Erith Town 2-1 VCD Athletic - Someone's going to get a good hiding, warns Erith Town's Tony Russell

ERITH TOWN  2-1  VCD ATHLETIC
Kent Hurlimann Football League
Monday 15^th August 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Erith Sports Stadium

ERITH TOWN manager Tony Russell warns his Kent League rivals that “someone’s going to get a good hiding” after his side impressed during their win over local rivals VCD Athletic.

Vickers arrived on the back of an opening day 2-1 win over Woodstock Sports and the Crayford based visitors’ would have climbed to the top of the table with at least a point.

Erith Town were keen to bounce back from their opening day 3-1 defeat at Deal Town, where they were reduced to eight-men after Nick Davis, Liam Burgess and Michael Phillips were all sent-off at the Charles Sports Ground.

VCD Athletic grabbed the lead, against the run of play, through striker Michael McKenna’s first goal for the club after 36 minutes.

They almost doubled their lead early in the second half, but Greg Benbow struck the near post, but they were made to pay for that miss as a quality 35-yard strike from Burgess, 18, restored parity as Erith Town took one of their many chances.

Erith Town pressed for a winner, and it finally came in the third minute of injury time, through midfield playmaker, Phillips, 28, who bent the ball around a crowd of players from 25-yards to find the bottom far corner.

However, assistant referee, Mark Joy raised an offside flag as he thought the ball took a deflection of Lewis Wood’s backside, but referee Karl May, who let the game flow throughout, awarded the goal to kick-start the Dockers’ season.

The goal clearly upset Vickers’ boss Ricky Bennett, as he visited the referee’s room after the final whistle for an explanation.  He declined a request for a post-match interview.

His assistant manager, Andy Silk, 38, said, “What can you do?  There’s nothing you can do about it now!

“Well, the boys’ said that the fella has jumped over the ball.  The linesman has put his flag up, they’ve gone over, the ref’s had a word and they’ve come up with the decision – so basically it’s one of them.”

Russell added: “When we scored, I’m jumping up, the linesman’s flagged – I couldn’t understand what he’s talking about!

“Their bench said it might’ve taken a deflection.  From where we stand, you can’t say, you can’t.  All I’ve seen him bend it in the bottom corner.  I didn’t see anything else.  I didn’t see a deflection but the VCD boys aren’t happy.  There’s obviously a reason why they’re not happy.   I don’t know, without speaking to them about it, I don’t know.   I’m just relieved it’s gone in.  I’m not worried about what people think!”

Both sides created eight chances between them in a free-flowing opening twenty minutes.

McKenna’s angled drive was saved comfortably by Erith Town goalkeeper Kevin Fewell beside his near post.

Erith Town’s debutant striker, Ricky Freeman, who has signed from Kent Invicta League side Hollands & Blair, was denied by visiting keeper Jack Bradshaw, who saved low beside his left hand post.

Burgess swung in a corner from the right and the ball was met by a towering header from Erith Town skipper, Ben Payne, but Bradshaw dropped the ball whilst under pressure from Freeman.

VCD Athletic tried their luck with three shots from outside of the penalty area.  Firstly, Mark Allen’s right-footed half-volley from 35-yards sailed over after the ball dropped down for him and then Aiden Pursglove’s low right-footed drive was saved by Fewell, low to his left, and then Billy Bennett fizzed a right-footed drive just past the foot of the near post.

Freeman should have scored a debut goal in the 17^th minute as he was played in by a terrific pass from Burgess, but his right-footed chip dropped wide of the post when put through on goal.

Erith Town missed another decent chance when Burgess swung in another corner and Peter Smith’s bullet header from four-yards was held above head height by Bradshaw, a reflex save.

VCD Athletic left-back, Laurence Collins, meanwhile, almost scored against his previous club, when he curled a left-footed free-kick around the wall and Fewell made a comfortable save.

And at the other end, Smith released Freeman through on goal but the Erith Town striker ballooned his shot over when well placed.

However, Russell refused to blame his skipper Payne for the 36^th minute mistake that helped VCD Athletic to grab the lead.

Payne attempted to sweep the ball to his defensive partner Davis some 35-yards from goal and his pass went straight to Aiden Pursglove, who then burst forward down the right channel.  The striker did ever so well to maintain possession as Erith left-back Lee Craig forced him wide, but Pursglove managed to play the ball across the penalty area to find an unmarked McKenna, who swept a right-footed shot low to the well-beaten keeper’s right.

Russell said: “When you ask people to play from the back and pass the ball, you’ve got to be prepared to make a mistake.  You’ve got to be brave enough and if you make a mistake, it’s going to happen.  I’ve always said to them, I won’t moan at them.  I’m more worried when people don’t show for the ball or don’t want to get on to the ball.

“To be fair, the boys’ know what I’m like.  We’ll get goals out of it.  We wore VCD down.  We moved them everywhere, we passed the ball, they couldn’t get the ball off us. 

“I told them at half-time, ‘just keep knocking on the door, they wouldn’t be able to live with us’.  All I knew we’d create chance after chance and eventually if you create enough chances you’re going to score goals.”

Erith Town were dangerous from Burgess’ corners and after Payne nodded the ball down, the ball dropped to Smith, whose close range shot was blocked on the line by Vickers’ right-back, Jack Asbury, who injured himself in the process and needed treatment.

However, a defining 58 seconds followed at the start of the second half, as a post denied Vickers a second goal – only for a post to aid Erith Town scoring a 49^th minute leveller.

Allen played the ball over the top of the Erith Town defence and Benbow’s left-footed shot sailed across Fewell and agonisingly crashed off the far post.

That miss proved costly, however, as Erith Town swiftly levelled.

Freeman, who was inside the penalty area, cut the ball back along the ground for the unmarked Burgess, who cracked a stunning right-footed curler from 35-yards, which flew past the diving Bradshaw, clipped the right-hand post before dropping into the net.

Silk said: “They scored just after Greg hit the post.  We could’ve been 2-0 up but that’s football, what can you do?"

Russell described Burgess’ finish as “absolute class.”

“To be fair, the boys’ have been giving him a bit of stick,” he explained. “He’s been on free-kicks last year and he kept on dinking them up to the goalkeeper so the boys’ were saying to him in training the other day ‘he shoots like a 10-year-old’.

But a slip prevented the teenager securing a deal with Blue Square Bet South neighbours Welling United, as Russell explained.

“He’s class, absolutely class.  I phoned up Jamie Day (the Welling United player-manager).  They had a look at him, he (Liam) killed himself really because he went on a boys’ holiday halfway through it.

“He came back and never showed really what he’s got and when we played against them down here he didn’t play well and I said ‘leave it now, you’ve got to get your head down now and show everyone what a good player you are,’ and he’s done that.  He’s class.  The boy’s absolutely class.”

Phillips, who should be showing his craft at a higher level of football, curled a right-footed free-kick from 23-yards into Bradshaw’s gloves, before Alex Tiesse cut in from the left and looped a shot against the top of the far post and out for a goal-kick.

Erith Town carved open another good chance with fifteen minutes remaining when, following a slick, one touch four man move, Smith put substitute Billy Shinners through on goal, but Bradshaw came rushing off his line to block with his body.

Erith Town waited until 47:43 on the clock before scoring the winner that their play deserved.

Chris Walker found Phillips unmarked some 25-yards from goal, and the former Maidstone United midfielder bent a low right-footed shot around a crowd of players and the ball nestled into the bottom far corner.

It took the referee 51 seconds to come to the decision that the goal should stand – a decision that upset Vickers’ players, and Collins was booked for protesting, to join Collins (who earlier told Mr May to f*** off) in the book for dissent.

However, VCD Athletic almost grabbed an equaliser at the death, a full-length catch from a diving Fewell ensured Collins’ curling left-footed free-kick from 25-yards didn’t find the far corner.

VCD Athletic lost only four of their 30 league games as they finished in third place last season, but Silk isn’t too concerned.

“Tony’s got them playing nice football again.  You see it took half-hour, we kept our shape, we’ve scored from just organisation. It was a good goal, good play from us really,” said Silik, who was handed his Bromley debut by George Wakeling, who was one of many former and current managers in the crowd tonight.

“They do knock the ball around well.  We kept our shape, we were organised.  We was really pleased with the first half.”

Silk added: “With 28 games left, you don’t look at the tables until there’s ten games, maybe twelve games gone.  All we’ve said to the boys’ is get a reaction.  All last year if we had an inept performance or a bad result, we reacted well and hopefully we put it right and move on.”

Highly-rated Russell, meanwhile, was pleased with his side’s passing game.

“To be fair, with the greatest respect, we could’ve won by four or five really,” he said.

“First half, out of nothing, we just gave them the goal and you’re backs against the wall.  You just have to take your chances.  That’s what I said to them at half-time.”

Russell feels his players’ have enough quality in their ranks to win by more.

He said: “I know what I’ve got in our dressing room.  I know we’ll be a handful.  Someone’s going to get a good hiding off us – if we keep playing like that.  If we keep moving the ball quick and people are going to score goals.

“I don’t know if VCD had a bad day, but I think we didn’t give them a chance to get in the game from the first minute, they just couldn’t get the ball of us.”

Erith Town: Kevin Fewell, Dean Morris, Lee Craig, Nick Davis, Ben Payne, Michael Phillips, Liam Burgess, Chris Walker, Ricky Freeman (Billy Shinners 53), Alex Tiesse (Lewis Wood 79), Peter Smith.
Subs: James Hawkins, Calum Comerford.

Goals: Liam Burgess 49, Michael Phillips 90

VCD Athletic: Jack Bradshaw, Jack Asbury, Laurence Collins, Casey Scotter, George Mitchell, James Lawrence, Mark Allen (Daryl Wheeler 69), Billy Bennett (Karl Dent 79), Aiden Pursglove (Michael Cullen 69), Michael McKenna, Greg Benbow.
Subs: Tom Gamblin, Liam Hickey.

Goal:  Michael McKenna 36

Booked: Greg Benbow 83, Laurence Collins 90

Attendance: 80
Referee: Mr Karl May (Gillingham)
Assistants: Mr Stephen Cole (Borough Green) & Mr Mark Joy (Halling)