Ashford Town 2-3 Fleet Town - Lovell rues Beveney red card and costly mistake

Lovell was philosophical , when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards, as he conceded that, “Even though we were down to ten-men, there was only one side that wanted to win the game.

“One mistake cost us this afternoon, and I’ve got some emotionally upset players in the dressing room.

“With still 21 points to play for, and if we can go on any sort of run, because the top of this league is so tight, we’ve still got it all to play for.”

And when you look at Ashford’s remaining fixtures, it could be argued that they do still have it all to play for, as both Worthing and Kingstonian still have to come to Homelands before the end of the season.

Ashford, though, will have to make do without striker Shawn Beveney for probably three of their remaining games as the giant striker was shown a straight red card two minutes before half-time for an offence which only referee Mr Allum saw and left his manager shaking his head in disbelief.

Lovell admitted that he didn’t see anything, but was told by the Croydon official that Beveney had, “his hands around the neck of a Fleet player.”

Lovell fumed, “None of my other players saw it, and Shawn himself has guaranteed me that he did nothing.

“The official was very poor and gave us nothing all afternoon. I know in football it’s sometimes said that referee’s are homers and I don’t like to have a pop at the officials, but I have to say that he spoilt the game for us. I may even be tempted to call him an awayer.”

It’s a shame to be talking, yet again, about an officials performance as the real story from this contest should be the great fight back shown by Lovell’s side after they dominated the opening 45 minutes.

Indeed, before the break, it would have been tempting to give Ashford goalkeeper Seb Barton a laptop so he could have kept up with our coverage of our FA Trophy coverage at Stonebridge Road.

It was probably the Ashford stopper’s quietest 45 minutes of the season as second placed Fleet really did disappoint going forward.

Managed by former England international Andy Sinton, the Hampshire side showed little adventure and seemed, even in the first half, to have settled for what they had at 3 o’clock.

It was just a shame that Ashford could not have made their possession and dominance tell in front of goal.

On 15 minutes, Beveney battled through a host of challenges and lunges to get to the line before his pull back found Stanley Muguo, and his first time shot was brilliantly blocked by defender Mark Patterson with goalkeeper David Smalley completely beaten.

Six minutes later, Beveney again was released down the right (this time by a superb ball from Mitchell Sherwood). The former Cray Wanderers striker must be complimented for staying on his feet as the tackled dived in, but unfortunately for Ashford his pull back, not only wrong footed Smalley and half the defence, it also wrong-footed the strikers in Ashford green.

Then two minutes before the break came the incident, which turned the game on its head.

Daniel Brathwaite was waiting to take a free-kick in front of the Ashford dug-out, when the referee blew his whistle and called Beveney to him and showed the striker the red card. Many in the crowd were totally bewildered by the decision and in the melee that followed, Sean Ray and Fleet’s Steve Noakes were cautioned, presumably for something that they had said to either to each other or the official.

Half time saw the referee leave the pitch to a chorus of boos from the crowd and in deep conversation with members of both benches.

Unfortunately, the Ashford players seemed to stay in the dressing room as four minutes after the break, the visitors’ took the lead, totally against the run of play, with their first attack of any real note.

A corner down the right was flicked on at the near post for the diving Steve Hemmings to head home at the far post.

With the home side reeling, the lead was doubled on 58 minutes. Some great wing play from Darren Wheeler resulted in a deep cross from the left, which found the unmarked Nathan Smart to head home at the far post.

Two down and a man short, Ashford dug deep and on 65 minutes Noakes misjudged a long Barton clearance and Paul Jones managed to get in a first time shot, which, to that point, summed up the Kent side’s afternoon - the ball disappeared into the car park!

Two minutes later, skipper Ray was only inches away from pulling a goal back as substitute Anthony Browne’s free-kick was flicked on by Craig Wilkins. Unfortunately for Ashford, Wilkins’ touch just took the ball beyond the reach of his skipper.

Ashford’s luck finally turned on 79 minutes and spectacularly!

Another long cross from Browne was nodded down in the penalty area and inexplicably, ridiculously and bizarrely, Fleet substitute Michael Douglas volleyed the ball into the top corner of his own net.

Sensing the tide may have turned, Ashford really dug deep and amazingly within three minutes, the ten men were level.

Sherwood’s in-swinging left-wing corner was powered home at the near post by Wilkins - a goal which the much travelled target man has become renowned for throughout his career in Kent.

Regretfully, within a minute, it was Wilkins, the defender, that gave Fleet the chance to win the game, as he turned hero to villain.

The ball was whipped in from the right and Wilkins horribly mis-kicked on the edge of the 18-yard box and as was Ashford’s luck all afternoon, Jamie McClurg was on hand to give Barton no chance from 18-yards.

Much to their credit, Ashford, deep into stoppage time, they almost savaged a point when a ball in from Daniel Brathwaite fell to Sherwood, but his first time shot went straight at Smalley.

A frustrated Lovell told us after the game, “Ninety minutes with eleven players and I’m convinced we would have won this game. To come back from 2-0 down with ten-men is a real credit to my players and I’m just so gutted that we were punished for one mistake.

“I don’t want to keep going on about it, but the referee cost us at least a point today, but if I say too much, there’s no doubt, that I could get into trouble.”

As the Ashford boss said, with seven games left, his side can still make the play-off’s, but they are going to have to do it the hard way, starting at Chipstead on Tuesday night.

Ashford Town: Seb Barton, Jimmy Elford (Anthony Browne 73), Daniel Brathwaite, Craig Wilkins, Sean Ray, Ryan Briggs (Danny Lye 64), Mitchell Sherwood, Stanley Muguo, Shawn Beveney, Paul Jones, Orlando Smith (Charlie Glyde 64).
Subs: Elliott Brathwaite, Josh Willis.

Goals: Michael Douglas (og) 79, Craig Wilkins 82

Booked: Craig Wilkins 19, Sean Ray 43

Sent off: Shawn Beveney 43

Fleet Town: David Smalley, William Salmon, Tom Bird, Mark Patterson (Lee Riddell 68), Steve Noakes, Steve Hemmings (Darren Campbell 89), Nathan Smart, Jamie McClurg, Mark Anderson, Eddie Smith (Michael Douglas 25), Darren Wheeler.
Subs: Jermaine Hamilton, Paul Smith.

Goals: Steve Hemmings 49, Nathan Smart 58, Jamie McClurg 83

Booked: Steve Noakes 43, Michael Douglas 55

Attendance: 437
Referee: Mr Robert Allum (Croydon, Surrey)
Assistants: Mr Paul Burton & Mr Neil Wallace (Crawley, West Sussex)