Sevenoaks Town v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South-East. 19th of October 2019.

Sevenoaks Town  3   

Ashford United  0

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

The corresponding fixture last season, which took place almost exactly a year ago (give or take a couple of days), was notable for some Ashford United fans’ very vociferous and very determined protest aimed at Sevenoaks manager Micky Collins. That involved a litany of personal insults hurled at Collins from the high ground at one end of the Greatness Park pitch, before, during and after the match, which the home side won 1-0. The winning manager hardly endeared himself to the Ashford faithful when he smacked our (then) manager, Gary Alexander, around the back of the head at the conclusion of the game.

Much has changed since last year. Alexander has moved on to be manager at Glebe, in the Southern Counties East League, being succeeded at Ashford by Tommy Warrilow. Collins is still in charge at Sevenoaks, but I was a little surprised to find that there was a semblance of a protest at today’s game. It involved just a handful of people, and a drum and some banners, and I heard no insults descending in the breeze, so it appeared to be more of a vigil than a protest.

It was actually a day of protests, with a huge march organised in London in support of a ‘people’s vote’ on Brexit. I was a little concerned that the influx of people to the capital might jeopardise my trip across ‘town’ to Sevenoaks, but there were no problems. There were plenty of marchers passing through Charing Cross Station, with various banners – my favourite was a very simple one, featuring a photo of Boris Johnson with the caption “Liar – Charlatan – Twat”. But I was heading to a far more important event than a demonstration about the country’s democratic soul and future economic prosperity – I was off to Greatness Park for the clash of the teams lying in second and third place in the Isthmian League Division 1 South-East.

Whatever limitations Micky Collins might have in terms of inter-personal skills and the ability to make friends and influence people, there is no doubt that he has done a wonderful job as manager of Sevenoaks Town. Having gained promotion to the Isthmian League at the end of the 2017-18 season – a year after Danny Lye led Ashford United to promotion by the same route – Collins managed the club to a very respectable tenth-place finish last season. The football club was arguably already punching above its weight, (rather like its manager), during that campaign, and there is a suggestion that the club can take things to the next level this time around. Today’s deserved 3-0 victory over Ashford United means that Sevenoaks top the table this evening, with Ashford slipping down to fourth.

There will be no panic buttons pressed at Homelands after today’s poor result, given that this was only Ashford’s seventh league game of the season, but the worry for Tommy Warrilow and all concerned with the club is that the current squad has been found wanting when coming up against two of the better teams in the division – Sevenoaks today, and Cray Valley Paper Mills, the team currently third in the table, two weeks ago.

One mitigating factor is that the relatively small Ashford United squad was involved in an FA Trophy replay, which went to extra time, on Tuesday evening. That is not to say that the lads looked tired or jaded this afternoon. In fact, for the first hour of the match, Ashford looked perfectly capable of winning the game, given the number of chances that they managed to create, even though Oaks had taken a 1-0 lead just before half time. No, the problem, this afternoon, appeared to be a lack of quality up front in the finishing department. If the lads were lacking anything, it appeared to be more a lack of confidence in front of goal than a lack of energy – which is a little strange for a team that went into today’s game having won nine games out of 13 so far this season.

Tommy Warrilow opted for what looked like a 4-1-3-2 formation today, (although I’m no expert on these things). Theo Osinfolarin retained his place at left-back, a position he occupied in the Trophy replay, away at Witham Town, in midweek, meaning the man normally in that position, Jake McIntyre, had to settle for a place on the bench. Similarly, goalkeeper Aaron Lee-Wharton was named as a sub, having filled in for Sam Mott last Saturday, since Motty played in goal today, and wore the captain’s armband. The remainder of the back five consisted of Mo Kamara and Josh Wisson in central defence, with Jerald Aboagye at right-back. Zak Henry played deep, just in front of the back four. Hassan Ibrahiym, who scored Ashford’s two goals on Tuesday night, was in midfield with Lee Prescott, with wide-left man Aaron Condon making up the midfield trio. Jay May and David Smith resumed their ‘little & large’ act up front.

The substitutes bench was completed by Danny Walder, Ramell Lake and Benjamin Binder – but I should point out that Ashford used no substitutes at all, this afternoon, which suggests that Tommy Warrilow has learnt something from his old boss, Neil Cugley !

It was in the 42^nd minute that the home side took the lead, but up to that point Ashford had looked the team most likely to prise open the opposition’s defence, in spite of having looked a little shaky at the back sometimes. The visitors had not been shy about using ‘Route 1’ football, (which I have no problem with), and the preferred weapon seemed to be the long ball looking for the head of Jay May, which would flick the ball into the path of David Smith. May also showed himself to be very adept at sliding the short ball through the Sevenoaks high defensive line, but nobody in the yellow shirt of Ashford was able to muster enough quality to supply a finish.

The first clear chance for the visitors came in the 12^th minute, when Zak Henry made a rare run forward, exploiting the space that opened up before him, before sliding the ball left, to David Smith – but Smith pulled his shot wide. Three minutes later, it was Jay May’s turn to miss. Having set up an attack with a ‘trademark’ flicked header for Smith to run onto, May soon had the chance to finish it off when running onto a square pass, but his shot was horribly miscued.

Ashford’s best chance of the first half came in the 18^th minute, after some brilliant work by Aaron Condon. With the aid of deft dummy, inside his own half, Condon was away and free down the left flank. He laid on an inch-perfect pass for David Smith to run onto, inside the penalty area. Smith did just about everything right, taking the ball around goalkeeper Patrick Lee, but Lee probably did his job in forcing the Ashford striker wide, making him shoot from quite an acute angle, and Smith’s low shot hit the far post.

Ashford looked most vulnerable in defence when attempting to play the ball out from the back – which is something that they very much share with one of the 2018 World Cup semi-finalists. There is probably some Spanish technical term for this business of passing the ball around in your own penalty area, instead of hoofing the ball clear, but to fans of non-league football it is simply ‘fannying around at the back’. And this fannying around nearly cost the visitors a goal in the 23^rd minute, when one of the Ashford defenders, with Sam Mott out of his goal in order to take part in the passing game, presented the ball to ex-Ashford United forward Adrian Stone, who was standing on the edge of the 18-yard line. Stone really should have scored, but instead side-footed the ball against the bar.

Of course, it was great to see Adrianho still playing at this level. One of my favourite all-time Ashford players, having also played during the Ashford Town era, he scored eleven goals, at a rate of a goal every 116 minutes, in Ashford United’s double-winning 2016-17 season. Frazer Walker, who played at right-back for Sevenoaks Town this afternoon, also played a big part in that promotion-winning season, and the home side’s No.11, Tyrell Richardson-Brown, scored three goals for Ashford during the following season (2017-18).

The Ashford defence had another dodgy moment approaching the half-hour mark, when there was some confusion between Mo Kamara and Sam Mott as to who was going to deal with a through-ball from the Sevenoaks defence. This gave an opportunity to Frankie Sawyer, who looked to be the home side’s most dangerous player, with his pace and movement, to nip in between the two – but Kamara saved the situation with a brilliant tackle.

Just prior to this, in the 24^th minute, Dave Smith had spoilt a neat one-two between himself and Jay May, with a heavy touch, just as he was through on goal, enabling Patrick Lee to come out and collect. Hassan Ibrahiym also wasted a chance, in the 30^th minute, when he shot wide after carrying the ball deep inside the Sevenoaks half, ignoring several good opportunities to pass the ball.

Oaks actually had the ball in the back of the Ashford net (for the first time) in the 33^rd minute, after a sustained attack during which Ashford were unable to clear the ball, but only after the referee had blown his whistle for a free-kick. However, most chances in the first half were created, and missed, by Ashford. In the 34^th minute, David Smith did well to beat two players inside the Sevenoaks penalty area, but his chipped cross to finish the move was careless, and went over Aaron Condon’s head. Smith also won a free-kick in a dangerous area, in the 38^th minute, when he managed to convince the referee that he had been bundled over from behind, (as strikers do), but Lee Prescott’s shot at goal from the resulting free-kick was always going well over the bar.

So Sevenoaks might have been second-best during the first half, in terms of the number of chances created, but they were soon 2-0 up, thanks to a couple of well-taken goals – one in each half - from corners. The first of these, three minutes before half time, was a beauty. The ball was slung in from the left, and centre-half Daniel Cumber met the ball on the full volley, a couple of feet from the ground, and steered it into the corner of the net. For some reason, in the confusion that followed the goal, Ashford captain Sam Mott managed to get himself a yellow card, (for something he said to the ref, maybe).

It was very important for the visitors to hit back as soon as possible in the second half, and we were possibly unlucky not to do so. Almost straight from the kick-off, Mo Kamara went on a run through the midfield area. He fed the ball through to David Smith, who, in spite of being tightly marked, and with his back to goal, managed to turn and shoot. Lee, in the Sevenoaks goal, got down to save, but, not for the first time this afternoon, was unable to gather the ball, and Jay May, following up, neatly dinked the ball over him and into the net. The realisation immediately sunk in that the referee had already blown his whistle. (He was making that signal with his hand that referees make to indicate an offside decision – but this particular ref had one or two episodes of signalling the wrong reason for a free-kick when his lino put the flag up).

The second half was generally much more even in terms of the number of chances created by the two sides, with the Ashford defence being breached several times. On one such occasion, in the 49^th minute, a Sevenoaks move flowing from right to left found Kyle De Silva with a clear sight of goal, but he pulled his shot wide.

But Ashford strived hard for an equaliser during the early part of the second half, and in the 50^th minute, we had what looked to be a good shout for a penalty. Aaron Condon was making his way along the by-line, when his cross clearly struck a Sevenoaks hand, but cries for a penalty were immediately waved away by the ref. In the 54^th minute, Josh Wisson, who was really solid this afternoon, sent in a long-range shot that went just too high, then, two minutes later, Jay May met a corner from the right with what would have been a perfect downward header, but this was comfortably blocked on the line by a Sevenoaks defender.

On the hour, Lee Prescott was guilty of a slightly embarrassing ‘air shot’, after the ball was pulled back from the by-line, but his failure to put foot to ball almost had more serious consequences for his team just two minutes later. Attempting a clearance from his own 18-yard area, he missed completely, the ball bouncing up to strike him on the hand. This looked like a clear penalty, but the ref again waved away the penalty appeals.

Chances continued to be created at both ends. In the 66^th minute, Kyle De Silva again found himself with a clear sight of goal, with time to set himself for a shot – but his effort hit the far post. A minute later, David Smith went clear, in the inside-left channel, and this time struck the ball really cleanly, but his shot was well saved by Patrick Lee in the Sevenoaks Town goal. Then, in the 68^th minute, Micky Collins made the first of his two substitutions of the afternoon, sending on his son, Louis, in place of striker Frankie Sawyer.

The Ashford defence appeared to be fast asleep, in the 70^th minute, when two simple passes found Kyle De Silva completely unmarked in the penalty area – but The Oaks’ No.7 hit his shot just wide.

A major turning point in the game came in the 72^nd minute. Jay May got up well to meet a long cross from the right, heading the ball down to David Smith in the centre, just a few yards from goal. It seemed certain that Smith would score, but Patrick Lee somehow managed to keep the ball out. Then, in the 78^th minute, Sevenoaks scored that all-important second goal. From a tackle from Josh Wisson, the ball broke to Adrian Stone, in time and space, but his shot was well saved by Sam Mott. However, from the resulting corner, Adrianho got up well to meet a deep cross and plant the ball into the net.

Go – o – o – a – l       A – dri – a – a – nho – oo – oo

That goal effectively ended the game as a contest, but there was still time for a fair amount of farce, and some nastiness. In the 82^nd minute, David Smith and Ben Gorham challenged for a high ball, with Gorham ending up on the floor with blood trickling from his brow, gesturing that he had been struck by Smith’s elbow. There appeared to be no intent involved here, and the referee clearly agreed, as Smith received no more than a yellow card. Three minutes later, however, Gorham took the opportunity for what looked to be clear retaliation for the elbow in the face, and so he was probably fortunate that the colour of the card that he saw was also yellow. That incident seemed daft enough, but, just a minute later, Ryan Fowler was guilty of a nasty-looking tackle on Hassan Ibrahiym, and this time the referee had no hesitation in pulling out the red card. It seemed to be a fairly brainless thing for Gorham to do, with the three points already in the bag.

Micky Collins made his second, and final, substitution in the final minute of normal time, with Alec Fiddes replacing Adrianho for the six minutes that the referee had added on. It was in the fifth of those six minutes that Sevenoaks finished off a very good afternoon for the club with a third goal. It was a fairly tired and sloppy goal, from the point of view of the visitors, as the ball was given away, allowing Louis Collins a free run on goal. Collins still had Sam Mott to beat, but did this expertly, rounding the ‘keeper and calmly slotting the ball home – like watching Jimmy Greaves, it was.

So a pretty good day for Collins Snr, with his boy getting onto the scoresheet late on, and the fact that Hastings United dropped two points at Haywards Heath this afternoon sent his team to the top of the table - but plenty for Tommy Warrilow to think about, with this being his heaviest league defeat as Ashford United manager.

East Grinstead Town v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South-East. 21st of September 2019.

East Grinstead Town  1

Ashford United  3

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

First game of the season for me - and Ashford’s eighth – although I did turn up for the game at Whyteleafe last week. On that occasion, ten minutes before kick-off, what sounded like a space ship descended upon the ground and landed on the pitch. Sadly, it was an air ambulance, and because it had come to attend to the mother of one of the Whyteleafe players, the match was, quite rightly, called off.

There were no such problems today, though. It was the perfect Saturday. A cloudless, late-September afternoon. All the trains ran on time – and Ashford United won away. Today’s win lifts Ashford to second in the division. More importantly, it maintains our 100% record in the league, after five games. Sevenoaks Town are the current leaders, a point ahead of us, but having played two games more.

After last season’s highest-ever finish for the Club since The Reformation – fourth in the Isthmian League Division 1 South East – the narrative over the summer was that things would be tougher for us this time around, in the light of a significant cut in the playing budget. That may well eventually turn out to be the case, but there has been no sign of this so far. On the evidence of my first sight of the boys, we appear to have a very solid team, and I would trust in Tommy Warrilow’s experience and pedigree as a manager to ensure that we are there or thereabouts, challenging for promotion, at the end of the season.

The team news, on arrival at the ground, was that our hosts, East Grinstead Town, had made six changes since their last match – which was probably a reflection of The Wasps starting the day third-bottom of the league, having managed just the three points from their first six games. For Ashford, Jay May, with just one goal to his name so far this season, had been relegated to the bench, with Tashi-Jay Kwayie playing further forward, to partner David Smith up front. This change might have been partly to do with the fact that Tommy Warrilow had a new name to put on the team sheet, that of Aaron Condon, who wore the No.11 shirt this afternoon. Another slight surprise (to me) was that Sam Mott, our goalie, was Ashford’s captain, although the rest of the team had a very familiar ring about it, with Warrilow having stuck with pretty much the same team during the season to date: Josh Wisson and Mohammed Kamara in central defence; Jerald Aboagye at right-back and Jake McIntyre at left-back; Danny Walder, Zak Henry, Lee Prescott and Aaron Condon in midfield. Joining Jay May on the bench were Hassan Ibrahiym, Levi Gold, Theo Osinfolarin (a name which seems vaguely elvish) and spare goalie Lee Hook.

It’s always a pleasure to come here. East Court is an entirely tree-lined ground, set in parkland, and it’s a pleasant 20 minutes’ walk from East Grinstead Rail Station – left at the church, past the tennis courts and then through Mount Noddy Cemetery (which is a damn silly name for a cemetery – sounds like an instruction to Big Ears).

The pitch also looked a picture – flat and with short grass – and this probably contributed a great deal to an entertaining and fast-paced first half. The first 20 minutes were particularly full of action, with each team scoring at the beginning and the end of this period of play.

It was Ashford who scored first, with Aaron Condon taking just five minutes to get off the mark for his new club. A long cross from Jerald Aboagye, from the right, found Condon near the left edge of the penalty area. Rather than crossing the ball, his first touch took him past the defender, with the ball now on his right foot, and he placed a low shot under the body of goalkeeper Brannon Daly.

But the home side came back at Ashford with plenty of good, fast football, and looked anything but a side having just two teams below them in the league. Just a minute after going behind, they had a corner. This was taken short, resulting in a firm shot from an acute angle, which required a good, diving save from Sam Mott. Five minutes later, a long clearance from Mott created a three-against-three situation for Ashford, but this resulted in Tashie-Jay Kwayie hitting a shot straight at the goalie. Both sides also had dangerous free-kick situations, near to the opponent’s by-line – Ashford in the 13^th minute, after Jake McIntyre was needlessly hacked down from behind by Andrew Blake, and East Grinstead in the 15^th minute, after Aaron Condon made a very late ‘striker’s tackle’ on Gil Carvalho – but neither chance was converted.

In the 16^th minute, an Ashford break from defence ended with ginger-haired No.8 Kwayie finding David Smith with just the one defender to beat, but Smith could do no more than win a corner – which was over-hit by Zak Henry. Two minutes later, full-back Jerald Aboagye, who was dangerous down the right for Ashford all afternoon, won a corner. The resulting cross was met with a powerful header by Lee Prescott, near the edge of the penalty area, but his effort went straight at goalkeeper Brannon Daly. That was also the fate of a curling shot by David Smith in the 19^th minute.

With both teams launching their fair share of attacks during this opening period, East Grinstead’s equaliser, which came in the 20^th minute, was by no means against the run of play, and it came as a result of a wonderful piece of skill from O’shaye Giraud-Hutchinson. After a good build-up by The Wasps on the left side of the field, the ball was fed inside to O’shaye, who hit a curling shot, from about 25 yards, into the top corner of the net. Sam Mott was at full stretch with a dive, but he never had a chance to get near Giraud-Hutchinson’s shot.

Following the East Grinstead goal, Ashford had an uncertain spell during which several passes went astray, and we seemed to be conceding all the free-kicks. However, order was restored in the 35^th minute, thanks to a moment of pure inspiration from Jerald Aboagye – who was a strong candidate for Man of the Match, this afternoon. Picking the ball up a few yards from the corner of the penalty area, Jerald charged towards goal and simply lashed the ball into the net.

The visitors had the better of the final ten minutes of the half – their best chance during this time falling to Aaron Condon, in the 37^th minute, after a good move involving David Smith and Lee Prescott, but his shot went over the bar – and so they were good value for their 1-2 lead at the break.

East Grinstead made one substitution at half time, replacing Oluwajuwon Akintunde with Misha Djemaili, (which was the worst nightmare of the PA announcer, who struggled with players’ names all afternoon), but it was O’shaye Giraud-Hutchinson who had the home side’s first chance of the second half. This came after Jerald Aboagye had headed behind for a corner, in the 47^th minute. The corner was taken short, to O’shaye, who again showed great skill in sending in a curling shot towards the far post, managing to wrap his foot around the ball as he was running away from goal, but this time his effort went wide.

I don’t know the extent to which Tashi-Jay Kwayie was playing out of position, up front, but he generally looked fairly bewildered, and uncertain as to the role he should be playing. There were times when he actually got in David Smith’s way. This lack of assistance for Smith might have explained why the latter didn’t quite look like a man who had scored eight goals in six-and-a-bit appearances this season. Smith did enough when on the ball to show that he is certainly a class act as a striker – he had a great first touch, and showed good close control – but he had a frustrating time in front of goal for most of the afternoon.

T-J, too, looked a skillful player when on the ball, and he did set Smith up with a simple chance to score, in the 48^th minute. Attacking down the right, he managed to get to the by-line and send in a good cross, which was intercepted by an East Grinstead defender. There were immediate calls of “Hand Ball” from the Ashford fans behind the goal – who made up a large proportion of today’s crowd of 113 – and the referee, who was well positioned, immediately pointed to the penalty spot. There were no complaints from the East Grinstead players.

The expectation was that David Smith would step up and put away his ninth goal of the season, but Brannon Daly saved his low shot. The ball went straight back to Smith, and slotting home the rebound appeared to be easier than scoring from the penalty itself, but Daly somehow kept the follow-up effort out with his feet. It sort of summed up David Smith’s afternoon, but he looks capable of scoring many more goals this season.

Smith might have shown a little frustration, just two minutes later, when he bundled over O’shaye Giraud-Hutchinson, in a dangerous position. The resulting free-kick was an in-swinging cross, which was allowed to travel all the way through the Ashford penalty area, eventually going harmlessly away for a goal-kick. At the other end, in the 53^rd minute, Lee Prescott shot from just outside the penalty area, but straight at the goalkeeper. But the next incident of real note happened a minute later, and we might have witnessed the Goal of the Season. It came from a corner, on the right, which was conceded by Drew Cooney, as he cut out a Kwayie cross from the right. The resulting corner was hit deep, and was met by Aaron Condon with a beautifully-timed volley. The ball was screaming towards the far top corner of the net, but was headed away by the defender at the far post.

Condon had a similar chance in the 57^th minute, which was created by some good play between Kwayie and Aboagye. It was the right-back who supplied the deep cross, from the right, and this time Aaron hit his volley just as sweetly, but it was just too high.

There now followed a very scrappy passage of play during which not a great deal of football was played. There were a number of stoppages for free-kicks, and some niggles between players, and the Ashford players were perfectly happy to take plenty of time over goal-kicks, free-kicks and throw-ins. The situation just threatened to boil over in about the 65^th minute, when Ashford’s Zak Henry and East Grinstead’s Craig McGee had a session of ‘hand bags’ in the middle of the pitch – but the referee sorted things out with a quiet word. In fact, the ref was excellent all game. He was very decisive with his decisions and managed to maintain control of the game whilst keeping his cards in his trousers. His patience finally ran out with Zak Henry, however, in the 72^nd minute, when the Ashford No.7 was a little over-aggressive with a challenge once too often. It was a daft yellow card to pick up, given that Zak had received plenty of verbal warnings.

The attacks that were launched during this stop-start period of the game came from Ashford, and, in the 70^th minute, David Smith had a great chance to brighten up his entire afternoon. Jerald Aboagye got the better of East Grinstead’s tall, blond centre-forward Dean Bown, inside the home side’s half, which presented Ashford with a four-against-three situation. The ball was worked nicely, to give Smith a clear shooting chance from about ten yards out, but he fluffed his shot wide.

Smith finally got his goal in the 73^rd minute, the culmination of what was probably Ashford’s best move of the match. Tashi-Jay Kwayie moved the ball out to Jerald Aboagye, who was, as usual, wide on the right. Aboagye’s cross was deep, beyond the far post, from where Aaron Condon steered the ball across the face of the East Grinstead goal. David Smith was at the far post, stooping very low to head the ball into the net, from a couple of feet out.

And that third goal for Ashford was the final meaningful action of the game. There were substitutions made by the home side – Robin Deen for Dean Brown in the 81^st minute, and Dan Pearse for goal-scorer O’shaye Giraud-Hutchinson in the 84^th minute – but these seemed to be made for the sake of giving players a run out in the team, rather than to make a meaningful attempt to get something from the game. In fact, the home side spent the final 15 minutes of the game building patiently, putting sequences of passes together, but rarely managing to leave their own half of the field. Ashford were quite content to ‘sit in’ for the remainder of the game, and, in truth, after a fairly even first half, Sam Mott did have a very easy time of it in the second half. Tommy Warrilow did replace Kwayie with Levi Gold, in the 78^th minute, and Aaron Condon with Theo Osinfolarin, in the 80^th minute, but the match rather dozed off after the third Ashford goal.

This was a good win for Ashford. The scoreline might have been more emphatic if David Smith had had better support and had had a better finishing day, but there is plenty of cause for optimism for United’s fans for the season to come.

Whyteleafe v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South East. 2nd of March, 2019.

Whyteleafe  1

Ashford United  3

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

Ten games remaining in the season, at the start of today, and, for the first time in our history, we have a club that is in the throws of a battle for play-off places. Actually, with Cray Wanderers looking already home & hosed as champions, and with a gap opening between the four teams currently in the play-off positions and sixth-placed Whyteleafe, it seems that this battle is likely to concern the order in which the teams finish in those play-off places. That certainly appears to be the case after this afternoon’s result at Church Road. Trailing Ashford United by seven points this morning, the home side desperately needed to win this match. The fact that the visitors walked off with all three points means that the gap between the two sides has now stretched to ten points. Even with Hastings United’s surprise defeat at home to Haywards Heath Town, which sees them drop into the final play-off position, Whyteleafe are still nine points adrift of the play-offs.

This was a very important win for Ashford, given that they had lost their previous two matches. Those unexpected reverses, coming at the hands of Herne Bay and Phoenix Sports, had coincided with free-scoring Danny Parish having been unable to start both games, due to an ankle injury. We will never know how much Danny’s injury contributed to this sudden loss of form, but he was back in the starting line-up today, as part of a new striking partnership, with the experienced Jay May. I have read and heard the view of some Ashford fans that the arrival of Jay May, an archetypal ‘big target man’, has been the cause of an unwelcome change in the team’s style, encouraging a ‘more direct’ approach. I can’t comment on this, having not witnessed the two defeats, but it’s certainly true that Jay brings a completely new dimension to the team. He was dominant in the air today, and held the ball up well, and there were early signs of an understanding developing between him and Danny Parish. I just wish that he’d persuade his Mum to abandon all this Brexit nonsense, before it’s all too late.

The remainder of the side was pretty much as expected. Sam Mott was back in goal, with Lee Hook having deputised for him last Saturday, in front of a back four of Jerald Aboagye, Tom Carlse, Mohammed Kamara and Afolabi Coker. If Jay May was strong in the air up front, Mohammed and Afolabi were just as dominant at the back. Of the midfield quartet, Josh Wisson reprised his defensive midfield role, with Sam Corne furthest forward in support of the two strikers, and with Toby Ajala on the right and Sam Hasler on the left.

This was my first view of Sam Hasler, a new signing from Hythe Town making his third appearance for Ashford. I had read up on him, though, and his Hythe Town profile mentioned that he has a remarkable long-range shot in his locker, and that he’ll be remembered there for one or two outstanding goals from dead ball situations. Well, we didn’t have to wait long, this afternoon, for Sam to show us his ‘party piece’. In the very first minute, in fact, he picked up the ball inside the Whyteleafe half. With the defence not hurrying to close him down – having not read his profile, presumably – Sam let fly with an absolute thunderbolt which was still rising when it hit the back of the top left-hand corner of the net. The consensus from around the ground was that the shot was hit from at least 30 yards out, but I reckon that the distance was nearer 35 yards.

That was a tremendous start for the visitors, and it got better, in the fourth minute, when Jay May scored a second goal - his second goal for Ashford, on only his third start. Danny Parish chased the ball through the Whyteleafe penalty area, but was running away from goal, towards the right touchline. However, he soon turned and beat one defender, before sending in a dangerous cross. Goalkeeper Tyler McCarthy saved the first effort on goal, but the ball ricocheted into the air, and May was there to thump it in from close range.

So a dream start for Ashford, in such an important game, but a very early lead can sometimes be a double-edged sword, as it gives the opposition plenty of time in which to get back into the game – and Whyteleafe came back strongly at the visitors. They looked sharp and incisive going forward, and had a good chance to equalise in the tenth minute. A good passing movement on the left put left-back Matthew O’Donoghue through on goal, but Sam Mott did well to save from close range and an acute angle.

The two-goal lead did not last long, though, as ‘Leafe pulled a goal back in the eleventh minute. I think it was right-back Marvin Armstrong who got to the Ashford by-line and sent in a low cross within a yard or so of Sam Mott’s goal line. As a posse of players converged on the ball, Jerald Aboagye was guilty of a push on a Whyteleafe player, and the ref blew immediately for a penalty. Jerald also earned a yellow card for his action, when there might have been a case of the colour of the card being red, and this became a major bone of contention later in the half when the home side was reduced to ten men after a comparable incident.

Bradley Wilson stepped up to take the penalty, and easily slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net, with Sam Mott diving the other way.

During this period, both teams looked bright and dangerous coming forward, and it appeared that there would be more goals to come – but, surprisingly, there was no addition to the score line before half time. Both teams had chances, though. In the 18^th minute, a good passing movement from Ashford gave top-scorer Sam Corne a sight of goal, but his shot was just wide, the awarding of a corner suggesting that his effort had taken a deflection. At the other end, in the 22^nd minute, a good Whyteleafe passing movement on the edge of the Ashford 18-yard box managed to find Bradley Wilson overlapping on the left as the extra man. Wilson was clean through on goal, but his shot was saved by Sam Mott, diving low. In the 25^th minute, the visitors worked the ball wide to Jerald Aboagye, on the right, whose long, looping cross found Jay May at the far post, but the big man’s header was just too high.

The incident that caused plenty of discussion among the crowd of 182 occurred on the half-hour mark. A quick through-ball out of defence set Danny Parish off on a run at goal. Getting to the ball first, it was always likely that Danny would have too much pace for the home defence. As he approached the penalty area, there was no doubt that Helge Orome was leaning on the Ashford No.9. Danny was unbalanced as he managed a weak shot at the goalkeeper, falling as he did so. The Lino was already flagging furiously, and, after awarding a free-kick right on the edge of the 18yard box, the Ref showed Orome a red card, apparently very much on the recommendation of his Lino. I don’t think there is any doubt that a red card was the correct decision, here, but the word “consistency” was one of the words hurled in the referee’s direction, along with quite a few obscene ones.

From this point, Ashford took full control of the game. In the 35^th minute, Sam Hasler, who looks quite a bit like Matt Day when he’s on the ball, took possession of the ball on the right. He cut inside, transferring the ball onto his hammer of a left foot, and hit a shot that appeared to be every bit as sweet as the one that had given Ashford the early lead. In fact, it would have found the roof of the net in the same way, if it had not been for an excellent, one-handed save by Tyler McCarthy. This was undoubtedly the save of the match.

A minute later, Sam Corne combined well in a one-two with Afolabi Coker, but was the victim of a bad foul by Emmanuel Maja when going for the return. This earned Maja a yellow card. Danny Parish took a shot at goal from the resulting free-kick, causing McCarthy to make another good, diving save.

There was a strange incident right at the end of the half, when Stefan Cox, who had been an Ashford United player just four games ago, was replaced by Harvey Brand. I don’t think I have ever seen a substitution made so close to the interval. Why didn’t the Manager wait until half time?

There was, however, time for a further Ashford chance before the break. About a minute into injury time in the first half, Jay May spread the ball wide to Tom Carlse, on the left. Carlse’s low cross found Danny Parish in the penalty area, stooping low with a glancing header that was just wide.

Whyteleafe did make a substitution during the interval, replacing Helge Orome with Emmanuel Mensah, but Ashford effectively put the game to bed as soon as the half began. A good passing movement between Danny Parish and Sam Corne put Parish into the Whyteleafe penalty area. He made a neat reverse pass to Corne, who was a few yards behind him, and Sam swept the ball into the net in a manner that was very similar to his finish that earned the Nuts & Bolts three points at Three Bridges, just five Saturdays ago. Sam Corne has been an absolute star this season. That was his 17^th goal of the season – which is a tremendous contribution for a midfielder – and he has appeared in every game on the British mainland this season. (He has missed the away day at Guernsey, only).

From this point, Ashford began to look a very good side. It might be argued that they were entitled to look impressive, against ten men and with a two-goal cushion, but it was reassuring to see them come across as being comfortably better than the side that remains in sixth place in the league table. There was a string of half-chances to the visitors early in the second half. In the 48^th minute, Josh Wisson hit a first-time shot wide, after a good passing movement, before Danny Parish saw a low shot well saved by ‘keeper McCarthy just a minute later. In the 52^nd minute, Mohammed Kamara attempted a first-time shot from a corner from the right, and this required another good save from Tyler McCarthy, who unsurprisingly was later named as Whyteleafe’s Man of the Match. In the 61^st minute, a diagonal ball forward found Jay May, who laid the ball off to Danny Parish. Danny’s shot was blocked, and Jay’s effort from the rebound was saved.

Throughout this time, the home side gamely kept two of their ten men up front, but the Ashford defence coped well with The ‘Leafe’s occasional attacks, and Sam Mott had little to do besides dealing with back passes and the odd through-ball.

From about the hour mark, the visitors’ task became one of ‘game management’, just easing towards the final whistle. Manager Tommy Warrilow eased this process with regular substitutions. The first of these was when he replaced Josh Wisson with Bode Anidugbe, in the 75^th minute. (Whyteleafe had already made their final substitution when Junior Aikhionbare was sent on in place of Andre McCollin, in the 69^th minute). The other substitutions for Ashford were Clark Woodcock on for Toby Ajala, in the 80^th minute, and Trey Williams on for Danny Parish, in the 84^th minute.

One slightly concerning factor is that the three substitutes used were the only outfield subs available to Tommy Warrilow this afternoon. As we enter a crucial phase of the season, the apparent total lack of defensive back-up is a little worrying. Nevertheless, today’s win lifts Ashford to fourth position, above Hastings United - one point and four points behind Haywards Heath Town and Horsham, respectively, and both have played a game more. If Ashford can win that game in hand, then we will progress to third place, which is the requirement for securing what would surely be a very lucrative home tie in a Play-off Semi-final.

Three Bridges v Ashford United. Isthmian Division 1 South East. 26th of January, 2019.

Three Bridges  0

Ashford United  1

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

This season will definitely be my most shameful in terms of the number of Ashford United games seen. Today’s trip to Three Bridges, in West Sussex, was just my fourth game of the season. With Whyteleafe away looking like being the only other feasible fixture for me, due to a number of factors (mostly work-related), this is looking like being a five-match season. The previous game I saw was back in November, when the lads ended a run of eleven games without a win with a 1-2 win at East Grinstead Town, in what was a dreadful game quality-wise. So, what have I missed?

Well, I’ve missed a change of manager, as Gary Alexander has been replaced by Tommy Warrilow, in what I feel is going to prove to be a hugely important change. For the first time in Ashford United’s history, we have recruited a manager with a proven track record. More importantly, Tommy is already an Ashford legend, having been a member of the great Ashford Town side that Neil Cugley put together. I am sure that Tommy is a manager that the fans can really identify with, and get right behind.

The club has also been on a great run of form since that scrappy win at East Grinstead. A return of eight wins and a draw from ten games had lifted Ashford to third in the league table, at the start of today’s game, and The Warrior’s lads are now looking like genuine play-off contenders – which would be the first time that any Ashford team has ever taken part in play-offs. Added to that, everyone I spoke to at the game today was eager to emphasise what good football the boys are playing right now, so it is a very exciting time to be an Ashford United supporter. (When isn’t it?)

Inevitably, there were many new faces for me to get used to, with only five survivors from the East Grinstead match being in Ashford’s starting line-up today. One of the new faces was actually quite an old face, (no offence, pal), as the vastly experienced Lee Hook, who recently joined as a player-coach, was in goal, in place of Sam Mott. I understand that Sam was on ‘church business’, related to his forthcoming wedding. (Actually, I thought that vicars only worked on a Sunday). Our regular ‘keeper has been in excellent form recently, and it is to Hooky’s credit that he kept the run of clean sheets going, today extending the run to four in a row. In fact, the boys have managed to not concede a goal in five of the last six games.

Tommy set the side up in an interesting shape today, with central defenders Afolabi Coker and Mohammed Kamara holding the fort at the back whilst full-backs Jerald Aboagye and Tom Carlse pushed up on the flanks for most of the game. There was a slight change of role for Josh Wisson, who was in a deep midfield position, just in front of the centre-backs, from where he was pretty impressive in running things for the visitors. Ashford’s formation was pretty much 4-1-3-2, with Sam Corne playing well forward, in support of forwards Danny Parish and Trey Williams, with Toby Ajala and Bode Anidugbe on either side.

There were just the three substitutes on the bench for Ashford – Clark Woodcock, Usman Adeniji and Stefan Cox, who was returning after a seven-game suspension – indicating that Warrilow is having to cope with a continuing player shortage.

The match kicked off at 3.01pm precisely – roughly three hours before Steve Sodje’s bed-time – and it was soon evident why Ashford fans are currently purring about the way the team is going about its business. In spite of playing into the breeze, which drove intermittent drizzle into their face, Ashford dominated the opening 15 minutes with quick and accurate passing, with all of the players looking comfortable on the ball. This wasn’t very different to the style of play that Gary Alexander was encouraging, but I had the impression that Tommy Warrilow is doing so with better players.

In spite of this early domination of possession, there were few clear-cut chances in this period. Toby Ajala went slaloming through the Three Bridges defence, in the fifth minute, only to be upended – but the free-kick routine of initially playing the ball short simply didn’t work. In fact, Ashford’s regular use of playing the ball short at free-kicks and corners, rather than just slinging the ball into the area, generally failed to create chances today. One exception, however, was when a corner was played short, in the ninth minute. After Danny Parish had cut in from the left and had a right-footed shot blocked, the corner, on the left, was laid short to Tom Carlse, whose cross found Trey Williams’s head in the centre, but his glancing header nestled on the roof of the net. But Williams immediately had the unexpected opportunity of a follow-up attempt, when Bridges’ goalkeeper James Shaw looked distinctly unsure, making a complete mess of playing the ball short from the goal-kick. The ball fell at Trey’s feet, but his first-time shot was well saved by Shaw.

Eventually, the home side, currently in a solid, mid-table position, having been promoted from the Southern Combination League as runners-up last year, began to get into the match, and although Ashford generally looked the better side, there appeared to be two ways in which we might concede a goal. One might have been as a result of a Three Bridges break, with our full-backs upfield, and the other from a set piece, with Lee Hook looking a little vulnerable under the high ball early on. One of these occasions was in the 13^th minute, when Brannon O’Neill took a corner on the right, left-footed, curling the ball in under the Ashford cross-bar. One of a melée of players near the goal-line headed the ball onto the bar, before it was then nodded behind for another corner. Two minutes later, the Ashford goal was threatened by another cross that came in from the right, but this was headed just over by No.15 Alex Clark. (For some reason, the Three Bridges players wore squad numbers).

Lee Hook had to make his first real save in the 19^th minute. George Gaskin (No.16) tried a long-range shot that appeared to be far too ambitious, especially once he had made his intentions obvious, but his effort would have gone into the roof of the net, and Hook did well to tip the ball over the bar. In the 23^rd minute, Ashford’s vulnerability to the break was seen, when they gave the ball away carelessly in midfield. This gave the home side a two v two situation. Gaskin laid the ball to the left, to Clark, who wasted the opportunity by firing wide.

Ashford’s next chance did not materialise until the 25^th minute, and this came about as a result of Joe Tennent clumsily losing control (of the ball, that is) in his own penalty area, allowing Sam Corne to nip in. This was a promising position for the visitors, with Corne having the ball at his feet, on the by-line, but his cross was forced behind for a corner. In fact, Ashford now had two corners in quick succession, but both of these were subjected to the play-it-short routine, and came to nothing.

The in-form Danny Parish, with 13 goals in his twelve games for Ashford, had a couple of chances in the 29^th minute. First, he turned and sent in a low shot that went wide of goal. Then, seconds later, Ashford again were presented with the ball straight from a Shaw goal-kick. Sam Corne put Parish through on goal, and the Ashford No.9, from a difficult angle, elected to try to chip the goalkeeper, but the attempt went wide of the far post.

There were big appeals for an Ashford penalty, in the 34^th minute, when Tom Carlse was flattened in the penalty area, but the referee was satisfied that the ball had been won in the tackle, and indicated as such.

In spite of occasionally looking a little vulnerable at the back, Ashford continued to look fairly comfortable and in control for the remainder of the first 45 minutes, and ended the half with a spell of pressure, a corner from the right resulting in Afolabi Coker hitting an typical defender’s shot high over the bar. Three Bridges did, however, have a chance, on the break, in injury time, but Alex Clark pulled his shot wide of goal.

The second half was rather more one-sided, and there seemed to be an increasing sense that both teams knew that Ashford were the better side, and that one goal would seal the three points for them. This goal duly came in the 58^th minute, and it was the excellent Sam Corne who delivered it, scoring his 14^th goal of the season. Trey Williams ran onto a through-ball from the half-way line, and, in all honesty, he really shouldn’t have gained possession – but he got to the ball due to a combination of weak defending and his own strength and determination. Williams then laid the ball into the path of Corne, making a run from midfield, who swept the ball into the corner of the net. This telling contribution was to be Trey’s last, as he was replaced by Usman Adeniji, four minutes later.

Three Bridges’ frustration at going a goal down showed, in the 61^st minute, when Jensen Grant earned a yellow card for a late tackle on Bode Anidugbe, but the home side had an excellent chance to equalise, in the 65^th minute. It was Grant who ran onto a through-ball, into the Ashford penalty area, and through a combination of Lee Hook coming out to intercept and an Ashford defender coming across with a saving tackle, was left in a heap on the turf. The referee waved away the penalty appeals, and, although I could not see clearly what happened, I was left with the impression that we’d had a let-off there.

As the half wore on, the home side had no periods of possession of note, and began to commit more fouls as frustration grew. In the 70^th minute, the ref made a point of giving Joe Tennent a stiff, finger-pointing lecture, presumably for something that the No.20 had said, but Brannon O’Neill received a deserved yellow card in the 75^th minute. Bode Anidugbe was skating through the centre circle, with three Three Bridges players trailing in his wake, and it was a fairly dispirited trip by O’Neill that earned him the booking.

The Ashford players were actually quite impressive with what is now called ‘game management’, being very adept at drawing fouls from the tiring and discouraged opposition. Tommy Warrilow also played a part, with substitutions calculated to protect the one-goal lead. But first there was a chance for Ashford to go further ahead, in the 78^th minute, when Tom Carlse sent a long, breeze-assisted free-kick into the home penalty area. Centre-half Afolabi Coker appeared to be unchallenged as he got his head to the ball, but James Shaw made a good, diving save.

Three Bridges Manager Martin Dynan made a double-substitution in the 80^th minute, while Brannon O’Neill was preparing to take a free-kick, replacing Alex Clark and Jensen Grant with Connor French and Darryl Siaw. O’Neill, clearly the Bridges’ orchestrator, being responsible for all dead-ball kicks, curled a dangerous cross into the Ashford area, but French headed wide.

Warrilow’s second substitution was made in the 86^th minute, when Stefan Cox, with orders to put in a brief defensive shift, replaced Toby Ajala. Then, just a minute later, the visitors had an opportunity to put the result beyond doubt, after Danny Parish had done well to charge down a clearance, deep inside the Three Bridges penalty area. Sam Corne ran onto Parish’s short pass, and tried to mimic what he had done earlier, with the goal, but on this occasion his shot was blocked. I must say that the referee was quite impressive today, and I felt he had a good game, but he did make the strangest decision that I have seen for a long time at the resulting corner. The ball was swung in from the left, and Shaw took the ball and then dropped it as he collided with one of his own defenders. With no green shirts anywhere near, the ref made the astonishing decision to blow up for a free-kick. It is often the case that goalkeepers are over-protected – but that was ridiculous.

Ashford did have to withstand some late pressure, particularly in the 89^th minute, starting with a rather panicky tackle by Mohammed Kamara, which resulted in Ashford’s only yellow card in the game. Brannon O’Neill inevitably took the free-kick, but the three-man defensive wall did the job, deflecting O’Neill’s shot at goal behind for a corner. The same man trotted across to swing the ball in with his left foot, but failed to beat the first man in the crowded area – this was Stefan Cox, who headed behind. O’Neill’s second attempt was a better one, locating a Three Bridges head from within a ruck of players on and around the six-yard line, but the ball went just wide of the far post.

Ashford’s final substitution – Clark Woodcock on for Danny Parish, on the 90-minute mark - was purely for the purpose of running down the clock, and there were the now-familiar shenanigans with keep-ball by the corner flag as the visitors held on comfortably enough for a deserved win.

The news, in Three Bridges FC’s very nice, and very spacious, bar was that Hastings United had somehow contrived to lose 4-1 away at Herne Bay, meaning that the second-placed team now leads Ashford United by only two points. Ashford’s momentum towards a place in the play-offs is now very strong. The ‘cushion’, between ourselves and sixth-placed Haywards Heath Town, is now one of six points. It might also be expected that Tommy Warrilow’s side will only improve further, as players return from injury and suspension, so anything is possible from here onwards. I picked one hell of a season to miss so many games.

East Grinstead Town v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South East. 10th of November 2018.

East Grinstead Town  1

Ashford United  2

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

My second visit to East Court, home of East Grinstead Town FC, this year, having attended the corresponding fixture last season back in March. That meeting was towards the end of a fairly bloodless campaign. Neither club had been able to put out a side to threaten a mid-table position, yet there was little fear of relegation, thanks to Shoreham having looked certain, from very early on, to occupy the single relegation berth. That game was memorable for Clark Woodcock’s first (and, so far, only) goal for Ashford, but the home side won the game 3-2. That defeat meant that Ashford United’s away record in the league, at the time, was Played 19, Drawn 4, Lost 15. Eventually, Ashford finished in 21^st place in the league, with East Grinstead Town 22^nd – with only 20 teams in the division this season, both clubs will be looking for an improvement.

It is fair to say that the two clubs have strengthened since last season, with both starting today’s game tied in 14^th and 15^th places, with 11 points from ten games. However, Ashford went into this match as a team lacking in confidence, having gone ten games without a win, and having gained just two points from the last seven league games. On the limited evidence that I have seen, this season, Ashford’s main problem appears to have been a lack of quality up front – so I was looking forward to seeing Danny Parish, a 20 year-old striker signed from Thamesmead Town, who scored on his debut in Ashford’s last game.  

There were no ‘new’ faces, as such, on the team sheet for Ashford, but there were some very welcome returning heroes. Chief among them was Joe Bingham, who captained United for a spell last season. Joe added a muscular presence, and one or two biting tackles, to our midfield today. I can imagine him forming a very useful partnership with Sam Corne in central midfield. There were also two returners on the bench – Luis Morrison and Brandon Williams – who are both recovering from injury. Luis has been particularly missed in the centre of Ashford’s defence.

In terms of the starting line-up, Matt Day was unfamiliar in a No.4 shirt – and started the game in a deeper position than we are accustomed to seeing him in, on the left side of midfield. Of the rest of the team, Josh Wisson and Ollie Rowe were in central defence, in front of goalkeeper Sam Mott, with Jerald Aboagye and right-back and Tom Carlse on the left. With Joe Bingham and Sam Corne anchoring the centre of midfield, the front four were flexible with their positioning – but Harry Ottaway was usually farthest forward, supported by Matt Day, Stefan Cox and Dan Parish. For once, Gary Alexander had the luxury of naming five outfield substitutes – alongside Luis Morrison and Brandon Williams were Clark Woodcock, Ambrose Gnahore and Fidan Fejzi.

The name that interested me in the East Grinstead line-up was that of Orlando Smith, who was named at No.11 for the home side, both on the Football Web Pages website, and on the team sheet that was pinned up at the ground. I was expecting to see the Orlando Smith who played for Ashford Town in the 2008-9 season, and scored his only goal for us in a league game away at Sittingbourne – but the young lad wearing 11 for the hosts this afternoon certainly wasn’t the Orlando we knew, and he was identified with a different name by the PA announcer when he was substituted.

This was a perfect afternoon for watching footy. It was ridiculously mild for mid-November, and the East Court stadium was looking a picture, with the woodland surrounding its sloping pitch displaying all the colours of autumn. Unfortunately, the poor quality of the play, from both sides, made this quite a hard ‘watch’ for the 144-strong crowd. It was surprising to see semi-professional footballers give the ball away with such regularity. This was particularly the case in the first half, when the match looked more like a game of tennis than a game of football. I actually hate tennis, but at least it is a sport that has given the world the concept of the ‘unforced error’ – and there were plenty of those witnessed today.

That said, there is no doubt that Gary Alexander is striving to encourage his team to ‘play football’. As usual, Ashford set out with a methodical approach, mostly keeping the ball on the ground, and had most of the possession and did most of the attacking in the opening minutes. The visitors actually had a clear chance to open the scoring as early as the seventh minute, when Ollie Rowe, who had ventured upfield for a corner, was picked out, totally unmarked in the penalty area, by a good ball. With just Sheikh Ceesay to beat, Ollie immediately shot at goal, but the ‘keeper saved with his feet.

East Grinstead’s first chance came in the 15^th minute. A break from defence saw two home strikers bearing down on three back-peddling defenders. Nico Cotton set up George Landais for a shot, but the No.9 blasted his effort well over the bar. A minute later, Landais had a second opportunity. Joe Bingham was in possession, but heading towards his own goal and under a great deal of pressure from behind. He was unbalanced as he attempted to feed the ball back to the Ashford back four, and so instead hit it straight to Landais. Taking the ball into the penalty area, The Wasps’ forward struck his shot cleanly, but Sam Mott made a good, diving save.

Nevertheless, Landais didn’t have to wait long to get on the scoresheet, as he gave East Grinstead the lead in the 20^th minute. The goal was scored from the penalty spot, but came about as a result of a good passing movement by the home side which took the ball into the penalty area. Nico Cotton was in the process of running onto a through ball when he was sent flying by a very obvious late tackle from Ollie Rowe. It was clear to everyone in the ground that this was a penalty, and so it was a very simple decision for the referee to make. This was poor defending by Ollie, who was shown a yellow card for the challenge. Landais took the ‘kick from the penalty mark’ well, slotting the ball firmly into the bottom corner of the net, as Sam Mott dived the other way.

Rowe had a chance to redeem himself in the 29^th minute, when he rose above everyone at a corner, but his header, from a Sam Corne cross, went just over the bar. A minute later, Joe Bingham took a free-kick, after Matt Day had been fouled. After the ball had been played into a crowded penalty area, it broke to Harry Ottaway, whose attempt at a turn & shot in one movement, from 20 yards out, went as wide as it was optimistic. Once again, Harry was impressive with his work rate and movement – and maybe his poor scoring strike-rate owes something to the amount of time he spends pulling out wide to the flanks and dropping deep to pick up the ball. (The cruel statistic is currently one goal in 13.5 hours).

By stark contrast, [ spoiler alert ], Dan Parish has made an instant impact as a goal scorer, and conjured up an equaliser for Ashford in the last scheduled minute of the first half. Technically, Harry Ottaway could claim what the Americans would call an ‘assist’, as he played a short ball to Parish that led to the goal – but this was very much a solo effort. In fact, after 45 minutes of dross, after which 0-0 would have been a fair reflection of the play, young Dan produced a moment of pure class. Receiving the ball on the edge of the area, and with tall defender Jordan Johnson right in front of him, Dan jinked to the right and then immediately drilled the ball low, into the bottom corner of the net.

And it nearly got even better for Ashford during the three minutes of added time at the end of the first half. Sam Mott launched a high kick down the slope, deep into the home half. Harry Ottaway got up well with his header, flicking the ball onto Dan Parish, who was well inside the penalty area. He turned and shot, but this time his effort was blocked.

Both teams played at a noticeably higher tempo during the second half, and gave the ball away a little less. Once again, it was Ashford who made the better start to the half, having the majority of possession early on. For a brief period, the visitors’ formation changed, with Harry Ottaway playing in a deeper role, and Matt Day and Dan Parish up front – but the men in green were unable to convert possession into chances.

The first chance of the second half fell to the home side, in the 61^st minute, and this came about as a result of good movement by George Landais, who was put through on goal by Nico Cotton. It was a shock to see the Ashford defence split so readily, but Sam Mott retrieved the situation, coming out to make a good save – not for the only time this afternoon.

The resulting corner came to nothing, but it did give the two managers the opportunity to make their first substitution. As the injured Mitchell Chapman walked off very slowly and feelingly, Grinstead manager Matt Longhurst replaced him with Jack Bray. Ashford’s Gary Alexander, just a few minutes later, substituted Clark Woodcock for Matt Day, and, to give credit where it’s due, both substitutions had an impact – Woodcock with his pace down the left flank and Bray providing a viable attacking option.

In fact, Jack Bray very nearly restored East Grinstead’s lead in the 67^th minute. After Jerald Aboagye had committed a foul very near to the left touchline, Nico Cotton took the free-kick and sent in a high cross to the far post. There, Bray got up above the Ashford defence and connected well with a header, but Sam Mott was in a good position to make a save. Two minutes later, Aboagye was guilty of body-checking an opponent, in an almost identical position, and this time was shown a yellow card by the ref. Once again, it was Cotton who took the free-kick, looking for Bray’s shock of gingerish hair – and this time the No.14 put his header wide of goal.

At this stage of the game, it was East Grinstead Town who appeared to be the more likely team to score the next goal, having a succession of free-kicks and corners. It was also around about this time that Ashford suffered a rash of yellow cards. Following soon after Jerald Aboagye’s caution, Joe Bingham was booked for a late tackle, in the 70^th minute. This appeared to be a little harsh, as Joe was attempting to play the ball, but he had earlier been given a ‘no more’ lecture from the referee in the 55^th minute, and so the yellow card was probably earned as a result of an accumulation of offences. That was certainly the case for the hard-working Stefan Cox – and the referee clearly indicated as such – when he was yellow-carded after committing a foul in the 74^th minute.

In the 79^th minute, that man Jack Bray went close yet again. An excellent pass from Dean Gunner put him clean through on goal, and Sam Mott did well to come out and save at his feet. But the ball popped up in the air, and it appeared that Bray had accepted the simple task of knocking the rebound into the net, but the ball was cleared off the line by an Ashford defender who I have not yet been able to identify.

With ten minutes to go, Gary Alexander made his last roll of the dice, and this was a real ‘punt’, putting on big, imposing centre-half Luis Morrison up front in place of Harry Ottaway. Gaz Alex must have wished that Luis had been on the end of an excellent cross that Clark Woodcock sent in from the left wing, just two minutes later. In the event, it was the diminutive Dan Parish who was there with the attempted header, and he lacked the inches to be able to get on top of the ball.

But Clark Woodcock was to be the substitute to make the telling contribution, in the 83^rd minute, as he once again showed good pace down the left flank and delivered a dangerous cross. This time, Dan Parish caught up with the ball just beyond the far post, forcing the ball into the net with his right foot, off the goalkeeper, from almost point-blank range.

Having taken the lead, Ashford held on for the three points fairly comfortably. In spite of there remaining much room for improvement, this was a victory that will give Gary Alexander’s squad a great deal of confidence. These were certainly a very welcome three points, the win bringing to an end a winless streak of ten games. More importantly, maybe, we have at last found a new goalscoring hero in Dan Parish. Three goals from his first two games is an excellent start to his Ashford career, and he certainly seems to have a touch of class about him.

One other player who should certainly be ‘mentioned in dispatches’ is Sam Mott, who made several good saves, without which the score line could have been rather different.

Sevenoaks Town v Ashford United. Isthmian League Division 1 South East. 20th of October 2018.

Sevenoaks Town  1   

Ashford United  0

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

Thirteen games into the 2018-19 season, and with Ashford United not having had a game for a fortnight, there had been time to reflect on how things had gone so far for Gary Alexander and his squad. Things might best be summed up as ‘mixed’.

There is certainly currently no cause for alarm in terms of the team’s league position. This morning, we were in a solid, mid-table position – in tenth place, with three wins and three defeats from eight league games. If the main performance measure for success is to be whether Gary can at least steer Ashford to the play-offs at the end of the season, then there is currently no need to panic. That fifth-place spot is just four points away, so that’s well within reach, if we’re good enough.

I don’t think that any Ashford fan will have had any complaints with the quality of the players that Gary Alexander brought in over the Summer, or with the style of play – during the 1-1 draw away at Haywards Heath Town, a strategy for playing constructive, on-the-ground football was clear. The two main issues that appear to be holding up the team’s progress to date have been a centre-forward who seems unable to score, having a return of just one goal in just over 17 hours of effort, and a first-choice goalkeeper who is yet to keep a clean sheet in 11 appearances.

The main disappointment, so far, has been Ashford’s abject performance in the cup competitions, which mean so much to us fans. In spite of the God of Football giving us a home draw in every draw made to date – even in the rounds that we failed to get to – we fell at the first hurdle of every competition. It was no surprise to lose to our friends at Folkestone Invicta in the Kent Senior Cup, but falling to Horsham YMCA, Haywards Heath Town and Thamesmead Town in the other cups has been a bitter let-down.

Of more concern to The Management, no doubt, has been the lads’ current poor run of results in general. It was a sequence of eight games without a win coming into today’s match, with five of those being defeats, including losing at home to the team that was bottom of the table (Three Bridges) in our most recent game. It appears that Gary Alexander’s main challenge has been the number of injuries that he has had to deal with, particularly to central defenders – a situation not helped by Antonio Simeone leaving the club during the week. It also appears that the squad is fairly thin in terms of numbers this season, certainly in comparison to last year’s epic cast of 79. Up to this morning, Gary had only used 21 players (including himself) – by the same stage last year, we had already used 42, (and, by coincidence, had won three games, the same as this season). No doubt the two-week break has been welcome in terms of getting some of the injured players nearer to full fitness.

Onto today’s game, and this was a reunion with our old friends from the Kent League, Sevenoaks Town. The last time the two teams met was in the spring of 2017, (when we actually met in consecutive games). First, as leaders of the Southern Counties East Football League, Ashford United were thrashed 4-0 by The Oaks, here at Greatness Park. Then, in the following game, Mickey Collins’s team beat us 0-3 at Homelands, in one of the cups. Could’ve been the start of an expensive end-of-season slump for Ashford – but the lads got their shit together and won the next seven league games, to complete the league & cup double and gain promotion to the Isthmian League.

There should, of course, have been one other match between the teams – the SCEFL’s equivalent of the ‘Charity/Community Shield’, with Champions Ashford taking on SCEFL Cup winners Sevenoaks at Homelands, just a few months later. That would have been a wonderful way to round off the pre-season programme for both clubs. Unfortunately, Mickey Collins was apparently unhappy with one part of the Homelands surface, in spite of the referee being satisfied that the match should go ahead, and so he and his players walked out of the fixture.

Much has happened since then, but it is something that many of the United fans have not forgotten. In fact, today’s game was notable for a large proportion – probaby the majority - of Ashford United’s travelling support staging an organised protest against Collins. Instead of passing through the Greatness Park turnstiles, a number of fans watched the game from the high bank that overlooks the ground, a sloping area of common ground that is usually the domain of dog walkers. And this was not a spur-of-the-moment reaction, as the protesters arrived armed with a large banner and a complete song book, both of which featured Mickey Collins’s name very prominently.

There was a possibility that the Mickey Collins ‘reverse love-in’ might hijack Sittingbourne Town FC’s fundraising day in aid of the charity Breast Cancer Care, but, in the event, the Ashford protest group also made its own collection – so the bottom line (quite literally) was that the charity benefitted from two collections.

Team news for Ashford was that Harry Ottaway, our hard-working but unproductive Number 9, was not part of United’s 14-man squad today. That gave Matt Day the opportunity to make just his second start of the season, and his first in the league. Matt led the attack, and although I’m a big fan of this very talented lad, this position did not seem to suit him particularly well. (I don’t think he’s a target man). The other surprise was a new addition to the squad – Jerald Aboagye (the Football Web Pages have his name spelt wrong), a defender who comes to us from Folkestone Invicta, having previously been Hythe Town’s Supporters’ Player of the Year. Jerald played at right-back, and his performance was one of the very few bright spots from a disappointing afternoon. Sam Corne was the only player who might have rivalled him as Ashford’s Man of the Match today.

Ashford appeared to be set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. In front of goalkeeper Sam Mott was a back four of Aboagye, Josh Wisson, Ollie Rowe and Tom Carlse. In the centre of midfield were Lea Dawson and Sam Corne (who generally ran the show for the visitors, and appears to be rapidly emerging as Ashford’s best player). Matt Day was supported by a three-some of Ambrose Gnahore, Stefan Cox and Clark Woodcock.

It was good to see young Clark make a start, although this privilege might have had something to do with the player availability problems that Gary Alexander is experiencing at the moment – and this situation was betrayed by the paucity of options available to him on the bench this afternoon. Apart from Fidan Fejzi, the other two named substitutes were “John Maglie” and Charlie Wealands. My understanding is that Charlie is our U-18 goalkeeper, but I am uncertain as to whether Maglie is actually a player. The suspicion that Fidan Fejzi was Gary Alexander’s only credible option on the bench was strengthened by the fact that he was the only substitute who was used.

On a sunny, cloudless afternoon, that was freakishly warm for late October(!), and with the Greatness Park 3-G pitch looking a picture, all appeared, at first, to be going to plan. For the first 20 minutes or so, it was all Ashford – and the Ashford United Protest Band was getting its messages across, from its high vantage point on the bank. The visitors were dominating possession, with the patient passing game that we have come to expect this season. In fact, given Ashford’s methodical dominance and polished approach play in the early part of this game, it was difficult to understand how this team had failed to win any of its previous eight matches.

The reasons soon became clear, however, as the tally of errors in the all-important ‘final third’ began to add up. A poor touch here – and then a loss of control there. A misplaced pass to where a teammate had been a second earlier – another poor touch – and any number of disappointing crosses. On today’s evidence, the front four lack quality and cohesion. Time after time, good work at the back and through the midfield was either not converted to a chance, or was capped by a weak finish – or a poor cross. Generally, Ben Bridle-Card had a comfortable afternoon in the Sevenoaks goal.

I was told by several people today that Ashford have signed Danny Parish, a striker from Thamesmead Town, in the midst of that club’s sad winding up – although Parish’s signature was not secured in time for him to be available for this afternoon’s game. Having played for Concord Rangers, and having been on Brentford’s books before that, Danny could be an important addition.

United’s best opportunities came during the first half of that dominant 20-minute period. In the sixth minute, Lea Dawson attempted a volley from about 20 yards out, which was too high. Then, a minute later, a good, flowing move started by Sam Corne found Ambrose Gnahore wide on the left. Ambrose beat one defender and then sent in a good cross, which was met by a Matt Day glancing header that flashed across the face of the goal. This was probably the closest that Ashford came to scoring, and was the one occasion when a move was finished with a final ball that was properly delivered, and which found a yellow-shirted player. Tom Carlse shot wide of goal in the 14^th minute, but there were no clear chances created, and the balance of the game began to even out as the half progressed.

Ashford continued to look very comfortable, however, and goalkeeper Sam Mott might as well have been up on the hill with the bulk of Ashford’s travelling support for the first quarter of the match. In the 26^th minute, however, he was called to action. New boy Jerald Aboagye gave away a fairly soft free-kick, close to the left touchline, which resulted in Alec Fiddes curling a cross under the Ashford crossbar. Sam was alert enough to be able to punch the ball away.

Ashford’s inability to convert possession into chances was put into perspective when a goal resulted from Sevenoaks’s first recognisable attack, in the 26^th minute. A great deal of credit must go to Alec Fiddes, who brought the ball under control with a great touch, after it was chipped forward into the Ashford area. Fiddes laid the ball back to Frankie Sawyer, whose precise, side-footed effort went in off Mott’s body. That was Sawyer’s fifth league goal of the season.

Ashford tried to hit back just two minutes later, when a swift attack down the left wing saw Ambrose Gnahore with a chance to cross the ball from the by-line, but his effort lacked accuracy, flashing across the face of goal. Stefan Cox made a good turn, in the 31^st minute, but his shot from outside the area was a weak one, meaning that Bridle-Card’s first save of the match was a fairly unchallenging one. Cox was again involved in some good approach play in the 37^th minute, pulling off a neat ‘one-two’ with Ambrose Gnahore. It may be evidence of the general lack of confidence in the team that he failed to attempt a shot after the manoeuvre had presented him with a clear sight of goal. Instead, he laid the ball into the path of Clark Woodcock, whose shot was weak and straight at the ‘keeper.

All in all, it was a pretty poor first half, with both sides making their fair share of errors, but Sevenoaks marched into the portacabins with a 1-0 lead, secured as a result of converting the only chance they created during the first 45 minutes.

The second half began in a similar manner to the first, with the visitors making a bright start – albeit with the same poor quality of execution in the important third of the pitch. In the 48^th minute, Stefan Cox attempted a low shot from outside the area, which Bridle-Card just got a finger to – but the cross from the corner was planted straight into his hands. Shortly after that, Ambrose Gnahore showed good skill to beat full-back, and former Ashford United favourite, Fraser Walker, but his attempted shot, straight at the ‘keeper, was little more than a backpass. Gnahore again placed the ball into the ‘keeper’s arms in the 54^th minute, when in a good position to send in a cross from the by-line.

Another former Ashford favourite in the Sevenoaks line-up, from the glory days of the SCEFL, was Mikey Dalton, who had a solid enough game – although his attempted shot in the 55^th minute was well wide.

A minute later, Clark Woodcock, who we all hope will be an Ashford star of the future, had his best moment of the afternoon. Clark always looks at his best when he is carrying the ball through the middle of the park, and on this occasion he ended a good, diagonal run with an excellent ball ‘inside’ the right-back. This gave Ambrose Gnahore another great chance to create something – but he hit the ball straight at the goalkeeper, yet again.

With the lack of quality up front, it appeared that Ashford’s best chance of scoring might be as a result of a forward run from a midfield player – and this nearly happened in the 57^th minute, when top scorer Sam Corne made a run into the Sevenoaks penalty area. He managed to get to a cross from the right flank, but rather got underneath the ball and was unable to direct his header downwards, from about eight yards out.

In the 58^th minute, Ollie Rowe was lucky not to be booked, by a very young referee who seemed to make as many errors as the players this afternoon, after he was late with a tackle on Kenny Pogue. But the ref did wave his yellow card for the first time in the match in the 61^st minute, when Thomas Ripley ended a promising-looking run from Clark Woodcock with a trip.

By the time the game had entered its final quarter, it appeared likely that the home side was going to hang onto the three points comfortably enough – and the experienced Mickey Collins began the process of ‘game management’ by spacing his three substitutions over a five-minute period from the 67^th to the 71^st minute. During this time, Gary Alexander made his one change, replacing Clark Woodcock with Fidan Fejzi, in the 69^th minute.

There was a scare for the Ashford defence shortly after the last of the substitutions was made, as a result of a cross that came in from the right. Sam Mott started to come for the cross, and then stopped, and somehow made a save from very close range – but the lino was, in any case, flagging for offside.

Ashford’s urgency levels increased as full-time approached, and there was certainly no let-up in their efforts to finally grab an equaliser. The late pressure from the visitors enabled them to force a number of late corners, but without troubling Bridle-Card in the home goal. In fact, as gaps were left in the Ashford defence, it appeared increasingly likely that Sevenoaks would double the lead, (which would have given them a fairly flattering margin of victory). In the 85^th minute, Oaks were awarded a free-kick right on the edge of the ‘D’, which resulted in Fidan Fejzi receiving a yellow card – presumably for dissent, as he was not the one who had committed the foul – but Alec Fiddes curled his shot too high. In the 86^th minute, Frankie Sawyer blasted a shot well over the bar, from outside the penalty area, and, seconds later, the visitors found themselves desperately short at the back after an attack had broken down. This resulted in substitute Ainsley Everitt being put through on goal, but Sam Mott rushed out to make a good save. The ball ricocheted into the path of another Sevenoaks player, but Jerald Aboagye showed his quality by coming quickly across to make a saving tackle.

As five minutes of added time were played out, the pattern of fruitless Ashford corners, combined with chances for the home side to add a second goal, continued. Oaks’s best chance came with 94 minutes on the clock, when one Ashford defender had been left to deal with Alec Fiddes and William Johnson-Cole. Again, Sam Mott made a good save, to keep the final score down to 1-0.

In spite of the confrontational atmosphere off the pitch - outside the ground, in fact – that had been constantly maintained throughout, there had been no hint of animosity between the players, and there had not been a single word exchanged between the two benches. It was therefore a surprise when there was a sudden and violent flare-up between the two managers after the final whistle. I didn’t see what sparked the incident, but I gather that Gary Alexander took great exception to the manner of Mickey Collins’s ‘handshake’. Whatever the cause, the Ashford United Manager had to be physically restrained by other members of the Ashford bench.