Erith & Belvedere 3-3 Hollands & Blair (aet - 1-3 pens) - This was not our cup final, says Piggott

Friday 11th December 2009

ERITH & BELVEDERE 3-3 HOLLANDS & BLAIR
(after extra time - Hollands & Blair won 3-1 on penalties)
Kent Senior Trophy Second Round
Friday 11th December 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Park View Road

EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD goalkeeper Lewis Flisher was the hero as Hollands & Blair produced a shock to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Kent Senior Trophy.

The Gillingham side were on course of exiting the competition when John-Paul Collier gave the Kent League hosts a 3-2 lead from the penalty spot with ten minutes of extra time remaining, but Ricky Freeman stabbed home a late leveller to send the game to the lottery of the penalty shoot-out.

Flisher disappeared down the players tunnel to prepare for the shoot-out and saved kicks from Walid Matata, Collier and Dave Waters as last season’s Vandanel Kent County League treble winners won the tie 3-1 on penalties.

On what proved to be an epic in freezing conditions in Welling, it was Erith & Belvedere that drew first blood, as debutant Walid Matata netted after just 142 seconds.

The 27-year-old, who has signed from Ryman League Division One South side Dulwich Hamlet, pounced on a poor clearance from former Herne Bay man Bryan Greenfield to lash a right-footed angled drive into the roof of the net from 15-yards.

The impressive Vandanel Kent County League visitors, called Matt Bromby into making a comfortable low save to prevent Martin May from scoring with a low angled drive.

But the Kent League hosts dominated the rest of the half, playing their slick passing game, although they couldn’t add to Matata’s early opener, thanks to Flisher's talents.

A 16th minute move involving Joe Penny and Lee Hales released the much-travelled pacy striker Matata and the keeper got down low to his right to tip the ball around the foot of his near post.

Then, nine minutes later, Harbingi Grant, who didn’t have his best game, cut the ball back to skilful midfielder Collier, whose right-footed curler was caught in midair by the diving goalkeeper.

Kevin Lott then struck a right-footed volley from 25-yards, which was too comfortable for the confident goalkeeper.

They were made to rue those chances as Hollands & Blair stunned their hosts by levelling in the 41st minute.

Fullback, Sean Hetterley, who has previous Kent League experience, was released down the right and his skill took him cutting in past two defenders and his cross was met on the turn by Lee Preston and his shot at the near post looped over Bromby and dropped in over the line before lone-striker Ricky Freeman could slide the ball over the line.

That goal lifted Blair’s spirits and they looked like the higher league side during a good spell of pressure in the second half.

Erith & Belvedere keeper, Bromby, who was frequently asking for more from his sloppy team-mates, denied Freeman from scoring with an angled drive as the visitors pressed.

And it was no surprise when Hollands & Blair took a deserved lead after 57 minutes.

May’s cross from the right was knocked down at the far post by Freeman and Preston had time and space to smash the ball into an open net from four yards.

Stunned Erith & Belvedere almost scored an own goal after 68 minutes when Greenfield swung in a corner from the right and defender Joe Penny was relieved when his back header bounced off the top of his own crossbar with Bromby stranded.

But the hosts appeared to have pulled it out of the bag, levelling with their first shot on target in the second half, with 18 minutes remaining.

Lott floated in a shot, which bounced off the far post and Hales drove home the follow up, which was harsh on the visitors.

Erith & Belvedere almost grabbed victory in the dying seconds, but Flisher produced his best, tipping Dave Waters’ powerful header over the crossbar following Hales’ floated free-kick, which was met by his skipper in a crowded box.

Flisher made one smart save during the first period of extra time, getting down low to his right to turn Collier’s near post drive around his post.

And the home side thought they had grabbed the victory, scoring their third goal with ten minutes remaining.

Collier’s run was ended by a combination of May and Greenfield (who was booked), but he recovered and blasted the resulting penalty into the roof of the net.

But as they were looking forward to a trip to either Hythe Town or Faversham Town (who play at Reachfields Stadium tomorrow) in the quarter-finals, Hollands & Blair took the game to penalties, by equalising with just 135 seconds of extra time remaining.

Greenfield delivered a free-kick from the left and this was flicked towards goal, bouncing down off the underside of the crossbar and Freeman was on hand to stab the ball into the back off the net from three yards out.

Man-of-the-match Flisher disappeared down the players tunnel at the final whistle as both sides prepared for the penalty shoot-out lottery.

Hetterley was the first to take his, but his right-footed spot-kick bounced off the top of the crossbar on it’s way into Park View Road.

Flisher, meanwhile, made a low diving save to prevent Matata from giving Erith & Belvedere the advantage.

Greenfield capped a fine display by breaking the deadlock and Chris Hill levelled for the hosts by smashing a high penalty straight down the middle.

Darren Blackburn (with a long run up) coolly slotted home, leaving Bromby rooted to the spot to make it 2-1 for Blair before Collier’s cocky dinked penalty was kept out.

Freeman slotted home what turned out to be the winning penalty before Waters’ powerfully taken kick brought the best out of the Hollands & Blair keeper, who was mobbed by his ecstatic team-mates.

Hollands & Blair boss Paul Piggott, who worked miracles with no budget during his time at Lordswood, was proud of his battling side tonight.

“I thought we matched them and that’s all we could’ve asked,” Piggott told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“Penalties, anything can happen, but over the 120 minutes we’ve matched them, that’s a compliment to ourselves.

“Our work-rate and the way we kept our shape, I thought that kept us in the game.

“We’re a footballing sided, we like to play,” he added. “We’ve got footballers who like to knock the ball about and this is the sort of place if you can’t knock a ball about then you shouldn’t be playing football.

“We kept preaching that and we kept trying to do it and we kept playing and I think we got our rewards from it.”

Piggot, himself a goalkeeper, heaped plenty of praise on the heroic Flisher.

He said: “He’s an eighteen-year-old lad and he’s made mistakes over the last couple of seasons but the club stood by him because we see his potential as a goalkeeper.

“As I know, this is one of your nights, they either go for you, or they don’t and tonight has gone for him.

“Fair play to him, he deserves it. He works hard in training.”

Piggott now takes a keen interest in tomorrow’s second round tie between two of the Kent League’s superpowers.

“We’ve just had a big club, so we’ll worry about the other club’s tomorrow,” said Piggott.

“We’ll just enjoy our night tonight but Hythe and Faversham are big clubs, they’re big spending Kent League clubs who demand success and they’ll want that in the cup.

“But we may put a little doubt in their minds after tomorrow, how they’re going to approach the game against us.

He added: “Like I said to (my players before tonight’s game), it’s not a cup final for us, just because we’ve come to Erith & Belvedere and played in a cup game.

“This is not the pinnacle of our season. This is a second round tie and we said before the game we want to get into the third round . We want to play these teams every week.”

Erith & Belvedere’s joint-manager, Richie Radbourne, used the “F word” five times during his interview, which lasted only 53 seconds.

“I’m not going to talk about my team,” a fuming Radbourne told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“I want to talk about Hollands & Blair, wish them all the best, great result, coming here in the unknown really. They just kept going and going.

“We played them off the park for a good hour but didn’t get anywhere. They kept plugging away and ended up getting a result.”

When asked whether Hollands & Blair deserved the win on the night, Radbourne replied, “On possession, probably not!, on chances, maybe, on effort, yes!

“At the end of the day they kept going. Piggy’s (Piggott) a mate of mine, good luck to them. Let them reap the rewards of this. My team? Forget them!”

The club confirmed that their leading goalscorer, Ross Cable has left the club - and the much

travelled striker has re-signed for Kent League rivals Beckenham Town - along with Paul Gross.

A statement issued by the club earlier today said, “Ross Cable has left the club by mutual consent as he and the management team couldn’t agree on the players role at the club.

“His registration has been released by the club and he is free to join another club if he so desires. We’re sure that Ross will very soon be snapped up by someone and we would like to thank Ross for his efforts this season and look forward to meeting up with him again somewhere soon.”

Cable told www.kentishfootball.co.uk that he felt it was time to move on.

“I stopped enjoying football as the manager wanted me to just run for ninety minutes and do nothing else,” said the striker.

He added: “I would like to state that I loved playing with the players. They have by far the best goalkeeper in the league in Matt Bromby, the best ground, and everyone on the committee are brilliant people.”

Erith & Belvedere: Matt Bromby, Tom Binks, Joe Penny, Casey Scotter (David Conway 67), Dave Waters, Chris Hill, Lee Hales, Kevin Lott (Matt Bedford 75), Walid Matata, John-Paul Collier, Harbingi Grant (Dave Hassett 65).

Subs: Huseyin Budak, Louis Collins.

Goals: Walid Matata 3, Lee Hales 72, John-Paul Collier 110 (pen)

Booked: David Conway 90

Hollands & Blair: Lewis Flisher, Sean Hetterley, Darren Blackman, Sam Cormack (Mark Vernon 113), Martin May (, Billy Johnson, Cliff Eldridge (Lee Dengate 90), Ross Brookes, Ricky Freeman, Lee Preston, Bryan Greenfield.

Subs: Keiron Sharp, Craig Harvey, Sam Gutteridge.

Goals: Lee Preston 41, 57, Ricky Freeman 117

Booked: Cliff Eldridge 73, Bryan Greenfield 100, Ricky Newman 116

Attendance: 94

Referee: Mr Elad Amir (Maidstone)

Assistants: Mr Adam Back (Sidcup) & Mr Martin Bullock (Dartford)