Epsom & Ewell 0-3 Beckenham Town - It's great for us now because we can get the roof done on the clubhouse with that money, says Beckenham Town assistant Billy Walton

Epsom & Ewell 0 – 3 Beckenham Town
Location	High Road, Chipstead, Surrey CR5 3SF
Kickoff	28/08/2018 19:45

EPSOM & EWELL  0-3  BECKENHAM TOWN
(after extra time)
The Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round Replay
Tuesday 28 August 2018
Stephen McCartney reports from High Road

BECKENHAM TOWN assistant manager Billy Walton says his club will use their FA Cup prize money to make repairs to their clubhouse at Eden Park Avenue after being taken to extra-time by lower league side Epsom & Ewell.

Beckenham Town booked themselves a home tie against Evo-Stik Southern Premier League side Walton Casuals in the First Qualifying Round on Saturday 8 September after coming away from Chipstead’s High Road ground with three extra-time goals.

Beckenham Town were wasteful in front of goal during a dominant performance and they should have wrapped the game up long before the end of normal time.

Walton revealed in the post-match press conference that he had lined up Richard Atkins, Jesse Darko, Nathan Paul, Dean Carpenter and Adam Wadmore to take penalties but the deadlock was finally smashed in the 100^th minute through Darko’s deflected drive, before substitute attacker Eku Dean scored from 35-yards, before another substitute Josh Owen killed the game off with a third.

Beckenham Town were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Colliers Wood United in the Extra Preliminary Round, but two extra-time goals from Stefan Cox and Dean sent them through.

Beckenham underestimated Epsom & Ewell at Eden Park Avenue on Saturday and were held to a 2-2 draw, with Liam Roberts impressing for the E’s, before Beckenham’s superior fitness told in extra-time tonight as Neil Grant’s side ran out of steam.

“Really, really pleased.  We’ve had a tough game on Saturday and we came here away tonight and I thought we absolutely dominated the whole 120 minutes of the game – it shouldn’t have gone to extra-time,” admitted Walton.

“We’ve missed six or seven very, very good chances. Jamie Humphris should’ve had a hat-trick. Another day we win four or five nil!

“So after Saturday to come here and play like we did tonight – we changed our style and we can change from Colliers Wood to tonight but we played some good football tonight, cut them open at will, I’m really pleased.”

Walton added: “We got criticised a little bit on Saturday for leaving people out because we were looking at the game against Croydon on Monday but we can’t get criticised tonight!

“The players that came in every one played, everyone. I’m really, really pleased.” 

Epsom & Ewell called visiting keeper Michael McEntegart into making a save after only 145 seconds tonight.

Right-back Adam Heagney floated over a deep corner from the right towards the far post where striker Kieran Campbell’s looping header forced the keeper into flicking the ball away from underneath the crossbar with a strong left-hand.

“Possibly there only chance of the game throughout 120 minutes,” said Walton.

“They are going to get one or two efforts on goal but overly our tactic tonight was absolutely spot-on.  The way we played, we encouraged them to knock long ball and they didn’t get nothing out of it.”

Beckenham were passing it around the back but they couldn’t find the killer pass on many occasions during the first half.

Stefan Wright skipped past centre-half Steven Betancourt and set up Jamie Humphries, who cut inside and swept his right-footed shot across the keeper and just past the foot of the far post from 25-yards.

Epsom & Ewell goalkeeper George Gill enjoyed a great game and he denied Beckenham halfway through the first half.

Left-wing-back Shameek Farrell, who was later forced off the pitch with concussion, clipped a 50-yard ball over the top to release Humphris down the left channel and the keeper rushed off his line to meet the striker, who hit his shot straight at the keeper from a couple of yards inside the box down the left-hand side.

“Jamie, he knows, he knows in there but what’s pleasing, we created all those chances. Alright we missed 80% of them but we still created and it was only a matter of time, wasn’t it that one of them was going in,” said Walton.

Darko was enduring a frustrating opening 25 minutes as the Beckenham striker was caught offside on four occasions.

A great run from Roberts, when he collected the ball on the left touch-line, cut into the centre before cracking a right-footed drive from 30-yards, was comfortably saved by McEntegart, low to his right.

A long ball out of Beckenham’s defence by Adam Wadmore released Darko down the left channel.  He cut the ball back to Humphries, who dug the ball out from under his feet at the near post but defender Lloyd Connelly tapped the ball away and Atkins’ right-footed flicked shot from 10-yards was tipped over the bar by the outstanding Gill.

Gill pulled off another great save to frustrate Beckenham Town just ten minutes before the break.

Five-goal striker Atkins, who played in midfield tonight, smashed a right-footed volley from 35-yards, which deflected off the pressing Scott Murphy and looped up and Gill used his fingertips to flick the ball onto the top of the crossbar and behind for a corner.

“Like a big loopy up in the air sort of thing, sometimes they go in and it came down and hit the bar but not a bad effort,” added Walton.

Heagney swung in a free-kick from the right wing towards the edge of Beckenham’s penalty area but winger Bobby Bennett flicked his header harmlessly wide of the target.

Carpenter pinged a low left-footed drive across the keeper and against the base of the far post from 30-yards.

“We worked it from a bit of nice open play and we worked it to him and he’s got a very good left-foot and smacked the bottom of the post,” added Walton.

Betancourt played a ball out of defence and Bennett cut the ball back for centre-half Connelly to sting McEntegart’s fingers with a rasping left-footed drive from 35-yards a couple of minutes before the interval.

“I said at half-time, just carry on what you’re doing, eventually one of them has got to go in, it’s got to go in, law of averages,” hoped Walton.

“I was thinking ‘oh no it’s going to go to penalties’, even at half-time. We ain’t going to score.  I thought to myself it’s going to be one of those nights because I watched the video of them against Langney Wanderers and Langney Wanderers annihilated them and Epsom & Ewell got a goal against the run of play.  Langney were missing chance after chance after chance and I thought that was what we were going to do.”

Beckenham Town set the tone of a dominant second half by creating their first opening after only 13 seconds.

Atkins played the ball inside to Humphris, who stroked his first time right-footed drive towards the bottom corner from 30-yards, which was held by Gill, diving full-length low to his left.

Walton said: “All good moves, all good phases of play. We passed the ball really well. We cut them open, we just created so many chances. I don’t know, you’re the stats man. I don’t know how many chances we had?!”

Carpenter swung in Beckenham’s fourth corner of the night, which Campbell failed to use his head to clear the ball away and the ball was met by McGeehan’s far-post header, which looped towards goal and was tipped over by Gill.

Epsom & Ewell’s left-back White played the ball inside to midfielder Scott Elgar, who cut the ball onto his right-foot and from 30-yards drove his shot towards the bottom near corner, which was meat and drink for McEntegart, who comfortably scooped the ball up at his near post.

Walton wants to know how Humphris missed a 53^rd minute sitter that would have sent his side through earlier than the 22:25 finish in Surrey.

Right-wing-back Hope launched a long ball down the right which released Darko in space and he whipped in a low cross towards the far post for Humphris to lash his first time right-footed shot over the crossbar with only the keeper to beat.

Walton said: “Three yards out, what a great little move, cut them open again.  Jesse gets in slides it across the face of goal.  Jamie comes running in, that’s a side-foot tap in! I don’t know how he kicked it over the bar! Can someone please tell me how he kicked it over the bar?”

Dominant Beckenham kept knocking on the door and Atkins drove forward from midfield before splitting open the Epsom & Ewell defence again to put Humphris through on goal but Gill came out and used his left-hand to push the ball around the post.

Walton said: “He made a good save then. Jamie hit the target then and he’s made a good save. He played well their keeper, he played very well. He didn’t play against us on Saturday but I think he made three or four outstanding saves for them tonight, so it’s not all our fault to our strikers but fair play to the lad, he’s made some great saves tonight.”

Carpenter swung in the resulting corner from the right and McGeehan made space at the near post to steer his header wide.

Farrell drove forward and fed Darko, who brought the ball under control outside the penalty area and dropped to his knees in despair when his shot from 20-yards sailed harmlessly over the crossbar.

Beckenham started getting desperate during the final 20 minutes of normal time and it was one of those games when you felt Epsom & Ewell will have one chance and take it.

Walton agreed, adding, “There’s always that you think to yourself we’re dominating and dominating, they’ll get one chance against-the-run-of-play and score.

“I think we looked very good at the back. We’re looking really good at the back and I couldn’t really see them scoring, unless we made a massive mistake.”

Beckenham kept plugging away and Humphris picked the ball up on the half-way line and drove forward and fed Atkins, who aimed for the bottom right-hand corner from 35-yards, but Gill dived low to his left to hold onto the low shot.
 
And with extra-time looming, Carpenter swung in a deep free-kick, this time on the right wing and McGeehan came up from the back again to steer his header past the top of the near post.

Beckenham were thwarted on three occasions inside injury time by brilliant goalkeeper Gill.

Paul’s long ball over the top released Atkins through on goal straight down the middle of the pitch but Gill came rushing out, narrowed the angle, and made a vital block.

“I was saying at half-time, Richie hasn’t had one effort yet because we had to play him in midfield tonight. We were just short of numbers. People couldn’t get here and we had injuries,” explained Walton.

“He done a job for us last year in midfield and he did it tonight and I just thought let one of the chances full to Richie and low and behold two minutes later he gets a chance and the goalkeeper saves it!”

Epsom & Ewell then squandered an excellent chance to commit night-time robbery when substitute right-winger Ben Dyson got in behind the defence to cut the ball back for Roberts to sweep his right-footed shot across goal and past the foot of the far post from 16-yards.

A big kick from McEntegart was met by Darko and Atkins released Wright through on goal but Gill ensured the game went into extra-time with another great block, this time using his body.

“He was outstanding the lad, fair play to him. He was very good,” Walton said of Epsom & Ewell’s clear man-of-the-match.

“We learnt on Saturday, credit to us. We came here tonight and he absolutely nullified all their threats that they had so fair play to everyone concerned.”

Dean slid a low left-footed shot across the keeper towards the bottom far corner, which forced Gill to dive low to his left to grab hold of the ball.

There was a long delay to the start of extra-time as it became evident that referee Richard Morris wasn’t sure if teams could feature a fourth substitute during extra-time and he had to check with senior assistant Roger Wells before popping back into the dressing room before restarting the game at 21:52.

“I don’t know what that was about, what the referee was doing,” admitted Walton.

“But my thoughts were I was writing down with Ricky Bennett who was taking the penalties.  The way it was going, I thought we ain’t going to score. It was going to be Richard Atkins, Jesse Darko, Nathan Paul, Dean Carpenter and Adam Wadmore.”

There was only one chance in the first period of extra-time and that was when Beckenham Town finally smashed the deadlock, the goal being timed at nine minutes and 7 seconds.

It came through route one football.  McEntegart launched a big kick straight down the middle of the pitch, Atkins flicked the ball on and Darko’s right-footed shot on the turn from 25-yards took a slight deflection and nestled sweetly inside the bottom left-hand corner, bouncing over the diving keeper.

“Screamer that! Rain’s come down and made it nice and slick, bang! He didn’t get nowhere near it, the keeper, for once so that was a great goal for us and then it was only going to be us that won it,” said Walton.

The heavens opened from dark skies above and so did the floodgates as the opening goal finally killed off Epsom & Ewell’s fight.

Dean hung over a cross from the left towards the far post for Darko’s looping free-header, which dropped just past the foot of the far post after 33 seconds into the second period.

Epsom & Ewell substitute Theo Campbell’s 20-yard angled drive was spilt by the Beckenham keeper initially, before he grabbed hold of the ball at the second attempt.

Beckenham Town doubled their lead three minutes and 56 seconds into the second period.

Betancourt lost possession on the half-way line on the left, Atkins fed Dean, who ran with the ball for 40-yards, cutting into the middle before drilling a stunning strike across the keeper and into the far corner from 35-yards out.

“The second goal is a cracker! He must be the FA Cup man because he got a very good goal in the last round in extra-time about 45-yards so I’m really, really pleased for him,” said Walton.

“He was disappointed on Saturday, we haven’t been playing him in his position and he’s gone up tonight and he caused them all sorts of problems when he came on.”

Betancourt clipped a lovely ball into the Beckenham box but a poor first touch from Ben Dyson ensured McEntegart gathered at his near post.

Beckenham Town sealed their passage into the next round by scoring a third goal, timed at eight minutes and eight seconds into the second period.

Owen shrugged off his marker as he cut into the box from the right and kept composed to skip past the keeper and slotting his left-footed shot into the empty goal from 10-yards.

Walton said: “Josh had a 50-50 with the centre-half and he’s outmuscled him and sort of an old fashioned shoulder barge, barged him out of the way and took it around the keeper and slotted it home. I’m really pleased with that lad, I can’t tell you how pleased I am for him.”

The game finished at 22:25  and Walton can now look forward to welcoming Anthony and Tony Gale to Eden Park Avenue in the next round.

“We quite like it out in Surrey because it’s a nice area so we quite enjoy our day trips out to Surrey, or night trips out to Surrey,” said West Ham United supporter Walton.

“Not only that because I’m really pleased for me because one of my idols is at Walton Casuals, Tony Gale.

“We’ve got nothing to lose, a Southern League Premier side at our ground. It’s our Cup Final. We’ve got enough players that have played at that level. If we can play like we did tonight and have a bit of belief, you never know do you?

“We played (Bostik Premier side) Dorking Wanderers in pre-season and we beat them 4-1 so put it like this, we won’t be frightened to play them.”

Beckenham have banked £5,140 in prize money and they will scope a further £6,000 if they knock out a club that play two levels above them.

“It’s great for us now because we can get the roof done on the clubhouse with that money so we’ll try to build the club up,” said Walton, who takes his side to leaders Chatham Town on Saturday, sitting in fifth-place in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division with a 100% record from three league outings.

“The ground is nice, the pitch is nice. The changing rooms need a little bit of work and the clubhouse needs work so that will be spent on the clubhouse and they did promise me that we can have a bit of money out of it to go out.”

Epsom & Ewell:  George Gill, Adam Heagney, Sean White (Theo Campbell 103), Ryan Sullivan, Steven Betancourt, Lloyd Connelly, Liam Roberts, Scott Murphy, Kieran Campbell (Taryn Smith 59), Scott Elgar (Ben Dyson 65), Bobby Bennett.
Subs: Alex McKay, Edrit Dobraj, David Jones, Luke Gaffney

Booked: Sean White 44, Liam Roberts 79, Scott Murphy 115

Beckenham Town: Michael McEntegart, Jack Hope, Shameek Farrell (Eku Dean 65), Calum McGeehan, Adam Wadmore, Nathan Paul, Richard Atkins, Stefan Wright, Jesse Darko, Jamie Humphris (Josh Owen 87), Dean Carpenter.
Subs: Ike Robinson, Jason Mensah, Gassimo Jalloh

Goals: Jesse Darko 100, Eku Dean 109, Josh Owen 114

Booked: Jack Hope 40, Adam Wadmore 79, Jesse Darko 86, Calum McGeehan 93

Attendance: 95
Referee: Mr Richard Morris (Teddington, Middlesex)
Assistants: Mr Roger Wells (Coulsdon, Surrey) & Mr Anthony Del Maschio (Horley, Surrey)