Erith Town 2-3 Beckenham Town - My players must fight for their place, says Huntley

Monday 25th January 2010

ERITH TOWN 2-3 BECKENHAM TOWN
(Beckenham Town won 5-2 on aggregate)
Bulmers Cider Kent League Cup Quarter-Final Second Leg
Monday 25th January 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Erith Sports Stadium

A LATE goal from striker Anthony Weir ensured Beckenham Town maintained their 100% record over under-achieving rivals Erith Town as they booked their place in the last four of the Kent League Cup, winning a five-goal thriller against ten-man Erith Town.

Gary Gorman and Weir both scored late goals to win the first leg at Eden Park Avenue just eight days ago, so the first goal at Erith Stadium was to be crucial.

Had Erith Town midfielder Lee Morgan not struck the post for the home side inside the opening three minutes, then that would have given the Dockers a lifeline.

But Gorman scored that all-important away goal after 16 minutes and scored again during a dominant spell for the visitors to put the tie beyond Erith Town’s reach.

Two goals in the space of seven minutes either side of the break from Morgan levelled the score on the night, but the Dockers hopes were dashed when they lost Morgan’s midfield partner Ted Hart to two yellow cards in the space of six minutes and Beckenham sealed their third win over the Dockers when Weir finished off a deadly counter attack.

Erith Town got out of the traps quickly, as they went in search of that morale-boosting goal, creating a couple of excellent chances inside the opening six minutes.

Right-back, Scott Lewis, who has been called up from the reserves, swung in an excellent free-kick with his right-foot and Morgan towered above everybody inside the penalty area but his header sailed across keeper Nick Blue and bounced to safety via the foot of the far post.

Striker Lee Coburn then escaped the Beckenham offside trap and should have done better than to chip the ball over the crossbar when he only had the exposed keeper to beat.

Beckenham Town were never going to sit back and defend, playing their part in a thoroughly entertaining game on a chilly night.

Skipper Nick Curren cracked a right-footed drive from 25-yards, which stung the fingertips of Tim Roberts, who, after parrying, saved at the second attempt.

However, the tie appeared to be dead an buried when Beckenham striker Gary Gorman responded to an ear bashing from his manager, following Saturday’s goal-less draw at home to much-improved side Sporting Bengal United.

Gorman got on the end of a pin-point left-wing cross from Durrand Jemmott and flicked a right-footed shot into the top right-hand corner from the edge of the six-yard box.

Another shot from outside the box by midfielder Curren ensured Roberts made yet another comfortable save and Gorman should have sent a towering header into the net, following Curren’s right-wing corner as the visitors dominated.

A shot on the turn from Gorman was hit straight at Roberts, before Beckenham deservedly doubled their lead on the night in the 40th minute.

Full marks must go to central defender Terry Khan who split the Erith defence with an excellent through ball to release the former Orpington striker down the inside right-channel and Gorman lashed an unstoppable drive with the outside off his right boot, crashing into the roof of the net from fifteen yards.

Erith Town, however, were given a lifeline in the 43rd minute when Morgan drilled a low shot with his right-foot past Blue from the edge of the penalty area after Lee Coburn cut the ball back to him from inside the penalty area.

Then, following Joe Plant’s swung in corner from the left, Erith Town skipper Dean Kearley powered a header straight into Blue’s grateful arms.

The game turned on it’s head as Morgan netted again in the 50th minute, to make it 4-2 on aggregate in Beckenham’s favour.

Morgan was brought down by Curren and got up to send Blue the wrong way from the penalty spot with a right-footed penalty, which found the bottom left-hand corner.

Erith Town began to believe that they could grab something from the game, but they squandered an excellent chance just two minutes later.

Plant’s corner caused mayhem inside the goalmouth and Morgan’s header dropped kindly to James Taylor, who spun and flicked the ball agonisingly past the foot of the far post.

However, all hopes of emulating last season’s amazing semi-final win over Hythe Town were put to bed when Hart was shown his second yellow for a crunching challenge on Andy Callaghan after 68 minutes.

Beckenham were now in full control for the remainder of the game and missed some good chances.

They turned defence into attack after Blue punched away Plant’s in-swinging free-kick up field and Weir released Jemmott with a fine pass, but the striker’s right-footed chip was plucked out of the air by an exposed Roberts.

Erith Town did create a couple of decent chances, but the damage was already done.

Collins bent a left-footed free-kick around the wall from 30-yards, which forced Blue into making a low save in front of his body.

And Blue dived full-length to his left to make the save of the match in the final three minutes to ensure Coburn’s right-footed drive from similar distance was turned aside for a corner.

Beckenham scored the winning goal with time running out, scoring on the counter attack.
Substitute James Hughes was released down the right and after cutting inside his fierce shot was beaten out by Roberts at his near post and Weir smashed a low drive down the middle of the goal to become the first side to book their semi-final place.

“We made a little hard work of it to be honest,” admitted Beckenham Town boss Jason Huntley, when he spoke to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“The tie should’ve been wrapped up at the home game. I don’t know if you was there at the home game, but we should’ve been five to be fair.

“The most important thing was not conceding at home, which we didn’t, and I told them the first quarter was going to be very important (tonight), not to concede early.

“To be fair to then they came out the traps very well, played some nice football for ten minutes and they could’ve had two goals, maybe would’ve made it a different night for us, but we weathered the storm, got the all-important away goal and I think from then it set amongst the team we’ve done enough by then.

“Going 2-1 down they’ve got a mountain to climb. I spoke to the lads at half-time. I said ‘look, I don’t want us to concede, not worried about scoring anymore. If it happens it comes in our general play but just be disciplined, keep our back four solid and I’d be happy with it.’

“They had their lad dismissed, but by then the game was over by then.”

Huntley was pleased that Gorman took notice of his words following Saturday’s display.

“He’s starting to hit the target now, Gary,” he said. “I had a little bit of a rumpus with him Saturday because he could’ve had a few, he missed a couple of sitters.

“I did have a chat with him and I told him and he’s answered in the best way possible and scored two goals tonight.”

With his chairman Chris McCarthy insisting that the Kent League Cup is the only competition that the Eden Park Avenue outfit have a chance of winning, Huntley says he wants to guide his side to the final.

“It’s always nice to keep a cup run going, because it keeps everyone interested and it makes everyone fight for their place,” said Huntley, who guided the club to the third round of the FA Carlsberg Vase this season.

“If you’ve got nothing to play for then people start cheating by not turning up at training and start turning up late and that bad discipline starts creeping into the team so it’s nice to keep on a cup run.

“Hopefully we can get to this final and it keeps our season going right through to the end.”

After his post-match words at his players, Erith Town manager Steve O’Boyle grabbed a sandwich before marching into the match officials’ dressing room to discuss why his side finished the game with ten-men.

And after emerging, following his discussion with Mr Constantine Hatzidakis, O’Boyle told www.kentishfootball.co.uk that he wasn’t happy with the night’s events.

“Not happy with the referee tonight,” stormed O’Boyle. “I thought the bloke at the end of the game done exactly the same as Teddy Hart’s first booking, he obviously let the geezer get away with it.

“Not happy with his performance but that’s got nothing to do with the result really. I did say to him (the referee) I’d go and have a chat with him after the game so that’s what I’ve done.”

O’Boyle was pleased with his side’s start to the game, but a couple of chances weren’t taken and the Dockers were then on the back foot for the rest of the first half.

“We started the first half really well, had a couple of good chances,” he reflected. “I thought we started better, we were the better team but they got a goal out of nothing really and from then on they bossed the whole off the first half.

“They were the better side and they deserved their 2-0 lead really.”

Speaking about Weir’s late winner, O’Boyle said, “The goal at the end was a nothing…. We’ve sent everyone up for a corner and they’ve broke on us. That’s just chasing the game so that’s a nothing.”

He added: “I’ve got to say to you though, coming back to two-all, I’d like to have taken a draw out of the game, taken a positive out of it.”

The Erith Town boss admitted the game was lost at Eden Park Avenue last week.

“We kicked ourselves down there,” O’Boyle admitted. “They’ve got a late goal, a bad goal, but we haven’t been playing well - underachieving - and too many players are having off days at the moment so we’ve addressed that tonight at half-time.

“We’ve had a bit of, what’s the word? A hairdryer at half-time and told them it’s not good enough.

“I thought we were positive second half, worked hard and I thought we maybe edged the second half.”

Erith Town: Tim Roberts, Scott Lewis, Laurence Collins (Alan Hanlon 77), Lee Morgan, Dean Kearley, Tom Hopkins, Joe Plant (Steve Diamond 77), Ted Hart, Lee Coburn, James Taylor, Harry Montgomery.
Subs: Aran Heyrettin, Sam Prett, Tony Prime.

Goals: Lee Morgan 43, 50 (pen)

Booked: Ted Hart 62, Lee Coburn 59

Sent off: Ted Hart 68

Beckenham Town: Nick Blue, Danny Gorman, Danny Lawson, Paul Gross, Terry Khan (James Holder 76), Andy Callaghan (James Hughes 76), George Belchamber, Nick Curran, Anthony Weir, Gary Gorman (Darren Wise 76), Durrand Jemmott.
Subs: Jason Clews, Josh Hawkins.

Goals: Gary Gorman 16, 41, Anthony Weir 90

Attendance: 70
Referee: Mr Constantine Hatzidakis (Eltham, London SE9)
Assistants: Mr Ryan Whitaker (Bexleyheath) & Mr Daniel Geary (Chatham)