Thamesmead Town v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South. 17th of February 2018.

Thamesmead Town  3

Ashford United  1

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

This has certainly been the season of ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles. And, strangely enough, I have used those three means of transport, in that order, for travelling to my last three matches.

I never thought that I would ever get on an aeroplane to go and see Ashford play football, but that was what we did, just three weeks ago, when we boarded an Aurigny Air Services flight to Guernsey. This must have been the most eagerly awaited fixture of the season for many of us – very much the glittering prize for gaining promotion to the Isthmian League – and it turned out to be a wonderful week-end. A large invasion force arrived from England, (what people on the Isle of Wight refer to as ‘the North Island’), and the entire occasion was full of fun and bonhomie. I will never forget the reaction of the locals in the bar, about 20 minutes before kick-off, when someone pointed down the lane leading to the ground and said: “Oooo, look. There are loads of bananas coming up the road !”. We ended up with a point from that game, when we really ought to have beaten what looked to be a fairly weak Guernsey side, particularly in the first half, but I couldn’t begrudge the home side the draw, after a much improved second-half performance.

Before that, I found myself on business in London on a Wednesday, so that gave me the opportunity to hop on a train to Hayes Lane, Bromley, for our evening kick-off against Cray Wanderers. (This was the first time that I had been to Hayes Lane since the artificial pitch had been installed – which reminded me of a match here, also against Cray Wanderers, in the 2006-7 season, when John Cumberbatch’s struggling Ashford Town side had been leading 0-2 at half time when the waterlogged pitch caused the game to be abandoned; although we won the rearranged match 0-4). Unfortunately, this season’s game, on the plastic, was to be very different. Against a clearly very good Wands team, the lads were pretty dreadful, as poor as I have ever seen an Ashford side look, and the 9-1 score line would have been worse if the returning George Kamurasi hadn’t made some important saves. Fortunately, I had to make a dash to Bromley railway station after 50 minutes, at which point the score was only 5-0.

The previous game I saw was away to Walton Casuals, in their very extensive, and very impressive, multi-purpose sports complex, (which is on the site of the poxy little ground they used to have). That necessitated asking the battered old Astra Estate to make the journey down to South West London, via the M1, M25 and M3. I’m not sure how many more match days the old warhorse will see – a veteran of away days to Gateshead, Salisbury, the Isle of Wight and, of course, Gatwick Airport – but her MoT test is due in five days’ time. I will ask for a priest to be in attendance. Again, I’m afraid the lads were outclassed, this time by a formidable Casuals side, which were actually probably more impressive than Cray Wanderers were. I have to say, though, that the Ashford lads came out of that game with plenty of credit, having been deservedly level at half time, before losing 4-0.

Today, it was back to the more familiar routine of getting the train down, from Milton Keynes, for the match away to Thamesmead Town. The Mead ground-share at Dartford Borough Council’s Princes Park Stadium – so I have now seen Ashford sides play here against Dartford, Greenwich Borough and Thamesmead.

In a season that has become, or maybe always was, an exercise in building a squad that can challenge at the top of this league next season, this promised to be an informative game against a solid, mid-table team. Ashford United went into the game on a run of six games without a win, although performances in the last four of those had been encouraging. A 3-3 draw at home to a Hythe Town team pushing for a play-off place, and a defeat by one goal at the hands of Corinthian-Casuals and Hastings United, both powerful sides, have not been bad results, (and, again, we really should have beaten Guernsey).

A regular criticism from fans, this season, has been the number of players that have come and gone as a result of this building process. It is undeniable that using more than 70 players by the middle of February suggests a lack of continuity, but I think that everyone concerned with the club will have been delighted that Dave Cook, this week, re-signed for his third spell with Ashford United, so putting himself in line to become the 72^nd player to be used this season. An Ashford boy and a thoroughly proven midfielder at this level, he is probably the ideal man to have on board for the immediate future.

The Ashford line-up today, using theoretical squad numbers to reflect the order in which players have appeared this season, was as follows: 1. George Kamurasi, 68. Will Thomas, 64. George McLennan, 70. Jahmal Howlett-Mundle, 6. Pat Kingwell (capt.), 67. Jordan Wright, 55. Kwabena Osei, 37. Joe Bingham, 13. Brandon Williams, 69. Dean Grant, 71. Jordan Johnson-Palmer. The sub.s: 20. Matt Day, 72. Dave Cook, 60. Ryan Richefond, 52. James Fitchett, 21. Clark Woodcock.

A little disappointing that there was no place in the starting line-up for Matt Day, given the very recent departure of strikers Andrew Dalhouse (six goals, at a rate of one every 195 minutes) and Shomari Barnwell (seven at a rate of one every 115 minutes, a rate only beaten, for Ashford United, by Damian Abel, Shaun Welford, Stuart Zanone and Mo Takaloo) – but this looked like a strong line-up.

Unfortunately, after an uneventful opening six minutes, under blue skies, on what was the first vaguely spring-like day of the year, this line-up made life difficult for itself by conceding a really soft goal. The home side had been awarded a free-kick, by Referee Isaac Searle, on the corner of the Ashford penalty area. This was taken by Tom O’Conner, who sent over what looked to be a routine cross, which Solomon Taiwo headed in, unchallenged, for probably the easiest goal he will ever score. There was an immediate inquest from the Ashford bench – something to do with ‘marking’ was mentioned !  During the week, Manager Jason Whitmore had been describing his aspirations for achieving two promotions within the next five years for the club. He and Gary Alexander might start that process by teaching the boys the basics of defending.

One positive to take from this stumbling start was that the lads didn’t collapse in a heap. In fact, they gradually worked their way into the game – and even put together a good move, in the 17^th minute. This gave Brandon Williams, playing wide on the left, a great opportunity to put a telling ball into the centre, but he sliced his cross behind for a goal kick. A minute later, a break-out from defence ended with a diagonal ball which found Brandon inside the Thamesmead penalty area. His low, left-footed shot was on target, but was readily saved by Mead goalkeeper Lewis Carey. But the sight of goal lifted spirits.

In the 21^st minute, Kwabena Osei was presented with a half-chance, when his opposite number, Thamesmead No.4 Solomon Taiwo, passed the ball straight to him, but the former Folkestone man sliced his shot well wide. In the 24^th minute, another opportunity was created by a good Ashford move down the left, involving George McLennan and, once again, Brandon Williams. This enabled Williams to send in a cross from the by-line, aimed at Dean Grant, who was converging on the near post, but the Ashford No.9’s flick went just wide.

So the visitors had started to pass the ball around, and were managing to snuff out Thamesmead’s attacks. They were winning important tackles in midfield, were having the majority of possession, and Pat Kingwell, George McLennan and Joe Bingham were looking particularly impressive. It came as a surprise, then, when Joe had a complete aberration, in the 26^th minute. In possession, just five yards outside his own penalty area, he gave the ball straight to Thamesmead’s Danny Parrish, who had the simple task of placing the ball into the path of Paul Vines. From about 18 yards out, Vines made no mistake, thumping the ball past George Kamurasi, making it 2-0.

The nearest Ashford came to scoring in the first half was from the head of Richard Avery – but remember that he was playing for Thamesmead this afternoon, having been part of Ashford’s Championship-winning team last season !  A dinked ball into the Thamesmead penalty area by Brandon Williams was met with a back-header by Avo, which forced goalie Lewis Carey into making a diving save, at the expense of a corner. Ashford rather made a mess of the attempted short corner routine. In fact, there were rather too many individual errors from the visitors – allowing the ball to run out of play, the misplaced final ball, the poor close control – which reduced the effectiveness of their work.

The Mead had a chance to score a third goal when tall No.8 Tom O’Conner broke out from defence. His powerful run took him all the way to within a few feet of the Ashford United penalty area, but he opted for a tame shot straight at George Kamurasi, when other options were available.

Ashford finished the half strongly. In the 41^st minute, Joe Bingham completed a neat one-two with Dean Grant, and fired in a low cross from the by-line, but Lewis Carey did well with his interception. Seconds later, George McLennan, Dean Grant and Brandon Williams fashioned a good move down the left flank. George had the opportunity to play the through-ball into the path of Jordan Johnson-Palmer, who was straining to stay onside – but George decided on a shot with his left foot, which went wide.

On reflection, neither goalkeeper had a tremendous amount to do during the first half – but Thamesmead, a team that never looked any better than an average team throughout the 90 minutes, sauntered in at half time with a very comfortable 2-0 lead.

The second half started painfully for Will Thomas, who was playing at right-back this afternoon. He was the victim of a crunching late tackle from Solomon Taiwo, in the 49^th minute, and was on the floor for some time. He got up and soldiered on, but had to be replaced by Ryan Richefond, just eight minutes later.

Prior to this, in the 53^rd minute, Thamesmead went close, thanks to some excellent vision from Paul Vines. Halfway inside the Ashford half, with his back to goal, he spun and hit a diagonal ball into the path of Danny Parrish, who sent in a cross towards the far post. This looked awkward for George Kamurasi to deal with, but Brandon Williams did well to hoike the ball clear, for a corner. Brandon’s presence at the far post was due to the fact that he and George McLennan had swapped places, with George now playing as the wide midfielder on the left.

One other difference in the second half was that Ashford had come out with what seemed to be a determination to play fast, on-the-ground football. In spite of the change on the left, Ashford’s most effective work after the break had come on the right, with Folkestone Invicta loanee Jordan Wright posing the greatest threat to the home defence. Jordan had a shooting chance in the 54^th minute, after George McLennan and Dean Grant had been prominent in an Ashford break. Jordan hit the ball well, but his shot, from inside the Thamesmead area, was deflected into the side-netting.

Jordan Johnson-Palmer, to name but three, had a fairly quiet game, his best moment coming in the 61^st minute. After another good passing movement, this time down the left, JJP found himself inside the opposition’s area, in the inside-left channel, but his firm shot hit the top of Lewis Carey’s crossbar.

That move had been initiated by the returning Dave Cook winning an important header in midfield. (He had come on in place of Kwabena Osei, although I must confess to have missed the substitution, which may well have happened at half time). But the most successful substitution made by Jason Whitmore was the one he made in the 71^st minute, when he replaced Jordan Johnson-Palmer with Matt Day, as Matt made an immediate impact, with what the Americans would call an ‘assist’, just four minutes later.

Some of the credit for the goal must go to Jordan Carey, who harried a Thamesmead defender all the way to his own corner flag. When the fluffed clearance as a result of the pressure came, the ball fell to Matt Day, who was well inside the Thamesmead penalty area. With his back to goal, Matt lobbed the ball over his own head, invitingly ahead of Dean Grant, who, from six yards out, waited for the ball to drop before volleying it home, for his first goal for Ashford. Lewis Carey was clearly furious with his defence for allowing his clean sheet to be spoilt. After kicking the post, in a manner that was a little reminiscent of a certain Cray Valley goalkeeper, it was Danquah Williams who seemed to receive the brunt of his ire.

The visitors had certainly shown the more urgency of the two teams in the second half, but it was Thamesmead who had the next chance. In what had become a rare attack from the home side, Harvey Brand, in the 83^rd minute, sent in a powerful shot, from the corner of the area, which George Kamurasi did well to tip over the bar. A minute later, Dave Cook got himself booked for a late, and fairly cynical, trip on Tom O’Conner – and so joined Jahmal Howlett-Mundle in the book, who had been yellow-carded in the 71^st minute, for a similar offence.

As often happens in matches, the game really opened up during the final five minutes or so. This might have been due to fatigue setting in with both sets of players, but it was certainly encouraged by Ashford pouring forward, in search of the equaliser that looked well within their grasp. It seemed almost certain that the game was going to finish up either 2-2 or 3-1. In the event, it was the latter that turned out to be the case – which was very harsh on the visitors, who had certainly deserved to ‘win’ the second half – but the surprise was that Thamesmead nearly scored the clinching goal as a result of a howler from the normally very reliable Pat Kingwell. Twice !

In the 86^th minute, a miss-kick from the Ashford captain sent Thamesmead sub Richard Pacquette clean through on goal, but Pacquette’s firm shot flashed across the face of the Ashford goal. Then, in the 89^th minute, Kingwell looked to be about to make a routine interception, but, inexplicably, allowed the ball to run under his foot. Again, it was Pacquette who looked like being the beneficiary, but George Kamurasi rushed out from goal to retrieve the situation.

When the third Thamesmead goal came, in the 90^th minute, it was very much the result of Ashford committing players forward. In fact, it came almost immediately after an Ashford attack had broken down, on the edge of the Thamesmead penalty area. A clearance found Paul Vines, free in the Ashford half, and, for the second time on the match, the experienced striker showed an exemplary piece of finishing, curling the ball around Big George, and into the far corner of the net.

So not a whole shed-load of positives to take from this game. However, it was good to see that all three of Ashford’s substitutions seemed to work well. For those of us who are fans of Matt Day, and who would like to see him given more opportunities this season, it was gratifying to see him set up Dean Grant’s goal, within minutes of coming on. (It’s also good that Dean has got off the mark for Ashford, in his fourth appearance). Dave Cook stood out as a commanding presence in the midfield, during the second half, and Ryan Richefond did well at right-back, although he didn’t have a great deal of defending to do.

The improved second half performance also offered some encouragement, after those two very soft goals were given away in the first half. But the boys will not be able to afford such gifts next Saturday, when the opponents will be Cray Wanderers.

Walton Casuals v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South. 13th of January 2018.

Walton Casuals  4

Ashford United  0

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

Walton Casuals away. Another eagerly anticipated fixture, and one that we rarely missed, back in that parallel universe when the team was known as “Ashford Town”, and playing at a level below the Isthmian League was unthinkable. Back in those days, Walton Casuals were perennial fellow strugglers, and one of the few teams that we felt we might actually beat.

Those matches, on the banks of the Thames, always seemed to be relegation six-pointers. Looking back in my archives, I discover that I filed a match report for this fixture in each of the last five seasons of Ashford Town’s existence, from 2005-6 to 2009-10, inclusive. We didn’t collect many points in the first three of those games, with the scores being 1-0, 1-1 and 2-1, but crucial points were then picked up in 2008-9, with a 0-3 victory, and then in that final year, when the lads won 1-4. I notice that two of those four goals were scored by young centre-half Laurence Harvey, who, certainly up until last season, was playing for Canterbury City.

During this period, Walton Casuals played at a crappy little ground which would not have looked out of place in the Kent League. All that has now changed, as the site has been redeveloped considerably, with the creation of Elmbridge Sports Hub. The whole facility is very impressive, with a public swimming pool, a gymnasium, one of those climbing wall things, etc. The complex also includes an athletics stadium, which is separate from the football ground – which means that Walton & Hersham FC, who also share the ground, don’t have an athletics track around their pitch, which used to be a source of irritation for many when visiting their old ground of Stompond Lane.

The pitch itself looked immaculate – like a brand new artificial pitch, which is exactly what it is. The one mystery, today, was that, in spite of the seemingly state of the art facilities, there were no PA announcements at all.

It’s probably no coincidence that Walton Casuals FC’s progress in terms of developing the venue has been mirrored by progress on the pitch. With ex-West Ham United defender Tony Gale leading the club (as Chairman) off the pitch, and his son, Anthony, as Manager, The Casuals are now one of the best teams in our division. Starting today’s game in sixth place, they are likely to be leading contenders for at least a play-off place at the end of the season.

It’s also fair to say that Ashford United, in spite of having been very near to the bottom of the table all season, can no longer be regarded as ‘relegation fodder’, given the improved form that they have been showing of late, following a number of quality signings. The lads went into today’s game having gained 11 points from their previous five games. With relegation now no longer a realistic threat – touch wood ! – what we are intrigued to know is how good the current squad actually is. Today’s game against a genuine top-six team promised to shed some light on that question……

A look at today’s team sheet revealed that we were a little short of defenders, today, both on and off the pitch. The on-the-pitch issue is by choice, as Manager Jason Whitmore has consistently shown a preference for a three-at-the-back formation – and this approach has certainly been paying dividends in recent games. Today’s back three, in front of Michael McEntegart, were Cheick Toure, James Fitchett and Tom Cooney – in the absence of John Difford. But it was the absence of defensive cover on the bench that was a little worrying. Apart from forwards Matt Day, Ira Jackson and Clark Woodcock, the bench was made up of reserve goalie Aaron Lee-Wharton and coach Gareth Williams, who may or may not have had some kit on under his tracksuit, today.

Of the starting line-up, our five-strong midfield had Kwabena Osei starting the game just in front of the back three, with skipper Joe Bingham and Ryan Richefond in the centre, and George McLennan and Max Watters out wide. Shomari Barnwell and Andrew Dalhouse continued their partnership up front, with Shomari going into the match with a record of having scored a goal a game, and Andrew not far behind him.

And to complete the roll call, it is my duty to name and shame today’s glove wearers: they were Cooney, T., Dalhouse, A. and Toure, C. I will be writing to their parents in the morning.

The line on the far side was run by Paula Wyatt, a very fit-looking lady lino. Not wearing gloves. (Just saying).

Although there were some 15 places between the two teams, at the start of play, that difference was never very evident during the first half. As one might expect from two teams used to playing their home games on a plastic pitch, both sets of players set off trying to play on-the-ground, passing football. Ashford matched the home side in midfield and in defence, but achieved little in the ‘business’ third of the field. Very little seemed to ‘stick’ up front, and the lay-offs and through-balls generally failed to come off today. It’s fair to say that Walton Casuals clearly shaded a first half in which neither goalkeeper was required to make anything more than a regulation save.

Ashford ‘keeper Michael McEntegart was the first to get his gloves dirty, having to field a weak shot by Casuals’ bearded right-back, Harry Mills, in the opening minute. In the fifth minute, a break from defence resulted in the ball being worked to Youseff Bamba, who was Casuals’ spare man on the left. He carried the ball into the Ashford penalty area before unleashing a shot with his left foot, but McEntegart made a comfortable save.

The first time that the home side actually managed to get behind the visitors’ defence was in the 20^th minute, when Bamba danced his way to the by-line, but his cross went harmlessly through the penalty area. A few minutes prior to this, James Fitchett received a stern lecture from Referee Adrian Harris, for a tackle from behind – which had implications for what was to happen later in the half.

Ashford’s first real chance came in the 21^st minute, and came as a result of Max Watters running with the ball on the right flank – which looked to be the visitors’ best means of creating something, all afternoon. Max cut inside, and squared the ball to Andrew Dalhouse, who flicked the ball into the path of Joe Bingham, inside the penalty area. Joe’s shot was on target, but comfortably saved by Walton Casuals goalie Denzel Gerrar. A minute later, Watters again fed the ball inside to Dalhouse; this time, the Walton Casuals defence failed to close him down, and so he chanced a shot from about 25 yards out, which flew just wide of the angle of post and bar.

In the 25^th minute, James Fitchett committed a foul which appeared to be fairly innocuous, but, having had a ‘friendly’ warning from the ref, it was no surprise to see him receive a yellow card this time. It appeared that worse was to follow in the 34^th minute, when young James brought down Youseff Bamba just outside the Ashford penalty area, with what looked a far more obvious foul. What didn’t help the Ashford centre-half’s cause was that Bamba was pointing at him, reminding the referee that he was already on a yellow card, almost before he had hit the ground – but Mr Harris erred on the side of leniency, and gave him a lecture that would undoubtedly have been about ‘Last Chance Saloons’.

Ashford Manager Jason Whitmore took the sensible option, and substituted Fitchett at half-time, replacing him with Ira Jackson, with Kwabena Osei dropping back and looking distinctly vertically challenged in the middle of the back three.

Max Watters also found himself booked, in the 37^th minute, but this was for a fairly trivial ‘offence’. After the referee had blown for a free-kick, Max just dinked the ball over the low, green perimeter fence, to give himself time to get back into position, rather than to waste time or to show dissent. However, Mr Harris took great exception to this, and angrily produced a yellow card.

Both sides had opportunities to score during the closing minutes of the first half. In the 38^th minute, Youseff Bamba did well on the right-hand side of the pitch, turning and getting the ball onto his left foot, but blazed his shot well over the bar. Four minutes later, a long ball from the Ashford defence found Andrew Dalhouse, who showed great physical strength to get the better of Dominic Ogun, before shooting straight at the Casuals ‘keeper, from close range. With a minute to go to half-time, Michael McEntegart found Max Watters with a good throw, and Max carried the ball as far as the edge of the home side’s penalty area, before hitting a shot that was saved, but not gathered, by Denzel Gerrar. However, the goalie recovered in time to prevent Shomari Barnwell from turning in the rebound.

But the best chance of the half to either side came well into the 45^th minute. The Stags put together a well-constructed move, with Ashford seemingly short-handed at the back. It was either Josh Kelly or Sean McCormack who finished the move with a shot from an acute angle, which rebounded off the foot of the far post.

So the half ended goalless, and, with both defences and both goalkeepers seeming to be fairly comfortable, this was not a huge surprise, nor was it a false reflection of the first 45 minutes.

It was during the second half that the gap between the two sides really showed. In fact, it reminded me of watching a cup tie between two sides several levels apart in the football pyramid, in which the under-dogs (that’s us) do well to achieve parity at half time, only for the better side (that’s them) to change up a gear and blow them away in the second period. Generally, Walton Casuals appeared to be a division or two superior to Ashford. I have seen us lose 3-0 to Corinthian-Casuals, 5-0 to Greenwich Borough and 4-2 to Carshalton Athletic, this season, (and they are all title / play-off contenders), but this is a considerably better Ashford side than played in any of those games, so I’d have to say that Walton Casuals are the best side I’ve seen this season.

The turnaround happened fairly quickly, with the home side almost scoring in the first minute of the half. A long kick-out from the Casuals ‘keeper bounced beyond the Ashford back-line, and Josh Kelly, an 18 year-old striker on loan from Maidenhead United, got to the ball ahead of the retreating defenders. He hit a low shot, first time, but missed the target.

Casuals continued to knock the ball around at a higher tempo than they had in the first half, and took the lead as early as the 49^th minute. Slick interplay resulted in Sean McCormack, also on loan from Maidenhead, chasing a through-ball into the Ashford area. Rather than being up-ended, he was sort of eased off the ball by the chasing George McLennan, and the referee, who had a good view, had no hesitation in awarding the penalty. For the offence, George became the third Ashford player to receive a yellow card this afternoon.

Youseff Bamba waited patiently to take the kick, and then hit a powerful shot, which was brilliantly saved by Michael McEntegart – but Josh Kelly reacted quickest, and turned in the rebound. McEntegart furiously berated his team-mates, presumably for being slow to follow up on his excellent save.

Walton Casuals soon went 2-0 up, in the 54^th minute. Quick passing on the left flank resulted in Josh Kelly finding his way inside the Ashford penalty area. He beat Kwabena Osei (I think it was), to get to the by-line, before forcing the ball under the body of the advancing McEntegart, and into the far corner of the net.

Kelly very nearly completed a hat-trick, in the 60^th minute, after Harry Mills and Sean McCormack had combined well down the right. The latter crossed the ball, from inside the Ashford area, to Kelly, in the centre, but the No.9 smashed his shot against the crossbar. But it was McCormack who put the game to bed with Casuals’ third goal, just two minutes later. As Ashford pressed forward, a swift break put the visitors’ defence in a 2 v 2 situation, with McCormack attacking down the right. Plenty of green shirts managed to get back, but Kwabena Osei fluffed a chance to head the ball clear. Eventually, a cross found McCormack on the right side of the penalty area, and he did well to turn the ball in.

With the confidence that a three-goal cushion always gives, Walton Casuals then controlled the remainder of the game, playing some nice football. Ashford were not without chances, with Ira Jackson dragging a shot wide, after a particularly good move, in the 67^th minute, and then Shomari Barnwell being gifted the ball on the edge of the Casuals’ area, after a complete aberration from a defender, in the 70^th minute, before pulling his shot across the face of goal.

The visitors cannot be faulted for their effort, this afternoon, with Joe Bingham driving the team forward from the deep midfield position he adopted during the second half, and Andrew Dalhouse manfully leading the line, but it looked far more likely that the home side was going to score more goals. As steady pressure was applied to the Ashford defence, Michael McEntegart had to be alert in coming off his line to thwart some slick passing movements.

Casuals Manager Anthony Gale made a double substitution in the 78^th minute – which allowed Jason Whitmore to replace Shomari Barnwell with Matt Day, at the same time – but the biggest impact was made when one Tyrell Richardson-Brown replaced Sean McCormack, in the 82^nd minute. Against a tiring Ashford defence, Tyrell did a very passable impersonation of Marcus Rashford, with his pace down the right flank. (So it’s interesting to recall that Tyrell scored only three goals for Ashford United, earlier this season, at a rate of 501 minutes per goal – which is a worse strike-rate than that achieved by the oft-maligned Sean Bradshaw !).

Tyrell first out-stripped the Ashford defence in the 84^th minute, when a swift break from the back sent him on his way with a 2 v 1 situation. He squared the ball to Youseff Bamba, who shot wide. Two minutes later, Tyrell had a similar opportunity, again showing great pace, but this time his cross failed to locate a teammate.

In the 88^th minute, Jason Whitmore made his third and final substitution, replacing George McLennan, who had had a quiet game, with Clark Woodcock. It’s always good to see Clark getting a run-out with the first team, but it seemed that insufficient time remained for him to make an impact – but this was actually not the case. Within seconds of coming on, Clark was found by Max Watters, wide on the right. His first attempt at a cross was blocked, and it appeared that the ball was going to bounce out for a throw-in, but it instead spun back to Clark’s feet. This time, he delivered an excellent cross into the Casuals’ goalmouth, where Matt Day did very little wrong with a header from close range – except that it went straight at the goalkeeper. As consolation goals go, that would have been a gem – it would have been good to see the two Ashford youngsters combine for a goal.

So there was to be no consolation for the visitors. In fact, Ashford went 4-0 down with what was, quite literally, the final kick of the game. And it was no surprise to see Tyrell Richardson-Brown getting onto the scoresheet, doing what he had threatened to do since he had been introduced, by Anthony Gale, for his impressive cameo. Running onto a sharply delivered through-ball, he lifted the ball over the advancing Michael McEntegart, and was no doubt delighted to see it bounce into the net, off the far post.

My view is that the final score of 4-0 did not flatter the home side – but it was no disgrace for the Ashford boys to be beaten by a better team, this afternoon. The lads’ next game will be away to second-placed Cray Wanderers, on Tuesday night. That will undoubtedly be another stiff test for Jason Whitmore’s much-improved side.