Hollands & Blair v Ashford United. Kent Senior Trophy Semi Final. 1st of March 2014.

Hollands & Blair    0       Ashford United 1

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

 

 

This was a big day. It certainly was for young Ben and Cameron, two loyal Ashford supporters who were mascots for the day, to celebrate Ben’s 10^th birthday – but it was also the occasion of the semi-final of the Spire Alexandra Hospital Kent Senior Trophy. Hollands & Blair versus Ashford United – the visitors’ first cup semi-final – with the winner to meet either Fleet Leisure, of the Kent Invicta League, or Beckenham Town, in the final. This was also a tie that attracted plenty of interest from neutral fans of Kent football, with the leaders of the Kent Invicta League taking on the leaders of the Southern Counties East Football League.

 

At a more micro level, this was also Installment Two of the Kent Invicta League Old Boys’ Reunion, after Ashford’s quarter-final victory against Phoenix Sports, in this competition, last week. Both Blair and Phoenix were consistently better than us during our two seasons in the Invicta League, so these two ties could be used as a useful yardstick of the progress that Ashford had made since being promoted to the SCEFL. There was also every prospect of Hollands & Blair providing a stern test for Ashford. There was never a question of Blair taking up the mantle of extreme underdogs in this contest, given that they won the Trophy in 2012, and would undoubtedly hold their own in the SCEFL, if it were not for the glass ceiling created for them by the ground grading rules. They had also managed to get past two SCEFL teams, in Greenwich Borough and Corinthian, on their way to this semi-final. With a league record, so far this season, of 15 wins from 17 games, today’s match-up with Ashford was always going to be Hollands and Blair’s opportunity to validate themselves, and pit themselves against higher-league opposition.

 

For anyone unfamiliar with our hosts today, Hollands & Blair is a team based in Gillingham. So it was a change of route for me; instead of taking the Northern Line to London Bridge, it was a short walk to St Pancras Station, and then the fast, direct train through Ebbsfleet and Gravesend, and onto Gillingham. The railway station is in the centre of the town, and so I had a 25 minute walk through grim streets, past Priestfield Road, (the one with the big football ground at the end of it), and then on to Star Meadow Sports Ground, which is on the A2. I was paying attention, but I was unable to tell which was the posh area of Gillingham.

 

Star Meadow is notable for a pitch that has a pronounced slope, down to the main road, which is quite remarkable, even by non-league standards. The surface looked in good condition, considering the amount of rain that everywhere has had, in recent weeks and months, but it was to become rather bumpy as it cut up. Having said that, it was a bonus that the game took place at all, with plenty of matches postponed, this afternoon – including the other Kent Senior Trophy semi-final, which was due to have been played just across the Medway, at Fleet Leisure’s ground, in Strood.

 

Development of Star Meadow has so far been confined to two sides of the oblong, with a very nice bar with picnic benches outside, and a children’s play area, behind one goal, and a dressing room complex and training area along one side. In front of the training area was a small set of seats – undoubtedly a sign of the football club’s efforts to secure a deserved promotion to the SCEFL for next season. Unfortunately, this seating was not yet available for spectators, much to the chagrin of one or two of Ashford’s more senior followers. Well, who needs a seat, when you have a perfectly serviceable walking stick ?

 

To add to the game’s edge, the Hollands & Blair line, this season, is being led by former Ashford Town striker Rob Denness. I remember Rob, (Denness the Menace), as a teenager, when he played at Homelands during the 2007-8 season. He always looked exceptionally strong for his age, but appeared to fail to make the grade, scoring just five goals, at a rate that was not quite as good as one in every four games. Rob was obviously going to be up for this one, and has been going well, this season, with 20 goals in all competitions. (His strike partner, James McDonald, is just one ahead of him, with 21). Another familiar face in the home side’s line-up was that of Nick Smith, who played for Ashford Town in that club’s final season, (2009-10), scoring a couple of goals. Smith started the game on the bench, today.

 

The Ashford side contained the three new signings from Ryman League side Hythe Town – Dave Cook, Pat Kingwell and Ronnie Dolan, the latter having arrived during the week. These signings must be seen as a major sign of intent from The Management at United, as all three are serious players. Ronnie returns to us after having also appeared for Ashford Town during that 2009-10 season, before being snapped up by Hythe Town, and then by Hastings United. Ronnie played on the left of a midfield quartet which also included captain Gary Clarke, Dave Cook and Adam Cuthbert. I was pleased to see that Pat Kingwell was deployed in central defence, this afternoon, after not being over-impressed with seeing him plodding around up front last Saturday. He looked to be much more in his natural habitat, alongside Liam Whiting, Luke Cuthbert and Kieran Byrne, and was a commanding presence in Ashford’s back four. Paul Chambers employed a genuine 4-4-2 formation, which had Buster Smissen and Sam Conlon as twin strikers. There was also a very strong bench for Chambo to call upon, which included Jimmy Dryden, Gary Mickelborough, Ollie Finch and Sam Fisher, as well as substitute goalie Jon Sparkes.

 

Unquestionably the hero of Ashford’s quarter-final victory, goalkeeper Joe Mant was guilty of dropping a clanger as early as the eighth minute, when his throw-out went straight to a man in a red shirt. The ball was spread wide, and Dave Cook had to come across to head the resulting cross clear, from inside his own six-yard box. Young Joe was again less than convincing when he came out to punch away the cross from the corner, and the ball only went as far as a clearly motivated Rob Denness, on the edge of the penalty area. The Menace cut inside, transferring the ball onto his left foot, but he tamely pulled his shot well wide of the post.

 

In spite of this early scare, Ashford, for the second time in as many weeks, managed to take an early lead. After Blair’s Tom Michelson collected an early yellow card, for a foul on the left touchline, Adam Cuthbert took the free-kick, sending a long, looping cross into the home side’s goal mouth. There was an almighty scramble in front of James Smith’s goal, and the ball was somehow bundled over the line, with Gary Clarke getting the credit for having the final touch.

 

Within a couple of minutes, Ashford were on the attack again, in the shape of Ronnie Dolan. The returning Dolan began his run from just inside the Hollands & Blair half, and continued all the way to the by-line, whereupon he sent in a good cross – but Sam Conlon was unable to make enough contact to put the ball into the net. Then, in the 14^th minute, Dave Cook, who again seemed to play in a very deep role, sent the ball into the far corner. I think it was Sam Conlon who chased down the pass, and sent in a cross that found Buster Smissen, in the penalty area. Smissen, who has scored eleven goals, so far, this season, struck his shot cleanly, but straight at goalkeeper James Smith, who was able to push the ball away for a corner. This resulted in a well-rehearsed Ashford set-piece, with Kieran Byrne pulling the ball back to Liam Whiting, who was advancing from the half-way line. This immediately evoked memories of the absolute screamer that Liam scored, into the same goal, with Ashford kicking down the slope, in last season’s league fixture here. This was not an easy move to execute, as the surface was already a little uneven, but Liam kept his eye on the ball, and struck it cleanly – but wide of the post.

 

It was at this time, with Ashford stroking the ball around, that there was a brief glimpse of a scenario where a Ryman-ready SCEFL side might outclass the Kent Invicta outfit – but this never actually panned out, and, for the remainder of the match, there was never very much between the two teams, with Joe Mant being the busier of the two ‘keepers. That said, this was a much better performance from Ashford than last week, when they certainly would not have overcome Phoenix Sports if it had not been for the heroics of Joe Mant. Although the SCEFL leaders never fully took control of the game, they held Blair at bay fairly comfortably. The defence looked solid, with Pat Kingwell clearing just about every airborne threat with his head, and, when the ball got through the defensive cover, the home side found that young Joe was once again in fantastic form.

 

Nevertheless, the Blair faithful can point to a number of incidents that might have fallen in their favour, including a loud shout for a penalty in the 17^th minute. After a Pat Kingwell tackle on Rob Denness had resulted in a corner, Mant made two attempts to punch away the cross which then came in from the right. Neither effort achieved the necessary distance, and a shot from just inside the penalty box slammed into an Ashford defender – but with such pace that the award of a penalty would have been very harsh.

 

This afternoon’s referee – no names, no pack drill – certainly did not lack the courage of his convictions, and was quite prepared to make a big decision, backing his own judgement, in the process. Ashford captain Gary Clarke found this out, to his cost, in the 24^th minute, when he took a tumble, under a challenge, in a very innocuous position near the touchline, just inside the Blair half. This appeared to be a straightforward case of Gary using his experience to win a free-kick, but the referee thought he had taken a dive, and so immediately showed Clarke a yellow card. Seconds later, there was another important decision for the official to make, when Rob Denness went down in the Ashford penalty area, after a challenge from Pat Kingwell. In fairness to the referee, he was right on the spot, and my impression is that this was probably the correct decision. Of course, nobody but The Menace was going to take the penalty – but he was up against a ‘keeper who must, by now, almost expect to save penalties. Denness struck his shot firmly, low, to Joe’s right – but nobody who had been at the Phoenix game last Saturday will have been surprised to see the ‘keeper get down to make a fairly comfortable save.

 

Still the action, with a fair bit of controversy, continued, with Ashford immediately launching a counter-attack which seemed to end with Sam Conlon being brought down by home goalie James Smith. It seemed to be a straightforward decision for the referee to award a penalty to the visitors – but he instead booked Conlon for diving !  He consulted his lino, but his decision remained unaltered.

 

The play continued to be fairly even, for the remainder of the half, with Dave Cook putting Adam Cuthbert through in the inside-right channel, in the 30^th minute, only for Adam to slice his shot high and wide. Five minutes later, Blair defender Bryan Greenfield seemed surprised that the other linesman had spotted him handling the ball, whilst trying to control it, under no pressure – after which Kieran Byrne made a hash of the free-kick. At the other end, in the 37^th minute, the home side’s Michelson put James McDonald through, in the inside-right position; the angle seemed to dictate that McDonald would cross the ball, but he instead hit a firm shot at goal, which brought another brilliant save out of Joe Mant.

 

With about a minute to go before half time, Blair left-back Greenfield got himself needlessly booked for a late tackle on Sam Conlon – it’s true that Sam was too quick for him, but the former Hythe Town striker was going away from goal, and there was no immediate danger. Again, however, Kieran Byrne disappointed with the free-kick, hitting the ball straight to the ‘keeper. There was still time for a Hollands & Blair counter-attack, down the right flank, and Dave Cook had to be alert and come across with a covering tackle.

 

The second half began with a very scrappy few minutes, for both sides, with very little being created. The only attempt at goal, at either end, was a very optimistic long shot from Bryan Greenfield which sailed well over the bar. Greenfield was, however, involved in a much more constructive move, on the hour mark, when he combined well with Rob Denness, down the Blair left flank. Greenfield sent in a good cross, which was met by the head of Tom Michelson, but Joe Mant was able to make a comfortable catch, just beneath his crossbar. A minute later, Ashford’s Adam Cuthbert, returning from a three-game suspension, made a chance for himself through sheer persistence in the tackle, in midfield. He struck a firm shot which wasn’t too far wide of the angle between post and bar. Soon after this, a high, hopeful punt upfield from Liam Whiting descended vertically upon Buster Smissen and his marker, just inside the Blair area. The Ashford No.9 did well to turn his man, to create an excellent opportunity for himself, but he rather hurried his shot, and scuffed the ball wide.

 

There was a substitution for each side, in the 65^th minute, with Ollie Finch replacing Adam Cuthbert, for Ashford, and Blair Manager Paul Piggott replacing centre-forward James McDonald with Ashford old boy Nick Smith – but it was full-back Bryan Greenfield who came close to equalising, for the home side, just three minutes later. This opportunity came from a free-kick, awarded just outside the “D”, after Ronnie Dolan had, needlessly, it seemed, pushed over Louis Vallencia. Greenfield could not have struck the ball more sweetly, or with more accuracy, as it described an arc towards the top corner of the net – but Joe Mant came flying across his goal, and flipped the ball away with his left hand. I think the modern term for a save like that is a “worldy”. Whatever it’s called, it denied Greenfield a goal that his strike had really deserved. It should have been a goal, and the Blair No.3’s slumped shoulders told the true story of the quality of the save.

 

But the Joe Mant Show was not yet over. Whilst the save from the free-kick was probably the moment of the match, drawing sustained applause from the majority of the crowd of 166, the save that Joe made just three minutes later, from Louis Vallencia, was, in its way, almost as good. The Blair No.11 cut in from the left, moving the ball onto his right foot, and let fly with a low shot that was heading just inside the far post. I am sure that the ‘keeper was unsighted by a couple of players just inside his penalty area, as he was late to react, but still managed to make the save, diving low to his left.

 

Jimmy Dryden made an appearance, from the bench, in the 73^rd minute, replacing the hard-working Buster Smissen, and Liam Stone replaced Billy Johnson, for Hollands & Blair, just seconds later, as the home side finished the match doing the majority of the pressing – but with the ever-present threat, now, of Ashford hitting them on the break, to seal the match and a place in the Kent Senior Trophy Final. The visitors came close to doing just that in the 78^th minute, when Ronnie Dolan found Jimmy Dryden, free, on the left. The angle was acute, but Dryden usually seems to be a natural striker of the ball, and his firm shot brought a good save from James Smith.

 

The two managers made their final substitution, soon after, with Paul Piggott replacing Rob Denness with Asa Doe, in the 80^th minute, and Paul Chambers sending on Gary Mickelborough for Sam Conlon, in the 84^th minute – and Jimmy Dryden had another shot at goal, in the 86^th minute, but, this time, he was off balance, and his effort was always going well over the bar.

 

With about a minute still to play, there were ironic cheers from the large contingent of Ashford fans, as substitute Asa Doe appeared to have been brought down, on the right flank – but, in an incident that mirrored Sam Conlon’s booking earlier in the afternoon, Doe was booked by the ref for diving. A minute later, the home side’s frustration was compounded when the lino flagged against a Blair player for a foul throw, his explanation being that one foot had been raised from the ground. (I thought that was only in snooker).

 

Two minutes into added time, Jimmy Dryden had another chance to seal victory. In another break away move, Gary Mickelborough fed the ball forward to Ronnie Dolan, who, in turn, found Dryden in space, in the penalty area, but Jimmy’s well-hit shot was again well saved by James Smith.

 

So a hard-fought 1-0 victory it was, as Ashford United’s first semi-final led to the new club’s first final. That final will be played on Sunday, the 13^th of April, at Tonbridge Angels’ Longmead Stadium.

 

It wasn’t a scintillating victory for Ashford, and the winning goal didn’t hit the back of the net with a thump, but Paul Chambers and his squad nevertheless deserve a great deal of credit for overcoming a very good side, on a difficult pitch, and for reaching the final of this competition in spite of having a difficult draw in just about every round. It might be argued that, in the absence of Whyteleafe and Tunbridge Wells, Erith Town, Phoenix Sports and Hollands & Blair were the best opponents that Ashford could have drawn, and they somehow beat all three on the way to the final.

 

Elsewhere, Whyteleafe’s 0-7 victory at Lordswood rather put Ashford’s task in the league into perspective. It is anybody’s guess as to who will come out on top when the two teams eventually meet, home and away, this season – but getting to the final of the Trophy is a notable and tangible success that can be chalked up for our rapidly developing club.