Chatham Town 2-4 Merstham - We just didn't perform the way we can, admits Keith Levett

Despite taking an early lead through a stunning Jack Pallen drive from the edge of the box, Merstham (with former Bromley boss Hayden Bird in charge) may have deservedly levelled on the stroke of half time, but they were fortunate with Troy Williams' shot that took a horrific bounce over the prone figure of Tim Roberts in the home goal.

There were no complaints though with the visitors start to the second half as first veteran striker Roscoe Dsane was on hand to convert Dean Gunners centre, before Kes Metitiri brought down Sam Tucknott (who was undoubtedly the star of an absorbing contest) and Fabio Saraiva duly converted from the spot.

The Chats then threw half of Medway at the visitors in a desperate attempt to get back into the game, but they only succeeded in halving Merstham’s lead and that was courtesy of Lee Hales stunning free kick which left Kevin Watson's side 17 minutes to salvage a replay.

Sadly the third home goal just wouldn’t come and Tucknott capped his own splendid performance with Merstham's fourth in the final minute.

It had all started so well for the Chats as they dominated the early exchanges. Even before Pallen's rasping low drive opened the scoring, Hales had has a long drive that we was held by Merstham keeper David Wilkinson.

The home side almost doubled their lead on 17 minutes when Matt Newman saw his drive pushed round the post, and then Pallen had another shot which was well saved.

Yet as the half wore on, the visitors (with Tucknott a constant threat down the right) began to push and probe, and home keeper Roberts produced a smart save to deny Dsane's shot, before Roberts received the bounce from hell as Williams' shot on the stroke of half time took a horrible kick a yard in front of the prone stopper and flew into the net.

Buoyed by their stroke of luck, Merstham emerged from the Maidstone Road changing rooms firing on all cylinders, and Dsane and Tucknott both went close in the early exchanges, with Tucknott's drive producing a fine save from Roberts.

It only though prevented the seeming inevitable for a couple of minutes though as on 53 minutes the visitors edged in front as Dsane turned home a cross at the back post.

Gunner then shot fractionally wide, and Dsane again brought the best out of Roberts as the keeper spread himself brilliantly to deny the Merstham striker.

Just past the hour mark, the visitors extended their lead as Tucknott's run was brought to an abrupt end - there was some disagreement around the ground by whom but it was central defender Metitiri who was cautioned and Saraiva slammed home the spot kick.

The Chats finally began to rally and piled forward desperately trying to get back into, but in doing so left large spaces at the back.

But they did give themselves a lifeline seventeen minutes from time when Hales gloriously netted a curling free kick from 25 yards.

Only one behind, the chats surged forward and sub Jack Jeffrey was only inches away from levelling - after battling through the sub couldn't just get the right direction on his shot and the ball whistled the wrong side of the post.

The inevitable sadly happened in stoppage time when Tucknott raced through and powered home a drive to seal not only his impressive performance, but also his side’s passage into the next round.

Chats assistant manager Keith Levett was left bewildered and frustrated.

"I just can’t get my head round how we could have gone from being one up to two down (1-3) and given ourselves a mountain to climb that we should never have done,” he said.

“We just didn't come out for the start of the second half, and I just don’t know why!

“The goal just before half time had more of an effect on us than it should have done. It really put us on the back foot - they made a couple of changes which we didn’t deal with."

He continued, "We didn’t deal with crosses well enough and definitely weren’t tight enough - the cross for the 2nd goal was case in point - we just didn’t react to it.

“If I'm honest I wasn't too sure about penalty but the lads didn’t really complain about it. But I do have admit that we rode our luck in the first 20 minutes second half at times. We looked lost and didn’t keep the ball enough and they took full advantage - they kept the ball well very and were patient with it without hurting us that much - they believed what they were doing which is what we sadly didn't do.

“We just didn’t perform the way we can which was very, very disappointing - OK there were some good passages at times but they weren’t enough and we're still looking for that consistent shift of 65/70 minutes.

“In short, we didn’t perform well enough - we didn’t do the ugly stuff enough and although I think that 4-2 flattered them a bit, but overall we've got to be disappointed."
  
Asked if there would be changes when the Chats return to League action at Cheshunt on Tuesday, Levett simply said, "we'll see!"

Chatham Town:  Tim Roberts, Ryan Laker, Mark Lewis, Matt Solly, Brad Potter, Kes Metitiri, Lee Hales, Matt Newman, Jean Michel Sigere (Ryan Palmer 64), Jack Pallen, Garry Tilley (Jack Jeffrey 64).
Subs:  Kevin Watson, Tony Kessell

Goals:  Jack Pallen 15, Lee Hales 73

Booked:  Kes Metitiri 62

Merstham:  David Wilkinson, Robert Carter, Lewis Taylor (Peter Wedgeworth 46), Dean Gunner, Tutu Henriques, Liam Collins, Sam Tucknott, Adam Moriarty, Roscoe Dsane (Kyle Farrar 76), Fabio Saraiva, Troy Williams (Liam Wright 46).

Goals:  Troy Williams 44, Roscoe Dsane 53, Fabio Saraiva 62 (pen), Sam Tucknott 90

Booked: Tutu Henriques 59