Ashford Town 1-4 Fleet Town - Lovell takes positives from Fleet football lesson

Wednesday 03rd February 2010

ASHFORD TOWN 1-4 FLEET TOWN
Ryman League Division One South
Wednesday 3rd February 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Homelands Stadium

STEVE LOVELL remained as upbeat as he possibly could after seeing his Ashford Town side outclassed by excellent Fleet Town.

Andy Sinton’s side didn’t disappoint as they found themselves 4-0 up at the break with a football master class, which left the poor turn out of just 90 supporters stunned.

Ashford Town were reduced to ten-men when midfielder Nick Smith saw red for a crude lunge on Tom Bird early in the second half, before Lovell’s men restored some pride during a much improved second half display and Joe Fuller’s tenth goal of the season proved to be a late consolation.

Fleet Town climbed up two places to third in the Ryman League Division One South table after tonight’s impressive display, whilst Lovell’s men remain rooted to the foot of the table - eight points adrift of safety but with 20 games remaining.

The Hampshire side made their intentions known inside the opening minute and a half when striker Mark Anderson’s bullet header from six-yards (following Bird’s cross from the left) was beaten out by the diving Ashford keeper.

But Scott Chalmers-Stevens was to be beaten for the first time inside the opening five minutes, as attack-minded Fleet Town scored following their first corner of the game.

Darren Wheeler cut the ball back to skipper Tyron Smith in space and the midfielder drilled a low shot from outside the box which Chalmers-Stevens parried and the ball looped up and striker Daniel Read headed home from inside the six-yard box.

Things got even worse for Ashford, as they found themselves 2-0 down just five minutes later.

Read finished off a slick three-man move, by hooking a shot from 30-yards, which looped into the bottom right-hand corner, leaving the Ashford keeper stranded.

Fleet should have raced into a 3-0 lead when an error in the Ashford defence allowed Anderson to release Read, who raced clear before rolling his shot past the right-hand post, with only the keeper to beat.

Ashford’s one and only shot on target during an embarrassingly one-sided first half finally arrived in the 25th minute, when left-back Ryan Norman tried his luck from 35-yards, but this was comfortably dealt with by David Smalley in the Fleet Town goal.

However, Read netted his hat-trick in the 29th minute, courtesy of an excellent whipped in free-kick from Tyron Smith.

The Fleet skipper whipped in a delicious curling free-kick on the angle from the left and all Read had to do to claim his hat-trick was to glance the bouncing ball into the far corner.

After Wheeler went close from outside the box, Fleet made it four on the stroke of half-time.

Presented with a free-kick in a central position, Tyron Smith smashed a low right-footed drive from 30-yards, which gave the diving Chalmers-Stevens no chance as the ball nestled into the back of the net.

Sadly, the effort and commitment from the Ashford players during the first half, didn’t match the efforts of the home club’s ground staff, who worked their socks off to ensure that tonight’s game did go ahead, although both penalty areas (and an area in front of the players tunnel) were covered in sand.

Ashford certainly performed better when they only had ten men on the pitch when referee Mr Nolan Wilde brandished Nick Smith a deserved red card for a crude lunge on Bird, which didn’t please the Fleet players.

Anderson headed over for Fleet Town three minutes after Nick Smith’s misdemeanour, but ten-men normally play better than eleven and Ashford began to show some heart.

After a couple of home fans headed off towards the bar, Fuller cut along the edge of the Fleet penalty area and a shot looped over Smalley’s crossbar after 69 minutes.

But Fuller finally gave the Ashford faithful something to cheer about with eleven minutes remaining by scoring the Kent side’s only goal.

Latching onto a long ball over the top of the Fleet defence from his keeper, the hard-working striker left three defenders in his wake, rounded the keeper and rolled the ball into an empty net.

Boss Lovell, who was speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards, expressed his feelings about his side’s 12th league defeat of the season.

“Disappointed with the result, disappointed with the way that we played, most probably the first half,” said Lovell.

“But then you bring on two or three players who have got enthusiasm, want to have a go, want to run about, look fit, and they made a difference.

“We had ten men for most of the second half, you would’ve never had thought that with the way that they performed, so disappointed with the way the first half went, bad goals to give away, again, but you’ve got to take positives.

“I look at the second half and how well we played. That’s what we’ve got to take into the weekend now and hopefully having three or four players back as well Saturday will boost us.”

When asked about Nick Smith’s challenge, Lovell gave a Arsene Wenger type reply.

“I didn’t see it!” said the Ashford boss. “I was talking to Andy Sinton about it like and he said it was a really bad tackle.

“I didn’t see it because he (Sinton) was standing in front of me but I take his word for it. If that’s what he said happened then Nicky Smith deserved to be sent-off.”

Lovell agreed that Fleet Town were the best side that has played Ashford this season.

“Yes by far but only because we let them do that in the first half,” he said. “We didn’t do the things that we know we should’ve done first half. We played everything in front of them, we didn’t turn them.

“Second half we turned them, we got up the pitch and we looked a much better outfit so we’ve got to learn from that and people have got to take on board what we’re trying to do.”

Lovell handed Craig Cloke his debut for the club, having arrived on loan for a month from Blue Square South side Dover Athletic.

Cloke was watched by Whites assistant Darren Hare, and Lovell felt the central defender grew into the game the longer it went on.

“I didn’t get him to get match fit for Dover, I wanted him to do a job for us,” said Lovell.

“I thought first half he didn’t do that but it was only because he’s getting used to the players around him.

“Second half he never stopped talking. He helped them (the younger players) out and you could see that.

“It was hard for him going into his first game. We knew there was going to be problems because he’s used to playing with certain people and he understands the way they play, but as soon as he understood the way we wanted to play he transmitted that onto the players and second half I thought he was brilliant like the rest of them.

“Second half I felt he did magnificently. Laurence (Harvey) and Carl Harrold were brilliant second half and the three of them were outstanding as were all the boys that played second half.”

Fleet Town are a special side and it’s just a shame not many had made the trip up from Hampshire.

“Against a really good side it’s always difficult, against a poorer side you’ve got a chance of getting back into the game,” admitted Lovell.

“But you’ve got a mountain to climb when they scored their two and when they did, especially when you’re in a position you are obviously heads are going to go down and here we go again!

“But you change things around and you try and give it a go and I thought second half the boys that went out there did us proud, they rolled their sleeves up and kept going.”

With Saturday’s home game against Walton & Hersham in mind, Lovell added, “I was saying to Hugo (Langton, my assistant), perhaps it makes us think what our team should be to start.

“The second half performance, by the lads who went out there, was brilliant so that obviously puts that in our mind and will have a chance on Saturday.”

Ashford Town: Scott Chalmers-Stevens, Carl Harrold, Ryan Norman (Dan Scorer 36), Laurence Harvey, Craig Cloke, Ryan Briggs (Ronnie Dolan 54), Nick Smith, Ross Morley, Mark Lovell (Matt Newman 46), Joe Fuller, Tom Murray.

Subs: Kevin Swaisland, Darren Ibrahim.

Goal: Joe Fuller 79

Sent Off: Nick Smith 51

Fleet Town: David Smalley, Ian Griffin, Tom Bird, Leigh Rumbold, Luke Evans, Steve Hemmings, Nathan Smart (James Field 36), Tyron Smith, Mark Anderson, Daniel Read (Darren Campbell 86), Darren Wheeler (Joe Nwoko 77).

Subs: Eddie Smith, Lyall Beazley.

Goals: Daniel Read 5,10, 29, Tyron Smith 45

Attendance: 90

Referee: Mr Nolan Wilde (Boughton Monchelsea)

Assistants: Mr Ronald Albert (Catford, London SE6) & Mr Peter Zuffa (Clapham, London SW4)