Deal Town 1-2 Ashford United - I thought we were quite comfortable, says Ashford boss Paul Chambers

DEAL TOWN  1-2  ASHFORD UNITED
The FA Cup with Budweiser Extra Preliminary Round
Saturday 11^th August 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from The Charles Sports Ground

ASHFORD UNITED boss Paul Chambers says his experienced players helped his side to become the first Kent Invicta League club to win in The FA Cup.

The Nuts & Bolts created a Cup upset in this Extra Preliminary Round tie as they sent Kent League outfit Deal Town crashing out at the first hurdle.

Ashford United scored all of three goals in a hard-fought tussle to book a home tie against Lingfield in the Preliminary Round on 25 August.  They opened the scoring in the 38^th minute, courtesy of a left-footed screamer from 37-yards from midfielder Luke Whiting, who became the first player of a Kent Invicta League club to score in the World’s Greatest Cup Competition.

Gary Mickleborough – who scored Hythe Town’s only goal in their FA Cup First Round tie away to Hereford United in November 2010 – came off the bench and with his first touch doubled Ashford’s lead in the 66^th minute.

Deal Town were given a lifeline when Ashford right-back Matt Hadlum powered a header over static keeper Joe Mant to score an own-goal.

Both sides finished the game with ten men apiece.  Ashford substitute, Arron Firth picked up two cards within a couple of minutes and he was followed by Deal Town striker Scott Punton, who also picked up two yellows, a minute from the end.

Chambers was pleased that his side won their opening game of the season, after playing higher league sides during their pre-season campaign.

He said: “I thought we looked comfortable today. We played a few higher teams in the pre-season and I thought we looked quite good against a lot of the sides so to be honest I was quite pleased with today.  I thought we did ever so well. 

“I don’t think they really threatened us that much.  I think, to be honest, we were the better side.”

Deal Town boss Derek Hares, after seeing his side thrash Holmesdale 5-1 here in their opening game, before losing 3-0 away to surprise package Lordswood in midweek, cast a disappointed figure.

He said: “Disappointed with the first half.  I thought they were the better side in the first half.  I don’t think we played very well at all in the first half and it took the own goal really to get back into the game.

“Once that went in, in the last half-hour I thought we were on top, but we didn’t really look like we were going to win.

“It was a little bit of a scrappy game if I’m honest. I didn’t think it was the best of football. I didn’t think they played a great lot of football if I’m honest – neither did we.

“We done a lot better in the last half-an-hour. I was disappointed with the first hour if I’m honest.”

Deal Town started well and they almost avoided the banana slip inside the opening five minutes when central defender Ian Wallace came up and looped a header towards goal and visiting keeper Joe Mant tipped the ball onto his crossbar and out for a corner.

Chambers praised his keeper, saying, “I think we’ve got the mixture of experience and a bit of youth, like the goalkeeper is like seventeen. He was superb.  He was absolutely brilliant.  I thought he done ever so well. He’s a very confident lad, which is always good, like all the older lads around him that we’ve brought in are just brilliant for the young guys. They look after them and they’re doing ever so well and we can’t ask for any more than that.”

Ashford were then denied a couple of minutes later when central defender Lee Coburn’s ball over the top of the Deal back four was latched upon by Sam Conlon, but pink-shirted Deal keeper John Sparks advanced off his line to smother at the striker’s feet.

Deal immediately hit Ashford on the counter attack as following Sparks’ clearance, Niall Jackson played the ball inside to striker Punton, whose right-footed drive from 30-yards sailed over.

A driven free-kick into the Ashford box by Deal right-back Luke Bigginton fell to Punton at the far post but his swept shot was comfortably saved by Ashford’s seventeen-year-old debutant keeper.

Deal were dangerous from set-pieces and Danny Smith whipped in a free-kick from the right where Jackson and Punton caused havoc and Wallace looped a header into Mant’s gloves from eight-yards.

But Ashford United weathered the early storm and they really should have broken the deadlock in the 28^th minute.

Conlon floated in a corner from the right flank and picked out former Deal Town striker Mo Takalobighashi (also known as Mo Takaloo) but he powered a free header agonisingly wide of the near post from 12-yards.

Ashford were now enjoying their best spell of the first half and another gilt-edged chance went begging soon after, made and missed by their two full-backs.

Hadlum got forward down the right and had plenty of time and space to whip in a fine cross towards the far post and Luke Cuthbert – who like his brother Adam were making their debuts having signed from last season’s Kent Invicta League runners-up Phoenix Sports – ghosted in and planted a header just wide of the near post when left unmarked some six-yards from goal.

Takalobighashi, with his back to goal, cracked a right-footed hooked volley over the Deal crossbar, before Ashford shook their higher-league opponents by scoring a goal of high quality seven minutes before the break.

Deal Town boss Hares said he wasn’t best pleased with his players after they allowed Whiting to crack a stunning left-footed angled drive from 37-yards, which screamed across the stranded Sparks to land into the bottom left-hand corner.

Hares said: “He took it well, but it was from our bad play that he got it!  I thought Sparkie should’ve cleared the ball to start off and then Simon Moore put the ball back in when he should’ve played it out.

“It was a bad goal to give away. He took it well. I’ll take nothing away from the lad, but it was down to us really.”

“It was a great strike to be honest,” added Chambers, who played for Ashford Town during their 5-0 defeat at Watford in The FA Cup Second Round tie at Vicarage Road in 1997.

“I don’t know what he’s doing shooting, but he does that quite a lot. He’s got a great strike on him.  I thought he was brilliant today.”

Deal Town were denied an equaliser inside first half stoppage time when Simon Moore clipped a free-kick into the Ashford penalty area but the flag went up before skipper Wallace slotted the ball into the empty net with keeper Mant nowhere to be seen.

Hares said: “We were a little bit unlucky with the first half. I don’t know if it was offside or not.”

Both managers were asked what they told their players at the interval.

Hares said: “If I’m honest, I said quite a lot, which I don’t want to repeat!

“We needed to do better. I just thought we didn’t compete enough.  We just needed to up it.

“If you were here Saturday and the first half against Lordswood, you’d have thought it was two different teams.

“Second half, I couldn’t fault the commitment.  We couldn’t fault the desire second half.  We did better but we gave ourselves a mountain to climb by our first half performance.”

“Nothing really,” came Chambers’ reply.  “We were quite well on top. We were just saying to them just carry on what you’re doing.  If you compete then we’ll be there and there abouts and that’s what we did.  We just competed and I thought we did ever so well.”

The start of the second half was a hard-fought affair and Ashford created an early chance when Ollie Finch clipped a free-kick towards the far post but Takalobighashi leaned back and planted his header wide of the near post from a tight angle.

Conlon almost doubled Ashford’s lead when he was released through on goal by Whiting and after cutting inside Moore cracked a powerful right-footed drive, which flew over keeper Sparks and agonisingly cannoned down off the underside of the crossbar.

That was to be Conlon’s last contribution of the game as his replacement Mickleborough came off the bench to score Ashford’s 66^th minute clincher.

Finch clipped another free-kick into the Deal penalty area and Roy Guiver back-flicked the ball towards the far post and Mickleborough kept his composure with bodies in front of him to slam a right-footed shot into the net to the delight of the vocal visiting contingent behind the goal at the St Leonards End.

Chambers was delighted that a training ground move had paid off.

He said: “We worked on a few bits and pieces.  I thought there were a few set-pieces where we were unlucky with.  The lads’ worked hard and they grafted and Gary scored and I’m over the moon for them.”

Hares added: “Second goal, yes, we possibly could’ve done better but I’m not as disappointed as I was with the first one!

Deal Town were now dead and buried at this stage and their FA Cup campaign was coming to a premature end.

But they were handed a lifeline with twenty minutes to go.

Deal striker John Brayne was released down the inside right channel and had time and space to float over a cross, which sailed across Mant and Hadlum inexplicably powered a header over his keeper’s and into the top left-hand corner of his own net.

Hares admitted: “It changed the game completely and they were hanging on for the last few minutes!

“It lifted us and it changed the game really and I thought that last 20-25 minutes we had them under a lot of pressure and that was our best spell of the game.  You need to be doing more than that!”

Chambers quipped: “It was a great finish wasn’t it? Great header!  Everyone tells me he’s a good goalscorer, but obviously we have to try to get him to do it at the right end!”

A goal-line clearance from Moore denied Takalobighashi from scoring with a low shot on the turn eight-yards from goal, and then another free-kick from Finch found Coburn at the far post and his downward header, which bounced into the bottom far corner, was ruled out for a foul.

Ashford were reduced to ten-men after substitute Firth picked up two yellow cards in a poor ten-minute cameo substitute appearance.

Firth was booked by referee Mr Walsh for kicking the ball away in the 81^st minute and he picked up his second yellow when he lunged in on Deal substitute Jacob Dainton within two minutes.

Deal Town almost capitalised when Moore floated in a cross from the right and Punton sent a free-header straight at Mant when he really should have scored.

Punton turned villain with a minute to go when he deservedly collected his second yellow after sliding in to Mant after the teenage keeper gathered the ball.

Sparks made his best save of the match, sticking up his right hand to palm away a header from Ashford substitute Peter Williams, before Jackson’s downward header brought a comfortable save from Mant at the other end.

Deal’s chances of earning a lucrative replay at Homelands Stadium on Tuesday night vanished with the last kick of the game.

Jack Collins’ corner from the left saw Jason Gilmore rise like a salmon but all he could do was power his header high over the Ashford crossbar.

Chambers was proud of his players after they produced a Cup upset – but Ashford United have players’ in their squad  who can play Kent League or Ryman League Division One South football and their victory was expected over a Deal Town side who only had Greenwich Borough below them in the Kent League table last season.

Chambers added: “I thought we were quite comfortable. They came out of the blocks quite well in the first ten minutes of the game. Once we got into it, I thought we were the better side.  They’re a good side Deal, don’t get me wrong, but I just felt we were quite big and strong and I thought we battled well and we competed. 

“I was never really that worried to be quite honest with you, even when we went down to ten-men. We’ve got the players now, the experienced players to hold out. They’ve been there and they’ve done it so credit to the lads.”

Hares admitted being without Liam Quinn, who was on holiday, was a big loss.

He said: “I’m talking nothing away from the lads that played, but I just felt we had key players’ missing today. We had two or three, but I can’t use that as an excuse.  The lads’ who were there went out to do a job and they didn’t do it!

“Take nothing away from Ashford. I thought they worked hard. They were workmanlike. 

“Up until the last half-hour we didn’t put them under no pressure at all.

“If we got away with a two-all draw, I would’ve said alright, thanks very much. It would’ve been a lucky draw in my opinion.”

Deal Town: John Sparks, Luke Bigginton, Jason Gilmore, Ian Wallace, Simon Moore, Niall Jackson, Dan Langiano (Jacob Dainton 43), Jack Collins, Scott Punton, John Brayne, Danny Smith.
Subs: Josh Pain, Luke Ransley

Goal: Matt Hadlum 70 (own goal)

Booked: Scott Punton 51, Simon Moore 55, Luke Bigginton 66, Danny Smith 76

Sent Off:  Scott Punton 89

Ashford United: Joe Mant, Matt Hadlum (Peter Williams 79), Luke Cuthbert, Ben Jordan, Roy Guiver, Lee Coburn, Adam Cuthbert, Ollie Finch, Mo Takalobighashi (Arron Firth 73), Sam Conlon (Gary Mickleborough 65), Liam Whiting.
Subs: Liam Walsh, Richard Quigley, Tom Carr

Goals: Liam Whiting 38, Gary Mickleborough 66

Booked: Arron Firth 81, Roy Guiver 87

Sent Off: Arron Firth 83

Attendance: 166
Referee: Mr Kevin Welsh (Sittingbourne)
Assistants: Mr Mark Tucker (Sheerness) & Mr Mike O’Bree (River)