Corinthian v Ashford United. Southern Counties East League. 12th of March 2016.

Corinthian          1                

Ashford United  2

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

A week on, after the 1-4 victory over Fisher, Ashford travelled to 4^th-placed Corinthian, for a match that was expected to be a much sterner test for the lads. As Ashford returned from that win, they had every chance of winning the Southern Counties East League, but those hopes were dealt a withering blow on Tuesday night, with a shock 3-4 defeat at the hands of AFC Croydon Athletic, at Homelands. Those three points dropped, which ended a 100% run in the league that began before Christmas, was largely thanks to a mad six minutes during which the lads conceded three goals. It was therefore much to Ashford’s credit that they managed to bounce back with a win against a very good side, today.

This was actually my first visit to Gay Dawn Farm – and the first time that I had actually seen Corinthian play, strangely enough. Today was certainly very different to last Saturday’s trip to Dulwich, in deepest London. Corinthian play at a venue that has quite literally been built on a farm, just outside the village of Hartley, which is some seven miles to the south-east of Dartford. It’s a very pleasant setting, and, with the weather fairly mild and the match entertaining, this was a very enjoyable afternoon.

The pitch itself is excellent, and appears to sit in a shallow, green saucer, with a bank on one side that leads up to a very grand-looking manor house. Behind one goal is a row of fir trees, with a number of large, creosoted barns behind the other. The changing rooms are located in what looks like a converted house, with a first floor balcony and a number of seats arranged in front. There are also a couple of rows of seats under cover behind one goal. An unusual feature of a fairly quirky ground is the four shelters – which I swear are actually bus shelters - positioned at regular intervals along one side. I don’t know who Gay Dawn was, but Ron Billings, grandfather of cricketer Sam, has built a lovely facility on her farm.

The only complaint I have about our hosts’ facility is that there were no PA announcements, and no team sheet put up, that I could see – and the club’s Twitter account appears to have not been active since the 2^nd of March – so I have no idea, and no way of knowing, about who was playing for the home side, this afternoon. That means that this report will have a slightly lop-sided look about it, so I apologise for that.

Although I can identify few individuals, I can confirm that Corinthian were as they are reputed to be – a young and talented side that tries to play good football. Ashford also made their contribution to an entertaining match, which was open and fairly end-to-end for about three-quarters of its duration, before Ashford successfully closed things down for the final 20 minutes or so. All things considered, this was a much better performance by Ashford than the 1-4 victory over Fisher.

One person missing from the Ashford line-up today was regular captain Mickey Phillips, who has a knee injury – although he was part of a travelling support that appeared to be even more numerous and more vocal than usual. Mickey hopes that he will be fit to play next Saturday.

Pat Kingwell wore the captain’s armband this afternoon, with Manager Danny Lye alongside him in the centre of the defence, with Adam Cuthbert at right-back and Charles Dickens at left-back. Big George Kamurasi was in goal. In central midfield was the new pairing of Mikey Dalton and Ben Davisson, with Ryan Palmer on the left wing and Taser Hassan on the right. Ashford went for experience up front, with Shaun Welford and Paul Booth. Luke Cuthbert had a rare afternoon on the bench, alongside Chris Saunders, Josh Woolley, Savage George and Tom Fagg.  

Honours were fairly even for the opening ten minutes, and it was on the ten-minute mark that the first clear chance arrived. This came about as a result of Mikey Dalton losing the ball in the middle of his own half, which enabled Corinthian’s No.11 Michael Hagan to be put through on goal, but George Kamurasi did well to save his low shot.

Ashford were playing their fair share of good football, but things weren’t quite linking up in the final third of the pitch, and they had to wait until the 18^th minute for their first real chance. This came as a result of a free-kick being given, just outside the Corinthian penalty area, for a player’s foot being more than two feet off the ground. (The ref clearly thought that he officiating in a You Wafer Champions League match). With the kick being indirect, Ryan Palmer tapped the ball to Ben Davisson, who hit a low, hard shot just wide of the post. Three minutes later, Davisson hit a high cross into the penalty area, which Shaun Welford headed across the face of goal. An initial shot was blocked, and then Ryan Palmer picked up the rebound and hit a diagonal shot just wide.

The most prolific person on the pitch, today, was Referee Jair Guzman, who booked eight players in what was never a dirty or tetchy match. He also received complaints from players on both sides for taking so long over his lectures and his cautions, and appeared to be rather over-officious. However, what guaranteed that he would get particular stick from the Ashford faithful was that fact that seven of the eight yellow cards were shown to visiting players. Pat Kingwell had been the first of our boys to pick up a booking, in the 14^th minute, when he rather jumped into his opponent when challenging for a bouncing ball - with Mr Guzman missing the Corinthian player’s little kick-out in retaliation. Now, the ref yellow-carded Danny Lye, for what must have been an off-the-ball incident, (which I didn’t see).

The home side, playing in green & white hoops à la Celtic, took the lead in the 26^th minute, and the goal came about as a result of a flowing break from defence. This ended with Michael Hagan once again being put through on goal. George Kamurasi rushed out of his goal, and got plenty on the ball, but Hagan’s shot retained enough momentum to enable it to roll into the Ashford net. This means that Big George, as excellent as he has been, his season, has, so far, kept only three clean sheets, in 24 games.

The Hoops’ lead lasted for just four minutes. Shaun Welford attempted one of his Rory Delap-style throw-ins, from near the left corner flag, launching the ball into a crowd of players on the edge of the six yard box. A Corinthian player must have put the ball behind, because a corner was given. The resulting cross was floated towards the far post. The home goalie, being challenged in the air by Shaun Welford, got both palms to the ball, but was never in control of it, and merely helped it onto Welford’s head. The big No.9, who has scored a large percentage of his goals this season from headers, had no problem with helping the ball on its short journey to the corner of the net. Given how over-protective referees tend to be towards goalkeepers, there was a high probability that Guzman would disallow the goal – but he deserves credit for letting the goal stand.

In the 32^nd minute, one of the Corinthian centre-backs headed a corner comfortably over George Kamurasi’s bar, and there was a similar incident at the other end, in the 38^th minute, when Sean Welford, on the run, powerfully headed a Paul Booth corner just over.

As both teams continued to play decent football, at a good tempo, Adam Cuthbert led a break, in the 41^st minute. Picking the ball up in his own penalty area, after an opposition player seemed to stand on the ball, Adam carried the ball deep inside enemy territory. He laid it off to Ryan Palmer, on the left, who cut inside before getting in a good, right-footed shot – which the ‘keeper did well to gather, diving low.

But Palmer didn’t have long to wait to improve on that. In fact, he had the ball in the back of the net just four minutes later, with what has to be a candidate for Goal of the Season. Corinthian’s No.5, retreating towards his own goal, attempted to deal with a through ball that had been lobbed in from about the half way line. He merely managed to help the ball into the path of Palmer, who, before the ball touched the ground, leapt in the air and side-footed a volley over the goalie and into the corner of the net. It was a stunning goal, and one that had the Ashford fans beaming during the half time interval.

There were further problems for the home side during the course of the next few minutes, with their centre-forward and captain being yellow-carded on the stroke of half time, and their goalkeeper having to be replaced during the interval. They might also have gone further behind, in the 47^th minute, when Ben Davisson, (who was far more impressive today than he was against Fisher), put Paul Booth through with a good pass, but Boothy’s cross from the by-line was cut out by the newly-arrived goalkeeper.

In the 56^th minute, Shaun Welford thought he had a good case for a penalty. After a brief spell of Corinthian pressure, Taser Hassan won a corner, on the right, which he took himself. Welford just about managed to get his head to the resulting cross, with the ball falling at his feet. With his back to goal, he definitely received a little push in the back, which was enough to unbalance him, but never enough to persuade a referee to award a pen. Shaun was probably lucky to get away with not being booked for vehemently arguing the point with Mr Guzman – who had shown a yellow card to Mikey Dalton, for a fairly innocuous foul, just four minutes earlier.

Two minutes later, at the other end, it was Ryan Palmer’s turn to defend, and he did so at the expense of a corner. Apologising, once again, for the numbers game, the home side’s No.8 sent a low cross into the heart of the Ashford penalty area, that was neatly turned goalwards by The Hoops’ No.5, but Ashford’s No.1 made a good, low save.

In the 63^rd minute, a spell of Ashford pressure was relieved when Corinthian broke out of defence. With the four-man, yellow-shirted defence back-peddling and looking vulnerable, Charlie Dickens made sure that the danger was snuffed out, by body-checking the man in possession. He might have been merely doing what he has been coached to do, and he will have been applauded by the Ashford management and his team mates – but it was a cynical act, and the yellow card was as deserved as it was expected.

Ashford’s first substitution was made in the 64^th minute, with young Tom Fagg replacing a man who is approximately twice his age – Paul Booth. Five minutes later, there was then the very rare sight of Ryan Palmer being substituted, and this seems to have been a tactical move, with his replacement being Josh Woolley. It was nice to see Josh employed in a left-sided midfielder role, as it appears that this is a more natural position for him than left-back, where he has been deployed for most of the season. If the theory was that Josh would be better at tucking in and defending than Palms, then it’s probably fair to say that this ploy worked, as Ashford subsequently saw out the remainder of the game fairly comfortably. We do not have a side that naturally keeps possession for long periods of time, but the three points were secured by pinning The Hoops back inside their own half for the final quarter of the match.

So it just remains for me to complete the litany of yellow cards, which continued with Taser Hassan being booked, for a reason unknown to me, in the 71^st minute. That might have spoilt any joy that Taser might have felt for completing 90 minutes for Ashford for the first time since his début. Shaun Welford was booked for a foul, in the 87^th minute, when there was doubt about precisely how much contact he made with the player who hit the turf. Tom Fagg became the seventh man to see yellow, in the second minute of injury time, when he went in late on the Corinthian right-back, who had just cleared the ball upfield.

I cannot confirm whether a Referee’s Assessor was present today – but I know where my money would be, if anyone cares to give me odds……

Elsewhere, Greenwich Borough put Ashford’s mid-week defeat into context by beating our conquerors 0-6, in Croydon, and Hollands & Blair took three points from Homelands, with a 2-3 win over Canterbury City. So no change at the top in terms of points dropped, but I’d say that Ashford had the more difficult task of the three title contenders, this afternoon.

To give a brief mention of the elephant at the ground, namely the threat of a ten-point deduction for the Club as a result of going into receivership, I have to say that it has been quite remarkable how Ashford’s form on the pitch has not been affected by off-the-pitch goings-on. After Tuesday’s defeat, it would not have been a huge surprise if a few cracks in morale had begun to show this afternoon, and Corinthian are a good enough side to have exploited any weaknesses – but no sign of any crumbling so far.

Fisher v Ashford United. Southern Counties East League. 5th of March 2015.

Fisher        1                

Ashford United 4

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

After the glorious FA Vase run, with trips to Gateshead and Salisbury, it was back to the Southern Counties East Football League today – Fisher away, at Dulwich Hamlet’s Champion Hill Stadium. But this was not a return to the mundane routine, with fulfilling the season’s fixtures the one remaining objective, because Ashford United still have every chance of silverware this season. At the start of play today, Ashford had the incentive of knowing that they will win the league if they win their remaining twelve league games.

The last time I saw our boys play Fisher was in the 2003-04 season. In those days, we were Ashford Town and they were known as Fisher Athletic (London), and both clubs were in the Ryman League. The match took place in the 5,300-capacity Surrey Docks Stadium. Gary Abbott had just taken over as Player-Manager of Fisher – and we won 1-2. Fisher FC is now a very different outfit, ground-sharing at Champion Hill, but with designs on soon having their own stadium again.

The Fish are currently struggling a little, in the bottom third of the table.  With the greatest respect to them, I think it’s fair to say that they are a few classes below our previous two opponents, Dunston UTS and Salisbury – which is just as well, as Ashford did not set the world alight, this afternoon, in a performance that was very shoddy in places. In fact, none of the three teams out there today covered themselves in glory – and that includes Referee Ron Abbott and his two assistants, who copped dogs’ abuse from players, management and fans alike. That the visitors actually ran out comfortable victors, after an error-strewn game, is a reflection of the considerable gulf between the two sides.

It was disappointing not to see Gary Clarke on duty, this afternoon, after his recent return to the side after several months out with a knee problem – but that disappointment was made up for by the fact that young Tom Fagg was given what I’m sure must have been his first start in a league match for Ashford. Ciggy was partnered up front by Shaun Welford – and so could not have had a better tutor – with the service provided from wide areas by Taser Hassan on the right and Ryan Palmer on the left. Mickey Phillips was back, after a short injury break, to both captain the side and try to run things from central midfield; his partner in the centre was new signing Ben Davisson, making his third appearance for Ashford. The back five had a familiar look about it, with Big George Kamurasi in goal, Pat Kingwell and Luke Cuthbert in the centre, and Adam Cuthbert and Charles Dickens in the full-back positions.

The Ashford bench was exceptionally strong, consisting of Paul Booth, Jon Pilbeam, Chris Saunders, Mikey Dalton and Jack Healey. It was also good to see Josh Woolley accompanying the squad – he joined in with the kick-about with the sub.s at half time.

Champion Hill is one of my favourite away grounds. It has a large, brick-built main stand, which provides an elevated view of the pitch. It was a decidedly parky day today, with a chilly wind coming down from the north, but it was almost cosy in the shelter of the south-facing stand.

The light rain that accompanied me on my short walk to the ground from Denmark Hill Station had just about eased by the time the game started. I was interested to see how new-boy Ben Davisson would shape up in midfield – but his first act, in the opening minute, was to attempt a deft lay-off from a throw-in, but instead somehow managed to kick the ball out of the ground. Generally, Ben seemed to struggle in the early part of the first half – maybe this was down to nerves. However, he did set Shaun Welford up with the first chance of the match, as early as the second minute. Tom Fagg, wide on the left, fed the ball infield to Davisson, who sent in a deep cross to beyond the far post. Welford was unmarked and had a free header – but somehow managed to plant his header well wide of the post.

The Player-Assistant-Manager made amends just five minutes later, however, when he put Ashford ahead. Luke Cuthbert, who can be excluded from any criticism, given that he looked imperious at the back throughout the game, won the ball in the centre of the pitch and found Taser Hassan, near to the right touchline. Hassan sent in a deep cross which found Shaun Welford, again unmarked, in the penalty area. This time, Welford made no mistake, and headed the ball down, into the net – aided by the fact that Fisher goalkeeper Joel Hannington was rooted to the spot and made no attempt to dive for the ball.

Welford had another opportunity from a header in the 17^th minute, which did rather suggest that The Fish had a vulnerability in the air at the back. This time, the chance came from a free-kick, delivered by Mickey Phillips. The big Ashford centre-forward was barely challenged as he headed the ball down, but Hannington did well to save, on the goal line.

Up to this point, the play had been fairly scrappy, with little of merit from either side – but that was until the 19^th minute, when, suddenly, Ryan Palmer produced a moment of pure quality. Picking the ball up on the left flank, Palms played a speedy one-two with Tom Fagg, to give himself a sight of goal from some 22 yards out, and let fly with a screamer that went just over the angle of post and bar.

If Ashford were failing to impress in Fisher’s half of the field, they did, at least, appear to be very comfortable at the back – but the home side did create its first chance, in the 21^st minute. Centre-forward Shelton Gooden managed to slip past Pat Kingwell when running onto a through ball. Gooden checked, transferring the ball onto his right foot, but then shot straight at George Kamurasi. Suitably encouraged, the home side had an even better chance, just a minute later, when Kamurasi had to work a little harder to save a shot, from outside the penalty area, from Fish skipper Alfie Nunn. Diving to his right, George parried the ball as far as Chan Quan – who should have scored, but instead managed to dink the ball over the bar.

Aside from these chances, the Ashford defence also appeared to be determined to cause their own problems during this period. An example of this was in the 25^th minute, when a long back pass from Charles Dickens was a little too short, meaning that George Kamurasi was forced to come out of his penalty area. The ‘keeper’s first touch was a poor one, and he almost gave the ball straight to Chan Quan, but just managed to toe-poke the ball away from the Fisher No.10, with Pat Kingwell completing the clearance.

In the 27^th minute, The Fish were on the attack again, through Shelton Gooden, on the left. As before, he cut inside, showing a clear preference for his right foot, but his low shot was always going wide of the near post.

The home side also had a couple of corners, as the game entered its second quarter, so it was not a complete surprise when they equalised, although the goal actually came after a period of Ashford pressure. Mickey Phillips took a free-kick, from near the right-hand corner flag, after Shaun Welford had been floored by a late tackle by Fisher left-back Harry Bogden, (which earned Bogden a yellow card). Again, Welford managed to get on the end of the cross, but aimed his header straight at Joel Hannington.

It was when the play was immediately switched to the other end that Fisher equalised. A quick break enabled the home side to progress as far as the right corner flag, and the ball was pulled back to Chan Quan. He sent in a shot, from just outside the penalty area, that George Kamurasi did well to save, diving to his right, but Will Agbo was there to pick up the rebound. He calmly jinked inside an Ashford defender, before firing in from close range.

Agbo’s goal came in the 41^st minute, and that was how the score remained until half time. After a half in which both teams were poor, with many mistakes and misplaced passes, 1-1 was a fair enough reflection of what we had seen.

The visitors began the second half on the front foot, with captain Mickey Phillips having a chance in the 49^th minute. This came about from a clearance from Charlie Dickens, which Shaun Welford ran onto, down the left flank. Welford found Phillips inside the Fisher penalty area, but the skipper’s shot was deflected wide.

The turning point of the game came just a minute later, when Ashford retook the lead, in very controversial circumstances. Taser Hassan took a corner, on the right, and Pat Kingwell met the ball with a downward header that fell into the path of Ryan Palmer, whose shot was blocked, for another corner. Again it was Taser Hassan with the kick, and, this time, the outcome was a scramble in the Fisher six-yard box. From the halfway line, seven rows back, it appeared that the ball at least went very close to going in, and then it ricocheted down off the crossbar, before being cleared. Play continued for a few seconds, but then the Ashford players began to celebrate, as the lino on the stand side had indicated that the ball had crossed the line.

The result was prolonged arguments on the touchline, involving the said lino and half a dozen of Fisher’s players, led by goalkeeper Joel Hannington. I have to say that the vehement protests had the appearance of certainty about an injustice. On the other hand, the lino was right on the spot, being positioned for the corner, and so must have been in a good place to see. There was also considerable doubt about the identity of the goal scorer, with the man on the excellent PA system admitting that he had no idea. The best information that I have been able to get since the game is that it was Charlie Dickens’ goal.

What is not in dispute is that Ashford were back in the lead, and the home side showed few signs of getting back into the game after this.

Danny Lye made a double substitution in the 55^th minute, with Paul Booth and Mikey Dalton replacing Tom Fagg and Ben Davisson. As the number boards were raised, to inform the crowd of the change, some wag, (obviously a Fish fan), shouted: “You’re off, lino !”.

Ten minutes later, Fisher made their first change, with Deshane Dalling replacing Max Rothwell.

With their collective nose in front, the visitors started to take some semblance of control. After a probing period of pressure, around the hour mark, Shaun Welford, after combining well with Paul Booth, sent in a cross from the right. This found Mickey Phillips, about eight yards from goal, who chested the ball down to Ryan Palmer, but Palms hit the ball straight at the ‘keeper, from close range.

Fisher’s Danny McKone came on for Daniel Lawson, in the 68^th minute, and tried an ambitious shot, from just outside the Ashford area, just two minutes later, but his effort was always going too high.

In the 71^st minute, home goalie Joel Hannington made a hash of things after coming well outside of his area to clear, with the ball falling to Paul Booth. With the goal unguarded, Booth might have tried a lob for glory, but, instead, he carried the ball forward. He beat three Fisher players, but was forced wide, out to the right, as he did so. Nevertheless, he managed to send in a deep cross to Shaun Welford, at the far post, who calmly nodded the ball down, into the net.

With Chris Saunders replacing Taser Hassan in the 75^th minute, it appeared to be a case of how many Ashford could score – although Shelton Gooden did have a chance in the 79^th minute, running onto a ball in the penalty area, just ahead of Pat Kingwell, before shooting wide, from an acute angle. A minute later, though, the home side made a complete mess of an attempt to take a free-kick quickly, with Mikey Dalton pouncing and putting Ryan Palmer through on goal. Palmer was cynically chopped down, when in full flight, by centre-back Rob Curtis, who had already been showing some signs of frustration. He received a yellow card for that, when a different ref might have viewed the incident as a red card offence.

Ashford’s fourth goal, coming in the 85^th minute, rather typified the overall performance, in as much as it was born of errors, but still the ball found its way into the Fish net. Pat Kingwell conceded a corner, on the right, and George Kamurasi, coming to claim the resulting cross in a crowded penalty area, rather flapped at the ball, with both hands. Somehow, the ball went about a foot in the air and then plopped into George’s hands. He then rolled the ball out to Adam Cuthbert, who initiated a break. Paul Booth was the obvious candidate for the through ball, and he was using all of his experience, delaying his run so as to avoid being caught offside. When Adam eventually fed the ball forward, it was too late, as Booth was stationary, having aborted his run. Nevertheless, the pass still found Ryan Palmer, at which point there was no doubt as to the outcome. Palms took a touch to push the ball wide of the goalkeeper, and then his second contact rolled the ball into the net.

As tiredness crept in, and gaps appeared in the home side’s half of the field, Ashford might have ended up with five or six goals, but 1-4 was the final score.

All of the Ashford players received a good ovation from the fans and Management who gathered at the players’ tunnel at the end of the game – but the loudest and most prolonged applause was for Ron Abbott and his two linos. I report that without further comment, and you can make of that what you will………

It would be churlish to describe this as “a bad 4-1 win”, but the lads will need to buck their ideas up before travelling to 5^th-placed Corinthian, next Saturday, as they will present a far sterner test. Two previous games against The Hoops have produced two 1-1 draws, with the most recent of these being the Kent Senior Trophy semi-final, which Ashford won on penalties, so that will not be an easy fixture.