Whyteleafe 1
Ashford United 1
from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent
After the
disappointment of last Saturday’s game, away to Molesey, being called off due
to waterlogging – which came as no surprise, given the dreadfully wet spring
that we have had – it was a relief that today’s fixture was at a ground with an
artificial pitch. Today we travelled to Church Road, Whyteleafe, in leafy,
commuter belt Surrey. A ground in a very quaint, apparently rural, setting,
surrounded by trees, and just up the road from the church.
Like Molesey,
Whyteleafe are old friends from our previous Isthmian League existence. The
‘Leafe joined the Isthmian in 1984, and were at this level for nearly 30 years,
before being relegated to what was then still called the Kent League, (by some
quirk of the nonleague boundary system), for the 2012-13 season. However, they
didn’t stay at Step 5 for long, gaining promotion back to the Isthmian at the
second attempt, from what had been renamed the Southern Counties East League.
Since that promotion, they have re-established themselves at this level fairly
comfortably, achieving fifth in their ‘honeymoon’ season, followed by more
familiar finishes of 15th and 14th in the past two
seasons.
In all, we have been in
the same league as Whyteleafe for seven seasons, not including this one – in
the Isthmian for the final six years of Ashford Town’s existence, and then in
the SCEFL when we were runners-up during ‘Leafe’s championship-winning season.
But, somehow, it seems that the two clubs have had a closer association than
that. This is probably because, during those seven seasons of league opposition,
the two teams have been quite closely matched. Apart from that season in the
SCEFL, when, admittedly, Whyteleafe did finish a comfortable 11 points ahead of
us, the clubs both tended to struggle a little in the lower half of the
Isthmian South. Also, of course, ‘Leafe are members of the Green & White
Fellowship.
Mrs MKC and I rarely
missed one of those Whyteleafe-Ashford Town matches - if any. Looking at my
report on the last of those games, which took place in early January 2010, I am
reminded that Steve Lovell’s side started the match bottom of the (then) Ryman
League Division 1 South, no fewer than six points adrift of Eastbourne Town.
Thanks to a goal from a young Laurence Harvey and a penalty by Mitch Sherwood,
we managed to come away from Church Road with a valuable point, after a 2-2
draw. It could have been a lot better than that, but we were forced to hang on
a little, after Nick Smith got himself sent off in the 56th minute.
(In those days, Whyteleafe’s Manager was called Chuck Martini – which provided
the opportunity for the traditional Leonard Rossiter joke).
Whyteleafe started
today’s match in eighth place in the league, a really good mid-season run
having taken them to the verge of a play-off position, (the play-offs, this
season, will include teams finishing as low as either sixth or seventh – don’t
ask !). Ashford United, on the other hand, look unlikely to improve on their
current position of 22nd in the table, but, as has been well
documented, the sole priority for The Management at the moment is to build a
squad for Gary Alexander to go to war with next season.
Last Saturday, the lads
came back to form, after a run of four consecutive defeats, with a 3-1 win at
home to Faversham Town. That was by no means a surprising result. Firstly, after
a few games when we had been left looking very threadbare due to injuries and
suspensions, sometimes failing to fill the subs bench, the squad on Saturday
had a much more complete look about it. Not only did we have a full set of five
substitutes, including a goalkeeper, but we also saw the return of key players
such as captain Pat Kingwell and the experienced Dave Cook. The other reason
why the three points came as no surprise is that we were playing at home last
week, and our home form has been different gravy to an away record that had,
before today, consisted of 16 defeats and four draws from 20 games. In fact, a
league table counting home games only would see us in 15th place.
I am pleased that the attractive
Church Road ground hasn’t changed a bit in the eight years since my last visit –
apart from the 3G pitch, of course. Like all artificial surfaces, it looked
immaculate, but I was slightly surprised to note that the pitch had retained
its typical nonleague slope. All of the other plastic pitches that I have seen
have been fairly flat.
One thing that I do
envy Whyteleafe for is their kit this season, as they have clad themselves in
the ‘classic Ashford Town’ colours of white shirts, green shorts and white
socks. The kit invariably worn in the mid-1970s by our greatest ever side. The
likes of Peter Sillett, Bobby Laverick and Alan Morton wore those colours. It’s
probably something genetic, but I constantly had to remind myself that our lads
were the ones playing in yellow, this afternoon.
And so the longest
pre-season programme in history continued, and the good-sized contingent of Ashford
fans (yet again) could not have wished for a better start, as Dean Grant put
the Nuts & Bolts ahead in next to no time. I don’t have an accurate timing
for the goal, but it came no more than 20 seconds after Whyteleafe kicked off,
and I strongly suspect that it is Ashford’s quickest ever goal. It was also really
well executed by Dean, who has looked quality every time I have seen him.
Chasing a long, bouncing ball from the back, he arrived ahead of Whyteleafe
goalkeeper Shiekh Ceesay, knocking the ball high over the ‘keeper’s head, one
bounce, into the net. That’s Dean’s sixth goal of the season, in his 11th
appearance.
And Deano was true to
the song that rose from the Ashford faithful, as he was indeed on fire, at this
time, coming close again, in the sixth minute. After the home side had
carelessly given the ball away in midfield, Will Thomas sent a long, diagonal
ball towards Grant, who, from his position to the left of the penalty area,
curled a shot that was heading just under the crossbar – only for Ceesay to tip
the ball over, with a great save.
Dean Grant was
partnered in attack, today, by Joshua Oyinsan, as he had been in Saturday’s win
over Faversham. A professional Paul Pogba look-alike, Josh had emulated the
France international by adding a blue streak to his hair alongside the amber
streak he/they already had. I am definitely having mine done like that the next
time I go to the barber’s ! The
versatile Will Thomas played in central midfield, alongside Dave Cook. Siao
Blackwood was on the left side of midfield, and it was good to see Clark
Woodcock given another start, wide on the right. The back four, in front of Big
George Kamurasi, consisted of Pat Kingwell and Jahmal Howlett-Mundle in central
defence, with Ola Williams at right-back and George McLennan at left-back.
A slight worry is that
we were looking a little thin on the bench again, with just the three outfield
players available as subs: Jon Difford, Brandon Williams and Malachi Robinson.
Following the opening Dean
Grant-inspired burst, the visitors settled down and looked pretty much in
control for the early part of the first half. Throughout the game, Whyteleafe
never looked like a team playing for a play-off place, but, as the late, great
Brian Clough once said: “They played as well as they were allowed to play,
(young man)”. The home side’s chances were few, early on, and amounted to a
long-range shot that was well wide from Tommy Hutchings, in the eighth minute, a
shot across the face of goal from Tom Pearson, in the 12th minute,
when he had, rarely, been put through on goal behind the Ashford defence, and a
weak shot by William Hutton, after 20 minutes, which was easily saved by George
Kamurasi.
In fairness, Ceesay, in
the Whyteleafe goal, also had little to do at this time, with nothing that
Ashford tried when moving forward coming to fruition. That was until the 25th
minute, when Ola Williams and Clark Woodcock did combine successfully down the right
flank. This resulted in a Clark Woodcock cross, which Josh Oyinsan was unable
to get on top of with his header.
Today’s referee was not
shy about blowing his whistle – (well, what else would he do with it ?) – but the
first free-kick that he awarded to Ashford came in the 30th minute.
(I’m just saying).
Dave Cook was just off
target with a shot from about 20 yards, in the 32nd minute, but it
was Whyteleafe who began to assert more and more as the half progressed. Dominating
the central midfield area, they pressed forward, with George Kamurasi having to
deal with a couple of dangerous crosses, and the solid yellow defence blocking
several attempted shots. Dave Cook was yellow-carded, during this defensive
effort, in the 36th minute. A harsh booking, I felt, for what was no
more than a regulation foul.
It was not until the 41st
minute that the visitors broke free and launched an attack of their own – and this
was thanks to a great piece of individual skill from Siao Blackwood. He turned
his fellow No.8, William Hutton, and his run took him well inside the
Whyteleafe penalty area. There were hopeful appeals for a penalty as he crashed
to the ground, but to no avail – and that ‘success’ we had in the 30th
minute turned out to be the only free-kick that was awarded to us during the
first half. (I’m just saying – that’s all). Three minutes later, Siao again
demonstrated his skills, controlling the ball well on his chest before turning
and shooting, but his shot went well wide.
The half ended with
Tommy Hutchings on the ground and looking to be in a great deal of pain, with
what looked to be a knee injury. He took the field in the second half, but was
soon replaced by Joey Taylor, in the 48th minute.
There was little action
to speak of at all during the first 30 minutes of the second half. This was
partly due to Ashford having a measure of control, and seeming very happy to
pass the time of day with a 0-1 lead – but there were also a few lengthy delays
due to injury, mostly to Whyteleafe players. One of these breaks occurred in
the 64th minute, when Tom Pearson lay on the deck, motionless, for
several minutes. Eventually, he was helped to his feet and was assisted up the
steep flight of steps to the dressing room, behind the goal and adjacent to the
main stand at Church Road. He was replaced by Chester Clothier, who, if nothing
else, has a cracking name.
Any neutrals in the
ground might have considered asking for a refund on half of their entrance fee,
but, for the Ashford faithful, everything appeared to be going in a
satisfactory manner, with United’s first away win of the season, and a first
clean sheet since the arrival of Gary Alexander as Assistant Manager (and Big
George’s return to the side) both seemingly well within reach.
Kamurasi wasn’t seriously
tested until the 69th minute, when he made an important double-save –
first from right-back Bradley Simms, who shot from well inside the penalty
area, and then from William Hutton (I think), who was unable to turn in the
rebound.
Soon after, Josh Oyinsan
had a sight of goal, but sliced his shot well wide, and it was the home side
that had the next genuine chance. This was in the 74th minute, and
came about as a result of a great solo effort from centre-forward Vance Bola,
who had been kept fairly quiet up to this point. Slaloming his way between
Ashford defenders, he managed to beat at least four of them, before George
Kamurasi came out to save his eventual shot, from point blank range.
When Jason Whitmore
made his first substitution, replacing Clark Woodcock with Malachi Robinson, in
the 77th minute, it appeared that the visitors just needed to
continue to hold things steady in order to take all three points. But it was
not to be. Whyteleafe equalised in the 80th minute, and this was as
a result of Ashford conceding yet another penalty. Again, it was Vance Bola who
was involved. This time, he ran onto a loose ball, well inside the penalty
area, after a shot was blocked by an Ashford defender. There is little doubt
that the award of a penalty was the correct decision by the referee, as Big
George rather clumsily bundled Vance over, near his six-yard line. There was
also no doubt about the manner in which the penalty was taken, as Sam Clayton
fairly smashed the ball into the net, giving George no chance.
One slightly distasteful
aspect to the penalty incident is that Whyteleafe’s Bentley Graham appeared to
be very strongly lobbying the ref to send George off, but no card was shown.
One possible explanation for this is that, according to www.footballwebpages.co.uk, the
Ashford goalie had been shown a yellow card in the 69th minute,
which I must confess I had not seen.
So that was the clean
sheet up in smoke, and, given that Ashford had created very few chances since
taking an early lead, there appeared to be little hope of the visitors coming
back to claim that elusive first away victory in the league. However, a game
that had been fairly dull since the opening 20 seconds did actually spring to
life for the final five minutes, plus some ten minutes of injury time. First, in
the 85th minute, Dean Grant received the ball in the Whyteleafe
penalty area, with his back to goal. The ball broke to Josh Oyinsan, whose low
shot brought a good save from Shiekh Ceesay. (Two minutes later, Josh cut a
dejected and disappointed figure as he dragged himself off the pitch, when he
was replaced by Brandon Williams).
As the 90th
minute approached, Bentley Graham was clearly held by the arm by Jahmal
Howlett-Mundle as he was about to get away from the Ashford centre-half. Graham
appeared to be through on goal, so Jahmal was possibly a shade lucky to receive
just a yellow card for the offence, (especially as the home side again seemed
to be putting a case to the referee for stronger action). From the resulting
free-kick, from a central position, just a couple of yards from the ‘D’, Sam
Clayton tried a curling shot, which George Kamurasi saved, diving low to his
left.
Two minutes into injury
time, George McLennan took an in-swinging corner, from the right, and his deep
cross found Pat Kingwell, beyond the far post. A winning goal from the Ashford
captain, who was Man of the Match in last week’s win over Faversham, would have
been popular with the visiting fans, who made up a good proportion of the
135-strong crowd – but Pat’s looping header landed on top of the crossbar. After
a good seven minutes of added time, Malachi Robinson flashed a cross through
the Whyteleafe six-yard box, with no player in a yellow shirt able to get a
touch. Three minutes later, on the stroke of 5pm, the referee blew up for full time.
So 1-1 it finished. A
disappointing outcome, but only in the context of Ashford coming so close to
achieving that first away win. Taking a broader view, the lads were very good
value for the point, looking to be in control of the game for long periods, against
the side who remain in eighth position in the league this evening.
Looking at the results
elsewhere, as I waited at St Pancras International for the train back to Luton,
I noted that Ashford United were the only team in the bottom four to gain a point
today. I also found out that a man who makes a living as a Joshua Oyinsan
look-alike scored two goals in two minutes in the Manchester Derby, today. It’s
a strange world.
