Erith & Belvedere 3-2 Gillingham - We've shown our loyal fans we're not a bad little side - Ford

ERITH & BELVEDERE  3-2  GILLINGHAM
(after extra time)
Kent Senior Cup Sponsored by Portablefloodlights.com First Round
Wednesday 4^th September 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Park View Road

ERITH & BELVEDERE co-manager Martin Ford admitted no one gave his side a chance to knock Gillingham out of the Kent Senior Cup.

The Deres went into this First Round tie having shipped fifteen goals in their last three games but Ford strengthened his defence by bringing in former Dartford goalkeeper Andrew Young from Ryman Premier League side Billericay Town after releasing blunder keeper Ade Adeniyi.

But Ford feared the worst when Gillingham’s development side raced into a 2-0 lead inside the opening eleven minutes, courtesy of goals from central midfielder Kane Haysman and winger Nathan Nyafzi.

Erith & Belvedere, who made five changes to their side that suffered a 5-0 home defeat to Chatham Town in the FA Cup Preliminary Round last weekend, accepted a lifeline after seventeen minutes when striker Luke Tanner punished sloppy Gillingham defending.

Erith & Belvedere equalised 62 seconds into the second half when central defender Aiden Sherlock accepted a gift from Gillingham keeper George Howard, before last season’s Kent League double winners won it in extra time when Jamie Miller glanced home his header following a corner.

Gillingham finished the game with ten-men when winger Harry Grant was shown a straight red-card (after collecting a yellow card earlier) with eight minutes of extra-time remaining, but the hosts in seventeenth-place in the Ryman League Division One North league table with seven points from six games held on and will now travel to Dover Athletic in the Second Round.

“Well, the way our results have been I wouldn’t think anyone would have given us half a chance,” admitted Ford after the final whistle.

“We came here tonight and I just felt all we needed to do was turn in a performance tonight regardless of the result, but we got off to a really sloppy start again, 2-0 down within eleven minutes and we grew in to the game.

“We’ve got new players playing tonight and we’ve got a decent goalkeeper behind us and I just thought eleven minutes gone, 2-0 down, here we go again, but great character tonight from the players.”

Gillingham’s development coach, Mark Patterson, was disappointed that his side threw away such an early advantage at Park View Road to exit the competition at the first hurdle meaning the club that will be staging the showpiece final on Bank Holiday Monday, 5 May to mark The Kent FA’s 125^th anniversary will not have a chance to take part in the Final.

He said: “We’ve had our chances. We’ve only got ourselves to blame. We’re 2-0 up and cruising and gave away three goals.  You had enough chances to win the game and didn’t take them so that’s not a criticism directly at any individual players but you’ve got to take your chances and if you don’t take them and we’ve hit the bar and we’ve hit the post. They’ve scored three and we didn’t.”

Gillingham opened the scoring with their first attempt on goal with only four minutes and seven seconds on the clock.

The red-and-blue shirted Gills won themselves a free-kick out wide on the right flank and Grant swung in the resulting kick with his right-foot towards the far post of a crowded penalty area and Haysman glanced his deft-header into the far corner.

“Dreadful free-kick to give away by Chrissy Edwards, the player was going nowhere,” bemoaned Ford.

“He was on the touchline. We didn’t need to foul him there. We said before the game if we give these boys set-plays around the box they will hurt us because they’re in six days a week so they practice them all the time.  A professional player can whip a ball in anywhere for fun.

“We just didn’t defend it. We let players get across us. We’ve got to be better than that from set-plays regardless of who we play.”

Patterson added: “Great start! Everything you want. It was a good delivery from Harry Grant and Kane ran in.  It was things that we worked on and it was a good glancing header. He’s scored a lot of goals for us so far this season and it was nice to see.”

A difference between professional football and part-time football was evident when Erith & Belvedere created their first opening.

Chris Edwards swung in a free-kick from the right, which was headed out to Richard Morgan, who smashed his right-footed volley over the bar and out of the ground from 20-yards.

But Gillingham raced into a 2-0 lead inside eleven minutes and the die-hard home fans started to fear the worst.

Grant cut a clever corner back to right-back Jack Parter, who was given time and space to drive his cross into the penalty area and the ball fizzed around the box before Nyafzi spun and lashed his shot in off the right-hand post and into the opposite corner of the net from ten-yards.

Ford was disappointed with the manner that his side conceded the goal.

He said: “We had two chances to clear it! We’ve not got bodies behind the ball.  We’ve screamed to clear our lines and sometimes we’re a little bit slow to react and the balls dropped down in the danger area and we’ve watched the geezer had one touch and two touch he’s put it in to the net.  We’ve got to react a little bit quicker.”

Patterson added: “We doubled the lead later on from Nathan when we scored in off the post following a free-kick.

“Our general play was good and then we gave a lifeline to Erith & Belvedere because at 2-0 they wasn’t even in the game.  We were controlling it and doing really what we wanted.”

But despite their early set-back, Erith & Belvedere showed character to fight their way back into the game.

Ford said: “I think the last three games that we’ve lost we’ve had a few lads’ feeling sorry for themselves. We’ve regrouped tonight, we’ve brought some new players in to the club and a new goalkeeper, a little fresh start.

“Our side is brought around work-rate and we showed that in abundance tonight.”

Gillingham tried to play their way out of defence but Devante McKain’s attempted square pass towards central midfielder Josh Hare was intercepted by Tanner, who took a touch before driving a low right-footed shot into the bottom right-hand corner from sixteen-yards.

It was perfect timing for Ford who said: “Great finish! Luke’s a great player. He’s had a few injury problems. He holds the ball up so well for us. When we play the system we do, we only go up with one boy up there.  I just felt he held everything for us. He never gave it away. He gave us the confidence to get players beyond him. I just felt the system that we played tonight, against a side like this when we had to get bodies behind the ball, worked very well for us.”

Patterson said: “We made a mistake trying to play out and got punished. We gifted them a head start. One thing we said before the game, any teams that you play against, it doesn’t matter what level you play at, you can’t give them a goal.

“At 2-0 up they were out of the game and we gave them a chance and they took it!

“We were comfortable at 2-0. I was pleased with what was going on and what we were doing and everything we tried to do we were successful.

“You can’t afford at any level to give people chances and we gave away three goals tonight and that’s what cost you in the end.”

The game then settled down and Gillingham created an opening when Hare played the ball forward to Ashley Miller and the striker who was sent out on loan to Ramsgate, Hythe Town and Tonbridge Angels to gain experience last season cracked a first time right-footed drive bouncing past the far post from 35-yards.

Young was called into action in the 36^th minute when he dived low to his left to block Grant’s right-footed drive from 30-yards.

Gillingham should have extended their lead before the break when Grant’s corner from the right was met by McKain’s glancing header, which sailed across goal and past the far post.

When asked what he told his troops at half-time, Ford said: “We said we just have to stop the sloppy mistakes. We kept giving the ball away in wrong areas of the pitch and the free-kicks and corners that we gave away these boys practice them every day, it’s their livelihood.  If you give them a chance to put the ball in the box and they’ll stick it in the box. 

“I felt we dealt with them a lot better. I thought Aiden Sherlock and George Benner second half were a lot stronger than what they was first half. James Golding was exceptional tonight and I thought Laurence Collins was outstanding so the back four will take credit, but the lads that worked in front of them tonight, James Lawrence and Jamie Miller took a little bit of pressure of the back four.”

However, Erith & Belvedere accepted another Gillingham gift as they equalised 62 seconds into the second half.

Edwards swung in a right-footed corner from the left and goalkeeper George Howard rose his hands high above his head but failed to pluck the ball out of the air and Sherlock reacted at the far post and nodded the ball down and into the net from two-yards out.

“Exactly what we work on,” said Ford.  We try and crowd the box and we try to get people spin round and Aiden got round the back and it’s his second goal from that situation already this season so we keep telling Aiden to keep getting on the end of things and he’s done it tonight.”

Ford added: “From there I really fancied us once we got that goal!”

Patterson said: “Again it was another one of our undoing really. George has come for it, called nice and loud and didn’t quite get it. Maybe he miss-judged the flight of it, I’m not too sure and their player reacted quickest and headed it in.  It’s one of those things, it happens. I’m not going to lambast him for it. It happens and you just have to deal with it and move on.”

Patterson admitted he knew his young side were now in a competitive game.

He said:” For these players it’s education for the future. Our aim is to try to get some of these players in to our first team and any development coach and any youth set-up up and down the country that’s what they’ll tell you and that’s what we’re trying to do and that’s the ultimate aim. Whether we do or not who knows.

“We enter these competitions because it gives us a chance to play in hard-fought matches, which are competitive, which mean something to both teams. I think they’re great.  We’ve got no complaints. We’ve really enjoyed it, full on competitive stuff.”

The equaliser appeared to galvanise an Erith & Belvedere side and they created chances to go and win the game in normal time.

Right-back James Golding twice progressed further up the field before whipping in delightful crosses but Sherlock headed wide and Edwards’ stroked right-footed drive from 25-yards brought a comfortable low save out of a goalkeeper who played in Bromley’s London Senior Cup Final success over Kingstonian last season.

Gillingham right-back Parter also played a ball inside to Grant, who cracked his left-footed drive sailing over the bar from 25-yards with twenty minutes of normal time remaining.

Another free-kick from Grant was met by Callum Davies’ bullet-header, which sailed over the Erith & Belvedere crossbar.

Just like last season when they won the Kent League double under former boss Micky Collins, Erith & Belvedere were dangerous from set-pieces.

Edwards whipped in another corner from the left and Sherlock almost repeated his earlier feat but this time his downward header bounced wide of the near post when well placed.

Haysman had his head in his hands in extreme agony when his right-footed drive from an acute angle crashed back off the crossbar inside stoppage time at the end of normal time.

Ford added: “We had to dig in especially the twenty minute spell in the second half when they kept the ball, but we kept the right side of them and they didn’t really create too many chances.  They had plenty of possession, we know that. We just let them have it when they could and just squeezed them and I think we’ve done that great tonight.”

Patterson rued his side’s back luck and said: “Inches. Milometers away from a different result, but they hit the woodwork and they didn’t go in, so that’s just the way it is. You have to move on.”

Erith & Belvedere’s man-of-the-match George Benner could have given the home side the lead for the first time inside the opening four minutes of extra-time when his right-footed hooked shot from ten-yards bounced wide of Howard who took steps to his right to gather the loose ball following another free-kick from Edwards.

Gillingham skipper Davies almost capped off an excellent game at the heart of defence when he almost scored with a left-footed stroked shot which forced Young to dive to his right to push the ball away.

Erith & Belvedere received a slice of luck when Ashley Miller played the ball to substitute Charlie Webster, who drilled in a low cross, which deflected off left-back Laurence Collins and the ball bounced off the foot of his own left-hand post.

Set-piece specialist Edwards went close with a dipping right-footed free-kick from 30-yards, which only just cleared the Gillingham crossbar.

Erith & Belvedere grabbed a morale-boosting victory, however, within the opening two minutes of the second period of extra-time.

This time Collins swung in a left-footed corner from the right and Gillingham’s defence failed to track Jamie Miller’s run towards the near post and his glancing downward header bounced into the near corner.

Ford said: “Another set-play. Fantastic! We’ve delivered the balls into the areas. We work on that corner all the time, just try to stop the goalkeeper coming out and catch it and we’ve blocked him and Jamie Miller has just headed it in to an empty net. Fantastic!”

Patterson added: “Set-piece that we’ve just had a chat with all the lads in the changing room about body positions and open and closed body positions and that’s the things young players have got to learn.

“Open body positions, you can see the player running across you and I think that was a good run and our players didn’t react quickly enough because he ran across people and by the time we reacted it was too late and it was in.”

Ford revealed he was pleased with his side’s fitness as they looked stronger inside extra-time than their professional counterparts.

He said: “Our fitness levels have been superb, full credit to Martin Barnard, Joe Ford and Darren Macey, they’ve been absolutely superb. Pre-season we’ve worked the boys really hard. Sometimes I wanted to call a halt to some of the training sessions because they was working so hard but all the boys have brought into it and I just felt at the start of extra-time we were fitter than these. I know it sounds stupid but we are fitter and we looked stronger and fitter.

“It was real Cup football, end-to-end. I’m pulling my hair out at one end and we’re breaking away and missing a chance and at the other end they’re having another chance and missing another. Great Cup football. Shame there wasn’t a few more people in.”

Patterson added: “They did well. I think when you’ve got something to hang on to you feel fitter so they were in the game, they knew they were in the game and they were doing well in the game and they were hanging on. 

“I was pleased with our fitness levels and how we took the game to them. On another night we could have scored a few more but we didn’t and that’s the way it goes.  You have to accept that’s the way it is and move on.”

Gillingham threw bodies forward in search of forcing a penalty shoot-out and Grant’s left-footed shot on the turn from 30-yards was tipped over the bar by Young’s outstretched right hand – referee Christopher Myatt awarding a goal-kick instead.

Ford is delighted to bring in a better goalkeeper than the one he picked up from Cray Wanderers.

Young, 33, was one of three goalkeepers that Ford signed last night, the others being Kris Dixon, 26, and Luke Roberts, 24.

Ford is delighted to have finally enticed Young to the club.

He said: “I’ve been after him for about ten days now. He’s come highly recommended. I had to be patient with him. I had to sort out all the bits and pieces with Billericay and Craig Edwards, I must say, has been absolutely first class with us. Unfortunately we just couldn’t get him in time for the FA Cup game because I know he would make a massive difference. He’s a permanent signing. I think he’s enjoyed it tonight. He can only be a plus for us.”

But Gillingham faced an uphill struggle when Grant was shown a straight red-card by the Dartford based-referee for an alleged stamp on Erith & Belvedere substitute George Savage (who was making his debut) after a tussle in midfield.

Both managers were asked their thoughts on the incident.

Patterson said: “I didn’t realise he had been booked so when the referee produced a red, I wasn’t sure what had gone on, I don’t know.

“He pulled him back so if he’s been booked once he’s got to book him again so he’s sent him off with a straight red, so I’m not sure. I’ve not had a chance to speak to the referee about that. The referee obviously believes there was some serious foul play involved – what it was I don’t know.”

Ford added: “I was a long way away to be honest with you. I’ll do the old Arsene Wenger, I really didn’t see it! From walking off the pitch I just spoke to George and he said he went right through him.  Fair play to him, George got up. He was making his debut tonight. I thought he looked nice and lively when he came on.”

Gillingham substitute Mike Freiter had the last chance of the night but his left-footed stabbed volley bounced into Young’s grateful arms for a comfortable save inside stoppage time.

Erith & Belvedere will travel to The Skrill South (Conference South) Dover Athletic in the Second Round. Chris Kinnear’s side thrashed Margate 8-0 at Crabble last night.

Ford said: “Gillingham weren’t taking it lightly tonight because the final is at the Priestfield Stadium so we’ve upset them tonight and we go to Dover.

“Chris Kinnear and I go back a long way. We played with Maidstone as a player and I’ve got a lot of respect for him. I just hope he plays himself that night and puts out all the supporters’ and we’ll have half a chance but we’ll enjoy our day at Dover. We’ll get ourselves sorted out and give them the respect to go and watch them again because you’ve got to do that every game. Hopefully Chris will mix it up but we won’t be because we want to go as far as we can.”

Ford added: “Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to have swapped this for The FA Cup on Saturday and win a couple of grand for the club and go through to the next round.

“It’s fantastic for the club. What we’ve done tonight is pick ourselves up from a very disappointing result on Saturday and we’ve showed out loyal supporters tonight that we’re not a bad little side and we will improve.”

Patterson was disappointed with his club’s First Round exit.

“Well disappointing obviously for the lads not to progress but you always learn something,” said Patterson.

“You always learn plenty, especially with the young players that we’ve got. You’re always learning, every game you play, every training session that you’re involved in.

“You’re always learning about their mental set-up, about their ability levels under pressure so plenty of things there for us to work on and things we’ll try and develop with the players over the coming months.”

He added: “I wish them well in the next round because they worked really hard to get back in the game.

“Anybody watching the game tonight would have seen a competitive game played in a good spirit, really competitive, good stuff.  Unfortunately Harry was red-carded late on in the game but overall I thought it was a great game and our players will learn from this experience.

“At 2-0 up teams like Erith & Belvedere will not give up. They’ll scrap and they’ll fight and they’ll come back at you and if you give teams half a chance to score, they’re back in the game and that’s your undoing.

“We created our own downfall tonight by giving away chances but we had enough opportunities.

“We used the ball well at times. The last bit when we were trying to get a goal back we went really, really long but earlier in the game I thought we used it quite well. We created good openings. We got good quality on crosses most of the time, not all of the time and on another day we could have scored again but I’m not taking anything away from Erith & Belvedere. I hope they do really, really well in the competition.”

Erith & Belvedere: Andrew Young, James Golding, Laurence Collins, Jamie Miller, Aidan Sherlock, George Benner, James Lawrence, Marcus Cassius (George Savage 63), Luke Tanner (Mo Conteh 110), Richard Morgan (Louis Sprossen 46), Chris Edwards.
Subs: Ben Healy, Aaron Jeffrey

Goals: Luke Tanner 17, Aiden Sherlock 47, Jamie Miller 107

Gillingham: George Howard, Jack Parter, Joe Carter, Josh Hare (Charlie Webster 61), Devante McKain, Callum Davies, Nathan Nyafzi (Mike Freiter 87), Kane Haysman, Aaron Millbank (Mahlon Romeo 61), Ashley Miller, Harry Grant.
Subs: Aiden Blanchard, Josh Staunton

Goals: Kane Haysman 5, Nathan Nyafzi 11

Booked: Ashley Miller 55, Harry Grant 103

Sent Off:  Harry Grant 112

Attendance: 55
Referee: Mr Christopher Myatt (Dartford)
Assistants: Mr Oliver Fyfe (Sidcup) & Mr Valentine Anekwe (Bromley)