Ashford Town 1-3 Worthing - We need luck to survive the drop, says Lovell

Wednesday 21st April 2010

ASHFORD TOWN 1-3 WORTHING
Ryman League Division One South
Wednesday 31st April 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Homelands Stadium

STEVE LOVELL remains positive that his Ashford Town side will maintain their Ryman League status - but they must beat Kent rivals Chatham Town at Homelands on the final day of the season - or hope that Walton Casuals do not beat play-off chasing Leatherhead.

Worthing raced into a 3-0 lead with goals in a fourteen minute spell just before the half-hour mark in their penultimate league game tonight, before skipper Lee Hockey headed home from a corner with the last action of the first half, but the comeback failed to materialise against a physically strong Worthing side that have leapfrogged over Godalming Town into third place and leaves Ashford Town praying for good fortune on Saturday afternoon.

Ashford Town’s Ryman League status now rests on what happens in the last couple of days of the season and Lovell hopes Fleet Town beat Godalming Town on Thursday night to ensure that Leatherhead must beat Walton Casuals at the weekend to secure a play-off place.

“Well, we have to win it, obviously if Walton Casuals beat Leatherhead, then we’ve got to win it,” Lovell told www.kentishfootball.co.uk after he emerged from the home dressing room.

“We’re going to come here and hopefully I can get a patched up team again like I had tonight, which we have done all season. It’s been a patched up side of youngsters and I’ve just got them to give me one more effort and give it’s go Saturday.

“Obviously, it’s a local derby, so it won’t be easy. If we show that effort and commitment (that we showed) tonight with a little bit of luck - we need a bit of luck, we need a little bit of the rub of the green.

“If Fleet beat Godalming tomorrow night then Leatherhead will have to win to get in the play-off’s. It’s as simple as that!

“If Fleet beat Godalming, Leatherhead will have to win on Saturday so there will be no resting players. They’ll be obviously going out there but as you say, I can’t go and rely on that. We’ve got to make sure we get three points on Saturday.

“So it comes down to the wire. It’s about what men are made off. We’ll see what happens.”

Worthing’s left-sided midfielder, Ben Johnson, impressed throughout on a rock hard playing surface and after cutting in his right-footed shot rolled into Scott Chalmers-Stevens arms after just 21 seconds on the clock.

Ashford Town, meanwhile, hit back and after being released through on goal by Ronnie Dolan, striker Mark Lovell was denied by goalkeeper Alan Mansfield, who stuck out a leg to make the block, and Ross Morley had a driven shot cleared off the line.

Lovell rued his luck in the 13th minute when Worthing keeper Mansfield got away with it - only for Worthing to open the scoring within two minutes following their first corner.

A move involving Mark Lovell and Morley resulted in Tom Murphy’s driven shot was spilt by Mansfield and the ball rolled towards goal - only for the keeper to recover and prevent the ball crossing the line.

There was a sense of injustice as Worthing swiftly opened the scoring when Johnson swung in a corner from the left and the unmarked Glen Woodburn powered a towering header into the roof of the net from six-yards out.

Spirited Ashford created a couple more chances - Joe Fuller’s free-kick was met by the unmarked Morley, but his header was never going to beat Mansfield and then a long throw from Hockey was met by Lovell at the near post and his shot was blocked by Mansfield, the ball spinning agonisingly wide of the far post.

Worthing hit Ashford on the sucker-punch as they doubled their lead after 27 minutes - against the run of play again.

Brotherton’s pass found Worthing skipper Paul Kennett, who beat Laurence Havey and slammed a low drive into the bottom far corner of the net.

Worthing wrapped up their win by scoring the third within two minutes when Johnson delivered an excellent cross from the left and Brotherton (who WAS wearing the number 10 shirt instead of number 11 as advertised on the team-sheet!) headed down and the ball bounced past the despairing dive of Chalmers-Stevens (who later pulled his groin to prevented him taking goal-kicks) to find the bottom corner.

Ashford Town pulled a goal back at the right time as Chris Borchescu swung in a corner from the right and Hockey powered his header in at the near post.

Expecting a rousing second half comeback from the Kent side, Worthing were solid at the back and it sadly didn’t materialise.

Brotherton was played in behind the Ashford defence but his initial shot was parried by Chalmers-Stevens before the striker looped the rebound onto the top of the crossbar.

Chalmers-Stevens was forced to back-peddle in the 62nd minute to tip over Johnson’s looping shot from the edge of the penalty area, before the same player looped another shot onto the roof of the net from a tight angle.

Ashford didn’t really look like scoring again, the closest they came was when Borchescu called Mansfield into making a save in the final five minutes of a disappointing game.

Reflecting on his side’s 22nd league defeat, Lovell said: “We started quite brightly to be honest. We had a couple of chances, their keeper has blocked one. But they scored three goals in about fourteen minutes so to concede three goals in that amount of time was a bit of a blow, but that’s why they’re up there, they’re a top side.

“But we never gave up, the boys, they battled all the way until the end. The captain’s scored one just before half-time. We had a couple of good efforts their keeper’s saved and we gave it a go.

“It’s very easy to keep going when you’re 3-0 up, but when you’re 3-0 down it’s very difficult but they showed character and they ran their hearts out and gave everything that they had and that’s all you can ask.”

Worthing were tough opponents to break down, and Lovell agreed, saying, “They defended very well. Like I said, the boys just gave everything against a very, very good side, a very strong side, very physically strong I mean.

“We have got a lot of youngsters out there, a very, very young team and we couldn’t match them because they were so strong, but the ability side of it, no problem! We passed the ball around well, we created chances but strength told in the end. Strength and a little bit of experience.”

Lovell hopes for a lot more luck for Saturday’s WIN-OR-BUST showdown against Alex O’Brien’s Chatham Town.

“Worthing’s second goal, Joe’s (Fuller) come to clear it and it hit the fella in the face and it’s gone in the net,” bemoaned Lovell.

“These things happen in football and they always have done and it always will do but you’ve just got to hope you will get a little bit of luck and we’ve deserved quite a bit of luck this year and hopefully it all comes together on Saturday.

“It’s been a year that we’ve wanted to survive, perhaps not go to the last game of the season.

“If we do it and we stay up, I’ll be very, very happy.”

When asked about dropping out of the Ryman League at the weekend, the Welshman replied, “Don’t think of that! If you start thinking about things like that then there’s no point turning up! I’ve never thought that, I’ll always think positive!”

And speaking about Chatham, Lovell said: “They’re a very young side, the same as us, but they’ll have a go. They had a good win on Saturday, but it will be a tough game. They’ve got to come down here and (they want to) turn us over. I don’t expect anything more from them, the same as Leatherhead on Saturday. I don’t expect anything less from Leatherhead to go and try and beat Walton Casuals.

“We’ve got to make sure we don’t rely on that. We’ve got to make sure we get the three points on Saturday and if we show the same commitment we showed with a bit of luck we should be alright.”

Ashford Town: Scott Chalmers-Stevens, Carl Harrold, Joe Fuller, Lee Hockey, Laurence Harvey, Ronnie Dolan, Callum Day (Ben Morley 70), Ross Morley, Mark Lovell, Tom Murphy, Chris Borchescu.
Subs: Tom Scorer, Dan Scorer, Danny Shearing, Darren Ibrahim.

Goal: Lee Hockey 45

Booked: Mark Lovell 40

Worthing: Alan Mansfield, Luke Denton, Jamie Groves, Glen Woodburn, Stuart Axten, Paul Kennett (Brett Patton 78), Ben Johnson, Ryan Woodford, Chamal Fenelon, Jamie Brotherton, Evan Archibald (Wayne Clarke 70).
Subs: Karl Akehurst, Charlie Farmer, Simon McMenemy.

Goals: Glen Woodburn 15, Paul Kennett 27, Jamie Brotherton 29

Booked: Jamie Brotherton 44

Attendance: 159
Referee: Mr Ian Crouch (Orpington)
Assistants: Mr Rob Baker (Maidstone) & Mr Graeme Wiltshire-Ions (Maidstone)