ARCHIVE: Ashford Town v Molesey. Ryman League Division 1 South. April 2006.

Ashford Town   1                 Molesey              3

from Your Milton Keynes Correspondent

It was nice to be able to go to the last game of the season without the stress and threat of relegation hanging over us. I’m referring, of course, to the finish of last season, when we needed to go to Horsham and win to avoid dropping down to the Kent League, and ended up losing 5-0, only to escape the trap-door thanks to Dorking losing at Whyteleafe. This time around we secured our place in Ryman Division One with a game to spare, and did so without needing favours from other teams, with an excellent goal-less draw at Ramsgit last week.

But let’s not kid ourselves that this season was any better than last season, as it was clearly considerably worse. With only 35 points from 43 games, coming into today’s match, our points per game record would have been poor enough to have us comfortably relegated from any of the other three Step 4 leagues, so this time we’ve been fortunate to have had two teams worse than us in our division. It’s a little ironic – and maybe no coincidence – that, just hours after the team had ensured that we would not be relegated, the Club received a sickening setback when The Homelands was robbed and ransacked. In a way, the season seems to have come full-circle: the problems we had with the stadium being occupied by oriental criminals during the summer, the uncertain start to the season with a hastily-assembled squad of largely unproven players, the consequently poor results which kept us in or near the relegation zone for the whole season, the eventual creation of a competitive side to ensure that relegation was averted, and then the devastation at the hands of low-lifes last Monday.

It’s true to say, however, that the team we’ve had since the deadline-day signings has looked capable of competing against any side in the division – in fact, the team’s record of eight points from six games, coming into today’s match, was equivalent to a league position of 15^th place – but it doesn’t hide the fact that, overall, this has been another dreadful season. So let’s look at all the gory details.

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ANORAK’S CORNER (“SPECIAL”)

Team of the Season: This is not meant to be my choice of the best team, but a factual statement of which players, in each position, appeared most for Ashford Town this season (measured by the total number of minutes on the pitch); the substitutes’ bench is defined by the goalkeeper with the second-highest total of minutes in goal, and then the four outfield players, of those not in the “team”, who clocked up the next-highest number of minutes. From a total of 48 players who turned out for the First XI in league and cup games, the following was the “Team of the Season”,

Dave Wietecha

Tommy Adlington

Lynval Duncan

Marc Cumberbatch

Ian Ross

Sol Henry

Gary Clarke

RJ Boorman

Kenny Jarrett-Elliott

Joby Thorogood

Shaun Bradshaw

Subs: Sean Glover, Terry McCann, Mark Banks, Denver Birmingham, Jamie Smith.

I think that this line-up explains why we only scored 41 goals in 44 league games – very little support for Joby Thorogood up front, and only a total of nine goals coming from the midfield quartet, (in spite of there being some talented young individuals in here). The player clocking up the most minutes this season was Joby Thorogood (you were right, Alan !), with 3,538 minutes, but then it starts to get a bit spooky. Tom Adlington and Ian Ross, as inseparable off the field as the real Ant & Dec, came next, both having played for exactly 3,307 minutes !  If that’s spooky, then the next anorakical fact is downright scary; coming into today’s game, Joffy Thorogood had played for a total of 666 minutes – and if you look at the markings on the back of his head, you’ll see ………

Striker statistics: Joby Thorogood was top scorer for the season, with 12 goals, and duly collected the award for most goals at the presentation evening held after the game. By his own standards, Joby had quite a poor strike-rate, of a goal every 295 minutes, but the little lad largely carried the goal-scoring responsibility on his own this season, as the only other striker to be given anything like a decent run, Shaun Bradshaw, scored one every 487 minutes (about 5½ matches), which is roughly once in every Sheffield flood. Most productive of the rest was J-P Collier, with a goal every 389 minutes, from midfield.

Goalkeeper statistics: It’s hard to compare the performance of Simon Overland with the others, as he played, for the final seven games of the season, behind a much changed defence. However, in spite of blotting his copybook by conceding three goals this afternoon, his overall record shows that he conceded exactly one goal per game (i.e. one every 90 minutes), which is impressive, considering that he was brought in in the shadow of a couple of 0-5 defeats and one 0-7. Of the other FIVE goalies used this season (if we include former Goalkeeping Coach Ray Riseley, and Stuart Playford’s stint as emergency ‘keeper), Jani Seitsonen conceded a goal every 54 minutes, Sean Glover one every 50 minutes and Dave Wietecha one every 41 minutes. Nevertheless, at the risk of being thrown out of the Anoraks and Sad Bastards Society, I’ll over-ride these statistics and state that Dave W is the best ‘keeper we’ve had since John Whitehouse, and I hope that he stays with us for next season. Mrs Milton Keynes Correspondent and I were privileged to be able to present him with the Milton Keynes Bowl for the most Man of the Match performances in away games this season. The matches in question were at Whyteleafe, Molesey and Kingstonian, with the latter being undoubtedly his best display – although Joby Thorogood and J-P Collier were in brilliant form that night, and scored two goals each, we could easily have lost that match 7-4 or 8-4 without Dave in goal.

Attendances: This is the most depressing aspect of the out-going season, and of Ashford’s current predicament, since attendances continue to get worse and worse. (Today’s disappointing gate of 163 didn’t help the overall average, in spite of worthy words from some about supporting the Club for the last game of the season, in its time of need). Whilst the decline last season was scarcely believable, this season has seen a further substantial drop, with an average home gate of 208, compared with last season’s average of 243, and the figure of 284 the season before that. The equivalent median (i.e. “middle”) figures for these three seasons tell the same story: 174, 213 and 269, respectively. These are very worrying figures, and it makes you wonder where the bottom of the trough might be. One small consolation was that the total attendance figure for cup games was 583, which is at least an improvement on the pathetic total of 139 we had last season.

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So what else can I tell you ?  Oh yes, the match.

To be honest, this wasn’t a great performance from the lads, but maybe that was understandable, given that the pressure was effectively released by that (reportedly) excellent performance against Champions Ramsgate last week. Also, it must be pointed out that The Management used today’s game to experiment with some different formations, and to give a run out for players who had been on the sidelines for the previous few games. Today we started the game with a 3-5-2 formation. Simon Overland continued in goal; Dave Wietecha, still with a shoulder that isn’t 100% right, was on the bench again today. The three at the back were Tommy Adlington on the right, Barry Crawford in the centre, and 19 year-old Dan Tanner on the left; the five-man midfield had Gary Clarke, Joffy Thorogood and Marc Cumberbatch in the centre, with Jamie Smith and Ian Ross used as wing-backs. Danny Simmonds was nominated as the strike partner for Joby Thorogood, which was a shame, as Aiden Purseglove, an out-and-out striker who had recently almost swept the board of awards for the Reserves squad, was available, but started on the bench. The vastly improved Kenny Jarrett-Elliott, who had almost won the match against Ramsgate, when his free-kick hit the crossbar, was another to start on the bench, to make way for others. The last of the four substitutes was defender Peter Mortley. Of those not playing, it was good to see Stuart Playford, who has just had a nose operation, in attendance; RJ Boorman was also there as a spectator, and it appears that there is a possibility that he might be playing for AFC Wimbledon next season.

Regardless of formations, things started to go wrong as early as the third minute. A foul by Tommy Adlington presented Molesey with a free-kick on the left, near the touchline. As the ball was floated up to the edge of the Ashford penalty area, it was flicked on by a Molesey head; the ball was then allowed to travel all the way through the penalty area to Sam Lampard, who, running in, simply chested the ball past Simon Overland. This is the third game in which Lampard has scored against Ashford in the past two seasons.

Ashford tried hard to play some football – and this was not always easy, on a dry and dusty pitch, which inevitably caused the occasional variable bounce - but were unable to really threaten the Moles’ goal in the early stages. Joby Thorogood looked fairly lively up front, Barry Crawford was commanding in central defence, and generally looked to be a good footballer, and Gary Clarke battled away in the centre of the field, as usual, having a shot at goal charged down in the 22^nd minute.

But it was Molesey, playing in their usual white shirts, but also with white shorts and socks, as opposed to their first-choice black, who were next to put the ball in the net. (Actually, they looked a bit like Dover, with the black flashes on their shirts – but the Molesey folk appeared to be a really nice bunch of people). A long cross found Aaron Nowacki, on the left, in the Ashford area, who headed the ball back across goal; Warren Burton was there to slot the ball into the net, but he was also flagged off-side.

Ashford’s reprieve didn’t last long, however, as the visitors went further ahead, in the 31^st minute. With the ball bouncing around on the edge of the Ashford area, Chris Wales unleashed a shot over the head of Simon Overland, which dipped just enough to catch the underside of the bar, and go down into the net. Maybe Simon was caught a bit flat-footed, but it was a good strike by Wales. (If Simon has a problem with flat feet, I’ve got a foot pump that he can borrow).

A minute later, Joby Thorogood received a yellow card for dissent, after Barry Crawford had been penalised for a late tackle. It was at about this time that Marc Cumberbatch switched to the front, with Danny Simmonds dropping back into his more natural midfield role. Cumberbatch and Thorogood linked up well, in the 36^th minute, when Joby controlled the ball on his chest, and flicked the ball on to Marc, in the area. Marc had time to control the ball, but his shot was blocked, and went behind for a corner. A minute later, the wisdom of having Simmonds in midfield was demonstrated when he sent a good through-ball forward for Joby to chase, through the inside-right channel. He managed to get a cross in, but Marc Cumberbatch, at the near post, miss-kicked a first-time effort.

Ashford pulled a goal back in the 39^th minute, and this was a cracking goal. Dan Tanner earnt a free-kick, just outside the Molesey penalty area, in a central position. Both Danny Simmonds and Ian Ross stood over the ball, but it was Rossi who stepped up, and bent it like Beckham into the top corner, giving goalkeeper Clark Gooding no chance. This was the best free-kick I’ve seen at this level since Byron Glasgow’s goal away at Croydon last season. Not surprisingly, this was a popular goal – Rossi’s first of the season, and the 16^th in his Ashford career. It made me cast my mind back to the final home game of last season, against the Metropolitan Police. Rossi came on as substitute in the 94^th minute, to a standing ovation, for his first appearance since badly breaking a leg and being told that he would never play again. I don’t think that he actually touched the ball, but I well remember the chuffed smile on his face as he left the field with the rest of the team at the final whistle. It’s now about a year on, and he’s been one of our most consistent performers this season, after taking some time to find his feet and regain full fitness; he’s played most of his football at left-back this season, as part of his psychological rehabilitation as much as anything else, but this strike was a reminder of the talent he has.

The second half saw few clear-cut chances, and most of the noteworthy incidents involved bookings and substitutions. Molesey started the second half with Russell Pym on for Lee Richardson, and ‘keeper Clark Gooding got himself booked, in the 51^st minute, for stupidly kicking the ball out of the ground after Ashford had been awarded a free-kick. I must say – and I ought to be careful about throwing stones in a house that is obviously made of glass – but the remaining Molesey substitutes did appear to be on the tubby side, and there might have been an element of the backroom staff mucking in for the last game of the season. This first occurred to me when Gavin Windell was thrown on in place of the limping Chris Wales, in the 53^rd minute.

Ashford made a double-substitution on the hour mark, shortly after Jamie Smith had been yellow-carded for a late tackle, when Jamie and Barry Crawford were replaced by Aiden Purseglove and Peter Mortley. The 3-5-2 formation was maintained, with Aiden taking up his usual position, up front, and Marc Cumberbatch dropping back into midfield.

Up to this point, the boys had managed no more than a couple of half-chances in the second half. In the 57^th minute, Ian Ross sent an in-swinging free-kick, from near the right touchline, into the penalty area; a goalmouth scramble ensued, which ended with either Marc Cumberbatch or Dan Tanner (they look almost identical) heading the ball just over the bar. In the 59^th minute, a long cross by Jamie Smith was floated in, from the right, but Clark Gooding got to the ball at about the same time as Marc Cumber’s head, and the ‘keeper managed to snuff out the chance.

In the 65^th minute, The Moles made the game safe. Sam Lampard managed to get round Dan Tanner, and, leaving him for dead, made it to the by-line. (Watching Dan labour after his more pacy opponent reminded us of the folly of playing a central defender at full-back, but he’s generally done well there since coming into the side – also, with injury worries surrounding Owen and Rooney, it’s good to see that Lampard’s in prime form). The cross was a good one, and Warren Burton rose at the far post to head the ball down into the corner of the net for what was an excellent centre-forward’s goal.

After 77 minutes, substitute Gavin Windell, having lasted just 24 minutes, limped off, to be replaced by Dave Skilton, another visibly overweight replacement. A minute later, Ashford also made a third substitution, with Kenny Three Names coming on for Dan Tanner. This caused Ian Ross, who had earlier, (in the 72^nd minute), forced the Molesey ‘keeper into making a good diving save, with a right-footed snap-shot from outside the area, to drop back to left-back.

It was a long clearance by Rossi from defence, with ten minutes of normal time remaining, that presented Joby Thorogood with a half-chance. Joby got to the ball well inside the area, but his cross-cum-shot suffered the fate of all cross-cum-shots, and it went wide of the goal and out of the reach of any team-mate. In the 83^rd minute, Kenny Jarrett-Elliott, just beyond the far post, tried to get on the end of a deep cross from Danny Simmonds, but was just unable to direct the ball towards goal. It was a reminder, though, that, if Kenny can work more on using his height and strength in this way, coming in from the left, then this will add another dimension to his game next season.

As Steve Brown was being booked for a foul on Aiden, it was announced that Tommy Adlington had been nominated as Man of the Match. This was a very difficult decision for today’s judges – known to most of us as John P and Keitho – to make, and I know that both Ian Ross and Barry Crawford were considered, but I agree that Tommy was the right choice, after a typically flawless display. There were few arguments with Tommy receiving both the Players’ Player of the Season, and the Supporters’ Player of the Season, awards, after the game. He’s shown his quality through his consistency this year, and provides invaluable advice and guidance to the younger defenders beside him, and we can just hope that he can drag another couple of seasons out of his aching bones.

There were two more chances for Ashford to make the score look more respectable, deep into injury time. A Rossi free-kick, in the 92^nd minute, from just inside the Molesey half, was hit long, towards the far post, but just grazed off Gary Clarke’s forehead, and behind for a goal-kick. Gary was another very popular recipient of an award after the match – he was named as the Managers’ Player of the Season. Not surprisingly, Gary has attracted the attention of clubs higher up the pyramid, so we might lose him for next year – if that’s the case, then we’ll just have to wish him well, and be proud of him as one of the best young players to be produced by the Club in recent times. Two minutes later, Kenny Three Names attacked down the left; his square ball along the edge of the Molesey area was teed up, by Joby Thorogood, for Marc Cumberbatch, but Marc’s first-time shot went straight at Clark Gooding.

So not the greatest performance today, as the lads were comfortably dispatched by Molesey, but the important thing is that they’ve proved in recent weeks – and throughout the season really – that, on their day, they can compete with any team in this division, and current vibes suggest that most of the squad will be with us for the start of next season.

It was good to see that most of the players stayed on for the end-of-season presentations, and for the session in the Queen’s Head, and then on the town, afterwards. The presentation ceremony has been ably reported elsewhere, but I’d just like to confirm that Tim Thorogood made no pretence at shirking responsibility for the team’s overall performance during the season, expressing his determination to get things right next season. He also took the time to thank all of the backroom staff and volunteers by name, but, as usual, the one person who Tim couldn’t thank was himself – this week, more than ever, we’ve been reminded that the Club and its supporters have a great deal to thank him for.