Bridon Ropes v Ashford United. Kent Invicta League. 29th of September 2012.

Bridon Ropes   1                 Ashford United 1

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

 

 

Today, we had a trip to South London. By “we” I mean me and my note-book – Mrs Milton Keynes Correspondent “doesn’t do” public transport, and this afternoon’s plan was to travel from Milton Keynes Central Rail Station, (the other “MKC”), to Charlton Station, in the London Borough of Greenwich. This was for Ashford United’s seventh Kent Invicta League game of the 2012-13 season, away to tenth-placed Bridon Ropes, who ground-share with Meridian FC at the Meridian Sports & Social Club.

 

It was a bright, sunny, late-September day, and, with dry weather and a temperature of 15ºC forecast, we ventured forth without a coat – probably for the final time before the Autumn really sets in.

 

There is something magical about Saturday afternoons in the football season. Little tribes of people marching off to temples of various sizes, all over the kingdom. In years gone by, it was possible to play the game of “spot the footy car” whilst driving down the M1, guessing which match each overloaded car with a scarf flying from the window was travelling to. That’s largely a thing of the past, now – rather like standing for the National Anthem in the cinema – as it appears to be a dying practice. Today was more about anticipating which fans I might share my Virgin train carriage, or tube train, with.

 

A glance at the fixture lists, and the 3pm kick-offs, revealed the prospect of Manchester City fans travelling down to Fulham, Accrington aficionados descending on Wimbledon, and – uh oh – hoards of Blackburn Rovers fans converging, en masse, on Charlton Station, on the way to The Valley, which is just the equivalent of a punt up-field from the station. It would be interesting to see how many followers of the now-managerless Rovers I would see making the journey South from Blackburn, (which is, lest we forget, a town only marginally more populous than Ashford).

 

The first indication that it was Saturday afternoon came, actually on the stroke of noon, when I arrived at Milton Keynes Central, when I was met by a handful of men and women wearing red, white and black scarves – MK Dons were at home to Crewe Alexandra, today, and I was very happy to be travelling in the opposite direction ! 

 

After the now-familiar drag down to London, the shared footballing experience continued when I spotted a man in a Fulham shirt going through Euston Station. Soon after, I heard drunken chanting from some Man City fans on the underground – which always makes me feel proud to be British !  I then sat next to a girl with very large breasts, as I travelled on the Northern Line towards London Bridge. I cannot provide an estimate of her bra size, as it’s not my area of expertise, but it looked like hat size eight-and-three-quarters, twice, to me. (There’s an obvious dirty joke, here, concerning the Bakerloo Line, but I won’t bother with it).

 

The next football fans I saw were at Charlton Station, and all of them were clad in red – so no sign of the masses of Blackburn fans that I expected to be jostling with, nor was there any silent vigil held by the Steve Kean Appreciation Society, (although that was always an unlikely prospect). However, there was a wonderful, big-match buzz about the place, which I felt as soon as I stepped off the train. Football humanity thronged the platforms and the street outside, and there were police officers standing quietly by, some of them on horseback. This was Saturday afternoon – but not as I usually experience it.

 

I briefly fantasised about the Police presence being there in anticipation of the arrival of the Ashford United faithful – but this didn’t last long, as I spilt out onto Charlton Church Lane, with the rest of the shuffling herd. After just a few yards, the main crowd turned left, into a side road that led straight to the big stadium, and I soon found myself walking, not just up a steep incline, but also against the flow of red Charlton Athletic shirts.

 

Again, I was perfectly happy to be going against the flow – as that’s what we non-league fans do, isn’t it ?  I’ve never been lucky enough to visit The Valley, but I should imagine that it’s a facility that is the diametric opposite to what I was soon to find at Meridian Sports & Social Club. But no matter. Supporting a team at this level isn’t a lifestyle choice. I’ve actually rather considered it to be more of a curse – but one I’ve always been happy to live with.

 

I was finally able to stop dodging the shoal of red & white coming towards me, when I turned eastwards, into Canberra Road. I was now very much in South London’s Suburbia, with some expensive-looking semi-detached houses on the right-hand side of the road, looking out onto an immense playing field, in which three football matches were already underway, but there was room for a few more. As Canberra Road merged into Charlton Park Road, there were now open playing fields on both sides. Our appointment today was at the Meridian S&SC, on the right.

 

The ground was pretty much as I had been led to expect. The site is dominated by a very large, partially whitewashed building – I’ve never seen the inside of a sports club of this nature, but I presume that it houses all sorts of equipment and facilities for a range of sports, (but probably not roulette, which is the only ball game that might interest me). The adjacent, outdoor facilities for football – and there were three matches simultaneously taking place here, this afternoon – were unashamedly basic. It’s a pitch with a rail around it, with a goal at each end and two small dug-outs on one side. I have to say, however, that the pitch looked good – well manicured, and with just a slight slope from one end to the other. I should also point out, in fairness, that there was a distinct absence of turnstiles here, so that admission was, in effect, free – but many of the visiting fans purchased a programme for £2.

 

Ashford United, in their Norwich City yellow & green, played down the gentle gradient in the first half, with the starting line-up being pretty much as expected. Joe Mant was in goal, ahead of the back three of Guiver, Coburn and Jordan. Danny Morrison, having been singled out by Manager Paul Chambers for special praise during the week, retained his place as one of the wing-backs, as well as Luke Cuthbert. The midfield trio was Ollie Finch (the skipper), Adam Cuthbert and Liam Whiting, with Mo Takaloo and Gary Mickelborough up front. The subs were Sam Fisher, Sam Conlon, Matt Hadlum and Tom Scorer, (who was a very welcome sight).

 

There was no team sheet posted for Bridon Ropes, so, having paid my two quid for the programme, and being disinclined to knock on the dressing room door for confirmation, I’m taking the home side’s team and shirt numbers as published in the programme to be an accurate guide to reality, for the purposes of this report.

 

The talk in mid-week, prior to this match, had been about two 100% records, namely Ashford United’s opening run of the season of six straight league wins, and Mo Takaloo’s admirable record of having scored in all six of them. Both of these perfect records, (inevitably, I suppose), came to grief in the South London sunshine, this afternoon – but there was no sign of this happening during the first 15 minutes or so of the match.

 

After Bridon’s Nick Dunsdon had hit a long-range shot straight at goalkeeper Joe Mant, in the second minute, Liam Whiting had a good opportunity, just a minute later. Mo Takaloo controlled the ball well, and tried to turn, with the ball breaking to Liam, who side-footed wide of the post. However, the visitors soon took the lead, in the seventh minute – and this involved the first of several touches of comedy in the game, (most of which were provided by the officials !). Ollie Finch took a free-kick, from a couple of yards inside The Ropes’ half. He floated his kick deep, into the area. A hapless defender got an unconvincing head to the ball, almost heading it into his own net. Goalkeeper Michael Manchester looked to get a slight touch on the ball, as it hit the angle of post and bar, and then landed at the feet of Gary Mickelborough, who smashed it into the net.

 

So a good start for Ashford, and there were early signs that the forward combination of Gary Mick and Mo Takaloo was going to cause the home defence plenty of problems. In the eleventh minute, Gary flicked the ball to Mo, who scuffed a weak shot wide of the post. Seconds later, it was Gary who ran onto a through-ball, but his angled shot went wide of the far post.

 

Bridon Ropes did get the ball to the by-line, in the 16^th minute, but a good chance was squandered, as Ben Williams headed a chipped cross over the bar. However, the first real sign of the day beginning to turn against Ashford United came in the 18^th minute, when Dan Morrison sent out a distress signal to the bench, with what looked to be a hamstring injury. He was replaced by the very capable Matt Hadlum, a minute later, but not before he was obliged to chase after a ball that actually went out for a throw-in – which must’ve done his hammie a power of good !  Matt took up a position over on the Ashford right, (whereas Danny had been operating on the left).

 

In the 21^st minute, Gary Mickelborough ran onto a long ball, launched from a defensive situation, and played a diagonal ball that was just too far in front of Mo Takaloo, and a defender put the ball out for a corner. From the resulting cross, Roy Guiver rose well, at the far post, but put his header wide. At that precise moment, a roar was heard, close by. Presumably, Charlton Athletic had just taken the lead !

 

In spite of the early lead, Ashford didn’t really take control of the game, and Bridon Ropes were beginning to come back into it. In the 24^th minute, the home side, in all blue, had a corner on the left. This was taken short, and a through-ball found Sam Fullilove, in the area. His shot was blocked, for another corner. This time, the ball was delivered into the heart of the Ashford box, and this caused an almighty scramble, with the ball becoming lodged under a Ropes player’s legs, at one point. Finally, an Ashford defender’s clearance hit another Ashford player, and bounced up into Joe Mant’s hands.

 

In the 29^th minute, there was an incident that swung the game decidedly in the home side’s favour. Ollie Finch jumped in with a tackle with both feet off the ground, and caught his opponent very badly, if the injured party’s reaction was anything to go by. There was nothing intentionally nasty about the challenge, and it was not one of those where the player has both feet together, and studs showing. Ollie went for the ball with one foot, and caught his opponent with the other – but he was not in control, once he had both feet off the ground. It was one of those tackles that draws a red card nine times out of ten, on the telly, and, after waiting for several minutes whilst the stricken player was being treated, Referee Waters sent Ollie off.

 

Ashford United then endured a period of considerable uncertainty, leading up to half time. In the 32^nd minute, the defence gave the ball straight to Leighton Thomas, who was now clean through on goal, but his shot lacked conviction, and Joe Mant was able to make an easy save. A minute later, Bridon’s Dean Walker tripped Luke Cuthbert, for what was an automatic yellow card, but certainly no more – but this had the Ashford bench howling for a red card, which set the tone for the visitors’ attitude towards the officials for the remainder of the game.

 

In the 39^th minute, a good cross from the left was headed wide by Jamie Williams, with Joe Mant rooted to the spot, just watching and hoping. Three minutes later, a cross from the Bridon right, this time, eluded one Ropes player, but was met by Williams, who came sliding in at the far post, and Joe had to make a good save. The visitors desperately needed the half-time whistle, and, with a minute to go to the scheduled break, Ricky Hepburn had a long-range shot deflected wide, for a corner. Ashford continued to hang on, repelling a succession of crosses, as Bridon Ropes finished the half strongly. With 46 minutes on my watch, Leighton Thomas had a weak shot straight at Joe Mant – before both teams retired to the Clubhouse with Ashford leading by one goal to nil.

 

Paul Chambers had an important 15 minutes in which to reorganise and galvanise the team – and when the second half began, it was very clear to see that Chambo had decided to hold on to what he had, and sent the team out with Mo Takaloo up front as a lone striker. It was questionable as to how long the visitors could hang on, being a man short. The answer was that the Ashford lead lasted for just another nine minutes, but the equaliser resulted from a very innocuous incident. Adam Cuthbert – who looked the best footballer on the pitch – faced up to the ball as a Bridon Ropes player attempted to send in a cross. The ball struck Adam on the arm, from very close range, and the referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Adam’s arm was slightly away from his body, as he turned away from the ball, so the decision was technically correct – but there was no imminent danger to the Ashford goal, so it seemed a very soft penalty to concede. Nick Dunsdon made no mistake from the spot, sending Joe Mant the wrong way.

 

Ashford became a little more enterprising after the equalising goal, and things were fairly even for the remainder of the game, with half-chances coming at both ends. In the 59^th minute, Mr Waters awarded Ashford a free-kick, for hand-ball. This was quickly taken, to Gary Mickelborough, who squared the ball to Mo Takaloo, who aimed a shot, from 20 yards, at the top corner of the net, but his effort was just high and wide. A minute later, Joe Mant came out to punch a through ball, but got little distance on his clearance, which fell at the feet of Jimmy Doherty – but the Bridon Ropes No.10 failed to capitalise on the chance, slicing his shot wide. In the 64^th minute, Mo Takaloo controlled the ball in classy fashion, straight from a Joe Mant kick-out. Mo fed the ball wide to Gary Mickelborough, who bore down on goal, before being foiled by a Sam Fullilove tackle.

 

Another little set-back befell Ashford in the 65^th minute – and this, I’m afraid to say, involved a moment of pure farce from the officials, who rarely inspired much confidence. It was bad enough to see Liam Whiting limp slowly off, forcing Paul Chambers to make his second enforced substitution - but there was more to come. Chambers had replaced Whiting with Sam Fisher, at the same time that Jason Elliott came on for the home side, in what appeared to be a regulation double-substitution. Play proceeded for at least five minutes, after which the official running the line in front of the Ashford bench asked Chambo whether he had actually made a second substitution (!!). Admittedly, Paul’s terse response was fairly unhelpful, but it was obvious to everyone, including the confused Lino, that there were two Ashford players on the pitch wearing a shirt number that exceeded 11 !  The Lino called the referee over, who stopped the game and showed Sam Fisher a yellow card. This did nothing to reduce the derision that the officials received from the visitors’ bench – and it did seem very harsh on Sam to receive a card for what was clearly the officials’ mistake.

 

Whilst some of the refereeing decisions were difficult to understand, Ashford did have a fair share of these decisions in their favour – and our best chance of nicking the game appeared to be from one of Lee Coburn’s floated free-kicks, from the right. One such opportunity came in the 73^rd minute, when Roy Guiver met Lee’s cross with a glancing header, which he put wide of the post. It was a head-in-the-hands moment for Roy, which told the story of how good a chance it was.

 

In the 78^th minute, Sam Conlon replaced Mo Takaloo, a like-for-like substitution, with Sam taking over as the lone striker. He was to come into action just four minutes later, after Referee Waters made another very strange decision. Lee Coburn floated another free-kick into the box, and four players challenged for the ball – two from each side. The ball was headed clear, and the ref blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot. A Bridon defender asked him: “Are you serious ?”, which summed up the bewilderment at the decision. The problem for Ashford United concerned who would take the penalty, with Mo Takaloo having been substituted, and Gary Mickelborough having had the previous penalty he took saved, (although he did manage to head in the rebound, on that occasion). It was Sam Conlon who stepped up to take the kick. It wasn’t a badly-struck penalty, but goalkeeper Michael Manchester managed to parry the ball away, diving to his left.

 

There was actually quite a rousing finish to the game, with both teams striving for a winner. With a minute remaining of normal time, Nick Dunsden shot over the Ashford bar, from just outside the area. Then, with the game having gone into injury time, Sam Conlon had a chance to make amends for his late penalty miss. Matt Hadlum, who can almost certainly expect to have a run in the side, now, with Danny Morrison injuring his hamstring, attacked down the right. He switched inside, going past a defender in the process. He sent in a good, low cross into the Bridon area, where Conlon was the only target available. Sam got a touch, which might have been enough to divert the ball past the ‘keeper on another day, but Manchester managed to get an arm in the way of it, and so foiled the Ashford substitute for a second time.

 

So 1-1 was the final score.

 

I took the opportunity to walk back to the station by a different route, so that I passed by The Valley – and once again had to pick my way through the red tide. I managed to find out from one red-shirted pedestrian that the final score in that match was also 1-1. There would undoubtedly have been the same discussions about whether it was points lost, or a point gained, among the Charlton fans, as there probably were between the Ashford faithful. My view at the final whistle was that it was a decent point for the visitors, away to a team that were no mugs last season, and who are very likely to be better than this morning’s tenth place in the League suggested. The ambitious Ashford Management will have been disappointed to have let the 100% record go – but a draw was always going to be a reasonable outcome once both of Ollie Finch’s feet left the ground as he hurled himself into that tackle.

 

Having said that, this afternoon’s result was put into perspective by the results of the games involving our main rivals for the title this year. Hollands & Blair won 5-0, Bearsted won 7-0 and Phoenix Sports won 0-9 at Crown Alexandra – which rather puts to bed the discussion of whether Ashford gained a point, or dropped two, today.

 

Hollands & Blair v Ashford United. Kent Invicta League. 8th of September 2012.

Hollands & Blair       0            Ashford United         2

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

 

 

September the 8^th 2012; and this was my first game of Ashford United’s second campaign, now that all commitments to the Cricket Season have been honoured. It was ironic, but no surprise to anyone au fait with the British climate, that, after a Summer in whites when we’d been largely treading on sodden outfields, watching the rain come down, our first excursion of the football season took place beneath clear, blue skies and a hot sun !

 

It was rather fitting that our seasonal debut should be made at Star Meadow Sports Club, Gillingham, home of Hollands & Blair FC, since the corresponding fixture last season was where it all began for the “reformed” Ashford United. After 15 months without a football team to support, and all the bullish optimism during the 2011-12 pre-season friendlies, the 1-0 defeat of a youthful Ashford side at the hands of Blair came as a stark reality check to many. It turned out to be the start of a very difficult season for Ashford, who slumped to as low as 13^th in the 16-team league, before eventually finishing strongly, ending up in fifth place.

 

It was, of course, also a learning experience for Hollands & Blair, who had just come up from the Kent County League (Step 7 in the non-league pyramid). Having won the County League twice in the previous three years, Blair were arguably the benchmark for how strong the new league was going to be. I think it’s fair to say that they had a fairly mixed season, with inconsistency preventing them from finishing higher than third in the league – but there was the wonderful achievement of winning the Kent Senior Trophy, for the ex-Rochester & District League club, which made it a highly successful season for them.

 

Last season’s fact-finding and water-testing activities are now a thing of the past, and both teams have hit the ground running, this time around. Anyone who has bothered to read this far will already know that this was the game where two 100% records were on the line, with Ashford having won four from four, and Blair five from five – and lest any suggestion be made that this season’s Kent Invicta League will be a two-horse race, Phoenix Sports have also made a strong start to the season, having won four and drawn one, from five games.

 

For a match that had been so eagerly anticipated, it was pretty disappointing as a spectacle, and was generally low on quality, particularly in the first half, when the whole thing was anything but a good advert for the Kent Invicta League. There were rumblings last season – and again this afternoon – about the bumpiness of the ground here. Well, it certainly looked very flat to me, and the grass was very short – but the pitch certainly “played” bumpy, with players on both sides struggling with their touch.

 

The other feature of the Star Meadow Sports Club ground is its pronounced slope, which has a steep gradient from one corner flag to another, but mostly from flank to flank. It’s the most sloping pitch that I’ve seen for a long time – and I’ve visited a fair number of non-league grounds. Regardless of the impact the pitch had on the players’ performance, I reckon that the slope actually gives a ground some character, and enhances the experience for the spectator.

 

Star Meadow is already a nice place to come. This impression would undoubtedly have been influenced by the fact that today’s match was played out in warm sunshine, but there was a lovely atmosphere at the ground throughout. At one end, there is a large and very nice bar, which has a number of beer garden-style benches aligned in a row, behind one goal. Next to this, and protected by the same high, wire mesh fence, is an enclosed children’s area, complete with bouncy castle and playground. It’s probably the most family-friendly ground I’ve been to – and the bar was well populated when we arrived at 2.30pm, and was full and buzzing when we left at 5.45pm.

 

Otherwise, there is little to report in terms of facilities at the ground. As is the norm in the Kent Invicta League, there are no stands here, no PA system – just a rectangular pitch surrounded by a single rail. Having said that, it was no surprise to hear that the club has plans to install a 150-seat stand before the end of the current season, and Ashford fans who had attended the inaugural match last season pointed out that there had been several noticeable improvements. These included an expensive-looking set of 3-G practice pitches on one side of the ground. There was also a consensus that the playing surface was a big improvement on the one witnessed last year.

 

There is little doubt that the Ashford United squad is much improved from the one that concluded the 2011-12 season undefeated in the final ten games. Whilst the nucleus is still there, quality has been added all over the pitch, with the addition of wing-backs Matt Hadlum and Luke Cuthbert, Luke’s brother Adam in central midfield, and the experienced Gary Mickelborough in attack. I think that another key addition has been 17 year-old Joe Mant, in goal. He has been talked up more than any Ashford goalkeeper since – well, probably since Tony Godden, who went straight into West Brom’s first team when he left us, in the 70s. As expected, young Joe looked confident with his handling, and commanded his area pretty well – but this was to be a game in which he was not going to be called upon to make a save.

 

One surprise was that Joe did not have Paul Chambers’ favoured three-man defensive formation in front of him. Maybe it was a measure of Chambo’s respect for today’s opposition, who were widely expected to be the lads’ sternest test of the season to date, but Ashford took to the field in 4-4-2 formation. Dan Morrison was at right-back, playing in his first game of the season, and Richard Quigley was making his first start. (If this had been something of a gamble for The Management, then it has to be said that both played well, with Morrison being particularly impressive). Ben Jordan and Lee Coburn put on their usual assured display in central defence. The midfield quartet of Luke and Adam Cuthbert, Ollie Finch and Liam Whiting played fairly deep in the first half, far removed from Mo Takaloo and Gary Mickelborough up front. Sam Conlon, Aaron Firth, Sam Fisher, Liam Walsh and ‘keeper Tom Carr made up a very strong-looking bench. I am unable to shed any light on the whereabouts of Matt Hadlum – mainly because I wouldn’t recognise him from a bar of soap – but Roy Guiver was in attendance, as part of the crowd of 126.

 

The visitors made the brighter start, but had little to show in terms of clear-cut chances – their best effort being Liam Whiting’s shot on the turn, in the opening minute, which was too high. Both teams had opportunities from corners and free-kicks, which came to nothing, but it was the home side that gradually started to assert. The first recognisable chance for Blair – playing in all red, so that the match rather looked like Liverpool v Norwich City – came in the eleventh minute. A high ball over the Ashford defence found Sean Hetterley, just inside the Ashford penalty area and free of his marker – but the No.10 sliced the ball wide, to his obvious frustration.

 

Blair waited until the 17^th minute for their first corner, and this was swung in from their right, left-footed and in-swinging, close to the Ashford goal-line, with Dan Morrison having to hoike the ball clear. A minute later, a good passing movement resulted in the ball being pulled back from the visitors’ by-line, and a defender had to be alert with a saving tackle, just in front of goal. The resulting corner was hit too long. In the 21^st minute, a cross from the left was met by an unchallenged Stuart West, but the tall No.8 nodded the ball wide. A minute later, Blair had what turned out to be their best chance of the game, when another corner from the right was curled in towards the near post. This was met with a diving header, and the ball thumped against the post.

 

Quite sensibly, Referee Neil Baker, a man with Ryman League experience, now agreed to a request from both benches for a general water break. I don’t know what the temperature on the pitch will have been, at the time, but it was still 26ºC when we drove through Rochester at 6pm. However, the break rather benefited the visitors, as Blair had been showing signs of taking control, and had started to look dangerous. After the unscheduled break, neither side produced a great deal leading up to half time. Ashford created nothing up front, and were guilty of several silly off-sides; Hollands & Blair tended to favour the long ball, a tactic that was generally well dealt with by the Ashford defence. There was a flurry of activity around about the 38^th minute, when, after an H&B corner was headed clear by the first defender, Luke Cuthbert led a break-out. He was clear of the chasing home defence by about half a length, but was let down by a poor finish. Moments later, centre-forward Ricky Freeman picked the ball up on the left corner of the Ashford penalty area, cut inside onto his right foot and let fly with a shot that was just too high and wide.

 

So it was 0-0 at half time – and it wasn’t clever !

 

The second half began with a needless yellow card for Lee Coburn. Ricky Freeman was shielding the ball, trying to ensure that it would go out for a corner – an annoying little charade that is played out in almost every game, all over the world. It’s irritating when players do that, but there was no need for Coburn to throw his opponent to the ground, and the yellow card was a formality. During the melee in the penalty area that followed the resulting corner, Freeman was adjudged by the ref to have lunged in on Dan Morrison, and so collected a yellow card of his own.

 

The whole complexion of the match was changed in the 53^rd minute, by a moment of brilliance from Liam Whiting. Ashford were awarded a free-kick, some 15 yards inside the Blair half. Ollie Finch tapped the ball square to Whiting, who hit an absolute screamer, with his left foot, which was still rising as it hit the roof of the net, giving goalkeeper James Smith no chance. Suddenly, in a game that was already looking like it had “0-0” written all over it, the visitors had something to hold onto. The mantra now repeated by Manager Paul Chambers was “Squeeze !!” – but, if his intention was for the team to close ranks, to protect the precious lead, then this was not apparent in his next move, which was to replace Richard Quigley with a forward, Aaron Firth, in the 56^th minute.

 

After both sides had failed to make anything of a free-kick in a dangerous position – Ashford’s near the right corner flag, and Blair’s on their right touchline – Liam Whiting sent Gary Mickelborough off down the left flank, with what was a hopeful, hooked clearance. Bearing down on the Blair penalty area, Mickelborough crossed the ball to Mo Takaloo, in the centre, and there were howls from the Ashford players and bench for a penalty, for Takaloo being pulled back – but nothing was spotted by Referee Baker or his lino.

 

H&B Manager Paul Piggott responded, in the 66^th minute, with a double substitution, replacing skipper Marc Chapman and Jack West, with Steve Hafner and Cliff Eldridge. This move failed to change the course of the game, but Blair had a half-chance, just two minutes later. Lee Coburn conceded a corner when forced to hook a cross, from the right, over his own crossbar. The resulting corner, swung in, left-footed, found Ricky Freeman, beyond the far post; his header back into the centre was nodded goalwards by another Blair forward, but this effort was easily caught by Joe Mant, on his line.

 

Aaron Firth then had a mad five minutes or so. He was given a stern talking to by the referee, in the 70^th minute, after a spat with a Blair player. The bickering session continued immediately, resulting in a yellow card for the Ashford substitute – I don’t think the ref was going to show the card, but Firthy rather talked him into it. More worrying moments followed for the Ashford bench, as Aaron still refused to let the matter rest – resulting in another extended interview with the referee. Eventually, the red mist cleared, but there had appeared to be a real danger that Aaron would either be sent off, or need to be substituted before he was.

 

The main impact of this little episode was to cause some minutes’ delay, and to break up play in a way that suited the visiting team. From here on, the Blair players became more tetchy, and there was the odd late tackle and snide elbow. Ricky Freeman was guilty of one such incident in the 73^rd minute, with an unnecessarily late challenge on Dan Morrison – and was possibly a little fortunate not to add to the yellow card that he earnt earlier in the half.

 

Up until the 76^th minute, Ashford’s archgoalscorer, Mo Takaloo, had contributed very little – but then showed his class when he pounced upon a half-chance as soon as it was presented. The Hollands & Blair defence, probably as much due to mental and physical fatigue, in the warm conditions, as anything else, made a real mess of what should have been a simple clearance. A touch from Aaron Firth richocheted to Mo, on the edge of the area, with only the goalkeeper to beat – and so there was only going to be one outcome !  For the umpteenth time in his career, Ashford’s No.9 rounded the goalie with ease, and did what he’s paid for – thumping the ball into the net. He has now scored in every league match this season, and in six consecutive games altogether. I cannot verify whether the latter is a Club record – but it feels like it ought to be !

 

And that was that. The three points were secure. All that was required, for the remainder of the game, was for the Ashford defence to repel what appeared to be increasingly desperate H&B attacks, consisting mainly of long balls forward. Ross Brookes replaced Sean Hetterley, for the home side, in the 78^th minute, and Paul Chambers replaced Mo Takaloo and Gary Mickelborough with Sam Conlon and Sam Fisher, with just five minutes remaining – but the visitors successfully saw out the remaining time, to ensure that theirs was the 100% record that endured.

 

So not a classic match, and probably not a classic performance from Ashford, but they looked pretty solid throughout, easily holding the league leaders at bay, and walked off with a clean sheet and three points. That’s the sort of performance and outcome that usually delights the Manager – and we, as fans, shouldn’t complain either.

 

It’s very rare that being an Ashfordian is something to boast about – but it’s been quite a few days for the town. First, Ashford-born Sam Northeast scores 165, in Kent’s victory over Derbyshire; then former Ashford Town right-back Roy Hodgson leads England to a 0-5 victory in Moldova – and now this !

 

Anorak's Corner - the 2011-12 Season

from Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

So here is a brief review, based on a few key statistics that I am sad enough to keep, of Ashford United’s 2011-12 season – which has been the inaugural season for both Ashford’s born-again footy club, and the Kent Invicta League. The first, and most important, statistic concerns the number of teams we’ve had to support – and the figure of 1 compares very favourably with last season’s figure of zero, for which we are grateful to Tony Betteridge and Ernie Warren, and all the other people who helped to make it happen. Die hard Ashford fans – of whom there are several – will point out that that number of teams should be at least 2, because Ashford United has a Youth team to be proud of, which once again performed with a great deal of credit in an international Youth Tournament in France. With negotiations at an advanced stage for a merger between the respective youth set-ups of Ashford United and Ashford Borough, it is hoped, and expected, that the number of teams run by the Club will increase further in seasons to come.

One of the great unknowns, at the start of the season, was how well the Ashford public would support the new entity, in a (Step 6) league that is two levels below where the former Club, Ashford Town, eventually withered and died. In that final, 2009-10, season in the Ryman League, which featured yet another escape from relegation to the Kent League, the average gate had slumped to 162, which was viewed as a miserable, all-time low, after this average had built steadily from 208, to 243, to 251, and then to 317, in previous seasons. It’s probably quite pleasing, therefore, that the average home gate for the season just ended was 202 – and crowds at Homelands were fairly consistent throughout the season, with 194 turning out for the final game of the season, on a cold, wet and windy day, with nothing riding on the outcome. A statistic I don’t have is the number of supporters that followed Ashford away, this season, but I reckon that other clubs’ home attendances will have been swelled by 30-40, in a league where the second-best supported team had an average attendance of 65.

As is traditional for Ashford teams, it seems, a half-decent cup run proved elusive. The 2011-12 cups campaign consisted of seven games, (five of which were at home), in three competitions – the league cup, the county cup and the FA Vase. The “county cup” was, not the Kent Senior Cup, which we all know and love, but the Kent Intermediate Challenge Shield. United’s lack of substantial progress in this competition was particularly disappointing, given the opportunity provided by home draws against lower-league opposition all the way to the final. After scraping past Staplehurst Monarchs, our boys faltered at the second hurdle, at the hands of Eltham Palace, who may well find themselves promoted to the Kent Invicta League for next season. It was good to see the Club in the FA Vase, however, for the first ever time – although our involvement ended at the first fence, albeit after a replay, against Shoreham, of the Sussex League. The attendance for the home Vase tie was a very disappointing 124, and the aggregate attendance for the five home cup games was 815. Not a huge total, but considerably better than the 2009-10 aggregate of 208 (from just two home ties), and the 392 during the 2008-9 season. Next season, Ashford United will be entered in the FA Cup – THE cup – and I’m already looking forward to the draw for the opening rounds, which comes out in the second or third week in July.

Another little ruse of mine, at this time of year, is to work out Ashford’s Team of the Year, which is based purely on the number of minutes that players spent on the pitch, in each position, during the season. Here is the 2011-12 team, in the 3-5-2 formation that Manager Paul Chambers seemed to favour for much of the season, with the wing-backs listed as midfielders: -

Billy Rice

Ben Jordan

Roy Guiver

Lee Coburn

Sam Conlon

Ollie Finch

Matt Bower

Liam Whiting

Richard Quigley

Tom Scorer

Gary Lockyer

Subs: Tony Allen, Liam Walsh, Dan Scorer, Kieran Byrne, Peter Williams.

So a blend of experience and youth there, with the emphasis very much on the latter – and let’s hope that the majority of those youngsters will be wearing the holy green & white of Ashford again next season.

Of course, there were many others among the 42 players who turned out for Ashford during the season who made a significant contribution. An individual who made a major impact was the experienced Mo Takaloo, who scored ten goals in 730 minutes on the pitch, (which is equivalent to just over eight games). Regular sufferers of my drivel will know that I have kept a record of Ashford players’ goal scoring rate, (expressed as minutes per goal), since the 2005-6 season – and it’s interesting to compare Takaloo’s scoring rate with those of other stellar strikers that we’ve had at Homelands, (acknowledging, of course, that all comparisons are very tentative, given the differences there have been in the level of football played, the strength of successive Ashford teams, etc.).

Quite simply, Mo Tak is out on his own, in terms of scoring rate. Here are the figures for the top four, during the past six seasons: -

Mo Takaloo               73 minutes per goal

Claude Seanla          106 mpg

George Fenwick        177 mpg

Shawn Beveney        182 mpg

These figures are put into perspective if we look at the mpg numbers of other proven, top-quality strikers, such as Walid Matata (220), Paul Jones (240) and Mark Lovell (286). I’m particularly pleased to see George Fenwick among this select group of four. I’ve always considered George to be one of our most under-rated strikers – and, whilst Takaloo, Seanla and Beveney are clearly high-quality strikers proven at a higher level, who scored goals during a relatively short stay at Ashford, George scored his 18 goals in the equivalent of more than 35 matches, and in a struggling team, so there’s no question of any fluke there. It will be interesting to see whether Mo Tak can maintain this excellent strike rate, if, as we all hope, he is an Ashford player again next season.

One other top quality striker to wear the green & white last season was Jimmy Dryden, who scored four goals in 450 minutes, (mpg = 113), whilst on loan from Hythe Town. It was a pleasure to see such a class act leading the line for Ashford, but Jimmy does not figure in the following list of goal scoring rates for the season, as I have set the qualification cut-off at 500 minutes of football.

Mo Takaloo                73 minutes per goal

Gary Lockyer             196 mpg

Kieran Byrne              204 mpg

Peter Williams            209 mpg

Aaron Firth                 229 mpg

Sam Conlon               277 mpg

Tom Scorer                321 mpg

Roy Guiver                 383 mpg

Another goal scorer, not on this list, worthy of a mention is Mitchell Mannell, a striker from the Youth ranks who scored for the First Team in spite of only playing for a total of 38 minutes. Let’s hope that Mitch gets further opportunities next season. I also cannot resist giving a mention to Jeff Ross, a demigod who yet walks among mortal men. It has been wonderful to see him make occasional appearances, this season, (totalling 109 minutes), and it was absolutely fantastic to see him get on the scoresheet, his only goal meaning that he has now scored for Ashford in each of four decades ! 

The same “minutes per goal” criterion can be applied to the goalies – and the No.1 position has been largely shared between young Tony Allen (1,320 minutes) and old Billy Rice (1,350 minutes). Their respective mpg figures were 69 and 56 – and here is how their records compare with the best of previous Ashford ‘keepers: -

Josh Willis                 123 mpg

Jamie Riley                71 mpg

TONY ALLEN            69 mpg

Jake Whincup            61 mpg

Simon Overland         60 mpg

BILLY RICE               56 mpg

So Tony Allen jumps in at No.3. (The complete list goes down as far as Darren Ibrahim, who let one in every 40 minutes). Continuing the theme of legends, it was also good to see Mo Munden between the sticks again. He kept goal for us in six games, (i.e. 540 minutes), conceding ten goals, so had an identical record to one Jani Seitsonen.

So that’s the fine detail – what of the bottom line, which is our final league position ?  Well, we finished fifth of 16 teams, thanks to a late rally which saw the team unbeaten in its final ten league games. Whilst fifth was not as good as some people had hoped, it was quite respectable in the context of a very disappointing first half of the season, which actually saw us slip to as low as 13^th place. It should also be pointed out that this is the best finishing position to be achieved by an Ashford side since 1995-6, when Ashford Town finished second in the Southern League Division One South, and were promoted to the Premier Division. We then achieved 19^th and 21^st in our two seasons in The Big Time, and subsequent finishing positions have been: 7^th, 6^th, 12^th, 14^th, 11^th, 12^th, 20^th, 21^st, 18^th, 8^th, 7^th, 20^th and 5^th (this year).

Generally, this season has set firm foundations for the new Club, in a League where it has been generally accepted that playing standards have been higher than expected. Now that The Management knows what to expect, and what is required, I think that we can be hopeful of an improvement on this league position next season – and let’s hope that the average league attendance and the aggregate cup attendance can also be improved upon.

Erith & Dartford Town v Ashford United. Kent Invicta League. 9th of April 2012.

Erith & Dartford Town     2       Ashford United      2

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

This was part of an Easter week-end double-header, which began at Cheriton Road on the Saturday, with Folkestone Invicta’s 4-1 Ryman Division One South victory over Crawley Down. It was good to see Roy Guiver taking full advantage of the dual registration system, to be on bench duty for Folkestone. Ashford United’s centre-half actually got to make an appearance, being thrown on as a striker by Neil Cugley in the 83^rd minute, once the three points had already been secured. Roy very nearly made it 5-1, with his first touch, but was just unable to turn the ball in, converging on a cross, from three yards out.

So Folkestone’s season is very much alive, with a place all but guaranteed for the hope and the glory of the promotion play-offs. That’s more than can be said for the two teams that shared the points at a cold, wet and thoroughly miserable Oakwood today. It’s true that Ashford have two fixtures remaining after today’s match, but the campaign for promotion has long been over, with no mathematical possibility remaining for overtaking leaders Bly Spartans, (which has been the only gateway to promotion in this inaugural Kent Invicta League season). The home side, ground sharing at the home of VCD Athletic in its very first season, lost all pretentions to promotion a long time ago, and began today’s Easter Monday fixture in 11^th place in this 16-team league.

This was an interesting match-up, in as much as both teams started the season as championship “possibles”, if only because they were completely unknown quantities, being new-born clubs. Interestingly, their experience has been starkly contrasting. Whilst The Management at Ashford United will ultimately be disappointed at failing to achieve the stated objective of promotion at the first time of asking, this season has been a success at so many different levels. I would guess that virtually all of the healthy number of loyal supporters that braved the conditions, this afternoon in Crayford, would say that they have enjoyed the Kent Invicta league experience, with the general standard of football having been (for most) surprisingly high. In that context, the top-five finish which is very much within United’s grasp will be seen as a very good launching pad for next season. Furthermore, whilst the strength of Ashford’s away support has been a feature of the entire season, an average home gate of around 200 has provided those who have invested in the new football club with plenty of encouragement that there is a sound foundation of support for the future.

The same cannot be said for Erith & Dartford Town. The club started the season with plenty of fanfare, and pulled off a considerable marketing coup when staging the very first Kent Invicta League match, on the Friday evening before the inaugural set of Saturday fixtures. This enabled them, no doubt, to attract a number of ground hoppers, programme collectors and other just plain curious non-league football aficionados, in an opening night audience of 300, which remains the biggest gate of the KIL to date. Ominously, perhaps, things didn’t go as much to plan on the pitch, with the visitors on that occasion, Phoenix Sports, running out 0-4 winners !  Since then, no fewer than three management teams have come and gone – with squads of players coming and going as a result – accompanied by some quite public accusations of broken promises, unpaid debts and unpaid wages. The impact of all this turmoil has, unsurprisingly, been a distinct deterioration in the team’s on-field results – with the most eye-catching debacle being a 1-8 home defeat at the hands of bottom club Orpington - and the club has begun to resemble an outfit just going through the motions of fulfilling the season’s fixtures, with the possibility of the Club not fielding a team at all in 2012-13 being the latest subject of rumour and speculation. The club is currently managed by 20 year-old Sam MacNeil, son of the thoroughly maligned Chairman, Roy, with the word on the street being that their line-up regularly includes players that are considerably younger than the manager. Every reason, therefore, for Ashford United’s players and supporters, making their way up the M2, to expect little resistance lying in wait at The Oakwood.

Early impressions did nothing to refute these pre-match expectations. Thankfully, VCD’s home is a decent ground, with the stand on one side, with its four rows of green & white seats, providing cosy shelter from the cold breeze and light rain – but the lack of a match-day programme of any kind, and the PA announcer’s failure to give any information on the team line-ups, came as no surprise. As the teams lined up before the match, it was noticeable that a very youthful Erith & Dartford team was clad in blue shirts which lacked both sponsor’s logo and club badge, and one of the boys started the game with a “16” on his back. In fact, it felt very much like Ashford had wandered into a schools’ football tournament – and this impression was reinforced by the addition of a referee who appeared himself to be considerably younger than many of the shirts in my wardrobe.

It’s slightly ironic that a heavy reliance on youth, albeit interwoven with some much more experienced legends, has been a feature of Ashford United’s inaugural Kent Invicta League season – but in most areas of the pitch, this afternoon, it was literally a case of men against boys. That’s all the more reason, then, for disappointment at the visitors’ failure to make their obvious physical advantages count – and, it must be said, for credit to be given to the Erith & Dartford lads for emerging with a well-deserved point.

I make no apologies for stating that the home side looked to be there for the taking, throughout the match, particularly during the opening quarter of an hour, when Ashford appeared to be destined for a comfortable, wide-margined victory. The first opportunity came in the opening minute, when left wing-back Richard Quigley latched onto a lobbed through-ball. Running into the Erith penalty area, he headed the ball over diminutive 16 year-old goalkeeper Louis Gardiner, and provided himself with the chance to slide the ball into an empty net, albeit from an acute angle – but thumped his shot against the near post. Nevertheless, it was no surprise when Ashford took the lead, in the fifth minute, and it was not entirely unexpected that this opening goal came as a result of a fairly comical cock-up in the Erith defence. The home number 3, (whose name was illegible on the hand-written team sheet that I later managed to get a squint at), made an unconvincing attempt at a clearance, which hit Tom Scorer in the midriff, from close range. Tom, the younger of the Scorer brothers – and comfortably Ashford’s best player, on the evidence of the first half – was able to easily pass the ball into the net.

In the eighth minute, Aaron Firth, another Ashford player to emerge from today’s game with some credit, turned left, and then right, on the corner of the six-yard box, and manufactured enough space for himself to get in a shot on goal, which was saved by Gardiner at the near post. The ball bounced around the penalty area from the resulting corner, before Firthy attempted an ambitious bicycle kick, which went well wide.

So no worries, so far, for the visiting Ashford fans who had swelled today’s gate to an official figure of 70, (at least half of whom must have been hiding from the wind and the rain). In fact, the most taxing moments had been early on in the game, when, between us, we set about the task of deducing the Ashford line-up. Everyone recognised the unmistakable figure of Mo Munden, in goal, and we soon managed to figure out the now-familiar 3-5-2 formation ahead of him. In the centre of the back three was skipper Ben Jordan, flanked by Folkestone’s finest, Roy Guiver, and Lee Coburn. The midfield unit was made up of the experienced Matt Bower, with the more youthful Liam Whiting and Sam O’Keefe – and these were flanked by the wing-backs Richard Quigley and Peter Williams, on the left and right, respectively. Tom Scorer was joined in attack by Aaron Firth. I cannot name the full complement of substitutes, but Danny Morrison came on for Sam O’Keefe, early in the second half, and both Dan Scorer and Sam Conlon were physically on the bench, but with neither expected to play, being on the long-term injury list.

Generally, quite a nice blend of youth and experience, then – and there was one player in the Erith & Dartford line-up who was conspicuously a man amongst boys. No.9 Raffa Akala, reportedly on loan from Dartford (!), had thighs that were approximately the same size as the torso of many of his team-mates, and generally stood out like Peter Crouch at a children’s party. He also had obvious ability, and his two goals, in the 14^th and 16^th minutes, turned the game on its head.

The first of these resulted from a defensive error from an Ashford defender, (which I think was Ben Jordan). He badly misjudged a long ball forward, which bounced over his head, and fell at the feet of Erith’s No.10 – and the nearest I can get to deciphering the hand-written team sheet is to guess that his name was Steve Filmer. Anyway, he fed the ball to his strike partner, Akala, whose low, diagonal, right-footed shot eluded the right hand of the diving Mo Munden. The Ashford defence appeared to still be half asleep when, just two minutes later, a simple throw-in found Akala clean through on goal. He rounded Mo Munden, and it then seemed that the unthinkable had been averted, with the ball close to the by-line, giving Akala the narrowest of angles for a shot on goal – but, with a margin for error that must have been no more than inches, he made no fuss at all about sliding the ball into the net, for a 2-1 score-line.

I don’t think that anyone present saw this coming – but it’s not unusual for goals to change games, and Ashford’s bright start soon turned into an absolutely dreadful first half performance. Of course, the knee-jerk panic response appeared to be the long, hopeful ball forward – which almost invariably gave the ball back to opponents that were now increasing in confidence – but the malaise ran deeper than that. The defence looked vulnerable, and the midfield, collectively, had a ‘mare. Passes went astray, through balls were hit to nobody, and there was a whole succession of the kind of fluffs, shanks and miss-cues that give footballers nightmares. Probably the saddest moment came in the 35^th minute, when Matt Bower, deep inside his own half, aimed to play a straightforward return pass to Roy Guiver, only to see the ball deviate from his foot at a crazy angle, and go out for a corner. Unsurprisingly, Matt is only a shadow of the player he once was, and today he seemed to be struggling to regain his touch, after having been on the side-lines with injury for much of the season.

There were, however, chances for Ashford to equalise, and so redeem this first half display to some extent, late on in the half. In the 43^rd minute, a Richard Quigley free-kick, from about the half-way line, skidded off the head of an Erith defender – the one with the illegible name – for a corner, on the right. The ever-industrious Quigley went over to take the dead-ball kick, and curled in a cross with his left foot – and a touch by Tom Scorer, at the near post, saw the ball hit the angle of bar and post. Just as a member of the Erith & Dartford backroom staff was holding up the number “1”, to indicate that there would be a minimum of one minute of added time at the end of the first half, Aaron Firth was put through on goal, in the inside-right channel, but an excellent tackle by a home defender put the ball out for another corner – just to remind ourselves that there were two teams out there, and that the 2-1 half-time score was partly due to the defensive efforts of Sam MacNeil’s young side, which was giving its all, and not just to Ashford’s incompetence.

There weren’t many people in the ground who could not guess what was awaiting the Ashford team, from Manager Paul Chambers, during the interval. Another constant theme that has run through the season has been reports of Chambo’s very vocal and uncompromising management style – and I’m searching for euphemisms, here. Anyway, given that the contingent of Ashford fans had a very healthy mix of women and children, I think it was probably a good thing that the changing rooms at VCD are located some 50 yards from the playing area, in what looks like a former cricket pavilion, at the opposite corner of the ground to the bar and snack bar area.

In fairness to the Ashford team, it must be said that the second half was a very one-sided affair, in which the determined effort to salvage the three points – which still looked there for the taking – never flagged. Goalkeeper Mo Munden was a virtual spectator for the remainder of the game, which was largely an exercise of attack versus defence, with Erith & Dartford no longer threatening to increase their lead. In this context, then, the disappointing thing has to be that Ashford were unable to muster the quality to turn their territiorial and physical dominance into goals, but there cannot be any question marks raised as to the lads’ efforts, on an afternoon which continued to be cold, wet and breezy.

The player who looked most likely to breach the home defences was Aaron Firth, who looked strong, direct and full of heart. Richard Quigley also seemed to have the tools for the job, and was involved in much of the good attacking play down the left flank.

Firthy did, however, blot his copybook in the 57^th minute, when he received a yellow card. He was put through on goal by Tom Scorer, and knocked the ball wide of the advancing goalkeeper. As the two players converged, Aaron went sprawling, with all fours wide apart. The referee, who, in spite of his youthful appearance, seemed to be well capable of doing the job, was in an excellent position, no more than 15 yards away, and directly behind the incident. Immediately, he waved his hands to signal “no penalty”, and, once that decision had been made, did absolutely the right thing in showing Firth the yellow card. (From the half-way line, side-on to the incident, my opinion is worth very little, but I’m pretty sure that the ref got this one right).

A minute earlier, we had beheld the sight of Manager Paul Chambers getting changed into his yellow and green kit. Now I’m sure that Chambers has no illusions as to his remaining prowess as a player, so the fact that he was preparing to enter the fray was probably more a sign that he felt that the lads needed closer supervision (!) – or maybe it was because he had simply run out of fit men to throw on. He had already replaced Sam O’Keefe with Danny Morrison, as early as the 48^th minute, and, when he eventually entered the fray, in the 67^th minute, it was to replace a visibly sore Matt Bower.

Prior to the manager’s self-introduction, Ashford’s efforts had failed to really trouble Louis Gardiner, in the Erith goal. A succession of corners had been dealt with, including when Gardiner took the ball off the head of Roy Guiver, in the 64^th minute, after Aaron Firth and Peter Williams had worked a short corner routine between them – but, generally, it was the defence in front of the young ‘keeper that was able to deal with every threat that Ashford provided.

Erith & Dartford’s second-half resistance finally appeared to be broken in the 70^th minute, within three minutes of Paul Chambers coming on. Tom Scorer put Aaron Firth through, again in the inside-right channel. Firth put in a good cross, and there were cheers from the Ashford bench, and from the knot of Ashford supporters huddled in Oakwood’s only stand, as Chambers himself seemed to sweep the ball into the net, from close range. Unfortunately, it soon became clear, as Chambo slumped onto the low railings behind the goal, with his head resting on his forearm, that his shot had gone the wrong side of the post, and that the ball was resting ON the back of the net, rather than in it.

Nevertheless, the manager did have an impact on the game, winning balls in the air and showing enough ball control to remind everyone that he could play a bit, in his pomp. In the 75^th minute, he came close to scoring, when he appeared to be getting on the end of a long cross, from the right. Unfortunately, for the Ashford cause, Roy Guiver, who was later booked for dissent, was also very close to getting to the cross, at the far post. Chambers did make a call, but Roy was already committed to his effort, and put the ball behind for a goal-kick, effectively taking the ball off Chambo’s head. In the context of the match, it was just one of many Ashford attacks that failed to deliver the killer blow – but I get the impression that the incident might not do a great deal to improve harmony in the dressing-room. (On the subject of peace and harmony, the largely unemployed Mo Munden was shown a yellow card by the ref, before play restarted – and I can only imagine that this must have been for his commentary on the incident).

On a happier note, Chambers did play a part in the Ashford equaliser, in the 78^th minute. He was ambling back from what was clearly an off-side position, after a previous attack had broken down, when a ball was played over an Erith defensive line that appeared to be waiting for an off-side whistle. Aaron Firth ran onto the ball, from a position that was just as clearly on-side, rounded the goalkeeper and calmly rolled the ball into an empty net. Strangely, in a way that mirrored Paul Chambers’ near-miss, some eight minutes earlier, the ball actually sneaked through a hole in the back of the net, so there was a horrible moment when it appeared that Firthy had missed an open goal – but he was to be seen celebrating with the Ashford fans behind the goal, and it was 2-2.

There was no let-up in Ashford’s pursuit of a winning goal – but it did not materialise. It was not a great surprise that Aaron Firth came closest, in the time that remained. With just two minutes remaining of normal time, he ran onto a through-ball from defence, down the right flank, cut in, and saw a good effort foiled by an even better diving save by goalkeeper Louis Gardiner. In the dying moments of the game, Danny Morrison saw his shot from long range deflected behind for a corner, and Liam Whiting headed just over the bar, from a corner, but the match ended all square.

I think that Manager Paul Chambers will have felt that this was very much a case of two points dropped – although the addition of just one point to the season’s total is not likely to make a great deal of difference, in the final analysis, with Ashford United seemingly heading for fourth or fifth spot in the league in the season of the Club’s rebirth. On the other side of things, I think that the young Erith & Dartford players are entitled to feel very proud of the point they gained, this afternoon, having looked over-faced by a physically stronger, and more experienced, Ashford side.

Phoenix Sports v Ashford United. Kent Invicta League. 4th of February 2012.

Phoenix Sports    3             Ashford United     0

 

From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent

It was a real surprise that this game was on, today. With night temperatures 3 or 4 degrees below freezing all week, and with the entire Kent League Premier Division fixtures wiped out, this afternoon, it seemed that Saturday morning’s 10am inspection at Mayplace Road East, in Bexleyheath, would be a mere formality. It was a shock to the system, therefore, when it was announced on the AUFC Forum that the match was ON. So I had to (for once) abandon breakfast, and think fast in terms of what I could, and should, grab, prior to rushing off to catch the 11.05am train out of Milton Keynes Central, to London Euston.

In those “Golden Five Minutes”, what are a man’s priorities ?  I soon decided that the thermal underwear and woolly hat were top of the list, followed by Your Correspondent’s notebook and pencil – and then it was time to fly out the door.

I was horrified to find that the railway station was absolutely heaving with people, with queues for the bank of ticket machines – but I managed to get to the train with seconds to spare, and so embarked on the journey of just over two hours to Barnehurst, via London Bridge. There were quite a few Arsenal fans accompanying me on my trip to The Smoke – which suggested that there were still some who have not given up on Arsѐne Wenger’s tippy-tappy warriors – but my thoughts were focused on the Kent Invicta League, and Ashford United’s meeting with Phoenix Sports, who began the day in 4^th place, still with a realistic chance of catching Bly Spartans and Bridon Ropes at the top of the league. Ashford had been playing well, leading up to this game, thanks mainly to a mid-season influx of experience and quality, in the form of the likes of Mo Takaloo, Roy Guiver and Jimmy Dryden – but a poor start to the season has meant that there was no margin for error left now, with the team lying 13 points behind leaders Bly, at the start of play, with just the two games in hand.

Mo Takaloo was actually missing today. Along with Club Captain Ollie Finch, he was continuing to serve a suspension. This provided the opportunity for Ben Jordan to skipper the side this afternoon. The best news, however, was that, due to the postponement of Hythe Town’s game at Walton & Hersham, Jimmy Dryden was able to make one more appearance for Ashford, having been called back to his parent club earlier in the week.

The other significant piece of team news was that former Ashford Town captain Matt Bower was back, after a long absence with injury. He took his place in a back three of himself, Jordan and Lee Coburn, in front of ‘keeper Billy Rice, with Sam Conlon on the right and Richard Quigley on the left acting as wing-backs. Roy Guiver started the game in central midfield, alongside Liam Whiting. Dan Scorer was on the left wing – or wherever he was required to take a dead-ball kick – and Jimmy Dryden was up front with Peter Williams.

Completing the roll-call, Stephen McKentishfootball was present with his reporter’s hat on, with both Tony Betteridge and Ernie Warren braving the bitter cold alongside the other Ashford United supporters.

Denise Richmond was also in attendance. Denise is Chairperson of the Kent League, and one of the architects of the new Kent Invicta League. I am not a mind reader, but I imagine that she would have seen this fixture as being just about the best advert for Step 6 football in Kent that she could have. This was an event that was well attended – with the crowd of 141 owing much to the usual good attendance from Ashford – and which was staged in a nice facility. Set in the heart of suburban, semi-detached Sarf London, the Phoenix Sports Ground has a decent bar and a snack bar situated at one end of a post & railed pitch which is level, if slightly sloping. Whilst there is no stand or terracing for spectators, a good view on the half-way line was available from the slightly raised bank behind the dug-outs. The pitch itself looked to be in remarkably good shape, and played very firm and bouncy.

In spite of the very cold temperature, the day was at least sunny and bright, certainly in the first half, and the ground had a nice openness about it. The afternoon began to be spoilt for us, however, at precisely 2.10pm, when the home side took the lead. Centre-forward Alfie Harris – who, ironically, is the image of Gary Lockyer in stature and style – sent in a low, diagonal shot, from about 20 yards out, which found the corner of the Ashford net, past a diving Billy Rice. It was a well-struck shot, but I am forming the impression that Billy Rice doesn’t save a great deal, and that anything heading for the corner of his net is likely to beat him.

Just two minutes later, Alfie Harris again found the ball at his feet, this time inside the Ashford area, but he was only able to hit the ball straight at Rice.

Ashford, playing in their Norwich City-style away strip, given Phoenix’s colours of green shirts, black shorts and black sockies, took a while to get into the game, and the first sign of any quality came in the 18^th minute, when Sam Conlon did some good work on the left, forcing the first of a whole succession of Ashford corners in the match – but Dan Scorer’s cross came to nothing. A minute later, a good, diagonal ball from Dan Scorer found Sam Conlon on the right, but the Phoenix defence managed to block the ball behind, for a corner. This time, Scorer pulled something out of the bag that had obviously been devised on the training ground. He drove the ball low, to Richard Quigley, who was stationed well outside the penalty area – with two Ashford players letting the ball go by.  Quigley struck the ball well, and his low, left-footed drive seemed to be heading for the corner of the net, before the home side’s impressive goalie, Stuart Harvey, made a good diving save.

The visitors had several corners in a brief period of dominance, having finally hit their stride – but it was Phoenix Sports who came close to scoring in the 24^th minute. A throw-in, from the right, skidded off the top of an Ashford head, and found Sam Prett unmarked in the area – but he was unable to keep his hooked shot down, and his effort went over the bar.

Ashford’s attempts on goal in the first half were restricted to shots from long range. Lee Coburn let fly with a shot from some 30 yards, in the 31^st minute. Whilst this effort was always going wide, Peter Williams very nearly diverted the ball goalwards with an instinctive header. In the 34^th minute, shortly after Matt Bower had deflected an Alfie Harris shot, from close range, behind for a corner, Lee Coburn again hit a well-struck shot, from a similar distance to his previous effort, and this time it required another good save from Harvey.

Constructive passing movements from Ashford United were very rare, this afternoon, but, in the 37^th minute, Jimmy Dryden spread the ball wide to Sam Conlon, on the right, in a move that culminated in Dan Scorer hitting a left-footed shot wide of the far post. Still Ashford pressed forward, and the corners kept on coming – but the home defence stood firm, with the tall Stuart Harvey catching whatever crosses his defenders could not clear.

The sun disappeared at the start of the second half – which did nothing to ease the biting cold.

In the 48^th minute, a shot by Dan Scorer was well caught by Harvey, and Liam Whiting hit a shot over the bar in the 51^st minute – upon which Ashford Manager Paul Chambers immediately made a substitution, replacing Richard Quigley with Aaron Firth.

In the 55^th minute, there was the rare sight of Roy Guiver bursting into the opposition’s penalty area. Guiver tried to touch the ball over the tall ‘keeper, who palmed the ball out to Jimmy Dryden, who was in a central position, just inside the penalty area. This was Ashford’s best chance of the match to date, and there was no other man that the visiting fans would rather have seen the ball fall to than Jimmy – but he was unable to get over the ball, and sliced his shot high, and over the bar. Two minutes later, the visitors had an even better chance to equalise. Sam Conlon did some good work, moving through the Phoenix half, and found Roy Guiver in the penalty area, with a clear sight of goal. Roy virtually had a one-on-one with the ‘keeper, here, but he shot the ball straight at Stuart Harvey, who saved with his knee.

And that was the closest that Ashford came to scoring.

In the 66^th minute, Tom Scorer was sent on in place of Peter Williams – but it was a minute later that there was a potentially pivotal incident in the game, and one which completely went against Ashford. Liam Whiting made a superb tackle on Phoenix’s Danny Frost. It was hard, but fair, and he won the ball cleanly – but his momentum caused him to upend Frost, and that now appears, according to a ludicrous modern fad in football, to be a free-kick offence. Worse was to follow. Frost obviously took exception to being tackled, so retaliated with a right cross to Liam’s jaw. I actually thought that the Ashford No.7 did well to ride the punch – but the key point was that a punch was thrown, and everybody in the ground saw it, except, apparently, for the referee and his linesman on the far side. After discussing the issue between them, the result was that the ref booked Liam Whiting for his excellent tackle – and no action at all was taken against Frost. To say that the Ashford bench was incensed would be an understatement – and their mood wasn’t improved when the lino in front of them admitted that he had seen Frost throw the punch, but thought that he’d let his two colleagues sort out the incident themselves.

This is the sort of injustice that football fans dwell upon, especially when they’re desperate for a break to go their way – and those on the Ashford bench were certainly never able to let it drop – but the truth is that United were never able to get behind, or around or through the Phoenix defence. I didn’t think that Phoenix looked anything out of the ordinary, to be honest, but they did the simple things well, and Ashford never really bothered Harvey in their goal. That is in spite of the fact that Ashford actually had the better of the second half, and looked impressive when either of the Scorer brothers was on the ball. In the 73^rd minute, for example, young Tom showed great skill and footwork on the left flank – but his efforts resulted in nothing better than yet another corner.

Whilst Phoenix looked fairly workmanlike for most of the game, it was a moment of great individual skill that led to the home side’s second goal, in the 80^th minute. Adam Cuthbert picked the ball up on the left side of the field, and took it infield, before drilling the ball into the bottom corner of the net. The fact that Ashford United is the team that every other team in the Kent Invicta League most wants to beat was reflected in the celebrations of the Phoenix Sports bench, which spilt out onto the playing area.

Three minutes later, Phoenix completed Ashford’s humiliation when Alfie Harris scored the home side’s third goal, and his second. The strong No.9 collected a through-ball, well inside the Ashford box, and with his back to goal. He looked every inch the accomplished centre-forward when he turned and hammered the ball past Billy Rice – but there was just a suspicion that the Ashford bench thought that his task had been made too easy, by some slack Ashford defending.

By this time, Roy Guiver had been operating in the front line, with Jimmy Dryden either playing in the hole behind the two front men, or trying to create something from midfield – but the game was all over, bar the shouting. Aaron Firth had a chipped attempt that went over the bar, from just outside the area, and Lee Coburn attempted yet another long-range shot – but the visitors never found the net, and the game finished 3-0.

There was much swearing and muttering from the Ashford bench at the final whistle – mostly aimed at the performance of the three officials – but I am sure that they must have been disappointed that the team had failed to really bother the Phoenix defence. Having said that, Ashford’s performance was nowhere near as bad as the 3-0 score-line seems to suggest – but this defeat must surely have finally put paid to any chance that they had of gaining promotion from the Kent Invicta League this season.