Kentish Football 
Beckenham Town 3-1 East Grinstead Town - Tonight was our Semi-Final and we've got The FA Cup Final at Dartford and we'll go there and give it a real good go, says Beckenham Town assistant manager Billy Walton
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Beckenham Town 
3 –
1 
East Grinstead Town |
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| Location | Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3JL |
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| Kickoff | 06/09/2022 10:15 |
BECKENHAM TOWN 3-1 EAST GRINSTEAD TOWN
The Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round Replay
Tuesday 6 September 2022
Stephen McCartney reports from Eden Park Avenue
BECKENHAM TOWN assistant manager Billy Walton says he is looking forward to their FA Cup Final at Dartford on Saturday week.
Dartford manager Alan Dowson was at Eden Park Avenue to watch Jason Huntley’s newly-promoted side stretch their unbeaten start to the campaign to eight games after beating East Grinstead Town in their First Qualifying Round Replay.
Beckenham Town took an early lead through Louie Theophanous before they doubled their lead after only 42 seconds into the second half through winger Tyler Anderson, who was making his first start of the season.
East Grinstead Town pulled a goal back with 16 minutes remaining through substitute Matthew Daniel’s seventh goal of the season, before striker Theophanous sealed the deal with his fourth goal against Andrew Cooney’s side this week.
Huntley’s newly-promoted side are sitting proudly at the summit of the Isthmian League South East Division table, having collected four wins out of four in their debut season in the eighth tier, beating Lancing (3-2), Corinthian (3-2), newly-promoted side Sheppey United (2-1) and VCD Athletic (1-0).
Beckenham Town have also beaten Horsham YMCA (3-0) and K Sports (3-2) in The FA Cup and came away from East Grinstead Town with a 2-2 draw at the weekend, and there was to be no Manager of the Month curse after the Isthmian League awarded Huntley the August award this morning.
Cooney’s side, meanwhile, arrived here sitting in sixth-place in the table.
The Wasps beat newly-promoted side Chatham Town (1-0), before they lost 1-0 at Cray Valley (Paper Mills) and came away from Ashford United with a point in a 2-2 draw before beating Haywards Heath Town 2-1 at College Lane.
East Grinstead Town knocked Hollands & Blair out of the FA Cup with a single goal victory, before they won 4-1 at Lancing in the Preliminary Round before ending Beckenham’s winning streak at the weekend but their four match unbeaten run was ended tonight.
Beckenham Town’s last home defeat was back on the 10 October 2020 when Scott Lindsey’s Chatham Town side won 5-1 in a Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division fixture.
Walton said: “I think it was fully deserved. We carried on from Saturday where I thought we were unfortunate not to win on Saturday if I’m honest with you.
“I thought we just shaded it on Saturday and tonight I think we were the more dominant team.
“Listen, they’re a good side, a very good side, the best side we’ve played all this season and we don’t know when they’re beat. We won’t give up and stuck to the game plan. We made a few little tweaks from Saturday and stuck to a little game plan that we had set out for them and they stuck to it to a man.”
Beckenham Town were to be denied by the right-hand post after only 30 seconds on the clock.
Theophanous sprayed the ball out to Anderson on the right and he whipped in a low cross towards the near post where Alfie Bloomfield’s first time shot clipped the upright.
“He should’ve scored. It was a nice little move and Anderson has made his debut tonight. He’s going to be a decent player for us. He got in a good cross and Alfie, I think he should’ve scored.”
Freddie Nyhus, who played behind Theophanous, clipped a free-kick towards the edge of the East Grinstead Town penalty area but left-winger Bloomfield sliced his shot harmlessly wide.
East Grinstead Town’s opening chance came in the 13th minute when central midfielder Andrew Briggs’ initial free-kick from the left came back to him.
Briggs easily cut inside Beckenham’s right-back Harvey Brand to crack a right-footed stinging drive from 25-yards, which was comfortably caught above Nick Blue’s head.
Walton said: “We identified Briggs on Saturday and he was one we needed to close down a bit quicker than what we did on Saturday and I thought we did that tonight and I think his chances were very limited. The midfield three done a good job on their midfield three because they were a good midfield three on Saturday.”
Beckenham Town opened the scoring with 14 minutes and 38 seconds on the clock, however.
Centre-half Rob Carter was in space close to the half-way line and drilled a long high ball into the Wasps’ penalty area.
The ball sailed over Bloomfield’s head but left-back Archie Johnson cut the ball back from close to the by-line for Theophanous, who swept a shot on the turn across the keeper to roll his shot into the bottom far corner from 12-yards.
Walton said: “They’re all things that we work on, getting forward and getting in crosses and little cut backs and when you have someone like Louie up front, listen, he’s a threat in the box, he’s a massive threat and I think a lot of people are petrified of him and he will score goals.”
The corner-count was tied at five-a-piece and Beckenham Town went close to doubling their lead following their first flag-kick.
Nyhus’ outswinging corner from the left was punched away by visiting goalkeeper Matte Pierson and dropped for Theophanous, who took a touch before drilling an left-footed angled drive into the side netting from a tight angle.
East Grinstead’s left-back Tariq Straker thumped a volley upfield and ineffective striker Omar Folkes nipped in front of centre-half Callum Henry but his glancing header was comfortably caught by Beckenham’s 37-year-old goalkeeper.
Beckenham Town squandered a glorious chance to double their lead in the 24th minute after a mistake from Pierson.
The goalkeeper’s goal-kick was poorly hit and intercepted by Anderson in the final third and he fed Theophanous, whose left-footed shot trickled past the foot of the far post, aided by a deflection.
“I mean, we were a bit disappointed that we weren’t scoring more goals with the amount of pressure we had on them in the first 20 minutes and that was one of them that got away and we should’ve scored,” admitted Walton.
Dominant Beckenham Town continued to pepper shots at their visitors’ goal and Nyhus’ counter-attacking diagonal pass released Theophanous down the right channel and he cut inside and his stinging drive was beaten away by Pierson at his near post and then smothered the follow-up shot from the 30-year-old former East Grinstead Town striker.
Pierson got himself in the way of Danny Waldren’s bullet downward header, which was destined for the bottom left-hand corner, after meeting Nyhus’ corner from the right and from that moment on, East Grinstead Town started to fight their way back into the game.
“It was all good pressure from us, all amounting with shots on goal and shots on target and making the goalkeeper work. It’s all little things we’re trying to improve on and it came to the fore tonight and I think we done exceptionally well,” added Walton.
Briggs played a one-two with Straker in the 40th minute and cut inside Tyler Anderson before curling his right-footed shot towards the far corner from 25-yards, which forced Blue into getting down low to his left to push the ball towards safety.
Folkes and winger Max Walsh then linked up well inside the Beckenham defensive third before Briggs dragged his first time shot across the keeper and past the far post from 22-yards.
“The game went exactly the same on Saturday. We were on top for quite a while and then they came into it,” added Walton.
“At this level you’re not going to keep any team in this league doing nothing for the whole game. They’re going to have phases of the game and what’s pleasing for me when they had those phases we defended really well and we got people behind the ball and we shut them down and we worked hard and we limited them to long range shots and things like that.”
Walton added: “We was a bit, not annoyed, just a little bit upset that we weren’t further in front and at 1-0 against East Grinstead, it’s game on. It’s going to be a hard game so we just said to them (at half-time) try to keep possession.
“If you’re 1-0 up in a Cup game, let them come and press you and let them try to get the ball off you and that’s what we talked about, don’t rush, we’re 1-0 up, we don’t have to win three or four nil. One-nil and we go through. It’s about keeping hold of the ball and taking care of it.”
Beckenham Town took only 42 seconds of the second half to double their lead, however.
Johnson picked up the ball inside his own half, crossed over the halfway line and ran down the left wing to reach the channel before whipping in an excellent cross towards the far post where Anderson prodded the ball across the keeper into the far corner from inside the six-yard box.
Walton added: “Archie’s been absolutely fantastic from the first game of the season. He has improved massively and long may it continue. What a run and a great cross and that’s right on the money for Tyler to come in on the back stick and poke it home.”
East Grinstead centre-half Parker threw the ball into the box where his partner at the back, Glenn Wilson, flicked his header towards goal, which was comfortably gathered by the Beckenham keeper.
Anderson released Theophanous, who took the ball past Parker before drilling a left-footed drive screaming past the left-hand post in the eighth minute.
Cooney made a double substitution in the 54th minute by bringing on Daniel and Chima Uchechi in attack alongside Folkes but Beckenham’s back four were resilient and clear cut chances were at a premium for both sides.
Briggs floated an inswinging free-kick from the left touchline from a long way out and Blue stretched to tip the ball away towards safety from underneath his crossbar.
East Grinstead Town appeared to be the next team that were likely to score as Beckenham Town were sitting back and protecting their two-goal lead.
The Wasps deservedly pulled a goal back with 28 minutes and 21 seconds on the clock, following an impressive three-substitute move and finish.
Tahjae Anderson fed the ball into Uchechi, who cut the ball into his right-boot some 30-yards from goal and played a sublime through ball into the box for Daniel, to get in front of his marker to hit a first-time left-footed drive across Blue to find the near corner from eight-yards.
“Absolutely great goal, great goal. That’s worth your £10 entrance fee and that’s what I say to people, you pay to be entertained. I’m a football person first and foremost and I’m assistant manager at Beckenham but I’m a football fan and I actually clapped. It was a great bit of football and a fantastic finish. It’s got to be a fantastic finish to beat Nicky Blue.”
When asked why his side were sitting back at the time, Walton replied it wasn’t what he wanted.
“It’s just natural. It’s a thing you don’t really encourage people to do, I certainly don’t. I see it at every level of football. You’re winning and you’re in a Cup game and all off a sudden you defend on the edge of your box and you stop doing what you’ve done to get you in front.
“Why do people do it? I’m not inside their brains. I don’t know why they do it and you see it every single week and I can assure you one thing, if East Grinstead were winning 1-0 or 2-0 they would’ve dropped back on the edge of their box and let us come at them. That’s the way football is.
“I tried to get us up the pitch. You heard me calling out to Rob Carter, whose our leader at the back, telling him to get us up the pitch 20 yards so we can put pressure on the ball further up the pitch.”
However, East Grinstead Town didn’t threaten the Beckenham goal for the rest of the game and the home side grabbed a third goal, against the run of play, with 35 minutes and 19 seconds on the clock.
The goal came from a second phase of Nyhus’ corner, which was cleared out to substitute Ishmeal Erskine, who cushioned a header back to Nyhus, who whipped in a great cross from the right towards the back post where Theophanous found a pocket of space and he clinically placed a low right-footed shot past Pierson into the bottom near corner from just outside the corner of the six-yard box, to score his eighth goal of the season.
“That’s a quality finish just to place it in there from that tight angle with players in front of you, that’s a class finish,” said Walton, who has done well to keep the striker at the club.
“They’re not here solely for money. They like the club, they like the manager and they like being here and it’s a good group of lads.”
Walton added: “I thought we fully deserved to be in front with all their lovely football. I didn’t think they really hurt us so it was pleasing that we got the third goal and it takes a bit of pressure of you. I’m still a bundle of nerves sitting there watching, especially when the referee puts up six minutes. Where does he get six minutes from?”
The Wasps were reduced to 10 men at the death. Parker was booked in the 34th minute for a foul on Bloomfield and appeared to have got away with it (dissent) after Beckenham substitute Jamie Humphris was also booked. However, Assistant referee Ashley Rodi called over referee Steven Goldup to remind him that Parker was already on a yellow card, so out came the red card.
“I spoke to the referee and he said ‘he said something to me’ and sent him off,” added Walton.
“I think in those cases – I said to their people, who by the way are really nice people – I said there’s 30 seconds to go, use your common sense, tell the lad to shut his mouth and get on with the game – but the referee has decided to send him off. I feel sorry for him to be honest with you.”
Beckenham Town welcome Heybridge Swifts to Eden Park Avenue on Saturday for their FA Trophy debut.
Steve Tilson’s side are unbeaten in third place in the Isthmian League North Division, with three wins and a draw.
“We’re not going to know anything about Heybridge Swifts. I don’t know if they had anyone here tonight but we’re not going to have no time to go and watch them,” revealed Walton, a West Ham United supporter.
“All I know they’ve got the ex-Southend manager managing them. My hero Julian Dicks used to manage them, who I was looking forward to having a chat with but he’s no longer there, so there again, we’re at home and we’re difficult to beat at home, so we’ll give it a good go.”
Dartford, meanwhile, are currently in thirteenth-place in the Vanarama National League South table with three wins and four defeats this season and Walton is relishing their trip to Princes Park in the Second Qualifying Round on Saturday 17 September.
Looking ahead to playing at this stage of The FA Cup for the first time since 2011, Walton said: “It’s a local derby. Beckenham haven’t played Dartford since God knows when (during the Kent League 1995-96 season) because the gulf between us has been massive.
“We’ll go there and we’ll have a game plan. We’ll certainly won’t sit back. We don’t go to Dartford and sit back and defend. I’ll tell you now that we’ll go there and whoever’s about, get down there because it will be a cracker and we’ll have a real go.
“I will say now we’ll go there, we’re massive underdogs. It’s our Cup Final, tonight was our Semi-Final and we’ve got the FA Cup Final at Dartford on Saturday week and we’ll treat it like a Cup Final, hopefully in front of a big crowd and we’ll go there and we’ll have a real good go.
“That’s what we’re in it for. That’s why we got promoted because we want to play these games week-in-week-out. No disrespect to Step Five football, we were playing one of these games once every six or seven weeks, now it’s every single week.”
When asked about locking horns with somebody of Dowson’s calibre, Walton replied: “As I’ve said to you many times, I’m a painter and decorator, so they’ve got the odds on me so it will be good for me if I can come out on top, the painter and decorator lad from Bermondsey, we’ll see who comes out on top?”
When asked about Beckenham’s unbeaten start, Walton admitted: “I’m really surprised to be honest with you, it’s remarkable. This group of lads, as I’ve said a million times, just want to achieve things. We’re not the best team in the league by any stretch of imagination but if there was a league for character and determination and togetherness, I think we’d be top of it. We’re a good group of lads, they take on board what you say and we will be better in terms of how we play and we’ll sharpen up our passing and stuff, which you know I like to do.”
Reflecting on Huntley’s award, Walton replied: “Over the last three years we’ve won so many games and we’ve never ever got any recognition or a player in the Team of the Week and we never got the Manager of the Week and finally somebody has given us a bit of credit.
“Down here, Jason will tell you, it’s three or four of us (Huntley/Walton/Phil Wilson/Peter Sweeney/Jason Clews), it isn’t only one person. It's three or four of us who contribute and we say and do things and we all agree how we should line up and how we should play and it’s a good group and it’s working.”
Beckenham Town: Nick Blue, Harvey Brand, Archie Johnson, Danny Waldren, Callum Henry, Rob Carter, Alfie Bloomfield (Ishmael Erskine 70), George Goodwin, Louie Theophanous, Freddie Nyhus (Jamie Humphris 90), Tyler Anderson.
Subs: Mudiaga Wanogho, Nathan Paul, Kelvin Hernandez Mejia, England Kurti, David Igbuya
Goals: Louie Theophanous 15, 81, Tyler Anderson 46
Booked: Tyler Anderson 44, George Goodwin 66, Archie Johnson 90, Jamie Humphris 90
East Grinstead Town: Matte Pierson, Aaron Clarke, Tariq Straker, Thibault Abie (Chima Uchechi 54), Harrison Parker, Glenn Wilson, Max Walsh (Matthew Daniel 54), Lewis Unwin, Omar Folkes (Tahjae Anderson 69), Andrew Briggs, Reece Price-Placid.
Subs: Miles Cornwell, Dean Perana, Fintan Walsh, Tom Newman
Goal: Matthew Daniel 74
Booked: Harrison Parker 34, Andrew Briggs 70
Sent Off: Harrison Parker 90
Attendance: 198
Referee: Mr Steven Goldup
Assistants: Mr Ashley Rodi & Mr Freddie Young
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