VCD Athletic v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South. 7th of March 2020.

VCD Athletic 3

Ashford United 1

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

The latest installment of Ashford United’s bid for promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division took us to Oakwood, in Crayford, just west of Dartford. This afternoon, we took on VCD away – or, to be exact, Vickers, Crayford & Dartford Athletic.

This promised to be a very different match day experience to the one that Mrs Milton Keynes Correspondent and I enjoyed a fortnight ago, when we had a weekend away in Guernsey. That involved a very relaxed day of socialising in the bar with the islanders, with an occasional glance outside to see how many goals the lads had scored. (We ended up winning 0-6, which was an astonishing score line, against a good side). Today, however, I was ‘on duty’, and so it was just me and my notebook. Also, whereas the journey to Footes Lane, in Guernsey, had been by car, ‘plane, taxi and bus, today I kept things simple and drove. With the spread of the corona virus gathering momentum in the UK, I didn’t really fancy being cooped up with a load of people on a coach or a train. (I’m actually amazed that humans can get a virus from lemonade).

Looking through my archive of match reports – (I don’t go out much; about as often as the Olympic flame, in fact) – I was a little surprised to find that I have only done a couple involving VCD. The first of these was from about ten years ago, on the 19^th of January 2010. This was a Kent Senior Cup tie, when Vickers were in the Isthmian League Division 1 North and Ashford Town had been going through a period of playing very little football - this was partly due to The Homelands pitch having been unplayable, mostly because of waterlogging, but at one time because of being under six inches of snow. The previous match had been on Boxing Day, with the game before that taking place on the 12^th of December. Ashford, then managed by Steve Lovell, won that match 1-2, with goals from Tom Murphy and Mark Lovell, who was scoring for the first time following a 14-month injury lay-off. Skipper Danny Lye played in central defence on that occasion, due to a fairly severe injury crisis.

I was back at Oakwood a couple of seasons later, just after The Reformation, when we played a Kent Invicta League game against Erith & Dartford Town, who were ground sharing with VCD at the time. That game ended 2-2, and Erith & Dartford went on to change their name to Kent Football United.

My next trip here was not until the 2017-18 season, the day before Christmas Eve, and this was actually Ashford’s first ‘proper’ game away to VCD, having never before had a game here in the league or in the FA Cup, FA Trophy or FA Vase. Jason Whitmore was Ashford’s Manager at the time, and the match was memorable for a last-minute equaliser scored by Andrew Dalhouse, who rose at the far post at a corner, and powered a header in off Joe Mant’s crossbar.

Ashford spent most of that 2017-18 season very close to the bottom of the league table, but we arrived in Crayford today as league leaders, albeit purely due to having a better goal difference than Hastings United, who were level on points and with two games in hand. It would seem that Hastings are warm favourites for the title and the one automatic promotion spot, which would mean Ashford having to settle for the promotion play-offs for the second consecutive season – in which case it is extremely important to finish either second or third, to at least guarantee a lucrative home tie for the play-off semi-final, and maybe the final. Our hosts today had been in and around the play-off zone during the early part of the season, but have slipped away of late, starting today’s game down in ninth, all of 20 points behind Ashford.

One thing that Tommy Warrilow has in common with Steve Lovell, apart from being among the best Managers we’ve had, is that he came to Oakwood having to deal with a bit of an injury crisis, particularly in central defence. To add to the injuries, Ashford’s best central defender, Mo Kamara, began a suspension today as a result of the red card he received against Chichester City last Saturday. It was good news, therefore, that the experienced Matt Bourne returned in the centre of the defence, this afternoon. In fact, the team sheets that were scattered around the Oakwood bar before the game indicated that Tommy Warrilow had been able to put out a strong side, and with a full complement of substitutes, in spite of the squad being pretty much down to the bare bones. Bourne was again partnered in the centre by Jake McIntyre, whom we have got to know more as a left-back. The full-backs today were Ben Wilson on the left and Tariq Ossai on the right.

Our midfield looked strong, with Lee Prescott in the defensive position in front of the back four, and three creative midfielders in the form (from left to right) of Aaron Conlon, Tom O’Connor and Tommie Fagg. In the continued absence of Jay May, there was a second start in a week in attack for Adrian Stone, alongside relatively new signing George Purcell. That meant that top scorer Dave Smith, who has scored 23 goals so far this season, again started the match on the bench – as did Tashi-Jay Kwayie, Theo Osinfolarin and reserve goalie Lee Hook. Josh Wisson was also named as a substitute and took part in the half-time kick-about with the other subs, but it’s likely that he is not yet fit enough to play, following an injury to a metatarsal bone. Sam Mott was in goal, and wore the skipper’s arm band, as usual.

It was a largely overcast, but dry, day, and there was scarcely a breath of wind. Also, the Oakwood pitch looked immaculate, so there was no excuse today for not playing good football. Unfortunately for the Ashford faithful among the crowd of 120, most of the good football came from VCD, this afternoon. In fact, the home side looked a pacier and slicker side from the outset and might have put the match to bed very early on. As early as the second minute, a quick passing movement put ex-Ashford midfielder Bode Anidugbe (21 appearances for The Nuts & Bolts last season, including both play-off games) clean through on goal. Bode managed to chip the ball over the advancing Sam Mott, but wide of goal. There were pleas for a penalty, as Anidugbe tripped over Sam after releasing his shot. There was definitely contact, but the referee was not interested.

Just three minutes later, right winger Alex Gaggin rounded Ben Wilson, inside the Ashford penalty area, and pulled the ball back from the by-line, but Ali Fuseini managed to miss the target from about 12 yards out. In the eighth minute, Vickers were very nearly through on goal again, when a couple of slick passes put the prolific Charlie MacDonald behind the Ashford defence. There were some rather hopeful appeals for offside – although it was clear from the halfway line that MacDonald was onside – before Tariq Ossai came across with a covering tackle.

In between these scares, Ashford did try to get the ball on the ground and play some passing football. In fact, the boys looked like they might create something going forward during the early part of the half, but always looked vulnerable at the back to VCD’s pace and ability to spring swiftly from defence.

Ashford’s first glimmer of a chance came in the ninth minute when, after a good passing movement, the ball was pulled back from the by-line to Tommie Fagg. Although Ciggy put in a good shift today, he was unable to provide any end-product, and on this occasion his low shot was easily saved by Nick Blue (who wore orange) in the VCD goal. Two minutes after that, Adrianho was off target with a shot from a tight angle, after latching onto a diagonal pass from Lee Prescott – but I’m rather scraping the barrel for Ashford half-chances to describe.

Vickers took a deserved lead in the 21^st minute, and the goal came about as a result of some sloppiness in the Ashford back five – rather making a mess of a goal-kick, and demonstrating the folly of ‘playing it out short from the back’ at this level. Sam Mott played the ball to Matt Bourne (I think), who appeared a little surprised to receive the pass and had few ideas as to how he was going to use possession. He played the ball back to the Ashford ‘keeper, who was now already under pressure and was forced into a fairly aimless clearance. As soon as the ball went to a VCD player, the visitors were in trouble, and, a couple of quick passes later, Ainsley Everett had the ball on the angle of the six-yard box and was able to chip the ball over Sam Mott and into the net.

Ashford responded with an attack in the 24^th minute, which resulted in a corner, on the left. Matt Bourne met Aaron Condon’s cross with a side-footed volley, which George Purcell put wide of the goal with a swiveling shot from close range – Bourne’s shot was on target, but would have been either comfortably saved by the goalkeeper or cleared by a defender. Three minutes later, however, VCD doubled their lead, and this time the goal was fairly typical of the sharp passing game that had made them look dangerous throughout the first half. A brief flurry of slick passes ended with a dinked through-ball putting Charlie MacDonald behind Ashford’s defensive line. MacDonald is very much a class act at this level, and has an impressive goal scoring record, so it was no surprise to see him, Jimmy Greaves-like, round the advancing goalkeeper and tuck the ball into the net.

The home side should have gone further ahead three minutes later, with MacDonald this time being the provider, taking possession of the ball near the by-line, nipping in front of an Ashford defender who was trying to allow the ball to go behind for a goal kick. The Vickers captain pulled the ball back to Ali Fuseini, who just needed to hit the target from close in, but somehow managed to steer his first-time shot wide. Seconds later, it was Alex Gaggin’s turn to be put through on goal, but he rather fluffed an attempted chip over Sam Mott’s advancing frame, from a similar position from which Ainsley Everett had opened the scoring.

During a fairly nerve jangling first 45 minutes for Ashford supporters, I felt that Jake McIntyre’s performance at the back provided the main source of comfort. He looked calm and self-assured, and seemed to deal with everything fairly well. In the 33^rd minute, he popped up in the VCD penalty area, at a corner that was delivered by Aaron Conlon, but his looping header went just over the bar. However, it was when the home side broke out from defence that Ashford looked particularly shaky, and this was seen in the 37^th minute, when losing possession very quickly saw the visitors back-peddling and struggling to contain a 3 v 3 situation. Eventually, Charlie MacDonald’s attempt to dink the ball over Sam Mott went just wide of the post.

In truth, VCD could easily have scored four or five goals in the first half and were in complete control – but then came a moment of sheer, inexplicable madness, in the 39^th minute. Lee Prescott floated a ball forward towards Adrianho, who was deep inside Vickers’ penalty area, but too close to the by-line to present a real danger to Nick Blue’s goal – which is why it came as a complete surprise to see Raphe Brown reach up with a gloved hand to tip the ball into touch. The referee was well positioned and had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. A little while ago, Brown would have been sent off for the deliberate hand ball, but the current interpretation of the law is that the award of a penalty together with a yellow card is a sufficient punishment. George Purcell stepped up to take the kick, and hammered the ball, low and hard, into the middle of the goal. That was George’s fourth goal for Ashford, in as many starts.

So Ashford climbed the long slope to the dressing rooms at half time just 2-1 down and very much in the game, when 4-0 or 5-0 would have been a fairer reflection of the first 45 minutes’ play.

Within five minutes of the restart, VCD went 3-1 up, and this effectively ended the game as a contest, but there was a very small window of opportunity for the game to have turned out rather differently. Within the first minute of the second half, Jake McIntyre found himself in an advanced position – well inside the VCD penalty area, in fact – and managed to deliver a cross from the by-line. This was met with a powerful header from Adrianho, which cannoned off the outside of the post. Although there is no doubt that Vickers thoroughly deserved to take the three points from today’s game, it’s impossible to say what would have happened in the parallel universe where that header sneaked just inside the post.

Whilst on the subject of mitigating facts, it should also be put on record that the home side’s third goal included a large element of good fortune. Ainsley Everett made a good run down the left wing, and his cross found Raphe Brown, who turned and shot in an effort to atone for his earlier ‘brain fade’ that had gifted Ashford a goal. The shot was on target, but Sam Mott had it covered and was about to make an easy save when the ball deflected off Alex Gaggin and into the net. It was one of those random deflections that often comes off a defender – but the fact that it came off Gaggin means that the young winger was credited with the goal.

Within a minute of the restart, there was a deflection in the other penalty area that just might have resulted in a goal to Ashford – but it was not to be. After a free-kick was taken short, Tom O’Connor crossed the ball into the VCD goalmouth, resulting in a booming clearance thumping against Robert Hylton-Bartley’s head from point-blank range. Any ensuing scramble was halted by the referee, who, quite correctly, halted the game, given current concerns about concussion injuries in sport. Hylton-Bartley was down, receiving treatment, for some time, and was replaced by Michael Aziaya 18 minutes later, quite possibly as a concussion-related precaution.

Ten minutes prior to being substituted, Hylton-Bartley talked himself into a pretty daft yellow card, in an incident that could well be used as an advert for the FA’s ‘Respect’ campaign. It began with Hylton-Bartley quite clearly calling the lino a “prick”. Unsurprisingly, both the lino and the referee felt that this was unacceptable.

“You can’t call my assistant a ‘prick’,” said the ref, waving a yellow card.

“Why not?” replied Hylton-Bartley.

No doubt the reason for the caution entered in the referee’s report was “for being a complete dick head”.

As for the game, VCD very comfortably managed the match to its conclusion, with few alarms. Like most teams protecting a two-goal lead, they took plenty of time with free-kicks and throw-ins. (The player taking every kick and throw appeared to be mentally reciting Happy Birthday twice – I’ve no idea where that idea could have come from). Tommy Warrilow replaced Lee Prescott with David Smith, in the 78^th minute, to play with three up front, and threw Tashi-Jay Kwayie on in place of Aaron Condon, for the final two minutes plus seven minutes of added time, to play with four up front, but it was all to no avail.

As well as being, by common consent among the travelling fans, Ashford’s worst performance of the season, this was also a costly loss, given that all of our rivals at the top of the table won. That means that, with eight games remaining, there is still plenty of work for Tommy Warrilow and the boys to do before a play-off position is secured.

Cray Valley (Paper Mills) v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South East. 25th of January 2020.

Cray Valley PM  3

Ashford United 1

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

This was my first game for a few weeks, mostly due to having missed the planned trip to Burgess Hill Town on the first Saturday of the year. That was because I was laid low with a virus. The lads won 0-7 – so that will teach me a lesson. The last game I saw was the 1-0 defeat away to Haywards Heath Town, at the end of which I felt that it was probably 50/50 as to whether Ashford United would secure a play-off place at the end of the season.

In my absence, the situation had changed markedly, with Tommy Warrilow’s boys having won all seven games, six of those being league games. This had elevated the club to a fairly comfortable second place in the table, five points clear of third-placed Whitehawk, albeit with the teams immediately below us all having a game in hand. Looking upwards, Hastings United appear well placed to be champions, being four points ahead of us, this morning, and having played a game fewer. Hastings demonstrated the strength of their resolve by luring our excellent right-back, Jerald Aboagye, away from us on the eve of today’s very difficult game. It is a move that can only tighten the Sussex club’s grip on the one automatic promotion place this season. I’d suggest, therefore, that Ashford’s main aim should be to secure either second or third place at the end of the season, to be sure of at least one home promotion play-off tie in front of a huge crowd.

When Ashford beat Sevenoaks Town 4-1, last Saturday, to make it seven wins in a row, it was both Tommy Warrilow’s longest winning streak as Ashford Manager, and Ashford United’s longest run of wins in the Isthmian League. It has also been an impressive sequence of performances, with 22 goals scored and just three conceded. However, it is by no means our best run since The Reformation. Not by a long chalk. The longest so far is 16 wins, which were put together during the 2013-14 season. We scored 39 and conceded 14 during that run. Arguably slightly more impressive was a 12-game sequence of wins during the 2016-17 season, when the goal tally was 43 for and just nine against – 13 of those goals were scored by Shaun Welford, with Adrianho scoring eight of them.

Today’s match was against last season’s FA Vase runners-up, Cray Valley Paper Mills. Unsurprisingly for a club that also gained promotion from the Southern Counties East League in good style, The Millers have not found life particularly daunting at Step 4 in the non-league pyramid. They have been in and around the play-off places all season. Our hosts today occupied fifth place, the final play-off berth, this morning, ten points behind Ashford and with a game in hand.

Today’s venue, Badgers Sports Ground, in Eltham, is a very familiar one, of course. I have not only been here for a number of fixtures against Cray Valley, but also seen us play Greenwich Borough here a few times. Up until the end of last season, both of those clubs were tenants at Badgers, but Greenwich have been on a marked slide since the heady days of having Gary Alexander in charge with an eye-popping budget. I won’t go into the details of the sad tale, but, after several months of strife, this week saw Greenwich Borough’s resignation from the Southern Counties East League. (They had, in any case, been playing their home games at Phoenix Sports’ ground, in Barnehurst, this season).

So passes the club that launched the career of Ian Wright, who went on to play for Crystal Palace, Arsenal and England, eventually climb to the height of Director of Football Policy at Ashford Town. Let’s hope that Borough can regroup and eventually reform.

Although the trip to Eltham is a well-trodden path for me, which has usually entailed a journey by train as far as Kidbrooke Station and then a 25-minute walk to the ground, today there was the novelty of being able to make the trip almost entirely by coach. After a five-minute drive to Milton Keynes Coachway and a change of coaches at Victoria, I was able to get off at the coach stop at the top of Middle Park Avenue. That’s about as near to a door-to-door journey as I am going to get!

The first point of intrigue, on arrival at Badgers, was the question of what Tommy Warrilow was going to do, in terms of team selection, to cover for the loss of Jerald Aboagye – in addition, how was he going to respond to the loss of key central midfielder Josh Wisson, who will be out for about four weeks after injuring a metatarsal bone last Saturday? (Apparently, Dave Smith trod on Josh’s foot while celebrating a goal – FFS, Smithy).

Well, the first point to make is that Tommy was not at the game today, leaving Assistant Manager OB in charge. In terms of team selection, it was Theo Osinfolarin who got the nod as Jerald’s replacement at right-back, in spite of the recent (re)signing of full-back Ben Wilson, who was one of five named on the subs bench this afternoon. (The logic there was probably that Ben’s usual position is on the left side of defence). The back four, in front of Club Captain Sam Mott, was completed by Jake McIntyre, Matt Bourne and Mo Kamara. Protecting the defence, in place of Josh Wisson, was a new signing – Dquame Coleman, who was making his debut this afternoon. I have to say that Dquame looked a natural replacement in this role. He looked to be very much the Tom Huddleston type of player – the understated but efficient stroller. The midfield ‘engine room’ was made up of Lee Prescott and Tom O’Connor, with the in-form Aaron Condon (SEVEN goals in the previous four games) wide on the left, and Jay May and Dave Smith up front. Joining Ben Wilson as named substitutes were Tariq Ossai, Lee Hook (the reserve goalie who can also turn his hand to outfield duties), Giorgio Russo and Benjamin Binder.

It was a pleasant day for football. Cloudy but dry, with barely a breath of wind. It was also pretty mild for the time of year, which is why I am duty-bound to name and shame the glove wearers starting the game for Ashford. In no particular order of wimpishness, they were: Osinfolarin, T., O’Connor, T. and Smith, D. (As an aside, I’ve sometimes wondered whether players wearing gloves should be disqualified from taking throw-ins, on the grounds that the extra grip must give them some sort of unfair advantage?).

On the subject of wardrobe malfunctions, there was no sign of either team, or today’s match officials, being ready to walk onto the pitch at 3pm today, and the game eventually kicked off four minutes late. This was apparently due to the referee objecting to the fact that the green shorts which were part of Ashford’s usual, Norwich City-style away strip clashed with those of Cray Valley’s all-green home strip. The solution was for Ashford to borrow the light-blue shorts of The Millers’ away kit, and it must have taken a while for the last-minute change of costume to take place. It reminded me of the time that we played away to Corinthian-Casuals, and there was an issue with our black socks clashing with their navy blue socks, so Ashford Town had to borrow the pale blue socks of Casuals’ second strip. One problem this afternoon was that a few of our players still wore those green ballet tops that are currently very fashionable, so their green sleeves still clashed with those of the Cray valley players. Anyway, Ashford marched out from the dressing rooms looking distinctly Brazil-like, with green numbers on their yellow shirts, and light-blue shorts.

A feature of Ashford’s recent good run of results has been a noticeable improvement in the team’s defensive record, with just the three goals conceded in the last seven games – and that was immediately following a period of THIRTEEN consecutive matches without a clean sheet, with just the one clean sheet in 21 games, (yes, really). It is impossible to tell the extent to which the very recent changes in personnel in the defensive department were to blame, but Ashford found themselves behind after only three minutes today. Cray’s opening goal came from the first attack of the game. Denzel Gayle broke through two tackles, inside the Ashford penalty area, and squared the ball to Francis Babalola, who smashed the ball low, into the net.

The situation very nearly got rapidly worse for the visitors, just five minutes later, when there were loud and confident appeals for a penalty from Cray. They looked certain to double their lead, but a shot from about ten yards out was stopped on the line by an Ashford arm. Presumably, the shot was hit at such pace that the referee decided that the defender was unable to get his hand out of the way. (I will not analyse the incident further, as, quite frankly, the interpretation of the Hand Ball Law changes on such a regular basis that I am not sure that I understand it anymore).

Theo Osinfolarin was certainly given a thorough examination in the right-back position, with No.11 Ryan Flack being his main tormentor. Flack beat Theo, on the edge of the 18-yard box, in the 14^th minute, but his cross into the centre was sliced clear by Matt Bourne. In the 20^th minute, Flack fed the ball wide to Babalola, who showed good control, before cutting inside and sending in a low shot – which Sam Mott saved comfortably. Three minutes later, The Millers’ No.11 once again got the better of Osinfolarin, and this time it was the head of Matt Bourne that headed his cross behind for a corner. The resulting cross passed dangerously through the Ashford penalty area, but with nobody in green able to get that vital touch.

So all the decent chances during the first half an hour were at the end that Cray Valley were attacking. (That was the end that had not a soul behind the goal, which contrasted with a good turn-out of Ashford United fans at the other end, and elsewhere, in today’s crowd of 131). The home side was full of players with quick feet and neat skill, and their front two, in particular – Francis Babalola and Gavin Tomlin – were threatening with their pace and movement throughout the game. As for Ashford’s front two, Jay May worked hard challenging for aerial balls, but mostly near the halfway line, and Dave Smith showed some good individual skill when on the ball, but the visitors had virtually no worthwhile possession in Cray Valley’s half.

It was no surprise when The Millers doubled their lead, in the 31^st minute, and it was also not a huge surprise that it was the impressive Babalola, with some exemplary finishing, who was again the scorer. He received the ball with his back to goal, just inside the penalty area, and turned Matt Bourne before expertly slipping the ball past Sam Mott from an acute angle.

It was a minute after going two goals down that Ashford put together their first decent attack. After a brief spell of possession, the ball was spread wide to Jake McIntyre, who drove in an excellent cross, but a Cray defender got to the ball a fraction before Dave Smith. This was the lads’ first measured and controlled sortie forward – previous attacks had been of the hurried, one-touch variety, which had succeeded in nothing more than losing possession.

The visitors did finish the half with a couple of good chances, though. In the 42^nd minute, Theo Osinfolarin, on the right, for once turned the tables on Ryan Flack, beating him on his inside, transferring the ball onto his left foot, but his effort on goal curled wide of the far post. Then, two minutes later, the head of Jay May fed the ball into the path of Aaron Condon, who let fly with a tremendous shot with his left foot, which hammered against the post. Otherwise, Ashford were comprehensively outplayed by Cray Valley during the first half, and the home side thoroughly deserved the 2-0 lead at the break.

For information, the spectator in the Cray Valley goal was Andrew Walker.

The second half, with Ashford playing down the slope - which is such an endearing characteristic of non-league grounds - was more even. Although the majority of chances were created by Cray, Ashford did have some possession in the opposition’s half. In fact, we managed a shot on target in the opening seconds of the half, just as the Badgers Sports Ground floodlights began to shed light on the turf, but Tom O’Connor’s volley was directed straight at Walker.

The first incident of note after the interval was the issuing of a yellow card to Francis Babalola, in the 49^th minute, after a challenge on Sam Mott. It seemed to be a fairly routine clearance for Sam, but he was left writhing on the ground, suggesting that Babalola had ‘left a foot in’.

The first substitution of the game was made by Ashford, with debutant Dquame Copeland being replaced by Tariq Ossai. Copeland was subbed immediately after mis-placing a pass into touch, but I am sure that this was purely coincidental. This was the first mistake that I saw Copeland make, and, in any case, the substitution had a tactical feel about it, with Ossai providing a more attacking option.

The fact that Ashford pressed forward a little more in the second half might have had something to do with the fact that the home side sat a little deeper, but Cray Valley still looked very dangerous on the break. Usually, a break-out from defence found Ashford faced with a 2 v 2 situation at the back, with Cray players rushing forward to support the attack quicker than Ashford were getting players back. This was certainly the case in the 58^th minute, when the visitors’ defence soon found itself out-numbered, but on this occasion the attack ended with Hassan Ibrahim, who made 14 appearance for Ashford earlier in the season (scoring twice), shooting just over the bar. Seconds later, Gavin Tomlin turned and shot low from the edge of the Ashford penalty area, but Sam Mott was able to make a comfortable save.

On the hour, the referee produced a second yellow card, this time for Jake McIntyre. This appeared to be a little harsh. Jake was late with a tackle on Denzel Gayle, but only because Gayle was a little too quick for him. There didn’t seem to be any intent or cynicism in the foul.

Ashford’s only goal of the game, which came in the 65^th minute, was actually a little gem. It’s the sort of goal that will probably be quickly forgotten and ‘unsung’, but it resulted from a good build-up and an excellent finish. The goal actually began with a mistake from Lee Prescott, whose pass to Mo Kamara was rather short, and Kamara, as the last man in the back line, briefly appeared to be in all sorts of trouble. As so often, however, his skilled footwork and strength saved the day for him, and he managed to successfully dribble his way into the Cray Valley half. Just as he was picking up momentum, and there seemed to be the possibility of him going on one of his trademark solo runs through the heart of the opposition’s defence, he spread the ball wide into the path of Jake McIntyre. It was a perfectly weighted pass, and Jake sent in a measured, first-time cross. He found Jay May in the penalty area, who, with his first sight of goal, smashed the ball into the net with his right foot.

This was the cue for the pace of the game to increase a couple of notches, with both sides increasing the tempo. Very shortly after pulling the goal back, the ball was fed forward to Dave Smith, who chested the ball down to Tom O’Connor, who was surging forward behind him, and Tom’s first-time shot went inches over the bar. Suddenly, Ashford discovered that football was possible again. This was inspired, one-touch stuff, and for a very brief time it really was just like watching Brazil.

However, Ashford’s forward play generally lacked sufficient quality to create further clear-cut chances. The second, and final, Ashford substitution was made in the 78^th minute, with Ben Wilson replacing Jake McIntyre, and playing very much as a left-sided midfield player. Wilson came close to making an impact within four minutes of coming on, when he met a floated Aaron Conlon free-kick with a glancing header, but this went straight at Andy Walker.

The home side replaced Ryan Flack with Daniel Smith at the same time that Ben Wilson made his appearance, and later sent Warren Mfula on in place of Francis Babalola, in the 84^th minute. The latter substitution might have been prompted by the fact that Babalola was on a yellow card, but it did give him the opportunity to receive a well-deserved ovation when he came off. He certainly looked the best player on the pitch, this afternoon.

Ironically, just a minute after Babalola’s substitution, Cray Valley scored the goal that sealed the 3-1 victory and gave them all three points. Mo Kamara again launched a solo run, attacking the centre of The Millers’ midfield, and when he was dispossessed the ball broke to Denzel Gayle. Once in possession, Gayle showed Kamara how a solo goal should be scored, beating two Ashford players and carrying the ball all the way into the penalty area, before slotting the ball past Sam Mott. The wild celebrations from the entire Cray Valley team made it seem like they had won a semi-final and got through to a Wembley final again. In truth, the euphoria was probably a reflection of the quality of the goal, and also a sign that this was an important three points for the club, which considerably strengthened their credentials as contenders for a place in the play-off bun fight at the end of the season.

There was just one other incident of note, (apart from Jay May contriving to get himself yellow-carded in the first minute of injury time). In the last minute of normal time, Mo Kamara either sliced a cross or made an audacious attempt to chip the goalkeeper. Either way, Andy Walker was left helpless as he watched the ball sail over his head and was no doubt relieved to see the ball come back off his far post.

So three goals to Cray Valley, and one to Ashford United, who hit the post on two occasions – but that is not to suggest that Ashford were unlucky this afternoon, as both teams got what they deserved from today’s game. There is no doubt that Cray were just too good for us, on this occasion, and I am once again left with the feeling that our lads have regularly come up short when confronted with the better sides in this division. That is now seven league defeats this season, which is more than any other team in the top eight of the division, apart from Phoenix Sports. However, Ashford remain in a strong position, with 16 games still to play, and were helped, today, by the fact that the teams immediately above and below us, (Hastings and Whitehawk, respectively), each dropped two points.