Kentish Football 
Ashford Town 2-1 Eastbourne Town - We got lucky, admits Lovell
Ryman League Division One South
Wednesday 14th October 2009
Mike Green reports from Homelands Stadium
Ashford Town recorded just their second Ryman One South win of the season thanks to two first half goals from Joe Fuller, but even manager Steve Lovell was forced to admit that his side were somewhat fortunate to take all three points against an Eastbourne Town side, who probably returned to Sussex totally bewildered as to how they didn’t take at the very least a point from Homelands!
Speaking with www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game, Lovell was his usual honest self when he admitted, "We did all right first half, but didn’t we have some luck in the second?
“To be honest with you, we've played better than we did tonight, with no luck at all, and lost. So I guess it was our turn tonight, and at least it gives us something to build on now!"
It couldn’t have started better for Lovell's side, who paraded their two loan signing from Ebbsfleet United (full back Steve Springett and midfielder Jamie Forshaw) in their starting eleven for the first time.
Mitchell Sherwood, who appears to have been around forever despite being only 23, did well down the left and his cross found the unmarked Fuller who buried his header wide of keeper Russell Tanner and into the Eastbourne net.
The game settled down then for a spell almost akin to a "basketball game" as Lovell put it.
"First we had the ball and attacked and then they did. I can’t remember a game like that for a while" the former Welsh international admitted.
Sherwood was again the provider on 17 minutes when his corner was met by Toby Ashmore - unfortunately the defenders header troubled the late comers in the car park rather than the Eastbourne goal.
Then on 26 minutes with their first real fore forward the visitors levelled. Liam Baitup picked the ball up on the right and was confronted by Springett. As the Eastbourne man tried to cross, his effort clipped the full back and completely wrong footed keeper Darren Ibrahim and looped into the Ashford net.
The home side responded with Paul Jones firing in a low drive which drew a smart save from Tanner, before just past the half hour Fuller struck again.
Tanner made an awful hash of a clearance, and the ball fell straight to the Ashford number 9 who kept his nerve and composure and coolly slotted the ball wide of the oncoming keeper and into the net - a goal very similar to "one or two" that his manager would have scored in his illustrious career!
Ibrahim then nearly gifted Eastbourne a second equaliser when he spilled Chris Dickers free kick and was relieved that Ashmore was on hand to clear, before on the stroke of half time Jones got away again down the right only to see his pull back hacked to safety.
The second half began slowly, with Fuller being denied by the keepers legs and the assistants flag on 57 minutes (after a fine through ball from Springett) before on 67 minutes Eastbourne missed the first of what was to be a series of golden opportunities to take something out of the game.
Andy Ducille did well down the left and his driven centre was missed by Liam Baitup six yards out and somehow deflected wide by Danny Simmonds who was even closer!!!
Simmonds was again the guilty party on 70 minutes when he reacted quickest on the edge of the box to a half cleared corner - his drive being deflected just past the right post.
Ducille then go clear down the right and fired a cross shot across the face of goal and wide of the right post again, before, on 77 minutes substitute Sam Schaaf was released by a long ball out of defence, and as he held off Jon Ralph, his first touch took the ball round Ibrahim, but also wide of the goal and out of play.
Schaaf then took the acrobatic route to try and find an equaliser, but his audacious over the shoulder flick (from Paul Richardson's centre) went wide.
With ten minutes left, Ibrahim produced his best moment of the night to deny Baitup. A super ball from full back Richardson released Baitup in the inside left channel, and he bore down on goal. Just as he reached the edge of the box, he tried to curl the ball round the oncoming keeper, but Ibrahim produced a brilliant reaction save low to his left and was mighty relieved to see Ralph on hand to hammer the ball out of the ground to safety.
If the visitors needed confirmation that it wasn’t their night, it cam with just two minutes left.
Simmonds again broke down the left and cross. His centre completely bamboozled Ibrahim hitting the inside of the left post before running all the way along the goal line to hit the right post and loop into the grateful keepers arms.
Lovell was in a hopeful mood after the game - hopeful that his side would move on from this fortunate win.
"We'll go to Bognor on Saturday in the trophy now with renewed hope and belief after getting the win tonight" he said. "Its important for the progression of this side that we now press on after this win, and with this group who are still very young, its an important, challenging learning curve for us all!"
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd