Walton & Hersham 2 Ashford Town 1
from Your Milton Keynes Correspondent
When we left Molesey, following that 3-0
defeat in February, there seemed to be not a glimmer of hope. Having been
easily beaten by most of the teams at the bottom of the table, we were six or
seven points adrift of safety, and things were looking grim. Thanks to our home
form, though, we started today’s game at the vertigo-inducing height of 19th
position, two points clear of the Isle of Wight, with a game in hand. What’s
more, recent hard-fought victories against promotion-chasing Leatherhead and
Tooting & Mitcham have shown that we can compete with teams at the other
end of the table. Unfortunately, today’s defeat – to a 97th minute
goal ! – together with Newport’s unlikely 0-3 victory at Corinthians, and
points picked up by Banstead, Dorking (three !) and Molesey, mean that we’re
right back in the blender. And those little knives are now starting to rotate !
Let’s rewind to Saturday morning. We weren’t
expecting anything from this game – our fate will be decided by how many points
we get from our next three games, which are all at home. Walton & Hersham
are second in the league, very close to automatic promotion, having been in the
top five since mid-October. The Swans went into this match on the back of six
successive victories, the most recent of these being the impressive 4-0
thrashing of AFC Wimbledon. (I understand that AFC brought the champagne with
them, on ice, ready to celebrate the championship – instead, they suffered what
was quite possibly the biggest defeat in their short history !).
Our optimism wasn’t boosted by the arrival of
the team-sheet ! We’re now suffering
badly as a result of injuries and suspensions, and this was a pretty weak side.
With skipper Matt Bower suspended, and my Player of the Season Barry Gardner
reverting to right back, the midfield of Joby & Joffy Thorogood, Eddie
Achoko and Solomon Henry (who has looked very skillful, but hasn’t yet really
delivered) is not exactly the stuff that dreams are made of. (Having said that,
all four gave 100% today, so nobody can carp at their efforts). What was most
disappointing was that recent midfield revelation, Gary Clarke, was absent
through injury, after just two games in the First XI and his Man of the Match performance
against Tooting. Lee Blackman, who was the MoM in the previous home game,
against Leatherhead, was also absent (and that’s as much information as I have
about him).
Paul O’Brien made a welcome return at
left-back – so we had some quality in our full-backs. Tony Ritrovato (today’s
captain) and Chris “Mad Dog” Holmes, both effectively on remand, awaiting
suspensions after their recent red cards, were allowed by the penal authorities
to take their place in central defence for this afternoon. Jani Seitsonen, our
new, dark-haired, Finnish goal-keeper, once again replaced the injured John
“Thank Goodness for John Whitehouse” Whitehouse. With Joby back in midfield,
Shaun Bradshaw partnered Paul Jones in attack. The Ashford bench is also
starting to look threadbare (at least numerically), consisting of Marc
Cumberbatch, plus Terry McCann and Jason Long, from the Ressies. (Rossi was
also named, but obviously wasn’t fit enough to play).
Stompond Lane is one of the larger grounds
that I’ve been to this season (which isn’t saying much, admittedly), and it’s
fairly compact, considering that it has a six-lane athletics track around it.
As at Corby, Grantham and Croydon, there is all the athletics paraphernalia,
such as pole vault mats, behind each goal. There is a good-sized main stand,
with a mixture of plastic seats and wooden benches – the benches were warm and
comfortable, and were appreciated by Mrs Milton Keynes Correspondents’s bum.
The covered terracing on the far side extends to almost the length of the
pitch, with open terracing curving around the running track at one end. No
doubt there was plenty of room for the 2,503 that poured into the ground for
the AFC Wimbledon game last week. (There was also what looked like an
inflatable dome at one end of the ground, but this was presumably an indoor
tennis centre or something).
*** THE MATCH ***
The game began in predictable fashion, with
the home side on the attack and our depleted heroes on the defensive. As early
as the third minute, Walton had a corner. This was punched away
not-too-convincingly by Jani, which went some way to establishing the pattern
for the rest of the game ! Two minutes
later, this pattern was completed when the referee awarded a free-kick to The
Swans. I tend to avoid criticising referees, as it’s an extremely difficult job
– I’m even less inclined to suggest that referees are ever anything other than
even-handed, as all footy fans claim that the ref favoured the other side, and
it always sounds a bit pathetic. However, I would be falling down on my duty as
Your Correspondent if I failed to report the bare fact that Walton &
Hersham were awarded an incredible number of free-kicks, and I have to confess
that the reason for many of these was a mystery to most of the Ashford fans present.
My only theory is that Mr Knight blew up for a foul as soon as there was the
remotest contact between one man and another – maybe we appeared to get the
rough end of decisions because, for most of the game, Walton had the ball and
our lads were, quite rightly, trying to close them down. Mr Knight’s
performance was certainly both baffling and frustrating for Ashford’s players,
so, given our appalling disciplinary record, our lads did well to avoid picking
up loads more cards. (There were one or two stupid exceptions to this rule, but
more of those later). Also, the question of where eight minutes of injury time
at the end of the match came from will be the subject of debate among academics
in the town of Ashford for many years. I notice on the Walton & Hersham
web-site that the home fans have referred to the ref as being merely “dodgy”,
but I must say that Mr Knight appeared to do to Ashford Town what Charles
almost certainly did to Camilla on Saturday night – and if the Duchess of
Cornwall did as much shouting and screaming as Tim Thorogood, then I’m sure
that His Royal Highness will have been well pleased !
Apologies, then, if the catalogue of
free-kicks becomes repetitive, but that’s just the way it was. The free-kick in
the fifth minute was taken, like most of them, by Lee Riddell, who looked to be
Walton’s best player today. His deep cross to the far post was headed behind by
Paul Jones; Tony Ritrovato headed the resulting corner clear.
In the eleventh minute, the visitors –
playing in their home kit, with the yellow version currently out of commission
– put together a good move. Shaun Bradshaw got up well to nod down a defensive
clearance to Paul Jones. Jonah spread the ball wide to Joby, wide on the right.
Joby cut into the area, and got to the by-line, but, instead of crossing, chose
to shoot straight at Gindre in the Walton goal, from an acute angle. Jones’s
shot, from the rebound, was blocked.
The litany of mysterious free-kicks then
began, mostly on the left side of the Ashford area. On 14 minutes, Seitsonen
managed a rare clean catch, and a minute later dealt with a cross from a
similar position by punching clear. (Barry Gardner reacted to the awarding of
this free-kick by sarcastically applauding the referee – which wasn’t the
brainiest thing to do !). In the 18th minute, Riddell pumped a
free-kick into the Ashford area, and this was the lads’ dodgiest moment so far,
with a succession of shots having to be blocked. Six minutes later, Riddell
curled a free-kick in to the near post – Neil Lampton managed to get the
flick-on with his head, but the ball passed harmlessly through the six-yard
box, for a goal kick.
It was long ball time for Walton on 28
minutes – this was flicked on by the head of a home forward for Mark Nwokeji to
run on to, but Mad Dog Holmes came flying across with an excellent saving
tackle, well inside the Ashford area. Barry Gardner was heavily clattered as he
completed the clearance, but the referee …………. (no, I’ve moaned enough about
the ref already.)
So Ashford survived the first half hour, in
spite of The Swans (curiously playing in all red !) making almost all the
running. [The reason for Walton & Hersham playing in red, instead of white
as you might expect, is something to do with the long-standing and close affinity
that the club has with Liverpool FC.]
On 30 minutes, Ashford managed to carve out
another clear-cut opportunity. A long clearance from Jani – Tim Thorogood and
John Cumberbatch had clearly been watching Chelsea in mid-week ! – found the
battling Paul Jones deep inside the Red Swans’ half. Jonah showed great
strength to get the flick-on; Solomon Henry was also strong enough to resist
the challenge of his marker, but, with only the ‘keeper to beat, he shot
straight at Gindre.
Although our defenders played pretty well for
most of the game, there was confusion in the 38th minute, when
Gardner, Ritrovato and Seitsonen made a Mary of trying to clear a ball in the
area. In the end, big Tony kicked the ball behind for a corner, almost out of
Seitsonen’s hands. Four minutes later, there was another free-kick to defend,
when part of Joffy’s person touched a Walton player. Riddell’s free-kick went
long, beyond the far post, and Paul Harkness clearly fluffed his attempt to
control the ball first time, the ball squirming under his foot, for a goal-kick
– except that the referee awarded a corner. Fortunately, the corner-kick came
to nothing.
There were ironic cheers a minute later, when
we were given a free-kick, for a foul on O’B. This was taken by Joby, whose
long cross found Tony Ritrovato, rising high, beyond the far post. Ritrovato’s
header went straight up in the air, and would have landed almost on the
cross-bar if Nick Gindre hadn’t tipped it behind for a corner, colliding
heavily with the far post as he did so. Gindre was down receiving treatment for
some time, so did well to catch Joby’s cross when the corner came in, after the
re-start.
Three minutes of injury time had been played
at the end of the first half when Walton attacked on the edge of the Ashford
penalty area. Mark Nwokeji beat Mad Dog Holmes, before Tony Ritrovato came
across and brought him down in the “D” – in a very similar position to the
free-kick that Tony conceded against Leatherhead a few weeks back. This time,
Ritrovato got a yellow card for his trouble, meaning that, together with his
recent sending off, he’ll probably be suspended until Christmas. Again it was
Riddell who was the free-kicksmith – he beat the wall with a good, curling
shot, but Jani Seitsonen bent low to gather the ball. Or did he ? The ball squirmed away from his grasp, but,
unlike at Hastings, when his fumble led to an embarrassing goal, it ran away to
safety and was cleared.
So 0-0 at half-time, which was a score-line
that all of us would have settled for at the start of the match. Having said
that, in spite of the home side’s dominance in terms of possession and the
corners & free-kicks count, the two clearest chances had fallen to Ashford.
The second half was much more even, in terms
of possession. The boys started well, pressing the home team on the far side,
winning a succession of throw-ins – (in our current predicament each throw-in
is something to celebrate !). Eventually, we progressed to winning a corner, in
the 48th minute; this was on the right, so Paul O’Brien was the
taker. As is usual for Ashford corners, O’B’s cross was aimed at Tony
Ritrovato. Tony got up well, but could only put his header behind for a
goal-kick. Two minutes later, Paul Jones – who tended to be marked by at least
two defenders – won a free-kick. This time Barry Gardner aimed the kick long,
to Ritrovato, forcing Sean Thurgood to head behind for a corner.
In the 54th minute, it was back to
the old routine, when Joffy was harshly penalised for a foul, but Riddell’s
cross was hoiked clear by the Mad Dog.
The home side signalled their view that a
draw was not good enough, when they made a substitution after only 55 minutes –
the rotund Scott Steele was sent on in place of Lee Allum. Within four minutes
of this change, Walton were awarded another free-kick. Seitsonen really should
have caught Riddell’s cross comfortably, but he fisted the ball behind for a
corner, which didn’t inspire a tremendous amount of confidence. (John
Whitehouse, who was in the crowd supporting the team, along with Tom Adlington,
doesn’t have much to worry about in terms of his place in the side !).
Fortunately, Barry Gardner brought the ball away, following the resulting
corner.
After a second substitution for the Red Swans
– Chris Morrison coming on for the dangerous-looking Mark Nwokeji, in the 64th
minute – Joffy got himself booked for a late tackle, in a position where there
was little danger, and has now earned himself enough points for a ban. This
means that he’ll miss the last two games of the season, which, given our
dwindling playing resources, wasn’t the most intelligent thing to do. (How
about “brainless” ?).
Walton & Hersham were awarded a mystery
free-kick in the 71st minute
– (sorry, but I’m not keeping a total of these) – and this resulted in a
long-range shot from Scott Steele which smacked of the first twinges of
desperation from the home side. If frustration were beginning to set in, then
the home side needn’t have worried, as, not only did they get yet another
free-kick in a dangerous position five minutes later, but they managed to break
the deadlock with it. This free-kick originated from a long-range shot from Lee
Riddell – this was straight at the ‘keeper, and Jani managed to save it
comfortably enough, but Joby touched Riddell as he was taking his shot, so that
was enough for another free-kick, on the edge of the area. (We could argue
that, as Riddell managed to get his shot on target, then an advantage should
have, and in fact was, played, but it’s too late to argue about that now). This
time the free-kick was taken by Paul Harkness. His curling shot was on target,
and although Seitsonen manged to get both hands to the ball, he could only
parry it into the corner of the net, and should really have done better. 1-0 to
The Swans, after 76 minutes.
It looked like the lead was going to be
doubled in the 84th minute, when Chris Morrison was clean through on
goal after the ball was chipped over an Ashford defence that was holding a line
on the edge of the penalty area. With only Jani to beat, Morrison fluffed his
shot wide, but the lino, who appeared to have a good game today, was already
flagging for off-side.
Before this, in the 81st minute,
Joffy limped off injured, and was replaced by Marc Cumberbatch; this enabled
Barry Gardner to push forward into midfield. The second Ashford substitution
didn’t come until the 86th minute – which was surely far too late –
when Long Jason, who’s been scoring goals for the reserves, replaced Joby.
Jason took up a forward position on the left side of midfield.
It might have been because Paul Jones’s
markers were beginning to get tired, but things certainly opened up for Jonah
as late as the 90th minute. For once, a long ball from midfield
bounced kindly for the hard-working striker – who had been mostly coming short to
collect the ball, with Shaun Bradshaw usually furthest forward – and, turning
his man, he found himself with a half-chance, in the penalty area. This was a
difficult ball to take, dropping over Jones’s left shoulder, and he looped a
volley over the bar. With exactly 90 minutes on the watch, Jonah was through
again, in the inside-right position, but the defence forced the ball behind for
a corner. This corner was curled in to the far post, from the right, by Paul
O’Brien, and Jones met it with his head, unmarked, in the 6-yard box, with the
home defenders seeming to be worrying most about Tony Ritrovato. A goal against
the run of play, but it seemed that it had earnt us a priceless point away from
home – this was also Jones’s 10th goal in the last 16 matches, which
is a good strike-rate in a struggling team.
For some reason, injury time dragged on for
eight minutes – and seemed to go on for twice as long as that – and Walton
& Hersham continued to press. After four of the eight minutes, the home
side launched a long throw into the penalty area, and Tony Ritrovato headed
behind for a corner. This corner was swung across into the Ashford goal-mouth.
Chris Morrison rose high, but the ball glanced off his head, and went behind
for a goal-kick.
Surely, that was it ! But no. In the 97th minute, yet
another free-kick was awarded for seemingly very little – and in a dangerous
position, right on the edge of the area. The one consolation was that this was
an indirect free-kick, but this made little difference to the result of the
match. The ball was touched short to Lee Riddell, who smashed the ball into the
corner of the net, giving Jani no chance.
The goal was celebrated like a
promotion-clincher by the home side – in truth, The Swans aren’t safe yet, but
Horsham’s defeat at Whyteleafe (our next opponents) puts them eight points
clear in second place. Elsewhere, AFC Wimbledon’s 1-0 victory over the Police
confirmed them as Champions, whilst the results of other teams in the
relegation fight made this a thoroughly bad day for Ashford Town.
This was certainly another sickener, almost
on a par with the experience of going to the Met. Police and losing 3-2, having
been 1-2 up after 85 minutes. There was a difference, though. Whilst we played
well against the Police, and deserved to win, we never produced anything that
could be confused for real quality, but fought hard against a vastly superior
side, and were hard done by to come away with nothing. With three home games,
and one away game, left, our fate is still in our own hands – we’re a point
behind Newport, and two points behind Dorking and Banstead, but have a game in
hand of all of them. Against that, both Newport and Banstead have Croydon to
play at home, so we need to win one or two games to avoid coming to a sticky
and embarrassing end !
“End ?
No, the journey does not end here. Relegation is but another path – and
one we all must take. The rain curtain of the Ryman League will part, and all
will turn to silver glass. And then we’ll see it. White shores. A broad, green
country. And a swift sunrise.”
Was Tolkien referring to the after-life
? Or was this a premonition of the Kent
League ?
No comments:
Post a Comment