Corinthian 1-1 Erith Town - We don't expect to be top for long, admits Tony Sitford

Monday 30th August 2010

CORINTHIAN 1-1 ERITH TOWN
Safety Net Associates Kent League
Bank Holiday Monday 30 August 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Gay Dawn Farm

CORINTHIAN manager Tony Sitford says he is surprised that his side are top of the Safety Net Associates Kent League table after five games.

The Fawkham outfit were lucky to grab a point against a wasteful Erith Town side to leapfrog over VCD Athletic and Deal Town with seven points.

Sitford described his skipper Jamie Billings as “exceptional” after the central defender made a heroic three goal-line clearances and Erith’s Chris Walker and Lew Watts both struck the woodwork during the one-sided game.

Erith Town - starting with a 3-5-2 formation before adapting to 4-3-3 as they went in search of a late winner - got off to a flying start as striker Rikki Cable scored inside the opening two minutes as the 24-year-old doubled his account for the season.

Corinthian - who adopted a 4-4-2 formation throughout - levelled through impressive striker Sadik Balarabe six minutes before the interval, but the dominant Dockers should have won by a country mile.

“We’ve had enough chances to win three or four games here today,” admitted an angry Steve O’Boyle, the Erith Town manager, who was speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“It’s one of those things, I think, we’re even missing chances from a yard out, putting the ball over the bar. I’ve never seen a one-sided game in all my life. If it was a boxing match it would’ve been stopped, it was that one sided.”

Sitford, laughing, admitted to www.kentishfootball.co.uk, that his side got away with it.

“A point gained? Put that down as an understatement,” Sitford, who has Matt Longhurst as his assistant coach, said afterwards.

“It was like the Alamo. If they had beaten us four or five there was no complaints. They were better than us in every department on the pitch.

“The only thing I will say, our lads worked their butts off, they didn’t sling in the towel, they showed a never-say-die attitude, but having said that we know the reasons.

“When you’ve got a centre half, a full-back up at the front, a right-back on the left hand side or midfield - we came in this morning and I’ve had two players drop out with injuries, it becomes very difficult, but that’s no excuse.

“They outplayed us on the day so we’re absolutely delighted with a point.”

O’Boyle, who described referee Mr Chris Wyatt’s performance as “awful”, was thankful for the Dartford official as he was accredited with an assist for his side’s goal after just 115 seconds.

A short square pass bounced off the referee’s legs and was picked up by Cable some 40-yards from goal and the former Thamesmead Town striker went on a mazy run towards goal and from 25-yards he cracked an unstoppable left-footed drive, which sailed past the keeper’s arms into the far corner.

Corinthian called Tim Roberts into action after 17 minutes after central defender Dean Kearley was penalised for pushing over Balarabe (who was released by George Benner) just inches away from the penalty area.

Billings came up from the back and curled a left-footed free-kick around the wall and into Roberts’ arms.

Three minutes later, right-back Daniel McNeil-Nash joined the Corinthian attack and whipped in an excellent cross towards the far post but Balarabe powered his header into Roberts’ arms.

Roberts then made a comfortable save from the Corinthian number ten after he was released by Georgie Sweetman.

Liam Burgess was penalised for pulling back Joe Risby on the edge of the Erith Town penalty area, but Mark Axell touched the resulting free-kick into Billings’ path, and his left-footed drive sailed past the diving Roberts and just past the post.

Central midfielder Burgess then released midfielder Walker but his attempted lob was never going to trouble the former Erith Town goalkeeper.

Another chance for the visitors arrived when George Benner failed to cut out Lee Morgan’s threaded pass for Cable on the angle and once inside the box his right-footed drive (which was heading towards the far corner) was beaten away by Arnold.

Billings first goal-line clearance arrived within a minute when Walker slipped the dangerous Cable and Arnold made a complete hash of trying to gather the ball as he raced off his line, but Cable’s rolling right-footed shot was dealt with by Billings’ right-boot.

After Corinthian escaped Erith’s penalty appeals, which clearly upset O’Boyle, the home side grabbed a 39th minute equaliser.

Emergency striker Risby flicked the ball forward for Balarabe, who shrugged off his marker to sweep a left-footed shot past Roberts and the ball bounced past Kearley, who tried in vain to get back to hook the ball off the line.

Corinthian’s goal lead a charmed life and Walker’s driven shot gave Arnold no chance but Billings was there again to clear the ball off the line and in the second phase Walker slammed his shot against the near post.

How the score was level at 1-1 at the break was anyone’s guess.

Roberts was finally called into action inside the opening three minutes of the second half when Ciaran Mulvihill’s cross picked out Benner ghosting in at the far post but his downward header brought a low save from the visiting goalkeeper.

Kearly committed a foul on winger Ray Mfon and Risby’s left-footed free-kick from 30-yards arrowed over the Dockers’ goal in a rare sight on goal for the green-and-white hoops.

Erith Town squandered an excellent chance after 63 minutes - as they struck the woodwork for the second time.

Forcing three successive corners, Lawrence Collins’ in-swinging corner caused mayhem inside the six-yard box and Martin Chirimuuta’s poked shot was cleared off the line by Sweetman and Lew Watts smashed the follow-up effort against the under-side of the crossbar from close range.

Erith Town increased their pressure for the final 20 minutes, but Corinthian were resilient - and lucky.

Substitute Vincenzo Wade floated in a cross from the right, which was headed across goal by Morgan for Leroy Huggins, but all he had to do was stab the ball past the keeper, who was relieved to make a last-ditch goal-line save.

But Corinthian soaked up the pressure and almost grabbed victory when they hit Erith Town on the counter attack.

Axell’s left-wing cross found Balarabe at the near post, but he powered a diving header wide, and then Axell’s right-footed drive flashed past the diving Roberts and post.

Hero Billings made his third goal-line clearance to thwart Cable from scoring, and inside stoppage time Cable did have the ball in the back of the net but Huggins was flagged offside by the time he cut the ball back to his strike partner.

O’Boyle walked onto the pitch to remonstrate with the match officials at the final whistle and had this to say about their performance.

“Don’t mention the referee to me!”, he stormed. “I thought the referee was awful! How he can give that decision in the first half? The bloke handballs it on the line and he hasn’t given it. It was the most blatant handball I’ve ever seen. It was handball and he should’ve been sent-off and he bottled it and just prior to that, just before that, the geezer’s punched the ball in the penalty area and that wasn’t given either, so the referee, I thought, was awful!”

So was his side’s finishing in front of the goal, and O’Boyle agreed.

“I’m not really positive after that because we should’ve came away with three points here today easily,” he fumed.

“There was only one side in it. Anyone who watched that game today will see we absolutely killed them.

“It’s one of those games, it’s one of those games where we would have been out there until 12 o’clock tonight. I don’t think we would’ve scored. I’m on about easy chances as well! They were easy chances and we just couldn’t convert them today and hopefully come Saturday in the Vase we’ll take a few of them.”

The Dockers welcome Badshot Lea to Erith Sports Stadium in the FA Vase First Qualifying Round on Saturday and O’Boyle knows exactly what he’s going to do during Wednesday night’s training session.

“We’re going to practice our shooting on Wednesday!” he added.

“We’ve had 10 good, good chances today. I’m lost for words!”

Sitford paid tribute to his skipper, Billings, who lead by example.

“The lad’s just come back driving in a 24-hour race in Le Mans and he came back yesterday and he lead the team exemplary,” said Sitford, who has just celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary.

“He worked his butt off - as did the others - he was exceptional.”

When he was told that today’s draw put his side top of the Kent League table, Sitford was taken aback.

“Top? Are we really? Oh right!” he said. “Well, I am surprised because I don’t actually look where we are, you know what this club’s about.

“We don’t expect to be there. No! I’m not going to say that! Of course we expected to be there, but I know we won’t, let’s put it to you that way!

“Of course it’s pleasing, it’s better than last year. Let’s say our ambition this year, if we finish half way up the table, everybody at this club will be satisfied.

“We know we can’t win it, we’re not expecting to win it. What I am expecting us is to play a lot better than we did today.”

Without two of his strikers, Lee Barnett and Richard Stevens, who are both away on holiday, Sitford could only dream about having Huggins or Cable on his books.

He said: “If you haven’t got the best players you’ve got to work with what you’ve got - it’s as simple as that!

“No, we don’t spend a penny and I don’t care whatever anybody says, these players do not get one solitary penny and that’s a fact!

“In fact, they’re going to be asked to chip in to get some tracksuits, that’s what it’s about at this club.

“If you’ve got money you can go out and get better players. We’ve got some talented players, but their two centre forwards, for arguments sake, I bet their the best in the league. I put money on them being the best two centre forwards in the league.

“We restricted them to one, but did we restrict them to one? Let’s be fair, it was their fault they didn’t score. You can’t say we restricted them, they’ve hit the bar, they hit the post, they had opportunities and they’ve not taken them, so we were good defending but you can’t turn round and say we stopped them scoring, they stopped themselves!”

Corinthian: Chris Arnold, Daniel McNeil-Nash, Jamie Billings, George Benner, Georgie Sweetman, Ray Mfon, Mark Axell, Joe Risby (Sam Scoates 71), Sadik Balarabe (Jamie Taylor 89), Ciaran Mulvihill (Callum Starkey 81).
Subs: Lewis Knight, Ryan Burbridge.

Goal: Sadik Balarabe 39

Booked: Jamie Taylor 90

Erith Town: Tim Roberts, David Hall (Vancenzo Wade 56), Lawrence Collins (Cris Borcescu 83), Martin Chirimuuta, Dean Kearley, Lew Watts, Liam Burgess (Billy Shinners 78), Lee Morgan, Leroy Huggins, Rikki Cable, Chris Walker.
Subs: Jamal York, Callum Comerford.

Goal: Rikki Cable 2

Booked: Lew Watts 82

Attendance: 70
Referee: Mr Chris Myatt (Dartford)
Assistants: Mr Brian Harvey (Bromley) & Mr Joshua Rudd (Dartford)