Beckenham Town 0-2 Hythe Town - Cook's goal was offside, admits lucky Hythe Town boss Scott Porter

With title-rivals Herne Bay travelling to play former tenants Norton Sports tomorrow, it was vitally important that Hythe Town clinched victory at a sun-kissed Eden Park Avenue, and things got of to a perfect start when hardworking striker Craig Thompson headed home inside the opening four minutes.

But with Hythe made to look ordinary - regularly thumping the ball up in the air and not utilising the immaculate playing surface - they controversially doubled their lead five minutes before the break, although skipper Dave Cook, who has formed a rock solid partnership alongside Pat Kingwell at the heart of defence, appeared to be offside before he fired his 18th goal of the season into an empty net.

The decision from assistant referee, Mr Ollie Woodrow, not to raise his flag - despite everyone in the ground seeing that two Hythe players appeared to be offside - sparked fury in the Beckenham camp and manager Jason Huntley, who was watching the game from behind the perimeter fencing at the time, climbed over and stormed down the touchline to vent his anger at Mr Woodrow, who called over referee Mr Paul Beadle, who took the manager’s name and Huntley had to watch the remaining 49 minutes from behind the fencing.

It proved to be a key moment in the game, as unimpressive Hythe went on to record another ugly win to extend their unbeaten run to fifteen games to pile on the pressure on Herne Bay, who must stretch their winning run to nine tomorrow to keep the title race going.

“It looked offside to be honest with you, but we‘d take it!” admitted Porter, after he emerged from the dressing room after his side’s fifteenth league win of the season.

“Anyone would say ‘we’d take it’ and sometimes you get the rub of the green, sometimes you don’t and today, with that goal, we did!

“It looked offside from where I was, but I’m not a linesman, but that’s part and parcel of football.  You win some, you lose some.  You get decisions and you don’t get decisions.

“We had a blatant penalty in their half, a blatant handball (from Lawson) so it evens itself up.”

Beckenham Town boss, Jason Huntley, meanwhile, was fuming.

“It was a blatant offside, two boys in the six-yard box, on their own.  The linesman’s looking at it, awards the goal and that was the turning point for me because I think we was on top at the time,” he said.

“Just prior to that Chris Hill went around the keeper and put the ball wide when he should’ve put it into the empty net and it would’ve been a different game, I think.”

Huntley stormed: “The decision today was shocking!  It seems to be happening to us every week, if I’m being honest.

“It’s one thing playing eleven-against-eleven and it’s very difficult when you’ve got two or three officials who you’re not getting anything out of them or you’re not getting any help.

“I don’t ask the referee’s to be biased one way or another but I just ask them for a fair game to be played and decisions like that, certainly everyone in the ground could see that the two lads were f***ing five yards offside, but how can the only man that matters didn’t see it?  And he’s standing bang in line with it!

“It doesn’t make any sense to me and what makes it worse when you try and speak to them they all say about Respect to referees and linesmen and they show no Respect back to anybody.

“You try and ask them something and they just blank you and that’s not on!  I think that’s wrong!”

Beckenham finished the game with ten-men, as defender Danny Lawson was sent-off for picking up two yellow cards with 12 minutes remaining.

Huntley, at least, thought the referee was right for punishing Lawson for fouls on Cass and Dolan.

“We had a lad sent-off for two yellow’s, maybe the second one, definitely a yellow card.  The first one was probably the right decision.”

Blue skies and sunshine made a welcome return to The Garden Of England today, ideal conditions for football.

And Hythe Town got off to a perfect start on a perfect day, as Beckenham went asleep to gift Thompson his eighth goal of the season.

After taking a throw, Hythe right-back Greg Smith was allowed to glide past Steve McNamara before whipping in an inch-perfect cross with his right-foot for an unmarked Thompson at the near post, who glanced his header across keeper Nick Blue and into the far corner.

Porter was delighted with the goal, saying, “Greg had a good game today, he’s got a great right foot on him and he can deliver some great balls in and luckily enough Thommo’s on the end of it.  Thommo’s deserved his goal because he works his socks off for the team.

“He does a lot of Cass’s dirty work and that’s what Thommo’s all about and he knows that and he just keeps going week in, week out.  He puts in 100% every week and you can’t knock him for that.”

Huntley, meanwhile, said he wasn’t pleased with the way his side started the game.

He said: “We started slowly again and we seem to have a problem coming into games.  It was a free header in the six-yard box in the first five minutes of the game.  It ain’t good enough defending wise.  Once the game settled down, I think we took control of it.  At the time (of the second goal) we was on top of the game and that’s when the decision changed the game.”

Within another three minutes, Smith floated in another free-kick, which was headed out to Brendon Cass, who hooked a right-footed shot into Blue’s arms from the edge of the Beckenham penalty area.

Hythe were dangerous from set-pieces and Kieran Byrne whipped in a free-kick with his left-foot and an unmarked Cook glanced his header wide when well placed in the 17th minute.

An example of Hythe’s direct ploy arrived in the 29th minute when keeper Kieron Mann pumped the ball straight down the middle of the pitch and Thompson flicked the ball on for Cass, who cracked an ambitious 30-yard shot with his right-foot, but the former Orpington stopper made a comfortable save.

Beckenham Town squandered their only first half chance six minutes later when Jake Hobbs played a delightful through ball for Chris Hill, who rounded keeper Mann and could only steer his shot agonisingly past the foot of the near post (with an empty goal at his mercy) from a tight angle.

Porter barked “that’s a wake up call over the pitch,” after a very late offside flag, this time from assistant Ashley Ainsley, stopped Quentin Conteh racing through on goal - before controversy reared its ugly head as Hythe doubled their lead with 39:17 on the clock, after Porter demanded his side played the ball “down the lughole.”

Smith sent a right-footed free-kick into the Beckenham penalty box and Blue flapped at the ball whilst under pressure and Thompson hooked the ball across goal and Cook appeared to be yards offside by the time he steered a right-footed shot into an empty goal.

It took almost two minutes for play to re-start after Mr Beadle sent off Huntley and restored calm as the Beckenham faithful were enraged following the incorrect decision.

Hythe almost punished Beckenham further before the break as Byrne caused right-back Danny Gorman problems before cutting the ball back to Thompson, who struck a right-footed shot straight at Blue.

Physically strong Hythe, played a good ball down the right from Smith to Lee Winfield - who scored a screamer at Holmesdale in midweek - and he was denied by Blue, who sprinted out of his penalty area, and Winfield’s centre was hacked clear by Charlie Howard.

Beckenham wasted a decent chance from a set-piece in the 56th minute when Hobbs swung in the ball from the left and Hill made a late run only to plant his header wide.

Huntley then withdrew two left-sided players in John Farley and Steve McNamara and changed formation from 4-4-2 to 3-4-3, but they found Kingwell and Cook in dominant form.

Beckenham defender, Nathan Johnson, also stood out as he kept 26-goal striker Cass in his pocket.

Beckenham rode their luck when Lawson got away with handling the ball inside his penalty area, and Cass got away with just a booking for raising his hands to Howard after the pair clashed.

Huntley explained why he left his leading goalscorer Gary Gorman on the bench until being unleashed in the 58th minute - as he almost scored his 20th goal of the season in the 66th minute - but his right-footed drive from 30-yards was palmed over the crossbar by Mann.

“Gary hasn’t been playing well lately and he’s work-rate has dropped well below what we expect of him,” he said.  “If he isn’t getting the goals he’s got to put extra work in to make things happen instead of waiting for things to happen.

“He was put down to the bench Tuesday and the two boys up front (Danny McKone and Quentin Conteh) got a brace each and it might be a little wake up call he needs.”

Howard then smashed a low right-footed drive from similar distance, which was comfortably saved by the former Folkestone Invicta keeper.

Blue made a brave effort to thwart Thompson from scoring when he swiftly rushed off his line to smother at the striker’s feet, the ball bouncing agonisingly wide of the foot of the post - although Johnson was sliding in an attempt to clear the ball off the line.

Blue suffered a gashed knee for his troubles and was taken to hospital after the game.

Huntley said: “He’s got a bad gash on his knee, which is a bit of a concern for us because he has to have stitches, so we’ll assess that later and see how he is and fingers crossed that he’s alright to play on Tuesday.”

Lawson picked up his second yellow for lashing out at Ronnie Dolan, who was bursting towards the penalty area in the 78th minute and Byrne’s resulting free-kick found it’s way to Cass, who hooked the ball into Blue’s gloves.

Beckenham substitute Josh Bennett worked wonders down the left and his cross struck Hythe left-back John Walker on the edge of the box and Beckenham’s Hobbs appealed strongly for a penalty - yet again Mr Woodrow kept his flag down.

Beckenham rallied late on and Gary Gorman’s left-footed curler - which would have found the top corner had it had any power - was comfortably caught by Mann and his brother Danny drove a right-footed shot over from 30-yards, but Hythe grounded out another three point haul, although not pretty, Porter doesn’t care at this stage of the season.

“As I said to the lads, it doesn’t matter how we get it,” he said.  “It will be tough now right to the end. I don’t care how we get the three points.

“We showed a lot of grit, passion and desire today and thoroughly deserved the three points.”

Porter is happy with his side’s Capital gains, having claimed nine points in their last three away games at Fisher, Greenwich Borough and in Beckenham today.

“We’ve had some tough games.  We had some midweek games at London clubs so it’s good.  It shows the passion that and I’m delighted today.

“The back five have been good for the last 13-14 games so I’m delighted.  Three points.  Clean sheet. Happy days.”

The Hythe boss can now sit back and await Herne Bay’s result at Norton Sports tomorrow, although it’s the first time in these three away games that he’s even mentioned the Kent League title race.

Huntley, meanwhile, admitted some of his players had Tuesday’s home London Senior Cup Quarter-Final against Blue Square Bet Premier full-timers AFC Wimbledon on their mind.

“I’m not going to blame the officials, we didn’t play as well as we could,” he admitted.

“I think we had one eye on Tuesday game, a few of the boys, with a lacklustre performance and I told a few at half-time ‘if you want to be in the frame for Tuesday, you have to up your work-rate in the second half.’

Herne Bay, Sporting Bengal, Fisher, Lordswood, Tunbridge Wells and now Hythe Town have all won league games at Eden Park Avenue this season - and Huntley is not happy with this statistic.

He said: “We’ve got a lovely pitch here, we can’t seem to be playing well at home.  We’re a better away team at the moment, that sounds awful, but we are.”

When asked why, Huntley replied, “I tell you what, I’d like to ask you that because we’ve got a great playing surface and it just doesn’t happen for us.  I don’t know why.  We’ve been beaten six times at home now, it’s ridiculous and as a footballing team as well, to play on a decent footballing pitch, it should suit us but I don’t know.  I can’t answer that.”

Beckenham Town: Nick Blue, Danny Gorman, John Farley (Josh Bennett 58), Danny Lawson, Nathan Johnson, Chris Hill, Charlie Howard, Jake Hobbs, Quentin Conteh (Nick Curran 80), Danny McKone, Steve McNamara (Gary Gorman 58).

Subs: Darren Wise, Jordan Darko

Booked: Steve McNamara 36, Quentin Conteh 45, Danny Lawson 48

Sent Off: Jason Huntley (manager) 41, Danny Lawson 78

Hythe Town: Kieron Mann, Greg Smith, John Walker, Pat Kingwell, Nick Barnes, Ronnie Dolan, Dave Cook, Lee Winfield (Gary Mickelborough 80), Craig Thompson (Sam Conlon 75), Brendon Cass, Kieran Byrne (Dan Scorer 90).

Subs: Gavin Ransley, Ben Humphrey

Goals: Craig Thompson 4, Dave Cook 40

Booked: Brendon Cass 67, Nick Barnes 72

Attendance: 72

Referee: Mr Paul Beadle (Sevenoaks)