Beckenham Town 2-1 Mauritius Sports - We turned up with the wrong attitude, says Huntley

Monday 09th November 2009

BECKENHAM TOWN 2-1 MAURITIUS SPORTS
Hillman Contractors London Senior Cup Second Round
Monday 9th November 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Eden Park Avenue

BECKENHAM TOWN scraped past Essex League whipping boys Mauritius Sports to book a third round trip to Ryman Premier League strugglers Harrow Borough - but the visitors scored a controversial equaliser in front of the lowest crowd of the season at Eden Park Avenue tonight.

Leading through Matt Howard’s opener, the third best side in the Bulmers Cider Kent League, were pegged back just before the break through a controversial strike from Camilo Montano.

Expecting substitute Gilman Rodriquz to play the ball back to Beckenham Town goalkeeper Nick Blue as is the norm following a knock, the ball was played diagonally towards defender Danny Gorman, whose poor flick back towards the former Orpington keeper was intercepted by Montano, who rounded a gobsmacked Blue, and rolled the ball into an empty net, erupting heated confrontations amongst both sets of players.

Thankfully, Danny Gorman made amends by powering home a header from six-yards following a 66th minute corner, but the way the Walthamstow based visitors’ got themselves back into the game caused Becks boss Jason Huntley to question their lack of sportsmanship.

“That has happened before in pro-football,” Huntley told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards inside the warmth of the clubhouse.

“The gentleman thing to do is go down the other end and put a goal in. Obviously they didn’t want to play like that by the rules so we’ve got to stick by it.

“The referee made the decision, which was the correct decision, and that’s up to them to make amends but they didn’t want to so it was up to us and go and win the game.”

Beckenham chairman, Chris McCarthy, meanwhile, was also amazed by the way his side had conceded.

“Controversial to say the least. I think it was very unsportsmanlike!” Mr McCarthy told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“I spoke to the linesman on our side (of the pitch) and I spoke to the referee and they both totally 100% agreed with me, that the laws state they can’t do anything about it.

“I spoke to the referee coming off at half-time and I said hopefully in the second half what goes around comes around. We won the game so it’s come round for us.

“I can see Mr Ferguson (the Manchester United manager) jumping up an down if it happened to him! It’s happened to us but we got the result, that’s what counts at the end of the day.”

Mauritius Sports arrived at Eden Park Avenue just ten minutes before the scheduled kick-off - and therefore forced a fourteen minute delay to the start of this London Senior Cup second round tie.

They have picked up just one point from their first 11 games and are at the foot of the Essex League table and went into the game on the back of a 6-0 home defeat to Bethnal Green United at the weekend - their sixth successive league defeat.

But following a bright start from the hosts, Huntley’s men dropped down to their visitors’ standard, and scraped through unconvincingly - probably with Saturday’s home FA Carlsberg Vase second round tie against Hellenic League strugglers Carterton on their minds.

Only keeper Blue, Danny Gorman, George Belchamber, Nick Curran, Matt Howard and Durrand Jemmott played during Saturday’s five-goal demolition of Erith Town, and Huntley was disappointed with the performance of players that he gave a chance to impress.

Striker Tom Youle unleashed a right-footed drive, which was saved at the second attempt by visiting keeper Pape-Ndiaye Diagne, who plucked the ball above his head before picking up the bouncing ball.

Howard fired a low right-footed drive into the keeper’s arms after Ibrahim Fuseini beat Roberto Quatromini on the by-line before cutting the ball back to the central midfielder.

And then, in the fifteenth minute, Charlie Hearn’s cross was chested down by Durrant and this was met by a first time shot from skipper Nick Curran, which stung the keeper’s fingers.

Roy Jones, playing in the hole behind the front two, almost gave Mauritius Sports a shock lead after 24 minutes, but his right-footed lob from 40-yards brought the very best out of the diving Blue, who beat the ball out for a corner.

But Beckenham settled their nerves, by scoring on the half-hour mark.

A cut-back from Curran was met by an excellent strike from Howard, which flashed across the keeper and nestled inside the bottom far corner.

But tempers flared following Montano’s controversial strike, when in truth, he should have allowed Rodriquz’s ball to head back to Blue - via Gorman’s flick - instead of nipping in and emulating former Arsenal striker Kanu in a FA Cup tie against enraged Sheffield United.

The equaliser unsettled Beckenham and they put in a disappointing second half performance against the Essex League minnows.

The closest that the home side came was when John Farley - playing in a three-man defence - stroked a left-footed free-kick into the side netting from 30-yards.

But justice was done when Danny Gorman made emends for his earlier miss-judgement by heading home the winning goal.

A right-wing corner from Hearn was swung in and the former Orpington defender thumped a header into the roof of the net from six-yards out.

But Mauritius Sports wasted a gilt-edged chance to equalise just 59 seconds later when James Falais pounced on to a mistake from Blue but swept the ball wide of an open goal from 30-yards.

Blue made a fine double save to prevent Javier Rivera scoring from a driven free-kick from 30-yards, diving low to his right, and then denying Jones from the follow up as Mauritius almost forced extra time.

But Huntley spoke about his disappointment that his strong side failed to win more convincingly.

“I weren’t happy how we played, not at all,” he said. “I told them a few harsh words - it was totally unacceptable!

“The lads I’ve brought in today we’re entitled to prove a point today, and go out and make it hard for me not to pick them (for the FA Vase tie).

“I’m afraid the ones that came in, didn’t do it for me.”

Huntley revealed that Anthony Weir, Gary Gorman, Danny Lawson and Michael Holder will be recalled for Saturday’s FA Vase tie against a Carterton side that haven’t won a league game on their travels this season.

He added: “Happy? Not at all, they didn’t play to how I know they can play. As I said to the lads on the bench, they’ve got to show me what they can do and make it hard for me not to pick them for the next game, but unfortunately they made it easy for me again.”

Huntley admitted his side were dragged down to their opponents’ level.

“If I’m being honest we turned up with the wrong attitude,” he said. “They looked at their league position, they know they got beat on Saturday and I said to them once you drop your level down to a lower level you can’t pick yourselves up.

“You could see they played pretty well, no disrespect to them, they were quite organised, quite sharp. We went down to their level and didn’t pick ourselves up.”

Looking forward, Beckenham will now travel to Harrow Borough in the next round of the London Senior Cup, and if successful at Earlsmead, could welcome AFC Wimbledon (if Terry Brown’s side win at Tooting & Mitcham) to Eden Park Avenue in the quarter-finals.

“We played Kingstonian (in the Surrey Senior Cup) a few weeks ago with an under strength side and acquitted ourselves quite well against a very good side,” Huntley said of the 4-0 defeat at Kingsmeadow.

“I fancy our chances over there with a full strength side. If we win that you’re at home to AFC Wimbledon, which is a great incentive. I won’t like to say how that will turn out with that but it’ll be nice as they have a good following.”

The Beckenham chairman also echoed the views of the manager, admitting the side weren’t up for it.

“Maybe the attitude wasn’t right,” he added. “We had a good win against Erith Town on Saturday, Monday night, cold night, people looking forward to Saturday.

“We went out with the wrong attitude and when you do that it’s very hard to get it up when things aren’t going your way, so it was a bit of a struggle for us tonight, but the result in the cups is all what counts.”

Beckenham Town: Nick Blue, Danny Gorman (Danny Lawson 70), John Farley, George Belhamber, Ibrahim Fuseini, Jamal York, Nick Curran, Charlie Hearn, Tom Youle (Gary Gorman 87), Matt Howard, Durrand Jemmott.
Subs: Danny Wise, Anthony Weir, Alan Brooks.

Goals: Matt Howard 30, Danny Gorman 66,

Booked: Jamal York 28, Ibrahim Fuseini 80

Mauritius Sports: Pape-Ndiaye Diagne, Roberto Quatromini, Damide Bishop, Steffano Wellbrook, Mohammed Malzadck, James Falais (Kamara Aruno 70), Peter Domokos (Gilman Rodriqux 36), Roy Jones, Javier Rivera, Camilo Montano.
Subs: Elliot Willis, Liam Hedley.

Goal: Camilo Montano 42

Booked: Damide Bishop 50, James Falais 56, Mohammed Malazadck 90

Attendance: 37
Referee: Mr Yahiaoui Ahcene (West Ham)
Assistants: Mr Robert Ryan (Walthamstow) & Tarig Abelrahman (East Dulwich)