ARCHIVE: Chelmsford City v Ashford Town. Doc Martens League Division 1 East. 6th of January 2001.

CHELMSFORD CITY  3       ASHFORD TOWN      1

From Your Milton Keynes correspondent

January the 6^th, and Ashford Town’s first match of 2001. Without getting all mealy-mouthed about new millennia and seasonal greetings etc., what the New Year means to footy fans everywhere is that we’re about half-way through the season. So let’s reflect on the story so far for a moment.

Twenty-five games played under Tommy “Sven-Goran” Sampson : 13 wins, 12 losses. Aside from the amazing statistical quirk that we’ve managed to play so many games with NO DRAWS (and Ashford’s only clean sheet so far this season came in the 23^rd game), that’s a not a bad return, given the mess that the Club was in at the start of the season. News of impending financial strife two weeks before the kick-off and Tommy taking over as Manager at a few days’ notice, with a squad made up largely of Deal Town’s FA Vase winning Kent League players.

Since then, some better quality players have been drafted in and there has been a gradual and deliberate trend towards putting faith in promising youngsters, whilst still maintaining that core of ex-Deal players. After a high turnover of playing staff – there have been no fewer than 16 individual goalscorers for the first team this season – there is now a semblance of a settled team, with a strong-looking squad of reserves as back up. With a Manager who is obviously very committed to the cause, there is every reason for us to be optimistic about the future.

Not that we were expecting Tommy’s emerging side to make a flying start to the second half of the season this afternoon – away to top-of-the-table Chelmsford City, who were eight points clear at the top and looking a good bet for promotion. Also, look at their home record in the league this season : played 10, won 8, drawn 2.

Away to Chelmsford, for the uninitiated, means a trip to Billericay, where our opponents ground-share with Ryman Premier Division club Billericay Town. (Well, we know that feeling, don’t we ?!). Having located the ground on the map, your correspondent’s immediate problem was that the family car was hors de combat, so travelling from MK might be a bit tricky. Luckily, though, my mate at work – a Southend United fan – was planning to go to Roots Hall to see his beloved team take on Kingstonian in the FA Cup, and so very kindly offered to drop me off in Billericay. Thanks again, Rick !

[ Neutrals visiting this site might wonder who, in their right mind, would voluntarily – even gladly – get out of a car that’s on its way to a cracking little FA Cup 3^rd Round tie to traipse off to watch Chelmsford play Ashford in a Southern League South league match. Such inquisitors will be unaware of one of the fundamental truths in life : that you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your relatives or your football team. In other words, from the moment that I “popped my head through the curtains” in Willesborough Hospital some 40 years ago, I was fated to wander off in search of New Lodge, Blunts Wall Road, Billericay. ]

After lunch and a beer in “The Red Lion”, I walked to the ground, situated on the very south-western edge of the town. The stadium itself is quite reasonable, with at least some form of cover on all four sides of the pitch, and seating on both sides. The sloping playing surface, though, left a bit to be desired, being fairly stodgy, with a number of bare patches throughout – typical of a shared ground, in fact.

After one false start, Ashford kicked off – playing in all green, in contrast to the home side’s white shirts, white shorts and maroon socks – but it was Chelmsford who had the first chance, in the opening minute; their No. 4 Sean Caton shot just over, even before the crowd had finished changing ends.

On the 5 minute mark, Chelmsford’s Steve Portway, the division’s top goal scorer this season, with 23 goals in as many matches, ran onto a through ball with two defenders closing in, but his shot was just high and wide of the target.

Ashford played with what was basically a 4-4-2 formation, with four across the back and skipper Steve Robinson playing just in front of them in a defensive midfield position. The talented Adie Webster was played in an orthodox right-back role, whilst Paul Ribbens, running up and down the right flank, and Kirk Watts, playing as an attacking left-sided midfielder, provided the team with plenty of width. Steve Lovell and Steve Marshall continued their regular partnership up front – Lovell the hold-up target man and Marshy doing all the running – with Eeles the midfield general in the centre.

It was good to see Craig Tucker back in goal, after a short injury break, and his first real touch of the ball came after 8 minutes. A free-kick in a dangerous, central position was conceded by Steve Robinson, but Craig was comfortably able to save the resulting shot that dribbled through.

Eleven minutes gone, and the first touch of class from Steve Portway – a curling shot from all of 25 yards, which thumped against the post with Tucker at full stretch and beaten. A minute later, Portway was on the ball again, but this time his shot, from just outside the area, was easily caught by the ‘keeper, chest-high.

Chelmsford attacked again after 13 minutes, with a flowing move that pulled the Ashford defence first one way and then the other. Eventually, the ball found Caton free on the left, and he smashed the ball into the top corner of the net, giving Tucker no chance. There could be no complaints from Ashford about Chelmsford taking the lead, as the home side had maintained possession for most of the opening quarter of an hour.

Our first worthwhile attack came on the 15 minute mark, with Kirk Watts, recently signed form Bromley, forcing a corner on the left, but both this, and a follow-up corner, were cleared.

After 17 minutes Steve Marshall had his first opportunity to run at the home defence, running onto a through-ball from Tony Eeles. Marshall turned and laid on a return pass for the advancing Eeles, only for the ex-Gillingham man to slice his shot wide. Moments later, Steve Marshall again ran onto a through-ball, this time from Steve Lovell. Marshall’s switched return to Lovell put the Player-Coach through in the inside-left position (younger readers should ask their Dad what this term means), with a clear sight of goal, and he never looked like missing. All Catley could do in the Chelmsford goal was parry the ball into the corner of the net – a quick equaliser to shock, and silence, a good-sized home crowd.

After the goal, Ashford enjoyed a period of possession. After 25 minutes, a Beckham-like long ball from Eeles in the centre circle found Steve Marshall running on through the inside-right channel. Again, he managed to square the ball to Lovell in a similar goal-scoring position, but this time his efforts were smothered by the Chelmsford defence.

Almost immediately, Ashford were on the attack again, with Kirk Watts making the first of several teasing runs on the left wing – he ended up shooting well high of the target.

Twenty-seven minutes gone, and the league leaders launch their first attack since Steve Lovell’s equaliser. A flowing move manoeuvres the ball over to the right flank, but goal-scorer Caton this time heads the cross over the bar.

On the half hour mark Chelmsford won a corner on the right, and decided to attempt the “Spurs Corner” routine, hitting the ball low and hard to the corner of the area. With no Teddy Sheringham in the side, however, the ball merely broke for an Ashford counter-attack, led by the tireless Steve Marshall, haring down the left touchline. His cross from the by-line, though, was cleared.

Thirty-three minutes gone, and Kirk Watts is on the ball – he beats two players, and is then brought down by the third. The offending Chelmsford player doesn’t agree with referee Singh’s decision, and becomes the first player to receive a yellow card, for dissent. Incidentally, Mr Singh, a sikh, is the ref who was in charge of Ashford’s FA Trophy game against Woking last season (which we lost 5-0, at home). I should also mention that he had an excellent game throughout, and is obviously one of the best ref.s at this level. (I’ll resist the temptation to say that he shouldn’t be confused with his brother, the Punjabi Karaoke Champion, Gerupta Singh ………. Thank you, Chubby Brown !).

Back to the match, and the resulting free-kick is floated into the box by Tony Eeles, but Steve Lovell can’t quite get enough head to it at the far post. This, in fact, was fairly typical of both teams’ performance in dead-ball situations. Chelmsford, in particular, had upteen corners, all of which came to nowt, and our lads did no better – something for Tommy to work on in training, maybe.

After 38 minutes, Tony Eeles was again the provider from midfield, launching a long ball across to the right for Paul Ribbens to run onto. Whilst Paul finished second in the chase, he hassled the home defender into conceding the corner. Kirk Watts came across from the left to take it, and gave the ball straight to the ‘keeper.

Three minutes later, it was again the green shirts on the attack : Robinson forward to Lovell, who does his job by holding the ball up, before putting Kirk Watts through in the inside-right channel. A good sliding tackle by the Chelmsford defender puts the ball out for another corner, but the chance to put a telling cross into the box is missed, not once, but twice : Watts’s attempt from the right is easily put behind for another corner; then Tony Eeles plants the ball into the side-netting from the left.

With about a minute to go before half-time, it is at last Chelmsford City’s turn to launch an attack. This ends with the home side’s long-shot specialist thundering the ball into the body of a green-shirted defender. The same man latches onto the rebound, which he shoots straight at Craig Tucker, who had been enjoying a fairly quiet first half.

So all square at half-time, with Ashford fully deserving to be at least level. After an assertive start by the home side, the balance of play had been fairly even, with the visitors, if anything, running the show. Chelmsford’s prolific Steve Portway had been largely anonymous, being kept well under control by Tom Binks, another recent signing.

Half-time brought news of scores in the 3^rd Round of the Cup, with Dagenham & Redbridge and Kingstonian both leading against opposition much higher up in the football pyramid. Was there to be a minor shock here in Billericay ?  (The fact that Charlton were losing at home to Dagenham was, of course, entirely predictable, as I had backed Charlton to win the FA Cup outright earlier in the morning !).

Not surprisingly, Chelmsford started the second half with a greater sense of purpose, having been wound up by their management staff (which includes, I notice, our old friend and Director of Football Paul Parker, as Assistant Manager). As early as the first minute of the half, City centre-forward Gary Bennett ran onto a flick-on, and cracked in a low, firm shot, which was saved by Tucker in the Ashford goal. An early wake-up call for Craig !

In the 48^th minute Chelmsford won a corner, which even drew some vocal encouragement from the home fans behind the Ashford goal, but the solid-looking Binks headed clear. The Greens responded immediately, with Adrian Webster and Tony Eeles linking up on the right. Eeles fed Steve Marshall, but his shot from outside the area was comfortably saved.

There then followed a fairly scrappy period of play, with neither side creating any clear-cut chances. Chelmsford did, though, force a succession of corners during this time, but all came to nothing. On 50 minutes the cross from the corner was cleared by a big Ashford boot, and then, after 54 minutes, a corner from the left was headed clear by Binks. After 56 minutes the set-piece ended with a foul by a forward on an Ashford defender, whilst, two minutes later, a fourth corner situation ended with a home defender shooting from long range.

Up to the hour mark, Ashford looked fairly comfortable – creating very little, but looking composed and taking plenty of time over throw-ins and goal-kicks. It was Chelmsford, though, who continued to do the pressing, and, in the 60^th minute, an attack down the left found Bennett on the right, whose shot across the face of the goal was wide. Still no breakthrough for the division’s pace-setters, and the team’s collective frustration was probably illustrated when, some three minutes later, a City defender attempted an ambitious shot from just short of the half-way line.

With 66 minutes gone, Ashford finally managed to piece a move together, and it was a good move, too. Moving the ball across the field, from left to right, Adrian Webster was found, with a rare chance to come forward. His long run continued into the penalty area, but his low shot was saved by the Chelmsford ‘keeper at the near post. Almost immediately, Chelmsford counter-attacked, with Steve Portway popping up for the first time in quite a while, but his tame, long-range shot merely trickled towards the goal, to ironic cheers from the Ashford travelling faithful.

Better chances soon came, though, and after 68 minutes a cross from the right was headed powerfully, but just over the bar. Two minutes later, it was Portway again who was put clean through on the Ashford goal. There was an expectant pause from the home crowd as their star player shaped to shoot, but his effort was well saved by Craig Tucker.

[ Take a note : if Tommy’s search for a decent goalie was a characteristic of the first half of the season, then that’s one problem that can now be crossed off the list ! ]

Chelmsford were now starting to take control, and looked dangerous, with their quick passing and good movement, with Ashford just making occasional breaks into the home side’s half. Soon, on 74 minutes, the pressure was to result in Portway being put clear on the Ashford goal once again. This time, he tried to go around the ‘keeper, only for Tucker to bring him down. Referee Singh immediately, and quite correctly, pointed to the penalty spot. Tension mounted as Portway remained on the ground in the penalty area for treatment, but on 76 minutes he got up to take the spot-kick himself, blasting the ball into the roof of the net. Again, Craig had no chance of saving it. This was probably just reward for Chelmsford, as they had been enjoying a good spell up to the awarding of the penalty, and it turned out to be a major turning-point in the game.

I should point out, here, for the benefit of Ashford fans, that there is NO good news from now onwards. In fact, the match degenerated into something of a veil of tears for us. Appropriately enough, this period of play coincided with some nasty black clouds gathering over Billericay !

Tommy Sampson, to his credit, reacted immediately to going a goal behind, and threw on young Dave Peachey as a sub for Steve Lovell, but Ashford never threatened to score in the remaining quarter of an hour. In fact, it was Chelmsford who grew in confidence (as you might expect from a side eight points clear at the top of the division, and 2-1 up at home !), and sought to add to their lead. After 79 minutes their left-sided midfield player cut in from the left, onto his right foot, and fired in a fierce shot that Craig Tucker did very well to tip over the bar.

With ten minutes to go, Tommy went into overdrive and sent on Steve Taylor for the hard-working Paul Ribbens, but things merely got worse, with several of Ashford’s players reacting to the situation with a series of bad fouls. In fact, it was fortunate for the team that there was not a spate of bookings.

After 82 minutes, the lads went further behind. Chelmsford substitute Rob Walker was put clean through by the on-fire Gary Bennett – he looked off-side from where I was standing, but nobody either on or off the pitch complained, so maybe I was wrong. Tucker came out and dived at his feet, a clash which resulted in Walker somehow staying upright, with the ball at his feet and an open goal yawning in front of him. (It probably reminded older spectators of a kids’ programme from years ago called “The Magic Boomerang” – but enough of that!). Anyway, the ball was duly slotted in, Walker caught the boomerang and Ashford Town, rather harshly, found themselves 3-1 behind.

And we thought it could get no worse ?  Well, the biggest blow of all came just two minutes later, on the 84 minute mark. Steve Marshall was tackled on the edge of the Chelmsford penalty area, and, ominously, lay motionless on the ground. He still hadn’t moved when players around him signalled for a stretcher, and it was a sad and worrying sight to see Ashford’s top scorer this season being carried off. All Tommy could do was to throw on his final sub – big Jon Warden – as a replacement.

With three minutes remaining, and the points surely gone and forgotten, Kirk Watts, who up to this point had had a very good match, showed a disappointing lack of discipline with a bad challenge – very late, and with his studs up – as Chelmsford attacked down the right. For good measure, Kirk gave his opponent a kick in the back whilst he was on the floor. Result : a needless yellow card. The resulting free kick came to nothing, but Watts immediately got involved with Chelmsford’s No.6, a clash which developed into a brief but unseemly scuffle right in front of the referee. It seemed odds-on that the red card would come out, but Referee Singh allowed play to continue. When the ball eventually went out of play – some time later – Singh called both players towards him, and they both got away with a stern and lengthy lecture. Good refereeing again !

Three minutes into injury-time, and Jon Warden thought that there was still time to make a positive contribution to the cause. Drawing on all the experience accumulated during his long career, he shouted “Fuck off” at the ref after a free-kick had been awarded in HIS favour. Luckily, the ref ignored the instruction.

Quite simply, the whistle couldn’t come soon enough for Ashford, and after four minutes of added time, with Chelmsford pushing for a fourth goal, we were, at last, saved by the bell.

So the large crowd (all things are relative !) went home happy that the division leaders had bagged another three points, but they were probably a little flattered by the 3-1 scoreline. Ashford competed well for most of the game, before everything went pear-shaped in the last 15 minutes. Looking at the wider picture, if Chelmsford are the best team in the division, then we can look forward to picking up plenty of points in the second half of the season. More worrying, of course, is the injury to Steve Marshall – let’s hope that it turns out to be not as bad as it looked, and that Steve makes a speedy recovery.