibrahiym, Levi Gold, Theo Osinfolarin (a name which seems vaguely elvish) and spare goalie Lee Hook.

It’s always a pleasure to come here. East Court is an entirely tree-lined ground, set in parkland, and it’s a pleasant 20 minutes’ walk from East Grinstead Rail Station – left at the church, past the tennis courts and then through Mount Noddy Cemetery (which is a damn silly name for a cemetery – sounds like an instruction to Big Ears).

The pitch also looked a picture – flat and with short grass – and this probably contributed a great deal to an entertaining and fast-paced first half. The first 20 minutes were particularly full of action, with each team scoring at the beginning and the end of this period of play.

It was Ashford who scored first, with Aaron Condon taking just five minutes to get off the mark for his new club. A long cross from Jerald Aboagye, from the right, found Condon near the left edge of the penalty area. Rather than crossing the ball, his first touch took him past the defender, with the ball now on his right foot, and he placed a low shot under the body of goalkeeper Brannon Daly.

But the home side came back at Ashford with plenty of good, fast football, and looked anything but a side having just two teams below them in the league. Just a minute after going behind, they had a corner. This was taken short, resulting in a firm shot from an acute angle, which required a good, diving save from Sam Mott. Five minutes later, a long clearance from Mott created a three-against-three situation for Ashford, but this resulted in Tashie-Jay Kwayie hitting a shot straight at the goalie. Both sides also had dangerous free-kick situations, near to the opponent’s by-line – Ashford in the 13^th minute, after Jake McIntyre was needlessly hacked down from behind by Andrew Blake, and East Grinstead in the 15^th minute, after Aaron Condon made a very late ‘striker’s tackle’ on Gil Carvalho – but neither chance was converted.

In the 16^th minute, an Ashford break from defence ended with ginger-haired No.8 Kwayie finding David Smith with just the one defender to beat, but Smith could do no more than win a corner – which was over-hit by Zak Henry. Two minutes later, full-back Jerald Aboagye, who was dangerous down the right for Ashford all afternoon, won a corner. The resulting cross was met with a powerful header by Lee Prescott, near the edge of the penalty area, but his effort went straight at goalkeeper Brannon Daly. That was also the fate of a curling shot by David Smith in the 19^th minute.

With both teams launching their fair share of attacks during this opening period, East Grinstead’s equaliser, which came in the 20^th minute, was by no means against the run of play, and it came as a result of a wonderful piece of skill from O’shaye Giraud-Hutchinson. After a good build-up by The Wasps on the left side of the field, the ball was fed inside to O’shaye, who hit a curling shot, from about 25 yards, into the top corner of the net. Sam Mott was at full stretch with a dive, but he never had a chance to get near Giraud-Hutchinson’s shot.

Following the East Grinstead goal, Ashford had an uncertain spell during which several passes went astray, and we seemed to be conceding all the free-kicks. However, order was restored in the 35^th minute, thanks to a moment of pure inspiration from Jerald Aboagye – who was a strong candidate for Man of the Match, this afternoon. Picking the ball up a few yards from the corner of the penalty area, Jerald charged towards goal and simply lashed the ball into the net.

The visitors had the better of the final ten minutes of the half – their best chance during this time falling to Aaron Condon, in the 37^th minute, after a good move involving David Smith and Lee Prescott, but his shot went over the bar – and so they were good value for their 1-2 lead at the break.

East Grinstead made one substitution at half time, replacing Oluwajuwon Akintunde with Misha Djemaili, (which was the worst nightmare of the PA announcer, who struggled with players’ names all afternoon), but it was O’shaye Giraud-Hutchinson who had the home side’s first chance of the second half. This came after Jerald Aboagye had headed behind for a corner, in the 47^th minute. The corner was taken short, to O’shaye, who again showed great skill in sending in a curling shot towards the far post, managing to wrap his foot around the ball as he was running away from goal, but this time his effort went wide.

I don’t know the extent to which Tashi-Jay Kwayie was playing out of position, up front, but he generally looked fairly bewildered, and uncertain as to the role he should be playing. There were times when he actually got in David Smith’s way. This lack of assistance for Smith might have explained why the latter didn’t quite look like a man who had scored eight goals in six-and-a-bit appearances this season. Smith did enough when on the ball to show that he is certainly a class act as a striker – he had a great first touch, and showed good close control – but he had a frustrating time in front of goal for most of the afternoon.

T-J, too, looked a skillful player when on the ball, and he did set Smith up with a simple chance to score, in the 48^th minute. Attacking down the right, he managed to get to the by-line and send in a good cross, which was intercepted by an East Grinstead defender. There were immediate calls of “Hand Ball” from the Ashford fans behind the goal – who made up a large proportion of today’s crowd of 113 – and the referee, who was well positioned, immediately pointed to the penalty spot. There were no complaints from the East Grinstead players.

The expectation was that David Smith would step up and put away his ninth goal of the season, but Brannon Daly saved his low shot. The ball went straight back to Smith, and slotting home the rebound appeared to be easier than scoring from the penalty itself, but Daly somehow kept the follow-up effort out with his feet. It sort of summed up David Smith’s afternoon, but he looks capable of scoring many more goals this season.

Smith might have shown a little frustration, just two minutes later, when he bundled over O’shaye Giraud-Hutchinson, in a dangerous position. The resulting free-kick was an in-swinging cross, which was allowed to travel all the way through the Ashford penalty area, eventually going harmlessly away for a goal-kick. At the other end, in the 53^rd minute, Lee Prescott shot from just outside the penalty area, but straight at the goalkeeper. But the next incident of real note happened a minute later, and we might have witnessed the Goal of the Season. It came from a corner, on the right, which was conceded by Drew Cooney, as he cut out a Kwayie cross from the right. The resulting corner was hit deep, and was met by Aaron Condon with a beautifully-timed volley. The ball was screaming towards the far top corner of the net, but was headed away by the defender at the far post.

Condon had a similar chance in the 57^th minute, which was created by some good play between Kwayie and Aboagye. It was the right-back who supplied the deep cross, from the right, and this time Aaron hit his volley just as sweetly, but it was just too high.

There now followed a very scrappy passage of play during which not a great deal of football was played. There were a number of stoppages for free-kicks, and some niggles between players, and the Ashford players were perfectly happy to take plenty of time over goal-kicks, free-kicks and throw-ins. The situation just threatened to boil over in about the 65^th minute, when Ashford’s Zak Henry and East Grinstead’s Craig McGee had a session of ‘hand bags’ in the middle of the pitch – but the referee sorted things out with a quiet word. In fact, the ref was excellent all game. He was very decisive with his decisions and managed to maintain control of the game whilst keeping his cards in his trousers. His patience finally ran out with Zak Henry, however, in the 72^nd minute, when the Ashford No.7 was a little over-aggressive with a challenge once too often. It was a daft yellow card to pick up, given that Zak had received plenty of verbal warnings.

The attacks that were launched during this stop-start period of the game came from Ashford, and, in the 70^th minute, David Smith had a great chance to brighten up his entire afternoon. Jerald Aboagye got the better of East Grinstead’s tall, blond centre-forward Dean Bown, inside the home side’s half, which presented Ashford with a four-against-three situation. The ball was worked nicely, to give Smith a clear shooting chance from about ten yards out, but he fluffed his shot wide.

Smith finally got his goal in the 73^rd minute, the culmination of what was probably Ashford’s best move of the match. Tashi-Jay Kwayie moved the ball out to Jerald Aboagye, who was, as usual, wide on the right. Aboagye’s cross was deep, beyond the far post, from where Aaron Condon steered the ball across the face of the East Grinstead goal. David Smith was at the far post, stooping very low to head the ball into the net, from a couple of feet out.

And that third goal for Ashford was the final meaningful action of the game. There were substitutions made by the home side – Robin Deen for Dean Brown in the 81^st minute, and Dan Pearse for goal-scorer O’shaye Giraud-Hutchinson in the 84^th minute – but these seemed to be made for the sake of giving players a run out in the team, rather than to make a meaningful attempt to get something from the game. In fact, the home side spent the final 15 minutes of the game building patiently, putting sequences of passes together, but rarely managing to leave their own half of the field. Ashford were quite content to ‘sit in’ for the remainder of the game, and, in truth, after a fairly even first half, Sam Mott did have a very easy time of it in the second half. Tommy Warrilow did replace Kwayie with Levi Gold, in the 78^th minute, and Aaron Condon with Theo Osinfolarin, in the 80^th minute, but the match rather dozed off after the third Ashford goal.

This was a good win for Ashford. The scoreline might have been more emphatic if David Smith had had better support and had had a better finishing day, but there is plenty of cause for optimism for United’s fans for the season to come.