Charlton Athletic 0-2 Gillingham - We should be winning this every year, says Gillingham boss Varley

CHARLTON ATHLETIC 0-2  GILLINGHAM
Kent Women’s Cup Final
Thursday 19^th April 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Greatness Park

GILLINGHAM manager Ian Varley says he wants his side to take over Charlton Athletic as the dominant force in Kent women’s football  after his side comfortably won this years Kent Women’s Cup Final at a wet Greatness Park.

Charlton Athletic won the silverware last year after beating their south-east London rivals Millwall Lionesses on penalties, but they lost grasp of their trophy after Gillingham sealed a comfortable victory, courtesy of goals from left wing-back Lauren Williams and tough-tackling central midfielder Laura East.

Only Louise Duffy (and unused substitute Megen Lynch), who tasted glory in last years’ competition featured for Charlton Athletic tonight.

Varley, 28, who plays for relegated Ryman Premier League side Horsham, was proud of his players after they picked up the silverware for the first time since 2010.

“In terms of the game, I think we controlled the game from start to finish,” he said.

“We should’ve been a couple up early doors, but the girls’ worked hard. I think that’s our best performance over ninety minutes in probably our biggest game of the season, so obviously we’re delighted with it.”

Watched in front of a crowd of 225, at the ground of Kent League club Sevenoaks Town, Gillingham squandered two excellent chances to break through early on, against Charlton Athletic’s second string.

Gillingham striker Natalie Crinean, who as captain lifted the trophy at the end of the game, cut the ball back from the right by-line but Jay Blackie swept her right-footed shot past the left-hand post from ten-yards out.

The Gills missed another good chance when Emma Tune swung in a corner from the left and the ball fell kindly for East inside a crowded six-yard box, but she blasted the loose ball over with her right-foot from six-yards.

Outplayed Charlton Athletic, meanwhile, created their first chance when Megan Chandler stroke a right-footed drive from 25-yards, which bounced into the gloves of Gillingham keeper Toni-Anne Wayne, after 21 minutes.

Gillingham drew first blood, however, by taking the lead on the half-hour mark, with a well worked move.

Defender Sarah Jones swept a right-footed clearance from the half-way line up field and Crinean brought the ball under control before releasing her strike partner Lauren Phillips down the right channel.

Her low cross evaded a couple of her team-mates inside the penalty area, but Charlton Athletic right-back Alice Singyard failed to pick up the ghosting run from Williams, who was left in space at the far post, and she brought the ball under control and slammed a low right-footed drive into the bottom near corner from fourteen-yards.

Varley said: “The first one, we really should’ve buried to be honest. We kept going.  The first goal is always key in this final I think and the occasion levels things out in terms of both teams.

“Once we got the first goal I felt we excelled from there and deservedly took the trophy home.

“The first goal was good, a great finish on the half-volley.” 

Gillingham missed a couple of chances when East played Crinean in behind the Charlton Athletic defence but she sent a right-footed drive sailing across goal and wide of the far post from a tight angle and then Emma Tune’s right-footed drive from 30-yards bounced into Alex Baker’s gloves after the keeper had originally smothered the ball away from Crinean’s feet after the striker cut in from the left.

First team striker, Gemma Bryan, meanwhile, created Charlton Athletic’s best chance of the first half after she cut in from the left and cracked a right-footed drive over the crossbar from a tight angle.

Charlton Athletic begun the second half with a lot more desire and they managed to make a game of it as the heavens opened.

Wayne, the Gillingham keeper, made a routine save after the ball bounced three times after Duffy went for goal with a right-footed drive, before Kristina Manktelow cracked a speculative 35-yard drive with her right-foot wide after a poor clearance from the keeper fell to her.

With the conditions proving difficult – Sevenoaks Town’s home game against Beckenham Town last night was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch – the game turned into a midfield battle.

Wayne spilt a long-range free-kick from Charlton Athletic’s left-back Katie Flack on the hour, thankfully for the keeper no-one in a red shirt was on hand to highlight the error to score.

Charlton’s best chance to pull a goal back came at the halfway mark when Wayne’s poor clearance from a back-pass was picked up by substitute Courteney Gibson, whose right-footed drive was caught by Wayne at the second attempt.

Gillingham, who were comfortable, broke away and doubled their lead with sixteen minutes left.

A left-footed free-kick from Danielle Carlton was flicked on by substitute Anelle Massey – a header with her back to goal – and this released East through on goal and she sent a right-footed flick over the advancing Baker and the ball caressed the unguarded net.

Varley said: “We got a bit fortunate because their defender headed it through, but great composure from Laura East.  That’s her last game for us (as she is retiring) as well so a perfect end to end on a goal and we picked the trophy up.”

East made some tasty, but fair, challenges in the middle of the park, which stopped Charlton Athletic – whose first team play a league higher than Gillingham – playing.

When asked what the most pleasing aspect of his side’s performance was, the Gillingham boss replied, “I think just the general application.  The work-rate is not something we can do, give on the sidelines, because that’s up to them. 

“We played football as well.  It wasn’t kick and run.  We played some good stuff at times.  I think overall you’ve got to work hard in a final, that’s minimum really. If you do that, you always give yourselves a chance.

Referee Louise Saunders had an excellent game, up until the 81^st minute, when she simply bottled a big decision.

Charlton Athletic central midfielder Chandler jumped up and landed with two feet into Jay Blackie’s left-leg, the Gillingham number seven writhing in agony as a result of a sickening challenge.

However, Saunders brandished Chandler with just a yellow card, when the potentially leg breaking challenge should have resulted in a red-card.

Varley said: “I thought it was over the ball. They didn’t make too much about it. The referee, it was a tough one to be fair.

“Maybe in the men’s game it’s probably a red, but men probably get around the referee a lot more so it’s a difficult one.  I don’t want anyone sent off in a game, but I did think it was a bad tackle personally.”

Charlton Athletic were denied a consolation goal just two minutes later when Saunders issued Carlton a yellow card after she brought down Gibson inside the box.

Bryan stepped up and her right-footed penalty brought the very best out of Wayne, who dived full length to her left to prevent the ball finding the bottom right-hand corner.  The keeper swiftly got up off the ground and blocked Gibson’s powerfully struck follow up from just four-yards at her near post.

Varley heaped plenty of praise on his stopper, saying, “Brilliant!  It probably was a penalty looking at it.  It was a great double save.  She got up quick to save the second as well.   She’s a top class keeper.  She’s done that for us on numerous occasions this year.

“When she saved that, everyone knew we would win the game. I’m not saying we’d hold out if they scored.

“That gave us that extra bit of lift to see the game out with ten minutes or so left.  It was a big turning point in the game.  Obviously goals win games but that was a little turning point and we saw it through to the end.”

Charlton Athletic rallied and they came agonisingly close to scoring when substitute Kit Graham’s left-footed drive on the angle bounced in front of the diving keeper and flashed just wide of the far post.

So after two years’ of waiting, the Kent Women’s Cup will proudly sit in the trophy cabinet of a proper Kent football club, after Charlton Athletic’s and Millwall Lionesses dominance over the last ten years’.

Varley, who played for Sittingbourne a couple of seasons ago, and works full time with The Football Association as a skills coach, is proud that the Cup is coming back to Kent.

He said:  “We won it two out of three years’ now.  It’s a big thing because they’re not even in Kent!  I don’t even know why they’re in this competition?!

“But to be fair, it does give you that extra incentive with Charlton and Millwall in the competition.

“We should be winning this every year. That’s a big win for us. We won it two years’ ago. We won it today. Hopefully we can go and win it next year and the year after and the year after that because it’s a big final.  People say it’s just a County Cup, but at every level, it’s still a big final.”

Varley added: “We enter it as a first team because we name the best team that we can.  It’s a big thing.  Everyone wants to win silverware.  People say in the men’s professional game, the League Cup is nothing, but it’s still a trophy! 

“I think managers and players are judged on what they win.  For us to finish midtable, if we hadn’t won anything people might turn around and say you haven’t really achieved anything this year.

“For us this is a big final. We’ve always placed our importance to win this competition.  In the early round we were playing the local teams. We still had our full first team out.  That just shows how we place it on our priorities.

“I said to them in (the dressing room afterwards), that’s the best we’ve played in the biggest game of the season.  I know they brought a few first team players in today because they haven’t won anything this year.  That worked in our favour really because I think it made us rise to the occasion. Sometimes when you’re playing a reserve team you’re mentally could have been a little different, but the girls’ realised there were a few first teamers and it worked in our favour.”

Having finished in fifth-place (of a ten team) FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division, Varley says he is pleased with this campaign.

“It’s been a good season, considering last year we had to play-off to stay in the Premier League.  Obviously that was our first year after we came up.

“Everything’s based on progression. I think for us to finish fifth, midtable, get out of the League Cup group, get to the third round of the FA Cup, win this competition, I think no-one can really fault the effort and application we’ve put in.

“For this group of players, for this club, it’s a good season. Hopefully next year we can push on and get that top end of the league.”

Charlton Athletic: Alex Baker, Alice Singyard, Katie Flack, Athena Yennaris, Vanisha Patel (Kit Graham 64), Megan Chandler, Charlotte Long, Kim Dixson, Louise Duffy (Courteney Gibson 60), Gemma Bryan, Kristina Manktelow (Jade Keogh 70).
Subs: Megen Lynch, Ellie Stenning

Booked: Louise Duffy 42, Megan Chandler 81

Gillingham: Toni-Anne Wayne, Lauren Williams, Danielle Carlton, Jay Blackie, Laura East, Sarah Jones (Katie Hardaker 89), Emma Tune, Vicky Ashton Jones (Amy Taylor 46), Natalie Crinean, Lauren Phillips, Bryony Smith (Anelle Massey 61).
Subs: Charlotte Stevens

Goals: Lauren Williams 30, Laura East 74

Booked: Laura East 69, Danielle Carlton 83

Attendance: 225
Referee:  Louise Saunders (Rochester)
Assistants: Richard Butler (Orpington) & Emma Capeling (Rochester)
Fourth Official: John Proctor (Gillingham)