Tunbridge Wells v Ashford United. Southern Counties East Football League Challenge Cup, First Round, Second Leg. 2nd of November, 2013.

Tunbridge Wells  2       Ashford United 3

          (Ashford United win 7-2 on aggregate)

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

 

 

This was a return to action for your Milton Keynes Correspondent. My first game of the season – for reasons that I won’t bore you with – and my first sight of the lads since we played Eltham Palace away, in the Kent Invicta League, on the 20^th of April, more than six months ago. And what a contrast !  That game came at the end of a season when we had consistently been third-best to Phoenix Sports and Hollands & Blair – but someone left the back-door of the (then) Kent League open, and we managed to sneak up to Step 5 of the non-league pyramid anyway.

 

Since then, in my absence, Ashford have made an unbelievably good start to life in the (renamed) Southern Counties East Football League – seven wins from eight league games, and we’re still in three cup competitions, including the League Challenge Cup, which provided this afternoon’s entertainment. It’s very early days, of course, and, as several people have pointed out, we haven’t yet played any of the top sides in the league – but there have been reports of the boys playing some good football, and we’ve beaten Erith Town in the Kent Senior Trophy, and reportedly outplayed Tunbridge Wells, in a 4-0 victory, in the first leg of today’s tie.  

 

I had been looking forward to today’s match, ever since the draw was made. This always looked like being the first big test for Ashford at this new level. Tunbridge Wells – last year’s FA Vase Finalists and Kent Senior Trophy winners; the team that I thought were clear favourites to be champions this year, and who are showing signs of fulfilling that expectation by sitting on top of the league, this morning. Some edge was taken from the game by Ashford’s comfortable dismissal of The Wells, at Homelands, last week, but this was still an important early-season trial of strength, which neither team would want to lose.

 

I am very much a railway boy, now. Gone are the days of driving to King’s Lynn and the Isle of Wight, following the lads. My roster of away games is very much dependent on public transport links, and Royal Tunbridge Wells is just about on the edge of my travel radius. If all went well, then the day would begin with boarding the 11.22am train from Milton Keynes Central Railway Station, with Virgin Trains returning me back to (the other) MKC at 7.50pm – with a salt beef bagel at London Bridge, in the middle.

 

I am always amazed at how busy the railway network is on Saturdays. As usual, there was a long queue for the ticket machines at the station, and there were people standing in most of the carriages on the way to London. There was the usual high representation of Arsenal fans in evidence – (Arsenal being the world’s most aptly named football team) – in spite of the Gooners not playing until this evening. There was also a lad in a Leicester City shirt, and someone in what looked like it might be a Watford scarf. Both got off at Watford, so I wasn’t surprised to learn later that Watford were at home to Leicester. There were also two proper railway nerds in my carriage, talking loudly about the remarkable size of the gap between the carriages in this particular train. You get all sorts on trains !

 

One benefit (for me) of Ashford playing in the Southern Counties East League is that the majority of its teams play within, or very close to, the M25, so I can look forward to visiting quite a few grounds that I’ve never been to before. This was actually my second visit to the Culverden Stadium, the first being for a pre-season friendly fixture, at the start of what turned out to be Ashford Town’s final season (2009-10). It was our first friendly, after what had been a Summer of upheaval, off the pitch. I remember that the first person I saw, as I entered the ground, was Manager Steve Lovell, carrying a large bag of balls. He told me that it had only been a couple of days previously that he had had confirmation that he was still in the job. My other memory of that game was that a certain Joe Fuller played for Tunbridge Wells, but started the season as an Ashford Town player. Joe was a good player for us, in that final Ryman League Division One South season. He was a member of the side that beat Chatham Town 2-1, in the final game, which saved us from relegation to the Kent League, and scored ten goals, at a rate that was not quite as good as a goal every three games. It was good to see him again.

 

Gary Clarke, who is Club Captain, these days, was also playing against his former team, having played plenty of games in Tunbridge Wells’ midfield, in two spells.

 

The one surprise in the Ashford United line-up was the appearance of Kieran Byrne at left-back – which was presumably due to the unavailability of Liam Whiting, today. Kieran was part of a back-four, in front of goalkeeper Joe Mant, that also included the very tall Jordan Miller at right-back, and Ben Jordan and Ian Wallace in the centre. Sam Fisher played in a very deep, defensive role, just in front of the back four. Otherwise, it was a fairly attacking line-up that Paul Chambers sent out, with Jimmy Dryden, playing his third game of the season for Ashford, leading the line, and Gary Mickelborough the furthest forward in support of him. With Gary Clarke and Adam Cuthbert in central midfield, Tom Scorer was nominally on the left side, but mostly pressed forward as a third striker.

 

Ashford had a very strong bench, this afternoon, which included first-team regulars Luke Cuthbert, Sam Conlon and Buster Smissen, who was returning to the squad after he and Jimmy Dryden had both missed last Saturday’s first leg.

 

Ashford played up the Culverden slope, in the first half. This is a slope that runs diagonally, from corner flag to corner flag. This is a slightly strange ground, in as much as it is very two-sided. All of the seating and the covered standing accommodation is laid out down one side, and runs for almost the length of the pitch. At the highest end of the pitch, behind some steep terracing, are the turnstiles and the bar and the small club shop etc. The other two sides of the ground are vacant, but are lined with tall trees, making it a very attractive ground.

 

In spite of two sides of the pitch being unpopulated, there was certainly no shortage of atmosphere, today. In fact, it was something of a rarity to attend a game, at this level, where both teams are backed by cheering, singing fans throughout the 90 minutes. Tunbridge Wells and Ashford are easily the two best-supported teams in the SCEFL, which was all the more reason for this being an eagerly-awaited two-legged contest. In terms of the attendance figures, the honours went to Tunbridge Wells, with today’s gate of 285 just edging the 279 that were at The Homelands last week.

 

However, the overall result of the cup-tie was never in doubt, this afternoon. The home side really needed to score one or two early goals, if they were to have a chance of shaking Ashford’s confidence and self-belief, and this just never looked likely. In fact, the fate of the tie was sealed by a first quarter of the game in which there was not a single clear-cut chance for either side, with little incident and precious little quality on show.

 

On the subject of quality, Tom Scorer appears to be blossoming into a very accomplished player. He looks strong, and very comfortable on the ball, at this level. He provided the only action worthy of note in this early spell of the game, when, in the 19^th minute, he showed great close control to dribble his way past two defenders, and get to the by-line – but was then closed down by the home defence.

 

It was probably appropriate for Tom to set up Ashford’s opening goal, in the 24^th minute – which effectively confirmed Ashford’s place in the Second Round. Picking the ball up on the left, on the corner of the penalty area, he switched inside, transferring the ball onto his right foot. He hit the ball like a bullet, straight at Wells’ ‘keeper Chris Oladogba, one of the home side’s Wembley heroes, from last May. Oladogba is a good goalie, but could only parry Tom’s shot, and Gary Mickelborough had the simple task of tucking the rebound into the net. That made the score 5-0 on aggregate, and even Lazarus wouldn’t be able to come back from there.

 

Having said that, Tunbridge Wells hit back almost immediately, to level the scores on the afternoon. A ball down the right flank, in the 26^th minute, was squared to the prolific Ross Cable, in the centre. Cable, who would probably score in a convent, took a touch, and then drilled the ball low, into the corner of Joe Mant’s net.

 

These goals in quick succession did liven things up a bit. Ashford certainly continued to commit plenty of players forward, but Jimmy Dryden had a very quiet first half, having almost no service to speak of.

 

Kieran Byrne created a chance for himself, in the 32^nd minute, when he easily robbed Joe Fuller of the ball, when a Wells break looked on – but his shot went straight at Oladogba. Byrnsie had a very solid game at left-back – so, given that he’s a midfielder who has a goal scoring rate that is just a little bit shy of one every other game, he’s not a bad player !  Joe Fuller had an effort on goal himself, just four minutes later. This was a long-range shot, which Joe Mant pushed wide, diving low to his right. Ross Cable latched onto the loose ball, but his attempted cross was put behind for a corner. Before Cable could take the corner, Wells boss Martin Larkin made a substitution, replacing Jack Funnell with Ian Parsons. When the corner eventually came in, centre-half Billy French, who was to be named as the home side’s Man of the Match, glanced his header across the face of the Ashford goal.

 

In the 41^st minute, Gary Mickelborough made a raid down the right wing. His cross found Gary Clarke in the penalty area, and the Ashford skipper managed to flick the ball up in the air, behind him, to Adam Cuthbert – but Cuthbert’s volley went over the bar. A minute later, Sam Fisher was fortunate not to be shown a yellow card. There was nothing malicious about his sliding tackle, in the middle of the park, but he had lost control of his momentum, as he crashed into his opponent. It is a tackle for which, at all levels of the game, referees are instructed to show a yellow card – and, invariably, the player booked doesn’t seem to understand why he has been cautioned. On this occasion, the referee, who I thought was very good throughout the game, erred on the side of leniency – maybe due, to some extent, to the mediation efforts of the Ashford captain.

 

So a fairly even half ended all square, at one each, but with the visitors seemingly home and dry in the tie, at 5-1.

 

Ashford started, after the break, in lively fashion, with Tom Scorer trying his luck with an optimistic, long-range effort which went well wide. After that, though, the second half tended to follow the pattern of the first half, with many over-hit passes going straight through to each ‘keeper. In fact, it was Joe Mant who had the next shot on target !  He raced out of his area to deal with an attempted through-ball – and his “clearance” was taken by Chris Oladogba just inside his right-hand post.

 

The visitors retook the lead in this second leg in the 52^nd minute. A long, cross-field ball was chased down by Jimmy Dryden, into a left-wing position. Jimmy took the ball to the by-line, and his low cross was manoeuvred in, at the near post, by a sliding Gary Mickleborough. This is another player who has really found his form, lately. That’s three goals in the last two games for Gary. His previous goal was in the game away to Eltham Palace, about six months ago !

 

In the 56^th minute, Jimmy Dryden had his first sight at the Wells’ goal. Gary Clarke, who showed one or two flashes of sublime skill, this afternoon, to show that he’s more than just a tackler, put Jimmy through in the inside-left channel, but the master finisher’s low shot went straight at the ‘keeper.

 

The first yellow card of the game was produced just after the hour mark. Billy French earned this for a late tackle on Jimmy Dryden, just as Dryden was putting Gary Mickelborough through, on a break. Former Ashford Town Reserves Manager, Martin Larkin, took the opportunity of making a double substitution, replacing Lee Radford and Carl Cornell with Brett Ince and Andy Irvine. (It was appropriate that Andy Irvine wore the No. 15 shirt, as a Scottish rugby union full-back of the same name used to wear that number !). Mickelborough took the free-kick, spreading the ball wide to Tom Scorer, on the left. Tom’s cross was met by Jimmy Dryden, at the near post, but the header was wide. This was Scorer’s final touch of the ball, as he was subsequently replaced by Sam Conlon.

 

In the 63^rd minute, it looked odds-on that Tunbridge Wells would equalise for a second time, as Ross Cable raced clear of the Ashford defence. The Cable guy should have scored, but he put his shot wide, from about 16 yards out. This was a significant miss, as, just three minutes later, what should have been 2-2 was turned into 1-3. The visitors broke down the right wing, and, as the ball was fed into Gary Mickelborough, in the Wells’ penalty area, the Ashford No.11 beat Perry Spackman with a deft piece of footwork, and was tripped. Spackman seemed not to like the decision, but the ref awarded a penalty. Adam Cuthbert easily scored from the spot, with Oladogba going the wrong way, to notch his twelfth goal of the season, and his 18^th in Ashford colours. This puts Adam level with past strikers Mark Lovell, George Fenwick and Joby Thorogood.

 

So, with an aggregate score of 7-1 in Ashford’s favour, the travelling faithful afforded themselves the luxury of an “Easy, Easy” chant – but the match continued to be lively enough, with neither team losing interest in going forward in search of more goals, and the home side kept Ashford honest by pulling a goal back, in the 72^nd minute. Knocking the ball around quite nicely, the team playing in all red – for the purpose of visualising the teams’ colours, imagine Liverpool playing Norwich City – manoeuvred the ball out to the right flank, and the resulting cross was met, on the full, by the left foot of Andy Irvine, giving Joe Mant no chance, from close range.

 

Sam Fisher’s ration of goodwill from the referee ran out in the 77^th minute. He was late with a tackle, as Tunbridge Wells streamed forward. The ref did well to play an advantage, but, before Brett Ince could take the corner that had resulted from the attack, Sam was shown a yellow card.

 

Buster Smissen was given a run-out by Paul Chambers in the 79^th minute, replacing Gary Mickelborough, and there was a chance to see 16 year-old prospect Ira Jackson, when he replaced Sam Fisher, five minutes later – but it was the other substitute, Sam Conlon, who had a wonderful chance to seal a victorious afternoon for Ashford, with a fourth goal. A careless error by Joe Fuller, deep inside his own half, in the 89^th minute, gifted Conlon a one-on-one with Oladogba, but the ‘keeper made himself into a formidable barrier, and there was no way through for Sam’s shot.

 

In truth, a two-goal margin might have been slightly flattering for Ashford, and the one-goal lead was almost rubbed out, in the second minute of added time, when Wells once again had the ball in the visitors’ net. Joe Mant made a good save, from a long-range shot, and Andy Irvine tapped in the rebound – but the lino was flagging for off-side. This incident made little difference in the tie, as this was still a right Royal thrashing for promotion hopefuls Tunbridge Wells, over the two legs, but it was important for Ashford to keep their winning run going. This afternoon’s victory made it eight wins on the bounce for Paul Chambers’ improving side, since that careless reversal at home to Lordswood, in the league.

 

It’s difficult to assess where Ashford stand in relation to the other top teams in the SCEFL, on the evidence of today’s performance, as this second leg did lack a little in intensity, with the Nuts & Bolts having effectively killed the tie in the first leg. However, it can’t be ignored that the lads brushed aside one of the teams that are supposed to be one of our promotion rivals this year, and did so fairly comfortably, over the two games. Wells will be considerably strengthened by the addition of prolific striker Andy Constable to their squad, so I wouldn’t like to predict which way the two league games between these sides will go – but Paul Chambers and John Ovard must be delighted with how the season has gone, so far.

 

Eltham Palace v Ashford United. Kent Invicta League. 20th of April 2013.

Eltham Palace   2       Ashford United 2

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

 

 

We were awoken this morning by the clock-alarm blaring out “Mr Blue Sky” – and that turned out to be very appropriate, as FINALLY this season, we were able to watch a footy match in relatively warm and sunny conditions. There was still a fairly chilly breeze at Green Court Sports Ground, up on top of the hill in Crockenhill, by the side of the A20, just South of Swanley – but there was a cloudless sky throughout the day, which was more like what we expect at the end of the season.

 

And it’s probably true to say that it’s been a season tinged with disappointment for Ashford United, even if the consensus among the travelling faithful has been that it’s been another hugely enjoyable experience in the Kent Invicta League. Ashford are almost certainly nailed on for third place, with Phoenix Sports having made sure of the title, and promotion to Step 5, with a 1-0 win over second-placed Hollands & Blair, during the week. Third place is just about what we deserve, this season, with both Phoenix and Blair consistently being the best two teams on the league, throughout. Third is an improvement on last year, when we finished fifth, but it does seem a disappointment, with so much emphasis being placed on finishing in a promotion place, at the start of the season – which, officially, is the same thing as winning the championship – and with a substantially stronger squad than last year. Of course, there is still a chance that Ashford will be placed in the higher division for next season anyway – but that’s to be decided by discussions that will be taking place up in the Blazersphere, over the Summer.

 

There was certainly an element of end-of-term among the Ashford players this afternoon, as there had been two weeks previously, away at Lewisham – and there was a definite similarity in the two performances. On both occasions, Ashford started slowly, and found themselves trailing to a side that they were expected to beat fairly comfortably. The difference, though, was that I always felt, at Lewisham’s Ladywell Arena, that the boys were so superior in terms of ability and experience that they would not only win the game, but also probably win by something similar to the eventual 2-6 score-line. Today was different. Although Eltham Palace were gifted an early two-goal lead by sloppy errors from Ashford’s defence, they looked an altogether better side than Lewisham, were solid and tidy throughout the team and I spent at least 88 minutes, this afternoon, thinking that Ashford were going to lose this match. For that reason, after Gary Mickelborough’s last-minute goal had snatched a 2-2 draw, it felt more like a victory !

 

The visitors turned out in the holy green & white home kit, today, with Eltham Palace playing mostly in royal blue, but with one sleeve almost entirely yellow, which ruled out Ashford’s Norwich City-style away kit. It was a 4-4-2 formation, to start off with, with Roy Guiver up front with Damian Abel. Tom Scorer had a starting berth, but this time wide on the right of midfield - and he looked impressive in this role, sometimes going past defenders at will, and was certainly Ashford’s most dangerous player, today. Liam Whiting was in central midfield, alongside Adam Cuthbert, with Kieran Byrne in his familiar position on the left. There was a surprise in defence, in as much as Danny Morrison was at left-back and Luke Cuthbert at right-back, (instead of the other way around). Captain Ben Jordan and Sam Marsh were in central defence, in front of goalkeeper Roddy Hayward – which meant that the talented Joe Mant had to settle for a place on the bench, once again. It was actually a bench that was full of Ryman League and Kent League experience, as it included Gary Clarke, (demoted to sub as a result of his absence last week, no doubt), Sam Conlon and Gary Mickelborough. The diminutive Sam Fisher made up the five.

 

Ashford’s first set-back came as early as the second minute, when Sam Perry sent in a deep cross from the right. This is something that goalkeeper Roddy Hayward probably should have dealt with, but the ball looped over his head, and went in off the far post. There also seemed little danger when, in the seventh minute, a long ball was launched into the Ashford half. Ben Jordan seemed to be well in control of the situation, and tried to nod the ball back to Hayward, just as he’s done hundreds of times in the past – but, this time, he failed to get anything like the required contact, and Nick Wybrow was able to nip behind him, and poke the ball past the ‘keeper, and into the net.

 

From this point, Eltham Palace rarely threatened to increase their lead, but it’s fair to say that, in spite of clearly having the majority of possession in the first half, Ashford looked just as unlikely to trouble the home side’s goalkeeper. This was mostly due to a lack of quality in the final third of the pitch, with a succession of woefully inaccurate crosses and through-balls giving the Palace defence an easy time.

 

The first real sign of life from the visitors came in the twelfth minute, when a speculative turn and shot by Kieran Byrne, from outside the penalty area, went high and wide. Two minutes later, Tom Scorer did some great work down the right wing, worrying the defender out of the ball, near the corner flag, before sending in a good cross. Roy Guiver managed to get a header on target, but this required just a regulation save from the goalie. In the 22^nd minute, Kieran Byrne and Danny Morrison combined well, on the left, before Morrison put in a deep cross that was just too high for Roy Guiver – Liam Whiting came steaming in behind Guiver, but headed wide. Whiting had another chance, again steaming forward from central midfield, in the 36^th minute. He picked up a loose ball, and sent in a decent shot which needed a good save from the Palace ‘keeper – and this drew applause of encouragement from the Ashford faithful.

 

Generally, though, it was a first half of frustration for the Ashford management team, and the score remained at 2-0 until the break.

 

Gary Clarke appeared to be warming up in earnest during the half time interval, and so it was no surprise that he was introduced by Paul Chambers immediately prior to the restart. Clarke replaced Sam Marsh, with Roy Guiver dropping back to his more familiar central defence position, and Adam Cuthbert taking up a forward position, just behind, and in support of, Damian Abel.

 

Clarke caught the eye almost immediately, with an excellent cross-field ball that found Tom Scorer, on the right. Tom broke through one tackle, and then found himself inside the Eltham Palace penalty area, before letting go with a tremendous shot which went just over the bar. The home ’keeper had just managed to get a hand on the ball, and so it was a corner to Ashford, on the right. This was taken by Kieran Byrne, but his in-swinging effort was just too high for Luke Cuthbert, beyond the far post, who could only head the ball behind. Just a minute later, Adam Cuthbert was put clean through on goal, and it looked likely that he was going to add to the two goals he scored last week, in the 2-1 home victory over Sutton Athletic – but the Palace goalie was equal to the task, and came out and won the one-on-one situation.

 

There was a major scare for Ashford in the 53^rd minute, when Roddy Hayward left his penalty area to deal with an under-hit back-pass. By the time he intercepted the ball – with both hands – he was outside his area, and the Lino, who was right in line, was flagging furiously. There must have been a fair probability that the referee, who was being assessed, this afternoon, would show Roddy a red card for this technical infringement – but the colour of the card was yellow.

 

Manager Paul Chambers made the first of his three substitutions when Gary Mickelborough replaced Damian Abel, after 56 ineffective minutes. But it was once again Tom Scorer who was responsible for creating Ashford’s next chance, in the 58^th minute. From about midway inside the Eltham half, Tom turned and went on a run down the right wing. In spite of the attentions of no fewer than three blue-shirted defenders, he got to the by-line, and sent in a good, low cross. Liam Whiting arrived from midfield, but could only side-foot the ball over the bar. In the 66^th minute, Tom again showed his quality, beating his man with ease, but sliced his attempted cross behind the goal. Just seconds later, the Cuthbert brothers combined, when Luke sent in a high, long cross, which found Adam, beyond the far post, but Adam’s header looped up onto the top of the crossbar, with the ‘keeper seeming fairly unflustered by the situation.

 

Chambo’s second substitution was part of a tactical change. He replaced Roy Guiver with Sam Conlon, who went to join Gary Mickelborough in attack, and ordered a switch to a three-at-the-back system, with Danny Morrison, Ben Jordan and Luke Cuthbert holding the fort. However, Ashford’s first goal, which came in the 77^th minute, had little to do with tactics and formations, and everything to do with the quality of Kieran Byrne. There was a suspicion of hand-ball as Gary Clarke took possession of the ball in midfield, but there was no reaction from any of the officials. Gary found Kieran Byrne, who was about 25 yards from goal. Kieran took one touch, and then simply leathered the ball, and it arrowed into the net, via the underside of the bar. It was yet another absolute screamer from Ashford’s wide-left midfielder – and it was almost as annoying as it was thrilling, considering that, with such quality in the side, it had taken us 77 minutes to find the net.

 

There was now a tangible sense of urgency among the Ashford players – which was matched by the home side’s attempts to fritter away seconds at every opportunity.

 

The visitors thought that they were surely about to level the scores, in the 83^rd minute, when a corner found Adam Cuthbert in the area. There were cries for hand-ball from the Palace defenders, but Adam managed to unleash a great shot, which was headed off the line by a home defender. However, the Lino in front of the stand was flagging furiously, having spotted the hand-ball – and Eltham could breathe again.

 

Ashford continued to press for the equalising goal, but it didn’t come until the final minute of normal time, with Gary Mickelborough scoring his eleventh of the season, (the first being in the opening game – the FA Cup victory at Deal). Gary did well to control an awkward ball, inside the Eltham area, before taking it wide of the ‘keeper and finding the back of the net, to the obvious delight of the Ashford bench.

Lewisham Borough v Ashford United. Kent Invicta League. 6th of April 2013.

Lewisham Borough  2       Ashford United 6

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

 

 

Today was a special day. Today was Grand National Day, which, in Your Milton Keynes Correspondent’s world, ranks right up there with Derby Day (of course), Pancake Day, Third Round of the FA Cup Day and (I suppose) Christmas Day. On this day of the year, as the bailiffs have finally found out, I will be in one of two places: in front of the Telly, or at a non-league football ground supporting my boys. For the 2013 running of the race, Ashford United had an away match against Lewisham Borough – so today I took myself off to the Ladywell Arena, in Catford.

 

Going to the footy on this Saturday of the calendar always evokes memories of previous Grand National Days spent following Ashford around the South of England. The one that most often springs to mind is the year that Amberleigh House won the National – as we always remember the winners that we backed, don’t we ?  That was in 2004, when we played Histon away, (and won 0-2, with goals from Joby Thorogood and Simon Elliott). That game was very much from another age, and it doesn’t seem possible that it was only nine years ago. Histon were on their way up to the Conference, and Ashford Town were grazing in the comfortable green pastures of the Ryman League. Alas for off-the-field events. (That reminds me – yesterday was the end of the Financial Year, so I mustn’t forget to pay my VAT, on Monday).

 

Grand National Day, for Ashford fans, is traditionally characterised by one of two things: the latest instalment in a relegation scrap, or the opportunity to bask in the warmth of end-of-season sunshine – or both. Today, however, neither was the case. For a start, it was fairly chilly in Catford, in spite of the sunshine. A genuinely cold Winter has lingered on through March, and into this, the first week in April. At 5ºC at midday, it was not as cold as it had been in midweek, but it still felt pretty taters.

 

Also, we don’t “do” relegation scraps anymore, but last week’s humbling defeat at the hands of seemingly invincible champions-elect Phoenix Sports effectively put paid to Ashford’s competitive season. For the first time in the current campaign, Push for Promotion was replaced by Fulfilment of Fixtures as an objective. With four games remaining, (including today’s), it looks like Ashford United are nailed on for third place – and there can be no complaints about that, given that we’ve looked like the third-best team in the league, all season. What has cost Ashford a higher placing in the league has been the performances against the three teams that have clearly been better than the rest of our Invicta League opponents, this season – Phoenix Sports, Hollands & Blair and Bearsted. Four defeats from those six fixtures have defined the season.

 

We have, however, been fairly efficient at beating the lesser teams in the league, in spite of being consistently outscored by both Phoenix and Blair, and today’s opponents, bottom club Lewisham Borough, came into that category. There was the small consideration of Ashford’s earlier 3-2 defeat here by Lewisham, in the Kent Invicta League Cup, to think about – and that’s a competition that Blair won, recently, at Homelands, which reminds me that they’ve also done better than us in the cups – but the general expectation was that the three points were there for the taking for the visitors, this afternoon.

 

This was my first visit to the Ladywell Arena, a well-known multi-sports complex situated just on the other side of the railway line to the now-derelict Catford Stadium, where they used to have dog racing. I did this trip on my own, as Mrs Milton Keynes Correspondent doesn’t “do” public transport. In fact, she was on a plane at the precise moment that I loped into Milton Keynes Central Railway Station, just after midday. (No, she wasn’t travelling anywhere – she was taking half an inch off the back door). The fact that the train remained on Platform 4 for 24 minutes, due to some technical fault, meant that I missed my connection at Blackfriars, but I made it to the ground in plenty of time, and a very nice lady in the tea bar made me a sandwich and a cup of tea.

 

Some football fans make a fuss about football stadia that have an athletics track around the pitch, but I actually think that it all adds to the variety of venues in the course of a season. However, whereas, say, Walton & Hersham’s ground comes into the category of a football ground with an athletics track, the Ladywell is primarily a high-calibre athletics facility. There is a large building at one end that houses changing rooms, a tea bar and other facilities that you might expect of an important community resource – but it’s not a venue that is geared up for hosting a football match that is likely to attract any sort of crowd. (There was actually not the usual large turn-out of Ashford supporters, today, with a number of the Bruce Willises giving this one a miss, which accounts for an attendance of only 47 - which is even less than Borough’s seasonal average of 51).

 

Viewing options are severely limited, being largely restricted to leaning on a thick, white, plastic railing, that looked like it had been imported direct from Aintree, which extended for most of one side of the pitch. This was the side of the pitch that backed onto the railway line, beyond which was an enormous climbing frame and bouncy castle. This facility provided us with a backdrop of kids’ voices, which gave the whole occasion a pleasant, parks atmosphere. The dug outs were located on the opposite side of the running track, where there was no spectator access – so I am unable to report what feisty physio Alan Orsbourne said, to get himself in trouble with the referee.

 

The point to make about the game itself, for the benefit of those who weren’t there, and so only have the score-line to go by, is that there was a considerable gulf between the two squads of players. Lewisham Borough is very much a Community Club, and the team was very young, and looked fairly lightweight, all over the pitch. Compared with an Ashford side that, in spite of lacking regulars such as Mo Takaloo, Ollie Finch, Lee Coburn, Ben Jordan and Luke Cuthbert, still had plenty of accumulated experience of Ryman League football, it was quite literally men against boys. I mean no disrespect to our hosts today in setting the context of the game in this way. I am doing this to explain why I felt that Ashford played poorly today, in spite of winning 2-6, and why I felt that Damian Abel failed to impress, in spite of bagging a hat-trick. This also explains how a game that involved eight goals, three penalties and a sending off could lack entertainment value.

 

A lack of motivation might have been the main reason why Ashford struggled to get out of third gear, this afternoon. I know that we, as supporters, expect players to not need motivation, once they pull on the holy shirt, but there was never going to be the motivation of fear in this game – especially with Chambo separated from the pitch by six lanes of running track – and the lads never had to step out of a fairly snug comfort zone. Although Lewisham gave a good account of themselves, took their goals well and actually led for nearly a quarter of the game, Ashford always had plenty of time on the ball, generally regained possession easily when it was given away, and I don’t think the eventual result ever looked unlikely at any stage.

 

The absence of a few regulars gave Paul Chambers the chance to provide a substantial opportunity for some of his squad members, notably Tom Scorer, who had previously made 13 appearances for the club this season, without managing a full 90 minutes. Tom partnered Damian Abel in an orthodox strike pairing, with Ashford appearing to play mostly with three at the back, in front of goalkeeper Roddy Hayward. The experienced pair of Roy Guiver and Sam Marsh played largely as centre-halves, with Danny Morrison, on the right, and Liam Whiting, on the left, taking turns to drop back as the third man. Gary Clarke, who was captain today, ran the midfield from a deep position, with Adam Cuthbert also in the centre, Sam Conlon wide on the left and Kieran Byrne wide on the right. Those in the know in the Ashford set-up will probably be laughing their socks off at my amateur attempt to describe the formation, and it’s probably not what the players were playing to, but that’s how it looked to my untrained eye. What I can be more confident about is that the formation on the bench was a “flat five”, in a seated position, consisting of Sam Fisher, Ben Jordan, Gary Mickelborough, Joe Mant and Mo Munden.

 

The first quarter of the game was all about Ashford attacking at will, but they failed to make the breakthrough, in spite of a succession of corners. What didn’t help the visitors’ cause was a tendency to carelessly get caught offside, and there were several over-hit passes, as the players took some time to get used to the hard, bouncy pitch. Best chances fell to Kieran Byrne, whose shot was parried at the near post by the ‘keeper, in the second minute, and Tom Scorer, who tried to dink Byrne’s low corner into the net, at the near post, only to see his effort deflect off the ‘keeper for another corner, in the tenth minute. Kieran again took the corner from the right, swinging the ball in with his left foot, finding Danny Morrison unmarked in the six-yard box, but Danny was unable to wrap his head around the ball and direct it towards goal.

 

The best Ashford move early on came in the 16^th minute, and this was started by some great work by Danny Morrison in the right full-back position. Turning well and leaving his opponent for dead, he sent Tom Scorer off down the right flank, with an excellent long ball. Tom found Kieran Byrne, who was arriving in support, in the centre, but Kieran’s shot went straight at the goalie. Five minutes later, Kieran himself supplied a cross, this time from the left, but it was just too high for Sam Conlon.

 

Lewisham’s opening goal, which was outrageously against the run of play, came in the 22^nd minute, and stemmed from the otherwise excellent Danny Morrison getting nutmegged, in the right-back position. The ball was slid through to Dominic Weston, who was suddenly behind the Ashford defence. He dummied goalkeeper Roddy Hayward, before side-footing the ball into an empty net, for a well-taken goal.

 

There then followed 20-odd minutes of frustration for the visitors, with The Boro’ taking plenty of time over kicks and injuries, seeming to enjoy their unexpected lead. Tom Scorer had a couple of opportunities. In the 38^th minute, a good, flowing move, which had Damian Abel at its heart, ended with Tom being put through on goal, but a defender just managed to nick the ball away from him. Three minutes later, Tom tried a low, long-range shot, but it was easy for the ‘keeper to gather it, falling to his right.

 

It seemed that nothing was going to change without the help of Paul Chambers’ hair dryer, during the interval, but the half was turned around with two late goals. The first of these came in the 43^rd minute, when Tom Scorer sent in a cross from the left. The bouncing ball was miscontroled by Damian Abel, but Adam Cuthbert was arriving behind him, and struck the ball low, into the net, for his ninth goal of the season. Almost from the kick-off, Ashford were straight back at the opposition, and Sam Conlon did well to chase the ball as it was spread wide, to the right, catching up with it on the by-line, just inside the Lewisham penalty area. Sam pulled his cross back to Kieran Byrne, who hit a volley with the outside of his left foot, which screamed just inside the far post.

 

So the first half ended with the home side’s bench hurling abuse at its players, and Ashford actually knocking the ball around with a bit of a swagger – but this was ended abruptly when Gary Clarke’s careless square pass was intercepted, and its intended recipient, Danny Morrison, had to get back to defend, but he was able to do so, at the expense of a corner. The resulting cross was dropped by Roddy Hayward, but the ball was cleared – and that was half time.

 

The script was set for Ashford to go on and assert their superiority in the second half, after a fairly dozy first 45 minutes. They met the first requirement, which was to start the second half fast, and with urgency, but were set back on their heels, within a minute of the restart, when Lewisham equalised. I’m afraid that Sam Marsh needs to hold his hand up for this one. He appeared to be in command of a long, bouncing clearance, running back to his own goal, and seemingly having the strength and experience to hold the challenging Tristan Toney at bay – but somehow Toney managed to nip in front of him, and dinked the ball over Hayward’s head, for another excellent finish.

 

Damien Abel had the opportunity to restore the Ashford lead, in the 50^th minute. A long ball, from the right flank, from about the half-way line, easily put him through on goal. There was support for Damian in the centre, but he did what any paid striker would have done, and went for goal, but his shot looped tamely over the bar.

 

Ashford’s third goal came in the 53^rd minute, and this demonstrated the class that many people within the club believe Tom Scorer to have. Again, it appeared to be a relatively simple task for Tom to be put through on goal, behind the Lewisham defence, but he showed good strength and composure before thumping the ball into the back of the net. Just a minute later, it was Damian Abel’s turn to be put through on goal, and he calmly took the ball past ‘keeper Jack Carthy, before tapping it into an empty net – and the man supervising the man in charge of the floodgates was heard to shout: “Were you born in a church ?!”.

 

In the 62^nd minute, Carthy, who had replaced his injured colleague at half time, almost presented Ashford with a fifth goal, when his fluffed goal kick spiralled straight to Kieran Byrne, whose first-time header into the penalty area gave Tom Scorer a great chance to equal Adam Cuthbert, with his ninth goal for the club – but he sliced the ball wide. Tom did, however, have a very similar chance, just a minute later, having only the ‘keeper to beat, but being put under strong pressure from behind by the big Lewisham centre-half. This time, Carthy made the save, but the Lino stationed by the 200m start flagged for a foul. As this was such a clear goal-scoring opportunity, the referee had no choice but to send the No.5 off – and a difficult afternoon for Boro’s young side suddenly got harder. Kieran Byrne took the penalty, but Carthy made a good save, diving to his right.

 

The classy Byrne was responsible for winning the penalty that led to Ashford’s fifth goal, in the 74^th minute. There were some murmurs from the home players that Kieran had taken a dive, but I think it was a good decision by the ref, as Kieran was brought down just inside the area. (That wasn’t the case, just a minute later, when Byrno did fool the ref into awarding a free-kick on the left touchline, but the resulting kick came to nothing). This time, Damien Abel took responsibility for the penalty, and expertly side-footed the ball into the net, sending the ‘keeper the wrong way, for 2-5.

 

Kieran Byrne was replaced by Sam Fisher, in the 78^th minute, after which Roddy Hayward became the next Ashford hero. A Lewisham corner, from the right, was headed down, at the far post, and Roddy made a great save, parrying a shot that was well struck, from about six yards. It looked like his effort was to be in vain, as the ball fell at the feet of a Lewisham striker, but Roddy dropped a paw on the follow-up, and halted the ball on the line.

 

Substitute Sam Fisher had a good chance to score his first goal for Ashford, in the 82^nd minute. After a move in which it looked like Ashford were determined to walk the ball into the net, Sam found himself inside the six-yard box, with just the ‘keeper to beat at the near post, but the angle was too acute, and the shot, from close range, deflected off Carthy’s body, to safety. However, the diminutive midfielder had a hand in Ashford’s sixth goal, in the 89^th minute. Fisher might have been angling for a penalty, as he dribbled the ball into the Lewisham box, but he was clearly knocked over, and the referee had no choice but to award the third penalty of the match. Damien Abel stepped up to the penalty mark, and it was a replica of his earlier goal, as he side-footed the ball into the vacant half of the goal, to complete his hat-trick.

 

Prior to this sixth goal, there was confirmation that the end of term is nigh, when Paul Chambers sent on first-choice goalkeeper Joe Mant as an outfield substitute, in the 83^rd minute. By my reckoning, Joe became the first dual-purpose Ashford player since centre-half Stuart Playford had a stint in goal during the 2005-6 season, conceding three goals in 17 minutes after he replaced Dave Wietecha, (who had already let in four). Happy days !  Well, I’m pleased to report that Joe appeared to be anything but a goalie, playing in a forward position, confirming what a good athlete he is.

 

The surprising news from elsewhere, today, was that the outfit formerly known as the seemingly invincible Phoenix Sports actually got turned over, just up the road, away to Bridon Ropes. This means that they lost their excellent unbeaten record in the league, in the 25^th match of 30. The other, not unconnected, news wafting around the Ladywell Arena, today, was that, contrary to previous announcements, there would be two clubs promoted from the Kent Invicta league, at the end of the season. With the near mathematical certainty that Phoenix Sports will finish in the top two, the Phoenix will certainly rise to the Kent League, now that their floodlights and other necessary facilities are in place. That leaves one place. I read somewhere that Hollands & Blair are close to having the required ground grading – but they have obviously not achieved the requirement by the stated March deadline. My own personal view, (and I stress that), is that Hollands & Blair will be awarded a place in the Kent League if the relevant powers decide to waive their own rules on this issue – otherwise, Ashford United FC is the next taxi on the rank.

 

We’ll soon know, as I gather that a decision is to be made very soon.

 

Seven Acre & Sidcup v Ashford United. Kent Invicta League. 16th of February 2013.

Seven Acre & Sidcup     0       Ashford United 1

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

 

 

Today, this Kent Invicta League odyssey took me to Sidcup, in South East London, for the game away to Seven Acre & Sidcup. This was the latest leg in the campaign to will our boys on to finish as high as possible in the KIL, in order to maximise our chances of gaining promotion to Step 5 of the non-league pyramid at the end of the season. We lay in third place, this morning, just a point behind Hollands & Blair. In a “normal” year, Ashford United’s current record of 42 points from 18 games – that’s an incredible average of 2.33 points per game – would probably be good enough to see them top the table. But this season has been like no other, with Phoenix Sports setting a cracking pace, with 17 wins and a draw from 18 games, and Blair have reeled off win after win, for what seems like months and months, now. Today’s game, against sixth-placed Sidcup, was the first of three very tricky-looking games for Ashford, all of them away, with Sutton United (5^th) and Bearsted (4^th) to come next. Points dropped in any of these matches might just make a top-two finish look very remote !

 

This week’s trip was made by public transport – a one hour and 52-minute journey costing £28 for a return ticket from Milton Keynes Central comparing favourably with using up half a tank of petrol queueing on the M25 and then crawling through South East London. London Bridge was the usual place to stop off for a salt beef bagel and a coffee – and as on the last occasion that I did this, the whole place was full of fans clad in the red & white of Arsenal, (the world’s most appropriately-named football club). I met just as many Arsenal fans on The Tube on the way back, and on the train going North out of Euston. All very glum-faced, and moaning and groaning, they were – which told me that their team had just been beaten at home by Blackburn, in The Cup. (I must say that I was surprised, and quite appalled, at the number of Gooners that actually stepped off at Milton Keynes !).

 

It’s just a 25-minute ride, through Sarf London, from London Bridge to Sidcup. The South Eastern Trains service passes close to Canary Wharf, which had been visible on a distant horizon from Crockenhill, just a fortnight ago. There is then a walk of about a mile – uphill – to the ground in Oxford Road, via Sidcup’s narrow High Street. This is the same ground that used to be home to Cray Wanderers, the world’s second-oldest football club. (Seven Acre & Sidcup FC was itself founded in 1900 – so is some 111 years older than Ashford United). Cray played here for 25 years, from 1973 to 1998. Their main reason for leaving was the lack of floodlights at Oxford Road, which became a breach of Kent League rules, and it remains very much a Step 6 ground today, lacking the turnstiles, seating and other facilities that are required for football at a higher level.

 

There is, however, a fairly large stand on one side, painted out in Seven Acre colours of red and black, which is tiered with four levels, and would accommodate more standing spectators than the 102 that attended today – our hosts’ largest crowd of the season. The only other covering available is a very low shelter with a corrugated roof, adjacent to the dug-outs, which I could just about walk through without bumping my head. A major feature of the ground is a substantial grassy bank behind the goal at the top end – and it is truly the “top” end, as it looks down on a pitch that has a steep slope that runs away from the changing rooms.

 

The pitch itself was very muddy, and difficult for the players, today. It was sticky and slippery, and wasn’t very different to the pony fields that bordered the pitch on two sides. It was actually quite amusing to see two muddy worlds co-existing side by side – a pony field in February and non-league football.

 

I’m sure that the pitch played a part in the day’s proceedings. It would be simplistic, and probably quite wrong, to describe the conditions as being a “leveller”, as Acres are a good side. However, the combination of the slope and the mud made the game fairly attritional, and there was never very much between the two sides – and there was never going to be the 5-2 scoreline that Ashford achieved in the corresponding game at Homelands, earlier in the season.

 

There were no surprises in the Ashford United line-up, which turned out in Paul Chambers’ new 4-2-3-1 formation – although new signing Ashley Porter was absent from his right-back position, with Sam Marsh being a more than adequate replacement. Luke Cuthbert was at left-back, as usual, with Ben Jordan and Roy Guiver in the centre. Lee Coburn, who had previously enjoyed an extended run of starts as one of three centre-backs, once again had to settle for a place on the bench. Ashford’s midfield is looking very strong these days, with Gary Clarke and skipper Ollie Finch the “sitters”, and Kieran Byrne (wide left), Adam Cuthbert and Gary Mickelborough (wide right) having the freedom to press forward in support of Mo Takaloo, in attack. There were three outfield players on the Ashford bench – Lee Coburn was joined by Richard Quigley and Sam Conlon – with goalkeepers Tom Carr and Mo Munden both named.

 

The Ashford line-up was completed by mascots Ben and Cameron Kennaird, aged 8 and 7, who did a great job in representing the Club, today. The boys accompanied the players out to the middle – before spending the rest of the afternoon with the ponies.

 

Ben and Cameron looked marginally older than the three officials that were in charge of the game. I’m sure that most of my shirts are older than today’s referee, but it must be said that all three had a pretty flawless game. The only remark I would make is that the eventual tally of yellow cards was quite high, considering that the game was played in a good spirit, and would never have been described as being “dirty” at any stage – ignoring the fact that everyone and everything was soon covered in mud.

 

One further gripe, before I get on with the business of the day - (cue: the sound of hobbyhorse hooves galloping into ear-shot). Seven Acre and Sidcup play in red & black shirts (sleeves reversed), black shorts and socks, so that, particularly from behind, they were dressed in pretty much identical kit to the three officials. If an Ashford player had worn black cycling shorts beneath his green shorts, which protruded by more than half an inch, he would have been told to change them. Am I the only person who finds this anomaly irritating ? 

 

Ashford played up the slope during the first half – but this wasn’t the only reason that they struggled to get out of their own half during the early exchanges, as the home side made a very positive start. As early as the fourth minute, the Ashford goal was put under pressure from a corner, on the left, when Sidcup’s Tom Gamblin put an inswinging cross right under Joe Mant’s crossbar – but Sam Marsh did well to head clear. In the sixth minute, Tony Ecuyer picked the ball up in the inside-left position, cut inside and sent in a fairly weak, right-footed shot, which went straight to Joe Mant. In spite of plenty of pressing from the home side, this was the last time that Joe was called upon to make a save in the first half, as the yellow & green defence dealt with all threats.

 

Ashford’s preferred mode of attack appeared to be the long ball into the Sidcup penalty area, particularly from free-kicks, with Roy Guiver galloping forward at every opportunity. There was a chance to implement this line of attack in the ninth minute, when Chris Steadman was late with a tackle on Kieran Byrne. Gary Clarke sent in a high free-kick, deep into the home side’s penalty area. The ball was scrambled away, and broke to Byrne, who shot over the bar. In the 15^th minute, the same player tried a diagonal shot from about 25 yards out, but his effort went just wide of the post, being helped on by goalkeeper Charlie Martin. Kieran was in inspired form, at this time, and, three minutes later, he found Gary Mickelborough, wide on the right, with a great cross-field ball. Kieran carried on, into the Sidcup penalty area, and received a return ball, but, once again, his shot went over the bar.

 

There was little to choose between the two sides in the opening 45 minutes. The home side arguably had a slight territorial advantage, concentrating their attacks down the left, but, judging by the nature of the encouragement that was coming from the Ashford bench, Paul Chambers was happy to concentrate on containment and the conservation of energy during the first half, with a downhill assault expected in the second period.

 

Gary Clarke again looked to be Ashford’s playmaker in midfield, and there were indications that Seven Acre & Sidcup recognised this too, as Gary appeared to be singled out for some harsh treatment at times. The first of a litany of yellow cards in the match was shown to right-back Jermaine Brown, in the 36^th minute, but this was probably more due to an accumulation of offences than to the severity of the foul that eventually led to his booking. Gary took a much harder knock, just seconds later – which did not result in a caution – and he received a yellow card himself, in the 39^th minute, presumably for something he said to the referee. In the 41^st minute, Sidcup skipper Tom Dennington was the latest player to go in late on Gary – causing the ref to show his yellow card once again.

 

So the players trooped off, up the hill, to the dressing rooms, at half time, with the game still goal-less.

 

Ashford made a more urgent start to the second half. In a moment that was out of character with a fairly dogged game, Adam Cuthbert, Gary Clarke and Kieran Byrne exchanged quick, neat passes on the edge of the Sidcup penalty area, and this resulted in a shot on target from Kieran Byrne, which goalkeeper Charlie Martin was required to save, diving to his right and getting safely behind the ball. However, it was Acres that had a more clear-cut chance, at the other end, in the 50^th minute. Shortly after Luke Cuthbert had seen a yellow card for a late tackle on Ecuyer, Joe Mant managed to fluff a goal-kick straight to No.9 Sam Prett. With nobody between him and the Ashford goal, Prett chugged on up the sticky hill – but the visiting defence soon crowded him out, to save Mant’s blushes. Within a minute, Prett was replaced by Anthony Fenech, evidently due to injury.

 

Gary Mickelborough was the next player to be booked – in the 53^rd minute, for a late, but hardly vicious, tackle – and, four minutes later, was the target for what had become Ashford’s main offensive weapon, namely an early Joe Mant punt, down the hill and into wide areas of the pitch. Mickelborough picked the ball up on the right wing, made it to the Sidcup by-line, and then pulled back a low cross, which found Mo Takaloo in the penalty area. This was to prove to be last week’s hat-trick hero’s only sniff of a chance, and his shot was blocked, at point-blank range, by the Sidcup defence. On the hour mark, Mickelborough was again sent off down the right wing – this time by an Ollie Finch throw-in – and he again found a yellow shirt with a low cross, but Adam Cuthbert’s first-time shot was always sailing over the bar.

 

A minute later, it was the home side’s turn to attack, and young Joe Mant was put under plenty of pressure from a deep cross from the right, but Joe just managed to finger-tip the ball behind for a corner. The resulting right-footed kick, from the left, from Tom Gamblin, who looked to be Sidcup’s best player, was too long.

 

As a gruelling game entered the 65^th minute, Paul Chambers decided that fresh legs were required, and he replaced Gary Mickelborough with the pace of Sam Conlon, on the right wing. But Ashford’s next chance came from the left-hand side of the pitch, just two minutes later. Roy Guiver, so often a potent weapon at set-pieces, lost his marker at Gary Clarke’s corner, but glanced his header just high and wide.

 

From the 68^th minute, Ashford had to endure a period of sustained pressure from the hosts. This began with a break down the left, from a goal-kick, but Marlon Thomas’s cross was blocked by the solid Sam Marsh. The resulting corner was met by a great header by centre-half Sam Hayes, and it needed a great save by Joe Mant, flying to his right, to prevent Sidcup from taking the lead. The corner was again from the left, and Joe dealt with it, with a good punched clearance – but the ball was fed back into the mixer, and Sidcup won a third corner, again on the left. This time, the cross was high and deep, and Joe palmed the ball out to the left-back area, where a free-kick was conceded. This was taken by Marlon Thomas, who whipped in an in-swinging cross, with his left foot. Adam Cuthbert made the clearance, at the near post.

 

So Ashford could breathe again. In fact, they did better than just breathe, as they then scored, in the 71^st minute – and this is certainly one for the Goals of Dubious Intention Panel, on Monday. After a patient build-up down the left side, the ball was played short to Kieran Byrne, on the corner of the penalty area. With the Ashford bench imploring him to get the ball into the area, he chipped the ball towards the far post, and it looped over Charlie Martin’s head, and settled in the far bottom corner of the net. The good number of Ashford fans present will log debate whether Kieran intended this as a cross, or an intelligent chip over the ‘keeper. I might be in the minority, but I’m sure that it was intended as a cross. To be fair to Byrnesy, it wasn’t a miss-hit. He was aiming for the far post, but I think the intention was for one or two Ashford players to converge on the ball and make it difficult for the ‘keeper. If there was, as I suspect, am element of good fortune about the goal, then it was no more than Kieran deserved, after a performance that included a great deal of effort, and plenty of quality.

 

What was not in doubt was the fact that Ashford had taken a vital lead, in a tight game – but that was not the end of the story, as Seven Acre & Sidcup really should have equalised, just five minutes later. Tom Gamblin attacked down the right wing, and Roy Guiver was unable to prevent him from getting in his cross. This was met by Tony Ecuyer, just six yards out, and with the whole of the goal in front of him. Joe Mant would have had no chance if Ecuyer had got his header on target, but he put his effort over the bar.

 

So maybe that was all there was in the game, where the pitch was very much the dominant factor – a slightly jammy goal at one end, followed by a bad miss at the other. It was certainly not the end of the day’s work for United’s players, as they then had to dig deep, to hang on to the one-goal lead, but they managed to do this fairly comfortably, using the usual tactics of holding the ball in the corner, drawing fouls from the opposition, etc.. The biggest scare came in the 79^th minute, from a corner, on the right. The in-swinging cross appeared to glance off the head of Roy Guiver, but Sam Conlon was in the right place, and cleared off the line.

 

Mo Takaloo had a very quiet game. In theory, the 4-2-3-1 formation should provide him with plenty of support, with three midfielders getting forward. Unfortunately, when those three become part of a five-man midfield that scraps away in the mud in the middle of the park, then Mo can be left as an isolated, one-up-front man – and I think that’s what happened today. Mo was replaced in this lone target man role by centre-back Lee Coburn, in the 80^th minute.

 

Richard Quigley replaced the hard-worked Kieran Byrne, in the 87^th minute, in a ploy that was clearly designed to run down the remaining time that was available. Because of several head injury stoppages during the course of the match, nearly six minutes of injury time were played – providing  time for Richard Quigley to pick up a yellow card during some skirmishing for possession near the corner flag, and for Sidcup’s Rob McMahon to get booked for a foul on Adam Cuthbert.

 

Eventually, the referee blew his whistle for the final time, and Ashford were grateful to have held on for a very important, and hard-earned three points. There was a brief period, that evening, when those of us who had checked the Kent Invicta League web-site for the Hollands & Blair result thought that Ashford had moved up to second place in the table, with an unlikely 4-0 win for Eltham Palace reported – but this turned out to be the cruellest of hoaxes, as the result should have been reported the other way around !  However, Paul Chambers and his team should be encouraged by the fact that Blair, Phoenix Sports and Bearsted all have to come to Oxford Road this season. As Ashford found out today, this is not an easy place to come and get a result.