Erith & Belvedere 7-0 Sidlesham - Deres maintain their high standards with seven-goal romp

Sidlesham arrived at Park View Road as the worst side in the second tier of Sussex County League football and were ripped apart by the Deres, who scored five second half goals, and stretched their unbeaten run to eight games.

But it took the Kent side 28 minutes to break the deadlock as striker Aiden Pursglove scored the first of his four goals, taking his goalscoring tally to 11 from only eight starts.

His strike partner, Nick Smith, substitute Huseyin Budak and right-sided midfielder Joby Thorogood also got on the score sheet in this mix-match at a warm and sunny Park View Road.

With Matt Bromby unavailable, christening his son, the Deres handed substitute reserve team goalkeeper Martyn Young his debut, and the 21-year-old had nothing to do, except for watching a thumping header from Steve Sneller bounce off his crossbar after 48 minutes following Bradley Miles’ free-kick.

Sidlesham, who arrived with no training footballs and no hope, could only muster three other off-target efforts, during the first half, when Roy Hunt, Jordan Willis and Miles were never going to trouble the debutant goalkeeper from outside the box.

Erith & Belvedere played the ball over the top of Sidlesham’s back four at every opportunity and the pace of Pursglove and Smith caused problems throughout.

The pair combined after just 115 seconds when Pursglove’s chipped pass released Smith, but his shot rolled into Steve Metheral’s grateful arms.

Metherll made a smart low save after 20 minutes, getting down quickly to his left to turn Matt Johnson’s drilled shot from thirty-yards around his near post.

Then midfielder Kevin Lott stung the goalkeeper’s fingers with an angled 25-yard piledriver, which the goalkeeper was relieved to beat away.

There was little surprise when Erith & Belvedere broke the deadlock after 28 minutes.

Johnson delivered a corner from the right hand side to the near post and Pursglove netted his first when he steered the ball into the net, through a crowded goal-mouth, from inside the six-yard box.

However, the Deres made the game safe with Pursglove’s second three minutes before half-time.

Full credit must go to left-sided midfielder John Gallaher who burst forward before centering - via a defender - for Pursglove, who fired the ball past Metheral.

Young was beaten for the only time early in the second half but was saved by the crossbar, but that was the only time that Sidlesham, who played with only one man up front throughout, caused problems.

Pursglove’s hat-trick followed after 53 minutes, keeping up his impressive record from the penalty spot.

Sidlesham left-back Ben Blansard insisted to referee Mr Adam Williams that his sliding challenge, which brought down Pursglove, was just outside the penalty area, but Pursglove got up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with a stroked right-footed penalty that found the bottom near corner.

Smith was desperate to get onto the score sheet and he squandered an excellent chance to do so soon after.

Latching onto another ball over the top, the former Lordswood striker annoyed Pursglove when he blazed his shot past the near post instead of squaring to his unmarked partner.

Then it was time for Pursglove to waste another opportunity when he fired wide after rounding the advancing Metheral.

But three goals in a devastating five minute spell gave the Deres a six-goal advantage and made Sidlesham look like a pub side.

Left-back Joe Penny joined in the action in the 62^nd minute when he cut open the Sidlesham defence and slid the ball to Smith, who cut inside two Sidlesham played and stroked a right-footed shot past the stranded Metheral into the bottom near corner from twenty-yards.

Despite an offside flag waved by assistant Mr Wayne Ingram, the referee finally awarded the goal after consulting his colleague.

Pursglove’s final act, before being substituted, was to score his fourth as he latched onto Lott’s defensive splitting pass from midfield and dinked the ball into the net.

Substitute Paul Gross, playing further up the field than normal, was thwarted by Metheral’s best save of the match, using his legs to prevent the drilled shot finding the corner.

But Pursglove’s replacement, Budak, did make it goal number six when he stroked home after being set-up by Smith’s low centre.

Budak scuffed his shot wide after Smith’s low centre from the left found it’s way to him, following an unintentional dummy from Gross from inside the penalty area.

And despite keeping ten men behind the ball during the build-up, Thorogood slammed a left-footed shot into the net from 25-yards to complete the rout - the seventh goal, scored by a player wearing the number seven shirt, in the 77^th minute.

Even the referee felt sorry for Sidlesham as he blew the final whistle four seconds early.

Erith & Belvedere’s joint-manager, Chris Cosgrove, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards, was kind when he spoke about Sidlesham.

“They’ve come here and gave it their best,” he said. “I don’t think they were the same sort of level with us, but credit to the boys, they were very poor, they battled and they didn’t give up.

“They kept going until the end so give them a bit of credit where credit’s due I feel.”

Cosgrove’s charges had to remain patient until the floodgates opened just before the half-hour mark as they struggled to break down a resilient side.

“That’s how you find teams when they come from not the same level as you,” said Cosgrove.

“For half-an-hour they’ll pack it out and then I think the fitness showed really to be honest.

“Second half, we were a lot fitter and we were patient. We were talking about patience and we got it right at the end - another round of the Cup to go to, which is nice.”

Pursglove, however, deserved the plaudits for his four-goal blast and Cosgrove also praised debutant goalkeeper Young, although he didn’t have to do much.

“Aiden’s been absolutely on fire,” beamed Cosgrove. “He’s got a good partner with him with Smithy (Nick Smith) and I feel the longer they play together the better they’re going to get basically. I think they’re going to be a good partnership.”

With eleven goals already this season, Cosgrove believes he can keep the non-contracted striker at Park View Road.

He said: “I feel the one thing that we’ve got at the moment is a very happy dressing room. There’s a great atmosphere at the club and I feel the only reason players will want to move at the moment is if they’re not getting into the team, which is what you’re always going to get.”

Explaining why Young was drafted in to replace Bromby, Cosgrove said: “There was a mistake on Matt’s part. He booked the christening thinking we we’re going to be playing on the Saturday, but obviously the game got changed to a Sunday.

“It’s his young boys’ christening, which you can’t blame him for, but Martyn stood in and done well.

“He’s young, I think 21, he’s very young for a goalkeeper, (but) it’s a nice game to blend a young goalkeeper like that in.

“He’s done very well, he’s done everything that he’s had to do. He’s only going to get better with that experience.”

Cosgrove has challenged his big squad to maintain their high standards.

However, the next team that will play in yellow and green will pose a much better threat - next Sunday’s FA Cup second qualifying round opponents, Godalming Town.

The Deres are more than capable of knocking out another Ryman League Division One South side - they did, after all, dump out Sittingbourne eight days ago.

Explaining that their eight-match unbeaten run is all down to “hard work”, Cosgrove has told his players to keep up their standards in order to keep their shirts.

And he even threatened to make changes for next Sunday’s FA Cup showdown against Chuck Martini’s side.

“What we’ve got in the team is hard work,” said Cosgrove. “Appreciate your places, appreciate being here. If you work hard you stay. If you drop your standards there’s a lot of people ready to step into your shoes.”

Cosgrove added: “The experts say never change a winning team, never change something that’s right. Obviously they know more than me - let’s see though.

“Let’s not give too many secrets away. I’m a bit unpredictable. You never know what I’m going to do.

“I might put out seven changes next week because there’s a lot of boys on that bench playing well.

“If there’s been any Godalming people here today there might be an entirely different team next week.

“There’s a lot of boys on the bench who deserve a game next week. It might be time to give them a game.”

Erith & Belvedere: Martyn Young, Mitchell Crawley, Joe Penny, Kevin Lott (Andrew Browne 77), Michael Adcock, Richard Radbourne, Joby Thorogood, Matt Johnson (Paul Gross 65), Aiden Pursglove (Huseyin Budak 65), Nick Smith, John Gallagher.
Subs: Matt Bedford, Ryan Robinson.

Goals: Aiden Pursglove 28, 42, 53 (pen), 65, Nick Smith 62, Huseyin Budak 67, Joby Thorogood 77.

Sidlesham: Steve Metheral, James Day, Ben Blansard, Leon Barnett, Steve Sneller, Chris Priest (Daniel Banks 70) Jordan Willis, Bradley Miles, Roy Hunt (Lee Mullen 22), Sam Edwards, Will Rolls.
Sub: Andy Probee.

Booked: Ben Blansard 53, Bradley Miles 82

Attendance: 86
Referee: Mr Adam Williams (Worcester Park, Surrey)
Assistants: Mr Wayne Ingram (New Maldon, Surrey) & Mr Colin Greenway (Witham, Surrey)