Kentish Football 
Beckenham Town 0-2 Thamesmead Town (aet) - We got what we wanted, says Mead boss Keith McMahon
BECKENHAM TOWN 0-2 THAMESMEAD TOWN
(after extra time)
London Senior Cup (Sponsored by Coventry Scaffolding) Fourth Round
Tuesday 10th January 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Eden Park Avenue
THAMESMEAD TOWN needed extra time to knock plucky Beckenham Town out of the London Senior Cup at a sparse Eden Park Avenue.
The Ryman League Division One North outfit made hard work to send the Kent Hurlimann Football League hosts crashing out, as right-back Richard Butler ended the stalemate with a header in the 100th minute, before striker Theo Fairweather-Johnson came off the bench to drill home his fourteenth goal of the season.
Thamesmead Town manager Keith McMahon admitted he got what he wanted out of the game.
“It was tight. We made a hell of a lot of changes like I said and we got what we wanted,” he said.
“A lot of people needed a game, they could have done without extra-time but for them, 120 minutes ain’t bad!
“I think on chances created and things like that, I think the quality came through right at the end.
Listen, they’re a good side, they’ve got a lot of quality. The boy’s up front, maybe a bit ill-disciplined but they’ve got a hell of a lot of quality.
“They tried to play. We didn’t think it would be easy. I know it’s good to win and it’s easier to say that now. We wanted to come and try and play a bit of football on the decent pitch. It took a bit of time for the players to bed in. We played people out of position a little bit just to give them a run out.
“At the end of the day the result is always pleasing. It was just some of the performances pleased me a bit more.”
Beckenham Town’s coach, Jason Clews, meanwhile, admitted sloppy mistakes proved costly.
“We’re a bit disappointed because I thought we put in a lot of work and effort into the game,” he said.
“We didn’t create many chances ourselves, which was disappointing for us, but work-rate wise I can’t fault the players tonight.
“I thought they done very well – disappointed with the fella getting sent-off with a bit of verbal – which we warned him about. I don’t think the referee was on our side tonight. There were quite a few bad decisions that didn’t go our way so in a way we are disappointed that we’re going out.
“We thought we should’ve got something from the game, even take it to penalties, but a few naïve, defensive errors where we’ve gifted them two goals.”
Mead manager McMahon started with only four players who featured in their 1-0 defeat at Maldon & Tiptree at the weekend; Jack Hopkins, Cory Waters-Wright, James Donovan and Lea Dawson, but they grew in strength and quality towards the end of a turgid affair.
Thamesmead’s diamond formation caused confusion in the Beckenham Town ranks during the first half and goalscoring chances were at a premium.
Beckenham Town, who went into this game unbeaten in three games and in fourth place in the league table, created the game’s first chance in the fourteenth minute.
A throw in from left-back Byron Beard was picked up by left winger Joe Jackson, who cut in from the left and cracked a right-footed drive from 30-yards, which bounced harmlessly wide.
Thamesmead’s Hopkins, who played in the centre of a packed midfield, rather than his usual position at right-back, picked up the ball and drilled a right-footed shot from similar distance, which flashed wide.
With Thamesmead keeper, Sam Mott, 23, on a week’s trial at League Two side Dagenham & Redbridge, where he came off the bench to play for their reserves against Watford earlier in the day, Adam Woodward took over in goal and he comfortably picked up Nick Curran’s speculative effort after Jackson slipped the ball through to him.
In fact ,the first time that Woodward was called into any real action came in the 25th minute when Beckenham’s 21-goal winger, Jake Hobbs, who turned down an ambitious seven-day approach from Cray Valley (Paper Mills) hooked an angled right-footed volley towards the far post, but the Thamesmead keeper gathered comfortably.
Thamesmead failed to get their second attempt on target just before the half-hour mark when Hopkins over-hit a pass but full credit must go to Chuck Duru, who chased a lost cause and kept the ball in beside the right-by-line and he cut the ball back to Lea Dawson, who lashed a right-footed shot over from 25-yards.
After Beard’s speculative left-footed drive flashed wide, Beckenham’s best chance to breaking the stalemate arrived in the 37th minute.
Thamesmead once again fell asleep from Beard’s throw and Alfie Nunn knocked the ball down for Hobbs, who smashed an angled right-footed volley across Woodward, which sailed agonisingly past the far post.
Thamesmead’s lone striker, Joseph Afusi, should have done better when he was put through on goal by a sublime pass from Dawson just before the break, but he dragged his shot wide of the near post after shrugging off Jason Rose.
Beckenham enjoyed plenty of the possession during the first half, but despite netting 75 goals in 41 games this season, they couldn’t turn that into goals tonight.
Thamesmead unshackled themselves during the early stages of the second half and became more of a threat.
Butler played the ball down the line to release Leon Farrell, who cut the ball back to Hopkins, who failed to apply the finish the move deserved.
Beckenham should have done better when presented with a free-kick just a yard outside of the penalty area in a central position.
Chris Edwards, who was later forced off with cramp, smashed his right-footed free-kick into the wall and Hobbs picked up the ball but his right-footed drilled shot rolled into Woodward’s gloves.
Thamesmead produced a fine move which saw another shot flash wide. James Donovan cleared the ball and Farrell and Hopkins spread the ball out to Duru, who cut inside Beckenham right-back Nathan Paul and drilled a right-footed shot from 22-yards past the near post.
Beckenham’s goalkeeper Nick Blue was finally called into action on the hour mark when he tipped Dawson’s rasping right-footed volley over the crossbar.
Fairweather-Johnson almost made an immediate impact when he almost scored with only his second touch of the ball in the 80th minute – stroking a right-footed shot towards the bottom corner, but Blue dived to his right to turn the ball around his post, although it appeared initially he had let the shot go through his grasp.
Reflecting on normal time, McMahon said: “I think there was one chance at each end, both goalkeeper’s had to push the ball over the crossbar. There wasn’t much in it. I don’t think there was an overall amount of quality but it was quite a competitive game but there wasn’t a huge amount of chances.”
Clews added: “I would say we probably had 60-40 (of the possession) really over the first 90 minutes. First half, I don’t think they were in our half that much but they defended very well. They cleared the ball all the time. We didn’t create too many chances.”
Beckenham won the foul count 27-20 over the 120 minutes.
McMahon paired Cory Waters-Wright and James Donovan at the heart of their defence and Waters-Wright received glowing praise from his manager.
He said: “That’s the fourth time they’ve played together this year and Saturday was the first time they conceded. Cory’s only seventeen so he’s got a lot of quality and games like today will do him the world of good.”
However, it was only inevitable that the game would go into extra time to see which of these two Kent club’s would travel to Ryman Premier Leaguers Metropolitan Police in the last sixteen.
Woodward pulled off an excellent double save to thwart Beckenham six minutes into extra time.
Curran cut in from the left and cracked a rasping goalbound drive, which Woodward did brilliantly to beat away and the ball came out to Hobbs, but the keeper turned that drive around his near post.
Thamesmead, however, broke the deadlock in the 100th minute courtesy of Butler’s first goal of a frustrating campaign, which has seen him play only his second game of the season tonight, following a knee injury.
Substitute Ashley Probets floated an excellent left-footed free-kick from a dangerous position down the left channel and Beckenham left Butler unmarked at the near post and the defender powered his header into the net from eight-yards.
McMahon said: “When you’ve got players like Ashley, with the quality he’s got, you can see with the goal and it was great for Buts (Butler).
“I think that was his second game for us of the season following a knee injury. People look at him (Butler) and think he’s a little bit heavy, but he’s an exceptional player. He has to get through minutes like that so it’s great to see his legs get him through (the penalty area). It was a great header and puts us 1-0 up.”
Clews, meanwhile, was disappointed that substitute Adam Greenways let Butler in with that bullet header.
He said: “Adam’s owned up to it and said he thought he could win it but he didn’t. I think he’s switched off.”
Thamesmead squandered a couple of chances early in the second period, but substitute Bradley Killick and Fairweather-Johnson - after Duru and Killick got in behind the Beckenham defence and cut the ball back from the by-line – were both off target.
Thamesmead sealed their progress in the final seven minutes of the game when Probets free-kick was cut back by Duru and Fairweather-Johnson drilled a low right-footed shot across Blue and the ball nestled into the bottom far corner of the net.
McMahon paid tribute to his leading goalscorer by saying, “He’s a good player. He can play wide. He’s scored thirteen goals playing wide and he is a handful.
“His finish, I think any centre forward at any level would be happy with it. It’s a great pull back on the edge of the box and it’s across him and he’s buried it into the bottom corner. He gives you that. He’s just not very quick. He could’ve scored with his first touch. He’s what defenders don’t want or like – he’s got pace and he runs at you!”
McMahon also added: “The player who I was pleased with was young Leon Farrell. We’ve gave him a start tonight and played for 80 minutes and for a young kid, I thought he was excellent. Back to goal, a little bit of a physical game and he coped really well. I was really pleased for him.”
Clews added: “Adriano (Lawson) has given away the free-kick and switched off when they’re taking a quick free-kick over the top. Again, silly errors that have cost us again.”
Blue denied Mulholland a goal when he was freed down the left but his sailing shot was caught by the keeper at the far post.
Beckenham were reduced to ten-men for the final four minutes when striker Nunn was shown his second yellow card for his second outburst of dissent directed towards referee Mr Alex Gray and the 12-goal striker was given a ticking off by manager Jason Huntley in the dressing room after the game.
Beckenham squandered a late chance to pull a goal back when striker Elstom Die centred the ball low across goal but substitute striker Ben Slade smashed his shot just past the near post from six-yards.
Clews admitted the solid Thamesmead defence would be a tough nut to crack.
“We knew they were going to be a strong outfit,” he said. “They played well. They’re a league above us so you expect that, being a tight, defensive unit.
“Just silly errors, naivety really (cost us). We just have to learn to switch on. We didn’t create a lot of chances tonight, which we’re disappointed in as we’ve been creating quite a lot in the last few games. We knew it was going to be a tough game, but I think we’ll be back on Saturday creating a few more chances, I think.”
Beckenham Town: Nick Blue, Nathan Paul, Byron Beard (Ben Slade 103), Jason Rose, Malik Fofana, Chris Edwards (Adam Greenways 86), Nick Curran, Jake Hobbs, Elstrom Die, Alfie Nunn, Joe Jackson (Adriano Lawson 76).
Subs: Steve McNamara, Jason Clews
Booked: Byron Beard 44, Joe Jackson 61, Nick Curran 80, Alfie Nunn 105
Sent Off: Alfie Nunn 116
Thamesmead Town: Adam Woodward, Richard Butler, Danny Moore, Jack Hopkins, Cory Waters-Wright, James Donovan, Scot Mulholland, Lea Dawson (Ashley Probets 70), Joseph Afusi (Bradley Killick 58), Leon Farrell (Theo Fairweather-Johnson 80), Chuck Duru.
Subs: Lewis Tozer, Frazer Walker
Goals: Richard Butler 100, Theo Fairweather-Johnson 113
Booked: James Donovan 19, Lea Dawson 49, Jack Hopkins 65
Attendance: 39
Referee: Mr Alex Gray (Westminster, London SW1)
Assistants: Mr Peter Zachwieja (Orpington) & Mr Richard Bolivar (Dulwich, London SE22)
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