Kentish Football 
Corinthian-Casuals 1-1 Hythe Town (5-4 pens) - We have to kill teams off, says Scott Porter
Tuesday 18th October 2011
CORINTHIAN-CASUALS 1-1 HYTHE TOWN(Corinthian-Casuals win 5-4 on penalties)
Ryman League Cup Second Round
Tuesday 18th October 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from King George’s Field
HYTHE TOWN boss Scott Porter admits the Ryman League Cup was not high on his list of priorities after his side lost their first ever match in the competition on penalties.
A sparse crowd of only 40 braved the coldest night of the season and watched Hythe Town dominated for a large chunk of the first half and the Kent side went in at the break a goal-up, courtesy of Dave Cook’s eighth goal of the season from the penalty spot, but Corinthian-Casuals levelled proceedings with nineteen minutes remaining through Joel Thompson’s half-volley.
The Ryman League have scrapped extra time in this competition, so this low-key Second Round tie was settled by a penalty shoot-out and Hythe midfielder, Nick Barnes, missed the only spot kick in the shoot-out as Corinthian-Casuals progressed having scored all five of their attempts.
“It’s not the most glamorous Cup to be involved in on a Tuesday night away at Corinthian-Casuals but it was a tie that was put in front of us (ahead of) a massive game on Saturday which takes priority which most managers would probably say exactly the same,” said Porter, 32, afterwards, puzzled as to why this match was slotted in ahead of their more-important home FA Carlsberg Trophy tie against Burgess Hill Town on Saturday.
Porter added: “It does take us a little time to get going and we obviously weathered that storm for 10-15 minutes.
“The last half-hour (of the first half) we should’ve been 3-0 up easily with the chances we had, but if you don’t kill teams off they’re always going to keep knocking at the door and put your defence and team under pressure and that’s exactly what they did!”
Hythe’s first-choice keeper, Kieron Mann, made a comfortable catch as striker Steve Goddard clipped a right-footed deflected effort towards goal inside the opening five minutes.
Hythe’s first of many first half chances saw long-throw specialist Aaron Lacy shape up to launch one of his trademark throws into the Corinthian-Casuals penalty area, but instead surprised everyone by throwing the ball short to Greg Smith, who played a poor pass back to Lacy, who whipped in a hanging cross from the right touchline for Cook to head down and wide.
But the home side – lying in seventh place in the Ryman League Division One South table, four points clear of Hythe Town – found Mann in excellent form in the eleventh minute.
Diminutive winger, Jamal Carr, looped a deflected shot towards the near corner, but Mann pulled off a brilliant save, clawing the ball away high to his right, and repeated the same sort of block to deny Dave Hodges scoring from the follow-up.
Hythe settled after fifteen minutes and went on to dominate the remainder of the first half.
Mann launched the ball straight down the middle of the pitch and James Dryden flicked the ball on for his strike partner Richard Sinden, who took a touch before drilling a right-footed shot past the post from 20-yards.
There was brief respite for the home side as Goodard sent a right-footed free-kick over the four-man wall from 30-yards, but Mann made a routine catch.
Mann then launched another huge kick down the middle in the 20th minute, which dropped over Dryden’s head but former Faversham Town striker Sinden scuffed his left-footed shot harmlessly wide of the far post.
Sinden squandered another chance when Lacy whipped in an accurate cross from the right (after his initial free-kick came back to him via the home side’s defence) and picked out Sinden unmarked at the far post, but his glancing header sailed over.
Basingstoke-based referee Mr Guy Poynter, who kept his cards in his pocket throughout, pointed to the penalty spot after Corinthian-Casuals’ central defender Wayne Finnie was penalised for handball.
There was a brief delay as Goodard was called over to Mr Poynter for a word and home keeper Danny Bracken tried to put off Cook as he walked up towards the penalty spot, but Cook smashed a powerful penalty straight down the middle as Bracken went to ground slightly to his right to give the Kent side a deserved 32nd minute lead.
Porter said: “I thought the first half we should’ve had the game dead and buried. We had enough chances to kill the game off but that’s just been the highlight of our season.
“We just couldn’t get that second. It’s been a story of our season, but there’s a long way to go. We’re learning, me as a manager and as a football club and hopefully we can move on and hopefully pick the bones out what’s happened.
“It’s important in this league, or in any game, to score the first goal, we did that, and we didn’t build on it. We all know they were going to come out second half and put us under pressure – and they did!”
Porter explained why he handed substitute goalkeeper Paul Egan his third appearance of the season at the interval.
He said: “They’re (Mann and Egan) fighting for number one spot and these sort of games entice you to give people minutes and that’s exactly what I did!
“Obviously I’ve got Brendon Cass out, Tom Parkinson out, I’ve got Craig Thompson out, I’ve got Ronnie Dolan out and Lee Winfield’s missing tonight. There’s five massive players in my squad but it shows the depth in my squad.
“I’ve got my younger brother (Ashley) coming in at right-back, Greg Smith starting left-back.
“These sort of games, no disrespect to the League Cup, it’s not my priority to do anything in but it’s important in these sort of games you give players’ like that minutes to keep them on their toes and give other people competition for places.”
And Egan was swiftly called into action inside the opening 90 seconds when he palmed Byron Brown’s in-swinging left-footed corner from the right flank onto his crossbar.
Manager Kim Harris certainly lifted his troops during the interval as Corinthian-Casuals came out with much more purpose and dominated the second half.
Danny Green stepped up and bent a right-footed free-kick around the four-man wall but wide of Egan’s right-hand post, before the Hythe stopper dived to his right to beat out Gavin Quintyne’s right-footed half-volley on the turn from 22-yards in the 58th minute.
Porter made a switch five minutes later and brought on pacy left-winger Taser Hassan for left-back Greg Smith, which resulted in right sided midfielder Lacy switching to a left-back role.
“He has to learn a lot Tas. He’s an impact player at the minute because he’s not fully fit but yes, he’s got a bright future,” added Porter.
“He just needs to do the dirty work first before he can do the forward work basically but he’ll be alright if he knuckles down.”
Corinthian-Casuals’ levelled with nineteen minutes left and Porter wasn’t pleased with the way that Goddard was allowed to make progress down the right flank before crossing to Thompson at the near post, who turned and cracked a stunning right-footed drive over Egan into the roof of the net from 15-yards.
Porter said: “Another crap goal to be honest with you and that’s another highlight of our season. We keep giving crap goals away!
“People go in the changing room, hold their hand up but it’s too late when they put their hand up. I’m fed up of people putting their hand up saying ‘my fault’. We’ve got to a state now where every goal, most goals we’ve conceded have been by our mistakes.”
Hythe turned defence into attack in the final ten minutes as John Walker swept away Danny Green’s left-wing corner to Dryden, who held the ball up before playing a raking diagonal pass for Hassan, but his ambitious right-footed drive from 40-yards flashed across Bracken and bounced past the far post.
Corinthian-Casuals went for the winner but Green rolled a shot into Egan’s gloves, before Goddard’s speculative shot from 25-yards sailed over so the game was settled by a penalty shoot-out.
Cook, Hassan, substitute Lloyd Blackman and Dryden scored for Hythe, but Egan failed to save any of Corinthian-Casuals’ penalties, as Green, Quintyne, Goddard, Carr and Brown all converted for the Surrey side.
Barnes was the only player to miss as he scuffed the third penalty, allowing Bracken to save comfortably low to his right.
Hythe were also defeated by Herne Bay on penalties in the Kent League Challenge Shield a week before their inaugural Ryman League campaign kicked off.
“It’s a lottery, whoever’s going to go through is going to go through. Penalties are penalties, but you take it on the chin and move on,” added Porter.
The Hythe Town boss also confirmed that striker Brendon Cass, who was on crutches tonight due to a broken bone in his foot, will be six more weeks away from action, and Tom Parkinson is another five weeks away, although his other injured players may return for the more crucial FA Carlsberg Trophy tie on Saturday, which has £2,200 up for grabs for the winner.
Corinthian-Casuals: Danny Bracken, Tommy Williams, Byron Brown, Joe Hicks, Wayne Finnie, Gavin Quintyne, Jamal Carr, Danny Green, Joel Thompson, Steve Goddard, Dave Hodges.
Subs: Shaun Brown, Ross Defoe, Matt Mann, Rob Stevenson.
Goal: Joel Thompson 71
Hythe Town: Kieron Mann (Paul Egan 46), Ashley Porter, Greg Smith (Taser Hassan 63), Pat Kingwell, Laurence Harvey, John Walker, Dave Cook, Nick Barnes, James Dryden, Richard Sinden (Lloyd Blackman 70), Aaron Lacy.
Subs: Craig Thompson, Ronnie Dolan
Goal: Dave Cook 32 (pen)
Attendance: 40
Referee: Mr Guy Poynter (Basingstoke, Hampshire)
Assistants: Mr Simon Maynard (Reading, Berkshire) & Mr Bryan Murdoch (Woking, Surrey)
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