Fleet Town 2 Ashford Town 2
from Your Milton Keynes Correspondent
It was good to be back at Fleet again. For reasons best known to the people at the FA who allocate non-league clubs to different leagues, Fleet Town, along with Godalming Town, were shoved into the Southern League Division One South West for last season. Well, they’re both back this year – at the expense of Thamesmead Town and Chatham Town – so the trip to Calthorpe Park, our shortest away trip in the league, was back on the roster.
This was always going to be a test for the boys. Fleet are a good side. It was just a few years ago that they were one of the whipping boys perennially struggling against relegation – like us – but former Spurs and England winger Andy Sinton has certainly turned them around since taking over as Manager. They finished fifth under Sinton in our division in 2006-7, and were then runners-up in their division last year. In August I actually fancied them to make a play-off position for the third successive season, but they made a fairly sticky start to the current campaign, and were in ninth place this morning – but closer inspection of that league table reveals that Fleet would actually be SECOND if they win the two games they have in hand of all the teams above them. They were unbeaten in their last seven league games, so were very much one of the teams in form.
That’s more than could be said about Ashford, coming into this game. With one win in the last eight, and only one goal in the last four, (and that a gift, after a defensive error), we were looking decidedly ropy. I’m not into encouraging pressure on the manager or any of the players when results aren’t good, but I wouldn’t be setting the scene for this match properly if I didn’t mention that Steve Lovell had been receiving his fair share of criticism since Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at Merstham – and, with five wins in 17 games this season, and the team sinking to 14th place, there have been one or two suggestions among the supporters that he might not be the man to lead us to the play-offs in May. This was therefore a very important game for both Steve Lovell and his squad of players.
Well, I’m pleased to report that, although this was just a single point gained in Hampshire this afternoon, all seems to be on a much more even keel tonight. This was a much improved performance, and one which heartened the travelling coach-load of support from Ashford. It was just a shame that an equaliser from the home side in the fifth minute of injury time robbed the boys of what would have been a thoroughly deserved victory.
Part of the reason for the improvement might have been the fact that Steve Lovell sent out what many of us believe is his best starting line-up. Jimmy Bottle was back on the left wing, with Mitchell Sherwood starting on the right, and Ryan Briggs and Danny Lye was the central midfield pairing. (It’s true that Ashford tended to bypass the centre of midfield a little this afternoon, but this might have been understandable, given the employment of two wide players. Paul Jones and Claude Seanla is surely the best partnership option up front – the strong hold-up man and the sharp finisher – and Craig Wilkins and Sean Ray look an accomplished pairing in the centre of defence. Daniel Brathwaite was back at left-back today, after having been on his travels in midfield and at centre-half, with Jimmy Elford wearing the No. 2 shirt. To complete the “ideal eleven”, Josh Willis was in goal – Josh has out-performed Jamie Riley this season, and, since making his debut, he has only lost his place when having a genuine reason for being unavailable.
On the subs bench were Jamie Riley, Lee Hockey, Tony Browne (who’s had a good run on the right side of midfield this season) and Andy Doerr.
Ashford’s cause today was also helped considerably by the fact that we made a good start. As early as the third minute, Jimmy Elford played a low ball forward to Claude Seanla, who laid it off to Paul Jones. Jonah took a touch, to take the ball infield, and got in a low, left-footed shot, which was well saved by ‘keeper Dave Smalley. This was rather a sign of how things were to develop, as Smalley made a number of good saves this afternoon, and Ashford looked most dangerous when attacking down the right flank, with Claude, Jonah, Mitch Sherwood and Jimmy Elford combining well. We certainly went forward in numbers, when we had the ball, and looked likely to score – which is not something that could be said about the performance at Merstham on Tuesday.
On this occasion, Smalley’s save was at the expense of a corner, on the right, which was cleared, but only as far as Ryan Briggs, whose firm shot went straight at the ‘keeper. Fleet turned defence into attack, but made a mess of the assault, and lost the ball in midfield. Immediately, the ball was played upfield for Paul Jones to run on to, and Jonah was soon clear of the defence, with only the goalkeeper to beat. He rounded Smalley and struck the ball firmly into the empty net. It was a good striker’s goal, and Paul’s seventh of the season – which equals his total for last season.
It was all Ashford, playing in their Norwich City-style away kit, in the opening minutes, as the visitors didn’t let the home side get into the game. In the fifth minute, Ryan Briggs spread the ball wide to Jimmy Bottle, who was in hectares of space – note the modern, Euro-friendly terminology – on the left. Jimmy cut inside and got in a right-footed shot, but this was saved by goalkeeper Smalley. A minute later, Claude Seanla, starting with his back to goal in the “D”, turned and shot, but was well off target.
Fleet, playing in familiar colours of sky blue shirts, and navy blue shorts and sockies, did manage one attack during this early phase – in the eighth minute, James Field went smoothly, and unchallenged, through the Ashford midfield, and tried a long-range shot which crept past Josh Willis’s right-hand post. Nineteen year-old Josh must have got a touch, as a corner was awarded – but this came to nothing.
At the other end, in the tenth minute, Mitchell Sherwood took a throw-in on the right. He found Paul Jones, in the penalty area, who turned and shot, but tamely, and straight at the ‘keeper.
A feature of today’s game was that it was played, from start to finish, in steady rain. This meant that the entire crowd of 162 this afternoon could be found under the cover that was available. The main, medium-sized stand was the place to be for maximum dryness, but the majority of the intrepid Ashford Town coach party huddled beneath a very ramshackle shelter, made mostly from scaffolding poles, behind each goal. It was good to see a large Ashford Town FC flag in the midst of this gathering. A green & white cross of St George. A flag to die for. “Cry God for Harry ! Ashford, and St George !”.
It might well have been the rain-affected surface that caused Steve Lovell his first real moment of concern, in the 16th minute, when goalkeeper Josh Willis sustained an injury to his left thigh, which was certainly not related to a challenge. After some brief first aid, Josh tested his thigh with a gentle jog, but it was immediately obvious that he was unable to continue, so Jamie Riley was sent on to deputise. It was a good thing that we had a ‘keeper on the subs bench with plenty of first team experience – but it seems that the luckless Josh is doomed to not have an extended run in the team.
Ashford, playing up Calthorpe Park’s diagonal slope in the first half, continued to make the running. In the 25th minute, Jimmy Bottle chipped in a cross from the left, which found Mitch Sherwood at the far post. Mitch fluffed his initial attempt at goal, with his right foot, but still had time to have a second crack, this time with his left – which he pulled well wide. Three minutes later, Mitchell had another shot at goal, which was deflected wide, for a corner. This was taken by Ryan Briggs, on the right. Sean Ray got up well with the header, but Referee Eric Mackrell must have seen something fishy about the challenge, so blew up for a free-kick. (OK, so I’m still working on the act !).
On the half-hour mark, the Mackrell failed to spot a hand-ball by lively Fleet striker Nathan Smart in the Ashford area. Nevertheless, Mitchell Sherwood was there to put the ball behind for a corner, on the left. The resulting cross, a little worryingly, was allowed to travel all the way through the Ashford penalty area, before Sean Ray nodded the ball behind for another corner, on the right. This time it was Daniel Brathwaite who cleared the lines, with a header away.
Which reminds me that I have another entry to make to the Pink Report. Whilst the boys made a generally good showing today, wearing short-sleeved shirts on this cold and very wet afternoon, Daniel B was still caught wearing gloves in public. This is most disappointing. I’m not sure whether there will be an appropriate award at the end of the season, but, if there is, Brathers has accumulated enough Pink Points at this stage of the season to be streets ahead of his team-mates. Watch this space.
It was great to see Jimmy Bottle back, after missing him for five games following the opening up of his right eyebrow by a clash of heads against Chipstead. His pace on the left wing was a constant threat to Fleet, but there were one or two signs of “ring rust”. In the 33rd minute, he gave away a free-kick with a miss-timed tackle, but the resulting cross towards the penalty area was headed clear, to Claude Seanla on the half-way line. Claude turned and spread the ball wide to Jimmy, in space on the left, and suddenly Jimmy had a clear sight of goal – but lack of match practice showed again, as he pulled his shot across the face of goal.
Fleet gradually began to ease themselves into the game, and did look dangerous going forward. Smart Nathan showed good persistence to break through a couple of Ashford tackles, in the 35th minute, and struck his eventual shot against an Ashford arm, from close range - but there was never going to be a penalty awarded for that, (nor should there have been). The ball was still in the penalty area, but Jamie McClurg blasted it over the bar.
In the 36th minute, Daniel Brathwaite conceded a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area. This was taken by Fleet’s dead-ball specialist James Field. Faced by a four-man wall, Field chipped a shot to the near post, but Jamie Riley made a good save, pushing the ball behind, for a corner on the right. Jamie came out to claim the resulting cross, and seemed to have caught the ball cleanly, but then fumbled it, and dropped it – but an Ashford defender on the line cleared it as it span towards the line. The clearance only went to a player in a blue shirt, just outside the area, whose shot was well saved by Jamie, at the expense of another corner, this time on the left. There were groans from the home fans as the taker failed to clear the first defender with the corner, as there were two minutes later, when Daniel Brathwaite cleared another corner, with a near-post header.
Nevertheless, this was a good period of Fleet pressure, and Ashford desperately needed to get out of their own half. Eventually, they managed it, and it was a relief to have a throw-in, deep into the home side’s half of the slope, in the 40th minute. The ball was thrown to Jimmy Elford, who sent a left-footed cross into The Blues’ penalty area. Paul Jones got up to flick the ball goalwards with a back-header, but this was comfortably caught by David Smalley. A minute later, the ball broke to Jimmy Bottle, in the Fleet area, but his shot was blocked, and Ashford had a corner on the right. Sean Ray, still looking for his first goal of the season, got up well, with a downward header that was on target, and it appeared, from the stand, as if a defender’s foot had flicked a clearance over the bar, from inside the six-yard box – but nobody seemed to complain when a goal-kick was awarded.
In the 44th minute, just as the PA Announcer informed us that there would be three minutes of added time at the end of the first half, Ashford were awarded their first free-kick in a dangerous position of the match, for a foul on Claude Seanla. This was curled in by Dan Brathwaite, but there was anti-climax as the Lino flagged immediately for off-side. But Ashford went in at half time with a deserved 0-1 lead, and the travelling fans who had also witnessed the performance at Merstham on Tuesday night were very encouraged by the boys’ much improved showing.
Whilst Ashford played well in the first half, the same cannot really be said about the home side – but, as The Great Brian Clough once said: “They played as well as they were allowed to play, young man”. [ On the subject of great men, I heard on the telly, recently, that Peter Sillett still holds the Chelsea record for goals scored by a defender, and might get more mentions in the near future as John Terry closes in on his total. ] Anyway, Andy Sinton wasted no time in ringing the changes, as he replaced his two strikers, Jermaine Hamilton and Bernard Asante, with Mark Anderson and Eddie Smith.
As the rain continued to pour, Eddie Smith’s first contribution was to get clogged by Craig Wilkins, in the 51st minute – Wilko had lost the ball, on the halfway line, and was rightly yellow-carded for his late challenge.
Two minutes later, a high cross was sent into the Ashford penalty area, from the right, and Jamie Riley came for the ball and managed to finger-tip it away. The defence failed to clear the danger immediately, and the ball was bouncing around in the area – but then the referee noticed that Jamie was flat on his back in the six-yard box, so he had no choice but to halt play. This was a bit worrying, as the only other option was to use Lee Hockey as a makeshift goalkeeper – but Jamie was OK after treatment.
Ashford then had a period of good pressure. Jimmy Bottle won a corner, on the left, which was taken by the hard-working Ryan Briggs. His cross was cleared to the edge of the area, where Claude Seanla picked the ball up, turned and shot. His effort seemed to get momentarily stuck in the wet and the mud of the goalmouth, but eventually slid just past the post. There must have been a Fleet touch en route, though, as another corner was awarded. Briggo again swung the ball in from the left, into David Smalley’s six-yard box, but it rebounded off Sean Ray’s shin, and into the ‘keeper’s hands.
Fleet equalised, the first time, in the 63rd minute. This came about as a result of a free-kick awarded against Daniel Brathwaite – for pulling his man back, according to the Lino’s mime. From a position just to the right of centre, James Field sent in a high, curving cross. This appeared to be relatively harmless, but Steve Hemmings, almost facing his own goal, managed to get his head around the ball, to send his header goalwards. The ball crept just inside the post, and it was “game on”, at 1-1.
The game might have gone either way from this point, but it was Ashford who regained the lead, in the 76th minute – a minute after Andy Doerr had been sent on in place of Claude Seanla. It was a goal that involved both of Ashford’s wide men. Mitchell Sherwood sent in a long, looping cross, from wide on the right. Jimmy Bottle converged on the ball from the left wing, and timed his arrival perfectly, side-footing a volley low, into the net, from about ten yards out, for his first goal of the season. It was good to see Jimmy get on the score-sheet, on his return from injury – but, ironically, it appears that this injury prevented him from taking any further part in the game, as it seems that the hugs and kisses from his team-mates opened up his eyebrow again. He was immediately substituted for Tony Browne, before Fleet could kick off.
Andy Doerr – who should earn a few Pink Points for the white polo-necked vest he was wearing underneath his shirt – very nearly added to his impressive strike-rate as a substitute, in the 80th minute. Paul Jones ran on to a long through-ball, over the top, down the right wing. Jonah did well to catch up with the ball and deliver a good cross into the centre. Doerr timed his shot perfectly, but Smalley made a fantastic, point-blank save, to keep Fleet in the match.
The home side, who certainly looked stretched at the back as they pushed forward for an equaliser, had a free-kick, from about the same position as the one that had led to their goal, in the 83rd minute. Again it was James Field who sent in a high, looping cross. Jamie Riley used his finger tips to good effect, to intercept the cross, and then got back to make a good save, low at his near post, at the expense of a corner. This was lofted high, from the left, and Jamie was there again, diving low, and scooping the downward header away for another corner. Last season’s No.1 ‘keeper sometimes looked ungainly in making his saves, and is certainly still nowhere near his best, but he showed this afternoon that he hasn’t lost his ability as a shot-stopper.
Andy Sinton made his third and final substitution in the 85th minute, replacing Damien Smith, (one of three Smiths in the Fleet squad today), with Darren Campbell, but, as the playing surface got wetter, and players started slipping and sliding all over the place, Ashford appeared to remain in full control. Most of the closing minutes of the game, including an incredible six minutes of injury time conjured up by the Mackrell, were played in Fleet’s half of the field, with Ashford content to run down the clock. Unfortunately, there was one more attack left in the home side – this came with 95 minutes on the clock. A cross from the right found Eddie Smith, on the left side of the penalty area. Smith E took one touch, to control the ball, and then thumped the ball firmly into the far corner of the net, to preserve Fleet’s unbeaten run.
Although this was a real sickener, so late on, arguably the most important thing today was that the team’s performance was much improved – and this was against a very decent side. I overheard one Fleet fan, in the bar afterwards, say that he thought Ashford were the best side to come to Calthorpe Park this season – which is always a compliment. The challenge for Steve Lovell and the boys is now to maintain this level of form, consistently, over a period of time. If they can achieve that, then a place in the play-offs, at the end of the season, might still be a possibility.
It was one of those all-round team performances that made it difficult to nominate a Man of the Match – but Daniel Brathwaite just shaded it. He must have headed the ball clear a hundred times, and might almost be forgiven for wearing those gloves on this occasion.
Man of the Match
(to go towards the Milton Keynes Bowl)
Daniel Brathwaite
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