Kentish Football 
Erith & Belvedere 0-2 Godalming Town - Cosgrove: We were bossed out of the game by a direct side
Sunday 28th September 2008
ERITH & BELVEDERE 0-2 GODALMING TOWN
FA Cup (Sponsored by E.ON) Second Qualifying Round
Sunday 28th September 2008
Stephen McCartney reports from Park View Road
GODALMING TOWN booked their place in the FA Cup Third Qualifying Round for the very first time in their history thanks to this less-than-impressive 2-0 victory at Erith & Belvedere today.
The Surrey visitors, fourteenth place in the Ryman League Division One South table, relied heavily on long balls into the box and long throws, taken from skipper Richard Taylor and Richard Brightwell, although their direct tactics ensured they’ll be in tomorrow’s draw.
The Deres, unbeaten in their last eight games, rued missed chances from striker Nick Smith and right-sided midfielder, Joby Thorogood.
Preparations for their biggest game of the season to date took a blow when midfield playmaker Matt Johnson opted to join Ryman League Division One North side Aveley – and skipper Mitchell Crawley pulled his calf during the warm-up.
Matt Bedford, who was named one of six substitutes, was drafted in at right-back at late notice, but losing two influential players was a big blow.
Speaking about Johnson’s free-transfer move to Ryman League Division One North side Aveley, Deres’ joint-manager, Chris Cosgrove told www.kentishfootball.co.uk : “The problem we’ve got is bigger clubs nicking our players.
“But if that is happening we must be doing something right that bigger clubs want our players so we must be getting our players in the right condition to get them right for other clubs.
“Unfortunately at this level it does happen. We haven’t got hundreds of pounds to give players to keep them here. We have to do with our budget and get on as best we can on it.”
Cosgrove admitted afterwards that when you play higher-league sides, you must take your chances, something that Smith and Thorogood failed to do.
“I’m not trying to sound big-headed or flash, but we do create a lot of chances in the Kent League,” he said.
“In the Kent League you can afford to miss the odd chance because the way we feel there’s going to be another one coming around the corner very quickly.
“But in this level we need to take your chances and sometimes you need a bit of composure. The game went by us too quick (and) we never had time to put the foot on the ball, trying to play our little triangles and our interchanges, which we normally like to play.”
Godalming Town were thwarted by home goalkeeper Matt Bromby, who came quickly off his line to block Purdy’s drilled shot on the angle, after a one-two with Brightwell down the right-hand side.
An example of a hopless ball into the Deres’ penalty area came almost five minutes later when Bromby was able to catch Andy Ottley’s free-kick from fully forty-yards.
In contrast, it was the Kent League hosts that were playing the slicker football and they should have broken the deadlock after 20 minutes.
Damian Matthews was booked for a crunching challenge on left-sided midfielder Jon Gallagher 28-yards out and Thorogood’s resulting right-footed curling, dipping free-kick just cleared the crossbar.
Despite not creating the hat-full of chances they normally do, Erith & Belvedere were in total control of this game.
And they should have won themselves a penalty on the half-hour mark when Joe Penny and Thorogood combined to slide the ball to Smith, whose cross-shot from eight-yards struck Hutchings.
But Godalming Town broke the deadlock, against the run of play, with six first half minutes remaining.
Cap wearing Bromby, came out to try and punch Ottley’s floated cross from the right towards the penalty spot, but an unmarked Hutchings got to the ball first and glanced his header into an empty net.
Cosgrove, however, refused to blame the goalkeeper for the opening goal.
He said: “To be honest, I’m not going to condemn any of my players today, because I thought all my players done really well. They’ve done themselves proud.
“At this level there’s going to be mistakes all over the pitch here and there but I don’t think it’s mistakes that let us down today.
“Normally we have a good 20-30 minute spell and normally during that spell we’re untouchable but they worked so hard. We weren’t allowed to get into that spell.”
Leading up to the break, both sides had half-chances with Deres central defender Richard Bradbourne turning Kevin Lott’s corner around the near post from six-yards and at the other end, Bromby was never going to be troubled by Brightwell’s poke towards goal.
The lively Smith really should have equalised six minutes into the second half.
His strike partner Aiden Pursglove, who didn’t look like adding to the eleven goals that he’s scored so far this season, slid the ball behind the Godalming back three for Smith to latch onto, but the nippy striker was twice denied by visiting goalkeeper Rodney Chiweshe.
Godalming squandered two headed opportunities when both Glen Stanley and Purdy were left unmarked inside the six-yard box in quick succession as the Surrey side delivered crosses from both sides of the pitch four minutes after Smith’s double-chance.
Stand-in skipper Lott played the ball forward down the middle of the pitch for Thorogood, who then released Smith down the right. After Smith twisted and turned two defenders, his low centre was stabbed past the foot of the near post by midfielder Huseyin Nudak.
But Erith & Belvedere’s hopes of participating in tomorrow’s draw at Soho Square vanished halfway through the second half.
Thorogood latched onto Lott’s ball over the top of the defence and the former Ashford Town and Cray Wanderers player cut in from the right but lashed a right-footed shot high over the top of the near post.
As Godalming waited to make their first change, Bedford, finding space down the right, whipped in a cross into the penalty area but target-man Paul Gross’ looping header dropped just wide of the far post.
A lack of concentration allowed Godalming Town to seal their passage into the penultimate qualifying round with a flattering second after 75 minutes.
The assistant leaned over the advertising hoardings to retrieve the ball from the empty terracing beside the Welling United stand at the Danson Park end of the ground.
Taylor threw the ball short to Ottley, who whipped in a cross towards the near post and Purdy, stooping low, nodded the ball past Bromby from six-yards.
Chiweshe made the best save of the match when he flew to his left to beat away Smith’s fierce right-footed drive after the striker was played in behind the defence by Bedford.
The brave hosts went in search for a goal that they deserved but Godalming almost grabbed a third inside stoppage time.
Substitute Richard Thompson, wearing the number 17 shirt instead of the advertised number 19 shirt, shrugged off Radbourne inside the penalty area and stabbed the ball agonisingly past the foot of the post.
Another chance fell to the Kent side, which was the last chance of the game, but substitute Andrew Browne could only direct the ball into the goalkeeper’s arms, following Smith’s cut-back from the left by-line.
Despite his side’s eight-match unbeaten run coming to an end against a side that are one division higher than them, Cosgrove was a proud man afterwards, although it ended his hopes of a fairytale trip to giants Leeds United in the first round proper in November.
“I’m glad we don’t have to play a team like that every week,” admitted Cosgrove. “It was a hard game for us but I thought, on the flip side of it, our boys didn’t give up.
“They’ve done themselves proud. They worked hard for ninety minutes (and) we’ve created five or six good chances. Had maybe one of them had gone in, if we could get them panicking on the back foot, maybe it could have been a different story.
“It’s been a good adventure, it’s been an adventure for us. When we started off the year we weren’t planning on winning the FA Cup. It’s been a bonus. We’ve had four games in it (and) made the club a few quid.
“It’s been the first successful bit of our season. I can’t look at the downside. I won’t criticise any of my players, they gave their all, worked hard and come of sweating. I can’t ask for no more.
“Maybe we should have taken our chances. That’s fate. On another day Smithy will get three. Today wasn’t to be.”
Cosgrove admitted his side were outmuscled by their direct opponents.
“The only thing that disappointed me today, I can’t fault the work-rate or the attitude, we’re known in the Kent League as a footballing side,” said Cosgrove.
“I would just liked to have 10-15 minutes of our football to see how they could have dealt with it. But they didn’t allow us to play and you’ve got to earn the right to play in this game.
“We earnt the right to play but we were a bit off with our passing. That’s our one fault, our passing wasn’t as slick as it normally is.
“We got drawn into their game. We tried to out play them at their game. I was tying to get (my players) to play our game but sometimes it’s hard on big occasions like this (as) you get drawn into other teams games.
“If Godalming play like that every week they won’t lose many games. They’ve done what they do good. It might not be pretty to watch but they’ve banged it in, banged it in, banged it in, banged it in and when we had to keep dealing with it and they got lucky and got rewarded on two of them.”
Erith & Belvedere: Matt Bromby, Matt Bedford, Joe Penny (Andrew Browne 82), Kevin Lott, Michael Adcock, Richard Radbourne, Joby Thorogood, Huseyin Budak, Aiden Pursglove (Paul Gross 63), Nick Smith, Jon Gallagher (Ryan Robinson 53).
Subs: Chris Hill, Martyn Young.
Booked: Kevin Lott 14, Aiden Pursglove 45
Godalming Town: Rodney Chiweshe, Damien Matthews, Shaun Elliott, Carl Hutchings, James Mariner, Richard Taylor, Glen Stanley, Victor Kiri, Graeme Purdy (Richard Thompson 83), Richard Brightwell (Kenny Ojukwu 73), Andy Ottley (Kristian Webb 89).
Subs: Adam Haddad, Wes Hall, Billy Gleave, Gary Aulsberry.
Goals: Carl Hutchings 39, Graeme Purdy 75
Booked: Damian Matthews 19, Richard Taylor 45
Attendance: 143
Referee: Mr Graham Atkins (Southend on Sea, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Kirk English (Romford, Essex) & Mr Nick Grote (Upminster, Essex)
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