Kentish Football 
Cray Wanderers 2-1 Maidstone United - I look at my players and we shouldn't be in this mess - Nott
Tuesday 05th October 2010
CRAY WANDERERS 2-1 MAIDSTONE UNITED
Ryman Premier League
Tuesday 5th October 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane
MAIDSTONE UNITED boss Peter Nott admitted he faces a precarious position after his beleaguered side slumped to the foot of the Ryman Premier League table tonight.
The Stones have picked up just one win and two draws from their first 10 league games and as a result of their seventh league defeat away to in-form Cray Wanderers tonight, Nott admitted he could face the boot if results don’t improve.
Chairman Paul Bowden-Brown confirmed to home officials in the boardroom tonight that this was his last game at the helm and that he “severs his connection with Maidstone United on Friday,” with Frenchman Oliver Ash expected to take over the struggling and homeless Kent club.
Goals from Leigh Bremner and Ross Lover helped Cray Wanderers extend their unbeaten run to seven in the league, which saw the Wands climb up to their highest ever league position - in 150 proud years - of seventh place in the Ryman Premier League - just three points adrift of the play-off’s.
Danny Hockton’s third goal of the season wasn’t enough for the Stones, who also had central defender Peter Hawkins sent off for a professional foul at the end of the game and with Horsham springing a 1-0 home win over Tooting & Mitcham United, the Stones are staring relegation in the face if things continue in this fashion.
“We’ve had an awful run, we can’t defend the run that we’re in,” Nott told www.kentishfootball.co.uk after he emerged from the dressing room at least 40 minutes after the final whistle.
“We’re looking for the characters to get us out of it. We’ve had so many players missing for so many games, but we didn’t have that many missing tonight.
“We had Vinsey (Joe Vines) and Jermaine (Darlington) come back, both experienced players, but we’ve got to start seeing some benefit from that.
“As I said to them in there, we’re doing the shouting for you on the sidelines but when you’ve got players experienced as that we shouldn’t be doing that. We’re missing basic information because people have got their heads down and we’ve just had a big chat in there and we have got to get it out there because Thursday night we have to have a positive (training) session to be ready for Saturday. We’ve got to see how we respond to that now.”
When asked whether he can make changes in team personnel, Nott replied, “We’re restricted in that a little bit, budgets and stuff like that, but we can’t continue and I’ve just said to the players in there we’ve had too many chances now. We’ve got to change it. We did change the formation today, we changed personnel and we still haven’t got the desired result.
“We’ve just got to keep working. We can do better! I look at the players that we’ve got and you think we shouldn’t be in the mess that we are - but we are because the players aren’t performing to the level we know they can.”
Nott was asked whether he felt the incoming chairman would make changes to the club’s management structure.
He replied: “We know some of the people who will still be involved but I’ve just said exactly the same. I said if I was putting my money into this club I would be demanding answers and that performance wasn’t good enough.
“No matter who comes in, I wouldn’t want to keep paying the wage bill with that team and set-up so I fully accept that. I’m big enough and ugly enough to take it but yes, I would be asking the same questions.
“I don’t think it would be unreasonable if somebody comes in and see’s us bottom of the league and I’ll want some positive answers about what you’re going to do about it.
“I’m sure we’ll be having those conversations all day long. I think anyone near the bottom of the league wouldn’t feel very secure in their position.
“All the time I’m here I will endeavour to keep working at it and turning it around. That’s all we can do. I feel we have to all stick together. We’ve got to pull through and hopefully the results will come but I can fully see if I was in their shows I’d be wanting some answers as well.”
Had the Stones been flying higher in the league, then they probably would have taken at least a point from tonight’s game - but luck runs out when you’re struggling at the wrong end of the table.
After Cray Wanderers’ diminutive right-midfielder Danny Phillips sent a free-kick sailing over the crossbar, Maidstone’s Colin Richmond floated in a free-kick into the Cray penalty area and Hawkins steered his shot narrowly past the left-hand post.
Phillips was a lot closer with another free-kick which forced Stones goalkeeper Andy Walker into action by tipping the dipping shot over the crossbar at his far post.
Walker then made a comfortable low save in front of his body after Leigh Bremner struck a right-footed drive from 30-yards.
Allan McLeod, who was a late replacement for Cray’s central midfielder Aaron Day (who was named on the teamsheet before being forced to withdraw with a sore hamstring), released Bremner with a ball over the top and after bursting past the slowing Hawkins his right-footed shot rolled to Walker at his near post.
The returning Joe Vines hooked a Colin Richmond corner from the right past the post in the 28th minute for the Stones in what was an even first half.
Richmond was then brought down by Lover some 30-yards from goal in a central position, but the former Sittingbourne midfielder sent a right-footed free-kick straight into Dave King’s arms.
Cray Wanderers took the lead, however, ten minutes before half-time, with a clever corner kick routine - which left Nott fuming.
Lover cut the ball back towards Steve Lozano, who dummied the ball and McLeod drove a shot from the edge of the box towards a crowded goal-mouth and Bremner was on hand to steer the ball past Walker.
“It’s lovely to have Leigh back because he gives us that option to turn teams and his endeavour has always been a hallmark of his game and no centre half likes playing against him,” praised his assistant manager Joe Francis, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.
Nott, however, was fuming: “It can only go one way now! We can’t keep conceding silly goals. I’ve just said to the boys in there, it doesn’t matter what team you are, confidence is not high at the moment for obvious reasons and we given away a crazy goal from a corner, which you wouldn’t expect a kids’ team to conceded. How we’ve given them that amount of room in our penalty from a corner is just a farce!”
He added: “We started off alright, we’re in the game. It’s an even game then we gave a goal away, the heads have gone down and again the second goal went in the heads are down (again). I can’t believe it! The situation that we’re in. We have to fight for everything and we can’t have players throwing the towel in and it’s only when Danny scored we looked like we could get ourselves back in the game again.”
The Stones went close from another Richmond right-wing corner as he picked out Vines unmarked and his flick on was steered wide by Hawkins from close range.
Walker and Hawkins emerged from the players tunnel in a heated conversation and the Wands almost doubled their lead when Glover fouled Phillips as he cut in from the right. Faced with a four-man wall, however, Laurent Hamici’s right-footed free-kick from a yard outside the box sailed over the crossbar.
King made a comfortable save from a deflected drive from Ryan Andrews, before the Wands created a couple of chances.
Lover whipped in a free-kick from the right-hand flank towards the far post, where defender John Guest ghosted in and glanced his header wide - holding his head in his hands as a good chance went to waste.
Then, after left-back Tyrone Sterling had cut inside, he teed up a chance for McLeod, who unleashed a stunning right-footed dipping half-volley, which only just cleared the crossbar.
But a couple of urgent runs through the heart of the Cray half from Simon Glover presented excellent chances for both Tommy Whitnell and Andrews, but King excelled on both occasions and tipped both driven shots around his post.
And substitute Jake Hobbs strung the fingers of the former Tooting & Mitcham United stopper when he cracked a right-footed curler from the left-hand side.
But despite those chances, Maidstone United found themselves 2-0 down after 70 minutes, as Cray Wanderers finished off a good attacking move.
A move involving Lover and McLeod saw Lozano release Hamici down the right and after cutting along the by-line the Frenchman pulled the ball back to Lover, who swept a right-footed shot into the bottom right-hand corner.
Hawkins was beaten in a foot race by Hamici, who agonisingly rolled a shot just past the foot of the far post, before the Stones lifted themselves out of the gloom and fought back.
Richmond touched a free-kick into Hobbs’ path, who drove a right-footed shot, which forced King into making a save low down in front of his body, before the Stones pulled a deserved goal back with nine minutes remaining.
Hobbs was instrumental in the impressive move when he found Richmond lurking in a good position just outside the box and his lay-off to his left to Hockton was superb and the striker took a touch and drove a left-footed shot across King and the ball caressed the far post before bouncing into the back of the net.
Hockton almost pulled it out of the bag on the stroke of full-time, but King was forced to dive low to his right to maintain the Wands’ play-off push.
Having earlier been booked for a foul on the pacy Hamici during the first half, Hawkins picked up his second yellow card for a professional foul on Cray striker Richard Whyte, after the striker wriggled his way through on goal at the end of the game.
“We’re putting a little run together and that’s always nice because it breeds confidence,” said Francis.
The surprising thing for a Cray perspective was that nine-goal Hamici turned provider for Lover’s goal.
“I think by his own admission tonight Laurent could have had one himself,” added Francis.
“What we need to work on is just their energy and their team-work together, to get the best out of each other so that’s the target because we haven’t had them playing together all year so it’s nice to have them up top and also to have Carl (Gibbs) to come on and Gibbo gives us 100% as well.”
One striker that has been shipped out is Frankie Sawyer, who has joined Ryman League Division One South side Chipstead for a month’s loan.
“Frankie needed games,” explained Francis. “Frankie was unfortunate, he didn’t get enough game time with us and it’s good that Frankie has gone out to get some games and hopefully scores some goals and gets his confidence up because all forward players rely on confidence. He is on loan initially for the month so we wish Frankie all the best.”
Francis admitted that the Stones were a match for his in-form side.
“Listen, all credit to them, I thought they played really well tonight and they didn’t give up because that means they’ve got confidence in one another and in the manager and they played well tonight, give them credit,” he said.
“We’ve just said in there they didn’t let us see out the game and it’s always a nervy last ten minutes when they get a lift from scoring a goal.”
Francis added: “We’re on a nice little run and players that are coming into the side, that are new to the club, are getting to know each other and their strengths so it’s all good.
“There’s no easy games in this league and if you’re not on it you’ll get beat, and a game at home against Maidstone, who are fighting for their lives at the bottom, can be a tricky, tricky encounter and we might’ve lost that this time last year so we’re well pleased.”
Cray Wanderers: Dave King, Adam Cottrell, Tyrone Sterling, Allan McLeod (Kieran McCann 90), Mark Willy, John Guest, Ross Lover (Carl Gibbs 70), Leigh Bremner (Richard Whyte 85), Laurent Hamici, Danny Phillips, Steve Lozano.
Subs: Ian Jenkins, Mark Hammond.
Goals: Leigh Bremner 35, Ross Lover 70
Maidstone United: Andy Walker, Tom Parkinson, Jermaine Darlington, Joe Vines, Peter Hawkins, Simon Glover, Ryan Andrews, Colin Richmond, Adrian Stone (Joe Goldsmith 73), Tommy Whitnell (Danny Hockton 61), Ant Bodle (Jake Hobbs 61).
Subs: Tom Mills, Harry Lee.
Goal: Danny Hockton 81
Booked: Peter Hawkins 5, Joe Goldsmith 83
Sent off: Peter Hawkins 90
Attendance: 234
Referee: Mr Darren Blunden (Dartford)
Assistants: Mr Martin Lehane (Bexleyheath) & Mr James Macey (Bexley)
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd