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.