Ashford Town 1-3 Walton & Hersham - We can't make any Moore mistakes, says Lovell - EXCLUSIVE

ASHFORD TOWN 1-3 WALTON & HERSHAM
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 12^th February 2008
Stephen McCartney reports from The Homelands

WALTON & HERSHAM maintained their 38-year unbeaten record against Ashford Town, as mistakes ended the Kent side’s five-match unbeaten run.

Goalkeeper Sam Moore was drafted into the starting line up as Jamie Riley, whose started the last three games, broke down on the motorway on his way to the ground.

And Lovell was without influential central defender Sean Ray (family problem) and winger Jimmy Bottle (calf strain).

And the 21-year-old Moore was at fault for gifting the Surrey side the lead, from their first shot on goal - with only two minutes and 47 seconds on the clock.

The former Brentford, Bromley and Ramsgate goalkeeper dropped Tom Carter’s cross at the near post and enabled former Whitstable Town striker Jon Neale to roll the ball into the net from just three-yards.

Despite this set-back, Lovell felt his side played their best football off the season during the first half.

Midfielder Anthony Hogg crashed a low drive agonisingly past the foot of the near post from 25-yards and defender Lee Hockey directed a header down and wide from six-yards following Hogg’s corner.

And Ashford Town deserved to draw level after 22 minutes, although the Swans should have had their skipper Aaron Nowacki red-carded - he was only booked - as he was the last man when he brought down striker Paul Jones just inside the penalty area.

But 21-year-old former Sittingbourne winger Mitchell Sherwood sent goalkeeper Rob Webb the wrong way with his right-footed penalty that found the bottom right-hand corner.

Moore, meanwhile, made amends for his earlier blunder, tipping Matt Martin’s thirty-yard effort around the post just before the half-hour mark.

Former Tonbridge Angels midfielder Nick Barnes had a couple of chances; meeting Jones’ cross with a looping header, which just dropped over the crossbar; and seeing his shot blocked by Webb’s legs after bursting through the middle.

Moore made a crucial save on the stroke of half-time, preventing Neal scoring when he got in behind the Ashford defence down the middle.

Sherwood had the first chance of the second half but Webb managed to save the low shot at the second attempt at the near post but disaster struck when the Swans scored two goals in the space of five minutes.

A fine solo 53^rd minute run from Julian Thompson resulted in the striker drilling a shot into the bottom right-hand corner - and Lovell blamed Moore for the third.

Dan Nwanze and Liam Alleyne combined down the right and the cross was met by a glancing Rob George header, which bounced past Moore and into the corner.

Sherwood’s shot brought another smart low save from Webb before Lovell brought on a triple substitution in a bid to salvage a point.

Skipper Ryan Briggs and substitute Danny Lye both tried their luck from distance but Webb was equal to them both.

Ashford’s best chance of the second half, however, was sandwiched between two shots from Alleyne, which were tipped over by Moore.

Jones had run at least one half of the pitch down the right-hand side and cut the ball to an unmarked Steve Lovell, but the former Dover Athletic striker sent his right-footed shot woefully over the crossbar from 15-yards, when he should have made the final seven minutes interesting.

However, it left his father, Steve, disappointed to have tasted their first defeat in five games.

“Disappointed with the result but I thought the bloody football first half, I thought, was the best we played for a long, long time,” he said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“We created chances and I thought first half we did really, really well. Played some good football, got a penalty, could have got a couple of other (goals) and to be honest mistakes cost us the game.”

Blaming Moore for two of the goals, Lovell said: “Mistake by Sam, the third goal I think he could have dealt with and the second goal our defenders just went missing for once in the game.

“Our keeper Jamie Riley broke down on the motorway so Sam was thrown in and he made a couple of saves late on but you can’t legislate, you can’t win games if you make mistakes and that’s what we did.

“We played well, we created chances but against good sides you’ve got to finish them off and I thought we were top first half.”

The former Sittingbourne boss added: “They’re a good side. I thought second half they played very well. Perhaps over the ninety minutes a draw would have been a fair result because first half I thought we were brilliant.”

On the penalty incident, Lovell said: "We have a penalty in the first half, the fella should have been sent off.  Jonah (Paul Jones) was through on goal.  These things don't go for you but they even out as the season goes on."

Ashford Town: Sam Moore, Tony Browne (Danny Lye 71), Dan Brathwaite, Lee Hockey, Nicky Humphrey, Ryan Briggs, Nick Barnes (Rob Denness 71), Anthony Hogg (Walid Matata 71), Mark Lovell, Paul Jones, Mitchell Sherwood.
Subs: Aaron Freeman, Jamie Riley.

Goal: Mitchell Sherwood 22 (pen)

Walton & Hersham: Rob Webb, Adam Moriarty, Tom Carter, Matt Martin, Will Jenkins (Jordan Cheadle 23), Aaron Nowacki, Liam Alleyne, Rob George, Jon Neal, Julien Thompson, Dan Nwanze.
Subs: Charles Adeyeni, Richard Stroud, Richard Thompson.

Goals: Jon Neal 3, Julien Thompson 53, Rob George 58

Booked: Aaron Nowacki 21, Liam Alleyne 41

Attendance: 180
Referee: Mr Phillip Knight (Canterbury)
Assistants: Mr Anthony Rawlings (Rochester) & Mr Graeme Ions (Maidstone)