Bognor Regis Town 3 Ashford Town 1
from Your Milton Keynes Correspondent
Today was FA Trophy day. (You’ll notice that I naturally think of our association with cup competitions as being one-off events, rather than a connected series of games which other clubs’ fans refer to as “a cup run”). Anyway, the point is that I love the cup competitions, and had been looking forward to this match since the draw was made, back in July – mainly because it does what cup competitions are supposed to do, i.e. provide us with the chance to go to a different ground, and see our lads up against opposition from a different division. Since there is only the one venue on the league circuit this year that I am yet to visit – that’s Ramsgate – this was a particularly interesting fixture. Evidently, there were others from Ashford who had the same view, since there was a decent coach-load of away supporters here today.
For the second time this season, we began a cup campaign against a team that was bottom of another division. In the FA Cup, we started with a home tie against Mile Oak, who were bottom of the Sussex League at the time, (and still are !). Bognor Regis Town are currently in last place in the Ryman Premier, with five points, and only six goals, from eleven matches. More than that, they were actually relegated from the Conference South last season, so The Rocks are showing distinct signs of being a club in free-fall – dropping like a stone, maybe. I don’t know what the story is with Bognor Regis Town Football Club, but I gathered, before the game, that they have a very young side here at Nyewood Lane here at the moment – (and quite a talented-looking bunch of lads, as it turned out, which was much too good for Ashford Town this afternoon).
Well, with the visitors lying fifth-bottom of Ryman Division One South this morning, there was no chance of either Manager spoiling this cup-tie by taking it too lightly, as both Steve Lovell and Darin Killpartrick had every reason for wanting to win this game today, to give their struggling team some confidence and momentum. For Steve, of course, it was a case of wanting to build upon the hard-fought 2-1 victory over Eastbourne Town, in the league, on Wednesday – although the last time he was able to say that, after the 3-2 home victory over Whyteleafe, his team followed up with 5-1 and 4-0 defeats away from home.
Actually, although the start to this season has been pretty dire all round, Ashford’s away form has been noticeably worse than our home form – compare P6 W0 D1 L5, with P5 W3 D1 L1. In fact, we’ve won our last three home games, you know, scoring eleven goals in the process !
The real problem this season – and you don’t need to be Carol Vorderman to work this out – has been our inability to prevent sides from scoring. Before the 2-1 win on Wednesday, Ashford had conceded AT LEAST TWO GOALS in every league match, which simply ain’t good enough. The Management is acutely aware of the issue, of course – and most of us have taken it as read that one of the three players that Steve Lovell has been talking about signing, over the past fortnight, must surely be a goalkeeper. So far, there have been two new arrivals – a couple of young, month-long loan signings from Conference Club Gravesend & Northfleet. When one of them was named as Steve Springett, those of us with more than enough grey hair just assumed that, with a surname like that, he must be a ‘keeper. (For younger readers, brothers Ron and Peter Springett both played in goal for both QPR and Sheffield Wednesday, when both teams were good, with Ron playing for England 33 times !). Young Steve, alas, is actually not a goalie – although he is a tall, and useful-looking, defender, who played at left-back this afternoon. His mate, Jamie Forshaw, is an attacking wide player, but he was absent today, because Gravesend didn’t want him cup-tied.
No, I’m afraid there was no sign of a new Ashford goalkeeper here today – just Darren Ibrahim. Much worse news was that Ressies’ ‘keeper Dan Mason was absent this afternoon – and I heard no explanation for his absence – meaning that we went into the game without a sub goalie on the bench.
Given that Darren had conceded six goals in his two games to date, and the team had let in 22 goals in six away games before today, things already were not looking good. Shall I get all the bad news over with first ? Well, just about the first person we saw when entering the ground was Paul Jones. Now, it’s always good to see Paul – but we didn’t want to see our best player wandering around the outside of the pitch, in a track-suit, just five minutes before kick-off ! I’m afraid that Jonah’s delicate groin, which has plagued his footballing career ever since his recent marriage – (or is it the other way round ?) – was troubling him again. Actually, he described it as being more “the underneath bit”, or under-carriage – but I don’t want to go there ! Let’s just say that the Supporters’ Club should consider buying the Joneses a television.
It might have been Jonah’s absence, or merely a desire to prevent the lads from being over-run by a team that might just be too much for them, but Steve Lovell sent the team out in an unfamiliar 4-4-1-1 formation, with Joe Fuller leading the attack and Ross Morley supporting, just behind him. Skipper Danny Lye and Ryan Briggs were in the centre of the most experienced midfield that we can put out, with Mitchell Sherwood on the left and Luke Coleman on the right. With loanee John Guest having returned to Dartford, and Bryan Pearce having apparently disappeared in a Huff, (which is a little-known Hungarian car), it was once again the central pairing of Jon Ralph and Toby Ashmore, flanked by Steve Springett on the left, and Carl Harrold on the right.
Very ominously, I thought, the subs bench looked decidedly threadbare – just the three bums on seats, and two of them with fitness doubts about them: Mark Lovell, who hadn’t played since that horrible knee injury sustained in the first game of last season, Nick Smith, who had been absent with what has been described as quite a serious viral illness, and Lee Hockey. We really had to keep our fingers crossed that nothing happened to the fitness of Darren Ibrahim during the game – and it must be said that Darren again looked decidedly podgy as he lined up for the obligatory FA Handshake Dance prior to kick-off.
If we were apprehensive as to how this cup tie was going to turn out, our worst fears were confirmed very early on, as Bognor Regis looked a superior outfit from the kick-off. I was reminded of the match against Ashford Town (Middlesex) in pre-season, as, once again, the opposition looked taller, fitter and more athletic than our boys. In short, we looked out-gunned and out-classed – but the boys never took a backward step, or let their heads drop, and there was nothing that happened during this game that they should be ashamed of.
The first serious question to be answered came in the second minute of the match, when the umpteenth skilful right-winger to play against us this season – this time it was the quick and lively Sam Tucknott – attacked down the right. Could we possibly have a left-back in the side capable of preventing a cross from being delivered ? Well, this time, Steve Springett did the job superbly, and made the block, at the expense of a corner. Result ! However, the cross from the corner did come into the Ashford penalty area, and was met by Gary Norgate, one of two tall strikers on duty for the home side today. Norgate’s header was straight at Darren Ibrahim, and this should have been an easy, confidence-building take for Darren, but he rather patted the ball down in front of him, and was a little fortunate that it didn’t fall to an opposition player.
An additional problem for Darren was that, playing against a team from a higher level, he actually had a small knot of opposition supporters behind the goal, to highlight any moments of uncertainty, instead of the usual two men and a dog we see in Ryman Division One South.
Other differences at Nyewood Lane ? Well, this was definitely a proper football ground, with some covering for spectators on all four sides of the pitch – although the main stand, which provided a “worm’s eye view”, was nothing to write home about. Other reminders that we were at the home of a club from a higher level were the electronic scoreboard at one end of the ground – eat your heart out, Croydon Athletic ! - and the employment of a fully-uniformed mascot, (Rocky the Bear !).Oh, and it was a tenner each for us to get into the ground, and that didn’t include entry to the main stand.
From a footballing point of view, the main feature of the ground was the fact that it housed a large pitch, with a smooth, level surface, and the home side made full use of the facility, moving the ball quickly around the pitch. Joe Fuller and Ross Morley were made to work very hard for the first five minutes, chasing after the ball, from one side to the other. Already, it was looking like it might be a very long, and potentially painful, afternoon. (To add insult to possible injury, Bognor had the gall to play in those classic Ashford Town colours of white shirts, green shorts and white socks - meaning that our boys had to play in the yellow shirts and sockies of the away kit, and the white shorts of the home strip).
It was almost all Bognor Regis during the first half hour, with several chances being created. In the fourth minute, a typically fast-moving attack, using the full width of the pitch, ended with a cross from the right, with Gary Norgate again getting his head to the ball, but his rather looping header sailed well over the bar. In the eleventh minute, a Carl Harrold tackle put the ball out for a corner, on the left. This, like almost all of the free-kicks and corners, was taken by The Rocks’ 34 year-old skipper Michael Birmingham – very much the home side’s Midfield General, and comfortably the oldest player in the team. This time, he hit the corner low, and fairly gently, to the near post – but Darren still managed to collect it with a slight fumble, much to the delight of his cheer leaders behind the goal.
In the 15th minute – and the scoreboard behind the goal that Darren was defending very helpfully displayed the time – Jon Ralph was penalised, just outside the penalty area, for holding his man. The free-kick was touched square, into the path of Lewis Ide, whose pile-driving shot, from about 30 yards out, went just wide. In the 16th minute, a rugby-style hoof up the touchline by Carl Harrold finally afforded Ashford the chance to spend some time in Bognor’s half ! And it got better ! A minute later, Mitch Sherwood, with his first touch of the ball, went on a run down the left flank. He went past two players, and managed to get his cross in, but Joe Fuller’s side-footed effort on goal was blocked. Generally, though, this was a brief respite in a half that the home side dominated – but the Ashford defence stood firm, and, with one or two sound takes, Darren Ibrahim began to look more settled goal.
However, The Rocks had their best chance to date in the 27th minute, when left-back Billy Franks sent in a curling cross to Gary Norgate, at the far post, but Norgate headed wastefully wide. On the half-hour mark, Franks spread the ball wide to Sam Tucknott, who had, by now, switched to the left wing; he cut inside, past Carl Harrold, and sent a low shot wide of the far post.
Ryan Briggs had a speculative, long-range shot in the 31st minute, which went straight at Anthony Ender, in the Bognor goal. Then, a minute later, Ashford put together their first recognisable passing movement of the game, and Lo !, they looked, for the first time, to have a foot-hold in the game. Soon after, in the 37th minute, Luke Coleman carried the ball down the right flank, before finding Ross Morley with a square ball; Ross flicked the ball up and volleyed a firm shot just wide of the goal.
In the 40th minute, Sam Tucknott, who was persevering on the left side of the field, cut inside, past Carl Harrold again, and into the Ashford penalty area – but Toby Ashmore, who is proving to be a revelation at the heart of our defence, was there to hack the ball clear. At the other end, as the scoreboard registered the 45th minute, home goalie Anthony Ender had a rare call to action, and very nearly made a mess of it. Coming out of his goal, almost to the right touchline, he found that Ross Morley had just beaten him to the ball. As Ender opted to turn and retreat towards the unguarded net, the Ashford bench implored Ross to have a shot at goal, but the 21 year-old’s long-range chip, from an acute angle, failed to find the target.
So very few worthwhile chances for the visitors in the first half – but the main point of it all was that the team had held out against clearly superior opposition, and going in at half time all square would have enabled Steve Lovell to sit them down and prepare them to begin the second half with something to hold on to. Unfortunately, there were still a couple of minutes of injury time to be played, and it was during this time that the home side finally broke through. A good, slick series of passes on and around the edge of the Ashford penalty area ended with Jason Prior running onto a short through-ball, into the penalty area. He had no problem in sliding the ball under Darren Ibrahim, and it was 1-0. It has to be said that a Bognor goal had appeared to be fairly inevitable, but the timing of the goal was cruel, psychologically, and it changed how both sides were to approach the second half.
Steve Lovell’s first reaction was to abandon the 4-4-1-1 formation, and go for a more orthodox 4-4-2, with Luke Coleman joining Joe Fuller up front. He also made a substitution at half time, bringing on Nicholas Frederick Smith for Ryan Briggs. The consequent reshuffle saw Ross Morley dropping back to central midfield, with Mitch Sherwood moving across to the right side, to enable Nick Smith to take up his usual position on the left. I don’t know whether the replacement of Ryan Briggs was due to a fitness issue or to something tactical – but this is the third time in the last four games that Briggo has been hauled off with all, or the majority, of the second half remaining. He certainly didn’t appear to be having a particularly poor game out there this afternoon.
There was no change in the general balance of play, however, as it was, once again, all Bognor, with their players usually able to go past the Ashford lads at will. Having to replace impressive left-back Billy Franks with Ruben French, in the 50th minute, due to injury, was no more than a minor inconvenience to them, and The Bogs extended their lead in the 54th minute. This looked to be an extremely well-taken goal by Lewis Ide, who is on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion. He seemed to place his looping, curling shot, from outside the area, into the far, top corner of the net. “Beware the Ides of Bognor !” I expect that, whenever Darren Ibrahim concedes a goal that involves the ball going over his head, there will be someone who points to his height and/or his fitness, but I don’t think he had any chance with this one.
Just two minutes after Ide’s goal, there was the worrying sight, with so little cover on the bench, of Toby Ashmore down in a heap, on the edge of his own penalty area – whilst, at the same time, Danny Lye was telling the Ashford bench that his hamstring had “gone”. Toby got up OK, but the skipper clearly couldn’t continue, so he was replaced by Lee Hockey, in the 57th minute. I thought that this might pose an interesting conundrum in terms of how the side would now be reshaped, with Lee being primarily a centre-half – but he slipped straight into Lye’s central midfield position. This reminded me that this very versatile player actually performed this role a few times for Clive Walker (I think).
One thing that Mr Hockey can certainly do is tackle – which is something we need in the centre of midfield at the moment – and Lewis Ide found this out, in the 59th minute, when Lee put in a bone-crunching, but fair, challenge on him. This required some treatment from the Bognor Physio, but Ide was able to continue.
Another thing that Lee brings to the team is an excellent long throw, and this was instrumental in Ashford’s goal, which came in the 64th minute. In fact, we should rewind just a little further – Ashford’s goal actually stemmed from a very sloppy piece of play by a couple of Rocks’ defenders. With no Ashford player anywhere near them, one carelessly miss-placed a pass into touch – and, on another day, this apparently innocuous incident might have proved to be the turning-point in a game in which the home side had been in total command. Hockey’s long throw, fully 20 yards from the left corner flag, sailed over the main group of players in the penalty area, and ended up at the feet of Nick Smith, who was just inside the six-yard box. Facing the corner flag, Nick back-heeled the ball into the centre, and the Bognor defence cleared the ball as far as Mitch Sherwood, on the edge of the area. Mitchell rather miss-hit his shot on goal, but Joe Fuller was there to turn the ball past Anthony Ender, and just inside the far post. This was Joe’s fifth goal of the season, and it confirmed his status as Ashford’s leading goal scorer so far this season.
There was no immediate panic in the Bognor ranks, however, and the home side was soon constructing an attack, in the 67th minute. This ended with Gary Norgate crossing the ball for his strike partner Jason Prior, who easily got up above the Ashford defence and placed his header into the top corner of the net – except that this was to be the finest moment of Darren Ibrahim’s short Ashford Town career, as he dived, full-length, to tip the ball just over the bar. Prior then headed Michael Birmingham’s resulting corner just over.
Ashford went forward just two minutes later, but, this time, it was not just an attempt to relieve some pressure from the hard-pressed defence – this time, there was a measured purpose to the move, no doubt motivated by the belief that, at 2-1, we might just salvage something from the game. The danger to the home side came in the form of Mitch Sherwood, on the right, who put in a good cross to the near post, where Jon Ralph bent low for a headed attempt at goal – but the ball was deflected behind, for a corner. I was partially unsighted by Steve Lovell and Hugo Langton, who were standing in their technical area, but, judging by the way Jon Ralph was holding his head, this must have been close.
Ralphy was involved in another close shave, in the 71st minute, but this time at the other end. A good Bognor attack down the right, almost inevitably centring on Sam Tucknott, resulted in a cross that Ralph very nearly deflected into his own net, at the near post, but Darren Ibrahim again did wonderfully well to keep the ball out.
The happiest moment of the match for the travelling fans, and the warmest cheer, came in the 72nd minute, when Mark Lovell made a long-awaited reappearance, replacing Luke Coleman. Mark just managed 65 minutes of the opening game of last season before injuring his knee, and it was great to see him back on the pitch, after an absence of some 14 months. Mark actually looked to me to be fitter and leaner than he was when I last saw him in an Ashford shirt – which was during the 2007-8 season. He immediately showed what we’ve been missing, getting up to win several headers, and getting flick-ons, but it was the home side that looked the most likely to score the next goal.
The Rocks had two good free-kick situations. First, in the 73rd minute, Jon Ralph was penalised for having an arm on Gary Norgate’s shoulder, but Michael Birmingham’s curling chip, from the right of the penalty area, was well caught by Darren Ibrahim. Then, in the 77th minute, a late tackle by Toby Ashmore conceded a free-kick just outside the area, in a fairly central position. Michael Birmingham was faced with a defensive wall of five yellow shirts, and curled his shot straight at Darren Ibrahim, who gathered the ball safely.
The late challenge that led to the free-kick actually earnt Toby a yellow card – his first of the season. This was a fairly straightforward decision for Referee O’Brien, in spite of some believing that this was a little harsh, given that it was a first offence, and a tackle that had no maliciousness intent. Generally, though, after having been fairly critical of Mr O’Brien for some aspects of his performance in our match against the Met Police, earlier in the season, I’m pleased to say that I thought he had a pretty good game today. He was always on the spot, and seemed to get most decisions right.
Ashford created another chance, in the 82nd minute, when Mitchell Sherwood fed the ball through to Joe Fuller, inside the penalty area, but Joe’s low, diagonal shot was well saved by the home ‘keeper. A minute later, The Rocks put the cup tie to bed, with a third goal, and this was a simply-constructed goal which rather typifies how easy we are to score against at times. Sam Tucknott carried the ball into the Ashford half, and fed the ball down the right flank, to substitute Louie Castles, who had replaced Richard Greenfield in the 61st minute. Castles sent in a low, square cross to Jason Prior, who was waiting in the centre of the Ashford Town penalty area, and easily side-footed the ball past Ibrahim.
So that was it, in terms of major goal-scoring opportunities – although Mark Lovell did manage a weak, long-range shot in the 86th minute, which went wide, and Louie Castles was just too high with a turn & shot in the 89th minute. In fact, the main issue for what remained of the game concerned whether the referee would dish out any more cards, and of which colour, as things did begin to get a little feisty towards the end. Nick Smith was the chief culprit in yellow and white, as the niggling relationship that he and right-back James Crane had been developing erupted in a nose-to-nose confrontation in the 90th minute – but this was nothing serious, and Mr O’Brien sorted things out with a brief chat.
The main flash-point came deep into injury time – I can’t say precisely how deep, as the clock on the electric scoreboard was obviously programmed to stop at “90”, but it must have been getting on for the 94th minute of the game when Lee Hockey was determinedly snapping in tackles at the heels of Gary Norgate. The Bognor No.10 clearly took exception to Lee’s attempts to win the ball, (which were not thought worthy of conceding a free-kick), and there was the obligatory session of squaring up. I wouldn’t dignify Norgate’s effort with the term “punch”, but he certainly raised his left hand, or arm, to cause Lee to fall to the ground, so this was certainly worth a sending-off. As usual, Mr O’Brien was no more than a few yards away, and he also had the bottle to whip out the red card. There’s nothing more uplifting, or more amusing, than seeing an opposition player getting sent off – but this was at the cost of Lee Hockey picking up his second yellow card of the season.
So that modicum of mirth concluded our trip to the sea-side, which was probably the highlight of our brief involvement in the major cups for the 2009-10 season. It doesn’t really matter that our boys couldn’t cope with this Bognor Regis side. What really matters now – as any Hull City or Portsmouth supporter will tell you – is that we are competitive, and pick up league points, against the teams that are at our level, and, on the evidence of the opening 12 games of the season, that’s the lower half of Ryman Division One South.
I must give a mention to Ashford’s back four today, as I thought they all played well. Toby Ashmore isn’t the fleetest of foot, and Jon Ralph isn’t the tallest, but I’ve been quite impressed by what I’ve seen of both of them this season. Carl Harrold did well again, having been given a difficult job to do in looking after Bognor winger Sam Tucknott for most of the game, and Steve Springett looks a good loan signing – he certainly seems to know what he’s doing, and looked the Ashford player least likely to give the ball away today. Joe Fuller has a good touch, and made a good fist of playing the lone striker’s role in the first half – and, of course, he stuck the ball away the first chance he got ! MK Man of the Match, though, went to Ross Morley – largely for sheer effort. This was another tigerish display from Ross. Although, as usual, he faded a little in the second half, he never stopped running.
Man of the Match
(to go towards the Milton Keynes Bowl)
Ross Morley
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)