Beckenham Town 2-2 Chatham Town - I'm proud of my team, they showed a real desire to win the game, says Chatham Town boss Scott Lindsey

Beckenham Town 2 – 2 Chatham Town
Location	Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3JL
Kickoff	16/10/2019 19:45

BECKENHAM TOWN  2-2  CHATHAM TOWN
(after extra time – Chatham Town win 7-6 on penalties)
The Buildbase FA Vase First Round Replay
Wednesday 16 October 2019
Stephen McCartney reports from Eden Park Avenue

CHATHAM TOWN manager Scott Lindsey says he was feeling really proud of his players after beating Beckenham Town in this high-quality FA Vase First Round Replay.

Chatham Town were only two seconds away from beating Jason Huntley’s side at Maidstone Road at the weekend after Byron Walker scored from a cross before Beckenham Town claimed a deserved second bite of the cherry through a header from super-sub Malik Nosike to force extra time.

Beckenham Town are sitting five points clear of second-placed Chatham Town at the top of the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division table with 30 points from 11 games with two games in hand.

After a cagey first half, the game exploded into life with Ashley Carew scoring his ninth goal of the season, from the penalty spot, but Beckenham Town’s lead was short-lived as Chatham Town equalised just 147 seconds later through Paul Vines.

Chatham Town were the better side on the night and striker Vines was sent-off by referee Andrew Thomson in the 76^th minute for picking up a second booking – although he should have been sent-off for a nasty foul on the stroke of half-time.

Beckenham Town snatched the lead 13 minutes into extra-time through substitute Shameek Farrell but Chatham Town deservedly equalised through Jack Evans’ sublime curler into top bins with three minutes of extra-time left.

Both sides scored their first six penalties in the shoot-out before Chatham keeper Jordan Carey rifled a stunning kick into the top right-hand corner before he dived to his left to save Mathiew Ramsamy to seal a trip to Bearsted in the Second Round on Saturday 2 November.

“My thought are I’m really proud of my team.  They showed first and foremost a real desire to win the game.  They were very clear with how we played with the ball, they tried to do what I’ve asked them to do and be very brave in some tight areas and they stuck to the game plan,” said Lindsey, whose previous job was assistant manager at League Two side Forest Green Rovers.

“I felt that we deserved to win over the course of the game. I thought we were the better side. We had a man sent off in the 76^th minute so we played with 10 men for 14 minutes of normal time and extra-time as well and I felt even with 10 men we were the better side so I’m really proud of the players.

“Take nothing away from them (Beckenham). I think they’re a really good side and are top of the league for a reason and they’ve got some good players.”

Beckenham Town assistant manager Billy Walton added: “Obviously disappointing to lose on penalties.  As I said to you, it’s down to an individual, not a team, but I thought we should’ve won it in the last 15 minutes of extra-time!  We should’ve kept the ball better and moved them around.

“I thought the fans got two good games, two good teams over two legs and that was good cup football. I most probably think, if I’m honest and really, really honest, I think Chatham just edged it tonight. We edged it on Saturday and they edged it tonight.”

It took 14 minutes for the first chance to be created and that came Chatham Town’s way.

Ashley Carew’s back-pass was cleared by his goalkeeper Michael McEntegart and Conrad Lee played the ball into Evans, who struck a right-footed drive from a central position from 30-yards, which was comfortably saved by the Beckenham stopper on his knees.

Beckenham Town immediately went up the other end and after just 34 seconds later, Beckenham winger Steve Townsend’s deflected drive from similar distance was gathered at the second attempt by Carey.

Carey launched a big kick straight down the pitch to release winger Jon Pilbeam, who cut the ball back to Matt Bodkin, whose right-footed curling shot was flicked over the bar by McEntegart as it was heading towards the roof of the net.

Walton said: “We just nullified each other and they’re going to play out from the back all the time.  For me, it’s a pleasure to see. I watch teams and listen to comments from other managers and I learn myself so I will never criticise people trying to play that style. I thought it was good all round over the two games.”

“One thing I said before the game was I didn’t want us to be cagey in the opening counters,” added Lindsey.

“I wanted us to step forward and take the game to them and I felt on Saturday we sat off them a little bit and kind of let them dictate the play a little bit whereas tonight I wanted us to be a little bit more aggressive with our positioning and try to pinch a few yards up the pitch and I thought we did it really well.”

After that flurry of chances, the game settled down to a cagey affair with both of these quality sides keeping the ball on the lush Eden Park Avenue carpet and passed the ball out from the back and basically cancelled each other out.

Beckenham Town smashed the stalemate by taking the lead with 35 minutes and 24 seconds on the clock.

Jamie Brown played a low cross into the box and Farrell was fouled by Chatham’s centre-half Pat Geddis in the box and the referee pointed to the spot.

Carew drilled his right-footed free-kick into the roof of the net as Carey dived to his right – despite substitute keeper Dan Ellis sending out a message to Pilbeam out on the pitch to tell Carey to go the other way.

Carew has now scored nine goals for Beckenham Town this season and is a dead-ball specialist.

Walton said: “He ain’t going to miss a penalty Ashley! It was a good little move from us.  Was it a penalty? I don’t really know. We’re 50-60 yards away. None of the Chatham lads seemed to complain and he was quite adamant it was a penalty.”

“I remember it being close to half-time and I was thinking, of course it’s a bad time to concede just on half-time,” admitted Lindsey.

“It was a bit of a blow for us but we re-grouped at half-time and came out and I felt we were in control even at that point.”

Chatham Town showed great character tonight and they swiftly equalised through striker Vines’ fourth goal of the season, timed at 37 minutes and 51 seconds.

It came from their third of 10 corners, floated in from the right by set-piece specialist Evans, the ball was cleared out to an unmarked Vines who drilled his right-footed shot over a crowd of players high into the net from 22-yards.

Lindsey said: “Good finish, good technique.  I think on reflection on the game, I’ve never seen one of my teams, for sure, have so many chances and not convert so when that went in, it was pleasing to see! Like I said to the players, we probably had enough chances to win two games of football tonight!”

Walton added: “What’s really annoying, we talk about all these scenarios and all these things and give players’ information hand over fist and you say to them when that ball comes in that final third, Paul Vines is a threat. He’s a goalscorier for them. He is the threat.

“Whoever he is, just say to yourself ‘I’m going to mark him, he ain’t going to get a sniff’ and there he is with no one near him and he has a free shot and scores so it’s disappointing from us to be honest with you.”

Farrell played a fine pass to put Luke Rooney in on goal but Carey made the save at his near post to deny the on-loan Welling United midfielder from eight-yards.

Chatham Town should have been reduced to ten-men inside injury-time when Vines got away with a nasty two-foot-over-the-ball challenge on Rooney on the half-way line.

Beckenham Town winger Stefan Cox, who endured a frustrating evening as Chatham often doubled up on him to cut out his threat, got away with throwing an alleged punch at an opponent, which was spotted by assistant referee Nana Boakye-Agyemang, earning a yellow card following the incident.

Walton said: “I thought Vinsey’s one first and foremost was a straight red. The linesman (Emmanuel Makola) said it was a straight red. Why they can’t step on the pitch when the referee’s 10 yards away and the incidents 10 yards away from them and say that’s a straight red!”

Lindsey added: “I thought the referee was poor tonight!  I don’t know what he was doing on a few of them. There were a couple of good challenges from Matty our right-back and he got booked and there was another booking for Michael Hagan, which I felt was a ball he won clearly. It wasn’t a free-kick and he ends up giving him (Hagan) a yellow. 

Both were asked their thoughts at the break.

Walton said: “Same as we normally say, try and take care of the ball! When you’re playing a good team like Chatham you have to take care of the ball and keep it for longer spells and when you’ve got it, move it quicker and that’s what we said to them.

“We thought we could hurt them if we moved the ball quicker and got it out to our wide players and got at them.”

“We were really calm as we went in,” said Lindsey.

“We spoke calmly about positions, about the distances, about how we felt we could win the game. We came out and we were really good with the ball tonight. It almost looked like a Scott Lindsey team tonight. I’ve been in the building for not quite two weeks yet but they started to look like a team that I want to build, a team who are dominant with the ball possession wise, bring the ball out from the back and we’ve started to look like that tonight for the first time.

“I thought we were the better side throughout the game. Don’t get me wrong, they had moments in the game where they could’ve hurt us but I felt for the whole game we were more than worthy of the result.”

The second half was a tight affair and Chatham Town had to wait 17 minutes for their first opening.

Evans swung in his sixth corner of the night from the right and the ball fell at Vines’ feet at the far post and his first time right-footed shot on the turn was lashed over the crossbar from 15-yards.

Chatham’s right-back Matthew Achuba cut into the Beckenham box before stinging McEntegart’s fingers with a powerfully hit right-footed drive, which was gathered at the second attempt by the Australian keeper.

Chatham Town were now on the front foot and dominating the game and Rooney was immediately withdrawn by Huntley after picking up a booking for a touchline lunge on substitute winger Michael Hagan.

The best chance of the second half, however, fell to Chatham Town in the 29^th minute.

Carey launched a big kick upfield from outside of his penalty area and Beckenham centre-half Mudiagha Wanogho’s clearance was poor and fell at Bodkin, whose first time shot from 25-yards curled just around the far post.

Lindsey said: “I think we had a lot of chances tonight. I kept saying to the players later on in the game, just keep going because you will get more chances.”

Walton said: “That was a good chance for them, one of a few chances for either side really. Although both teams had a lot of possession, they didn’t really threaten the goal. That was one of their better chances.”

Vines received his marching orders when he latched onto Bodkin’s through ball and McEntegart rushed out and bravely smothered the ball at the striker’s feet, whom clipped the keeper as both players’ had every right to go for the ball.

Lindsey added: “I thought the goalkeeper was very clever.  I thought it was a challenge that maybe Paul had to go for because you see the goalkeeper comes out, it’s almost like a 50-50.  Why should Paul have to pull out?  It’s a 50-50!

“I think the keeper probably made more of it than what it was.   Whether the referee was positioned well enough or not, I don’t know, but he ends up sending him off and then we’ve got a real struggle to stay in the game at that point.”

Walton said: “I’m 50-60 yards away and I didn’t even really see him touch him!

“Did he touch him or didn’t he? The referee was quite sharp to get his card out and send him off. 

“Paul should know better than that. You’ve done a tackle like that, you’re on a yellow. You shouldn’t be going in for things like that but that’s for Chatham to sort out.”

Beckenham Town finished normal time on the front foot and went in search of grabbing the winner.

Cox broke loose from his shackles and put in a testing low cross from the right, which bounced off Lee at the near post and Carey comfortably picked up the rolling ball at his near post.

Beckenham Town produced a slick move inside the final nine minutes when centre-half Harvey Brand fed the ball into Carew, who found substitute left-winger Ramsamy in space but he sliced his left-footed shot wide of the target some 12-yards from goal.

“That was the best bit of football we played for the night,” admitted Walton.

“One and two touch passing in and around the edge of the penalty area, slipped him in and he should’ve scored! It’s as simple as that!”

With time ticking away, Carew angled drive was comfortably saved by the visiting keeper after the home side played a quickly-taken short corner routine.

Beckenham left-back Archie Johnson fed Ramsamy down the left and he centred low towards the near post for Carew to drive a first-time shot past the left-hand post.

“There again, another good opportunity. I think we had one like that on Saturday. That was a good opportunity for us to score but now I look back, some good opportunities to win the game,” added Walton.

Chatham Town went close to grabbing the winner when Pilbeam whipped in a quality cross, which took a deflection before flashing around the far post.

And inside injury-time, Cox managed to whip in a cross from the right after Chatham doubled up on him but Ramsamy’s far-post header was plucked out of the air by the outstanding Carey.

Lindsey said: “They were pressing high, obviously going for it. With 10 men we sat in a little bit deep at that point and we were kind of trying to run the clock down by sitting in and being deep and Jordan done really well and pulled us out of trouble on a few occasions.”

Despite having 10 men on the pitch, Chatham Town dominated extra-time as Beckenham Town seemed to run out of ideas with a frustrated Cox kept in his shell.

Walton said: “I thought first and foremost when Paul Vines got sent-off, like I say to you all the time, I think the other team work harder and put it in to make up for that extra man and they all dug in and they all worked hard.”

Lindsey said: I’m really proud of my team tonight, not just the team, the whole staff, the substitutes. Everybody showed real character and I’m really proud of them.

“I felt we had enough to win the game from open play still.  I think we were the better side. We looked the more controlled with our possession and I felt that we were more than comfortable.”

Chatham Town missed a glorious chance inside the opening three minutes when Achuba got in behind Johnson and crossed into the centre of the box for substitute striker James Jeffrey, who dug the ball out from under his feet to stroke a left-footed shot which McEntegart dived to smother.

“I think from my recollection the keeper seemed to dive the wrong way but made the save. He was unlucky not to score,” said Lindsey.

Walton added: “The lad they brought on up front, I think he’s willingness to run and get forward hurt us more than what Paul Vines did.  That was a great opportunity for him. I expected him to score. There again, Macca pulled off a good save to block him.”

Beckenham Town grabbed the lead with 12 minutes and 37 seconds into the first period.

Nosike cut into the Chatham box down the right and clipped the near post with his shot and an unmarked Farrell tapped the ball into the back of the empty net from six-yards out.

“It was a good run from the young lad. He got in behind them, which is what he can do and it’s fortunate that it’s hit the post and came out to Sham to tap it in,” said Walton.

“It was a good goal and we should’ve gone on and secured the game and won the game from them.

“I don’t think it was it.  I thought when you’ve got nothing to lose you throw caution to the wind and take a gamble and that’s what they did. They threw caution to the wind and pushed more players up and thought ‘we’re losing 2-1, might as well lose 3-1.’ 

Lindsey added: “I felt we could’ve defended the initial action down our left-hand side.  I think he got into our box fairly easily, which disappointed me but they got a little bit fortunate. It’s come out and clipped the post and it fell kindly for their guy to put it in.

“I just feel we’ve got to try to stop it at source, where it came from.  We’ll look back and think about it.”

Evans clipped a free-kick into a crowded Beckenham box and centre-half Justyn Roberts steered his header across goal and was smothered by McEntegart for a comfortable save.

Chatham Town continued on the front foot for the second period and should have taken the lead after 180 seconds when Jeffrey skipped past the Beckenham keeper and was about to pull the trigger on the edge of the six-yard box but Brand made a vital block and forced the ball to roll the wrong side of the near post.

“I thought JJ, it was a really good chance for him to score. I think he maybe should’ve gone with his right-foot. He’s chopped back onto his left-foot and it’s given the defender time to recover,” added Lindsey.

Beckenham Town were holding on at this late stage as Achuba went close with a driving 40-yard run into the box before unleashing a right-footed drive just over the crossbar.

Chatham Town deservedly forced a penalty shoot-out with a sublime finish from Evans with 11 minutes and 40 seconds on the clock.

Hagan tussled with Beckenham right-back Jamie Brown on the touchline and won the ball before playing the ball inside to Evans, who cut inside before curling a right-footed shot into the top far corner from 18-yards.

“Jack’s a player whose got good technique, he’s got that in him,” said Lindsey.

“We want to eventually want to play him a little bit higher up the pitch because I think he’s got goals in him but he ended up in a more advanced position in that action anyway, cut in from the left and a great technique to finish.

“I think we had the whole momentum throughout the whole of extra-time and my advice to the players on the penalties was we pick the five, we put them in a batting order and we just said to them whatever you choose to do, do not change your mind as you’re running up, stuck to what you’re thinking you’re going to do and stick to that and don’t change your mind halfway through.”

Walton added: “They got a break and scored a very good goal in all fairness.

“You can look at it and we’ve never got out quick enough to shut him down. Why did he get in that position to start off with when we had the ball up the other end of the field?

“We’ve got to take care of the ball and they don’t break and score but we never took care of them ball enough in that last 15 minutes.

“I clapped. I’ll tell you that now. I clapped when they scored that. I shouldn’t have done because it’s a great finish. If that was up the other end I’d be jumping all over the place. Fair play to the lad to bend it in the far corner like that, dare I say, quality goal!”

Chatham Town practiced penalties during last night’s training session, while Beckenham Town haven’t trained for three weeks and they paid the ultimate price.

Walton said: “Just one negative might’ve caused us a problem tonight, we train on a Wednesday, our games are on a Wednesday, so we couldn’t get in a training session to iron out a few things that we wanted to sort out from Saturday so did it cost us? I don’t think so. It would’ve helped if we had a little training session with the boys so we haven’t done nothing for three weeks so that hindered us a bit going into tonight’s game.

Chatham Town clearly had the momentum going into the penalty shoot-out.

Referee Andrew Thomson, who hails from Devon but is based in south-west London, spoke to both goalkeepers before the shoot-out to remind them of the new Law of staying on their line.

Chatham Town went first with Bodkin smashing his right-footed shot straight down the middle, crashing into the roof of the net, as McEntegart dived to his right.

Beckenham Town equalised through Carew, finding the bottom left-hand corner, despite Carey going the same way.

Hagan found the bottom right-hand corner with his right-footed penalty, as McEntegart went the same way.

Beckenham Town’s substitute midfielder Bertie Valler – who came on in the 99^th minute – ignored Carey’s mind-games by finding the bottom right-hand corner with his right-footed kick, just, as the highly-rated keeper dived to his left and got a hand to the ball.

Geddis sent McEntegart the wrong way with a right-footed penalty, nestling into the bottom right-hand corner.

Nosike made the score 3-3, drilling his right-footed shot into the right-hand corner, sending Carey the wrong way.

Chatham’s holding midfielder Lee was the first left-footed penalty taker and he didn’t miss, the keeper went down to his right but the ball only just went in.

Johnson, another left-footer, made it 4-4 with the eighth penalty-kick, Carey dived to his right and got a hand to the ball but couldn’t keep it out.

With pressure now building, Jeffrey held his nerve, sending the keeper the wrong way with his left-footed penalty, answering the prayers of Daniel Smith, who was down on his knees praying in the technical area.

Farrell forced sudden-death by finding the bottom right-hand corner with his left-footed effort to make it 5-5 after 10.

Pilbeam rifted his right-footed penalty into the roof of the net, leaving McEntegart rooted to the spot.

Beckenham centre-half Brand found the bottom left-hand corner to make it 6-6.

Chatham keeper Carey capped off a good night by scoring the best spot-kick of the night, drilling his right-footed shot high into the top right hand corner.

Carey then dived to his left to keep out Ramsamy’s penalty as Chatham Town booked a trip to their league rivals Bearsted.

Lindsey said: “I thought all of the penalties were really good. I thought they were a really good standard of penalties for both sides.

“Jordan got close but I think getting close is not good enough but what I mean is they were a really good standard of penalties for both teams and Jordan put one in the top corner as well.

“I’m delighted. I firmly believe we deserved it. On reflection on the game and over the course of the game I felt we were the better side.

“They gave me everything, commitment, want and will, passion, desire to win the game but also a real clear way of playing, which I’m proud off.”

Looking ahead to their trip to Bearsted in the next round, Lindsey added: “It’s a local one, which is good. We don’t have to travel too far and it’s one we’re looking forward to.”

Walton said: “I was sitting there, I hope you publish this, thinking he’s going to be right Stephen, this is going to go to penalties!

“I was confident with penalties, I thought we’d win on penalties. Macca’s very good in goal at saving penalties but I’ve got to say I think in all the levels of football I’ve ever watched, professional and amateur football, are they some of the best penalties I’ve ever seen?  Top corners, bottom corners, goalkeeper’s got no chance.  Unfortunately, their goalkeeper, he’s most probably hit the best penalty of the lot, top, top corner and then gone in goal and saved the next penalty!

“Take your hat off to them and say well done and congratulations and hope you do well in the next round.

“We’re Chatham the best team tonight? I think so on tonight, very, very slightly, very, very slightly.  Over two legs, even, even, even. I think we had the better of the game at their place. Tonight, I think they just shaded it, just, just, 51-49.”

Next up, Chatham Town travel to West Wickham in the Kent Senior Trophy First Round on Saturday, while Beckenham Town travel to First Division side Lydd Town.

Lindsey added:  “We can look at possibly look to rest a few players who have played a lot of minutes, so it gives an opportunity for some of the younger players to play, players’ who have not had so many minutes.”

Beckenham Town: Michael McEntegart, Jamie Brown, Archie Johnson, Ashley Carew, Mudiagha Wanogho, Harvey Brand, Stefan Cox, Andrew Mott (Bertie Valler 99), Ryan Hall (Mathieu Ramsamy 55), Luke Rooney (Malik Nosike 74), Steven Townsend (Shameek Farrell 23).
Subs: Billy Martins, Junior Kaffo, Ike Robertson

Goals: Ashley Carew 36 (penalty), Shameek Farrell 103

Booked: Stefan Cox 45, Mathiew Ramsamy 64, Luke Rooney 73

Chatham Town: Jordan Carey, Matthew Achuba, George Sheminant, Conrad Lee, Pat Geddis, Justyn Roberts, Byron Walker (Michael Hagan 68), Jack Evans, Paul Vines, Matt Bodkin (James Jeffrey 77), Jon Pilbeam.
Subs: Luis Dos Santos, Ikechukwa Orji, Tyler Juggins, Josh McIlheron, Dan Ellis

Goals: Paul Vines 38, Jack Evans 117

Booked: Paul Vines 45, Matthew Achuba 57, Michael Hagan 94, Conrad Lee 101

Sent Off: Paul Vines 76

Attendance: 230
Referee: Mr Andrew Thomson (Brixton, London SE9)
Assistants: Mr Emmanuel Makola (Herne Hill, London SE24) & Mr Nana Boakye-Agyemang (Catford, London SE6)