Erith Town 4-0 Holmesdale - We know we haven't won anything, admits Erith Town boss Tony Russell

ERITH TOWN  4-0  HOLMESDALE
Kent Hurlimann Football League
Monday 20^th August 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Erith Sports Stadium

ERITH TOWN manager Tony Russell says his table-topping side were not at their best despite thrashing a Holmesdale side that slumped to the foot of the Kent Hurlimann Football League table after four games into the season.



The Dockers maintained their 100% record in the league with their fourth successive league victory and goalkeeper Kevin Fewell has now kept a clean sheet in 360 minutes of Kent League football following tonight’s comfortable 4-0 win over the struggling Bromley outfit.

Erith Town found themselves 2-0 up at the break when striker Tyrus Gordon, 25, became the joint leading goalscorer in the whole of Kent with his fifth goal of the season, before his partner up front Aaron Williams doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time.

Central defender, Cory Walters-Wright, 18, powered home a free-header from a corner nine minutes into the second half to kill the game off, before substitute striker Harry Stanhope scored a debut goal late on.

Russell, who at 33 has the tactical nous to manage/coach at a higher level, said: “I was a little bit nervous before the game. I had Ben Payne, our captain, Harry Montgomery and David Noel missing, so we shuffled it about a little bit, changed the formation as well so it was a little bit nerve racking especially early in the season to play two games in such a short space of time.”

Erith Town thrashed Greenwich Borough 8-0 here at the weekend, while Holmesdale suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Woodstock Sports.

Russell added: “I thought we were a little bit off it but I’d take that (4-0 win) all day long.”

Holmesdale boss Fabio Rossi, 50, admitted it was a bad day at the office.

He said: “It was very tough.  Erith are very good. They’ve got some good quality players. I don’t want to make excuses, I’ve got a lot of players out injured.  I’ve got another team that are injured. 

“The difference was I thought they had some very good front runners compared to ours.  We had played one up front because all our lads are injured basically so it was a very difficult game.”

Erith Town took a while to get into their stride and it was pointless Holmesdale that created the first chance of the game inside the opening eight minutes.

Central midfielder, Mitch Hyland, played the ball in from the right flank, which Erith Town left-back Lee Craig miss-kicked and lone target-man Steve Strotten cracked a left-footed shot on the turn narrowly wide of the foot of the far post from sixteen-yards.

Holmesdale keeper Jamie Williams made a comfortable save to his right to deny Walters-Wright scoring with a right-footed drive from sixteen-yards after Liam Burgess’ shot was blocked inside the penalty area following Jamie Humphris’ corner from the left.

But Erith Town opened the scoring in the 23^rd minute, courtesy of Gordon’s fifth goal of the season.

The striker, who was plucked out of the Kent County League by Russell last season, appeared to be offside when he latched onto Aaron Williams’ precise through ball, but the finish was excellent – drilling a low right-footed angled drive across Williams to find the far corner to score from sixteen-yards.

Both managers were asked whether they fought the goal was offside.

Rossi predictably said: “Our lads are telling us it was offside, but as Tony will tell you they would say that, but it looked offside to me!”

Russell added: “No! I don’t think so. We’ve been working on him on his movement and he bent his run around the back of the centre half.  I just think if you have good movement and you time the pass right – I don’t think personally it was offside.  I thought it was a good finish because he missed a few on Saturday as well.”

Russell explained why he has put the former Kent County League striker on a one-year contract.

He said: “We pulled him out of Charlton’s Community team last year.   A friend said about him. He was raw as and the best thing we done for him last year was we got a boy in from Ebbsfleet, Adam Williams, who has been coached and is a good player and he is now in their first team.

“The reason why we done it was purely because we got him fit and he as flying in pre-season and people were looking and someone would come in and offer him twenty quid more and off he’ll go and end up on the bench and start drifting around.  I had a chat with him and he trusts me.  I said give me a year. He’s still not the finished article but he’s got ability and I will set him up to go on at the end of the season.  I said if you get 30 goals under your belt then the offers will come in.   Between me and Razor (Ray Powell, my assistant), we know enough managers in non-league football to get him a good enough move.”

Jamie Williams made a comfortable catch after Humphris curled in a shot from just inside the Holmesdale penalty area after Gordon had laid the ball back to him following a left-wing corner was half cleared by the visiting team.

Erith Town are renowned for being a quality passing side and right-back Dean Morris swept the ball across to Craig, who played the ball into Gordon’s feet, who laid the ball back to Humphris’ who powered a right-footed drive wide from 25-yards.

Holmesdale were grateful to central defender Lyndsay Prescott-Kerr, who stuck out his left leg to deflect Humphris’ curling shot around the post after the ball came out to the Erith Town winger following a right-wing corner from Burgess, who impressed pulling all the strings while sitting in front of the back four.

But Holmesdale nearly caused a stir when they were twice denied by a fine double save from 31-year-old keeper Fewell.

Strotten flicked a pass through to release their leading goalscorer Nathan Taylor through on goal but he was denied his third goal of the season by Fewell, who advanced off his line to block the stroked shot with his body.  The keeper remained on the edge of his penalty area and blocked Toby Suda’s follow-up shot just six-yards or so away.

Russell said: “That’s what we spoke about at half-time. That was the only time during the game that we got opened up.

“But that’s what Kev’s there for at the end of the day!  He’s pretty much not had much to do all season so it’s about time he’s done something!”

Erith Town immediately went up the other end and doubled their lead on a quick counter attack to score within 30 seconds.

Gordon was released down the left flank and he whipped in an excellent low cross across the face of goal and Williams slid in at the far post to guide the ball into the bottom right-hand corner from two-yards out.

Rossi added: “We’re doing this a lot actually.  I don’t think we’re playing that badly.  We play some nice, neat football, but I haven’t added it up exactly but I think there was only one player over 23 out there today, with the amount of injuries that we’ve got.

“But some of the boys have done themselves credit.  In a few years’ time they’ll be really good.”

Both managers were asked what they told their players inside the dressing room during the interval.

Russell said: “To be honest with you, I wasn’t overly happy. I didn’t go mad at them.  I just thought we were sloppy. I thought we’re opening them up and getting into great areas in the final third but we were getting sloppy with our passing.

“It was almost too casual so we spoke about that and said we could’ve come in here one-all, having dominated the game, having absolute control of the game and we’ve got to be more clinical in the final third.  You’ve got to kill teams off sooner because it only takes one lapse and you find yourselves chasing the game.”

Rossi added: “We actually said keep it tight for 15 minutes and we’ll change the formation to 4-4-2 and try and have a go but we let another one in and that sort of went out of the window then.  We was trying to make sure we didn’t get a walloping!”

Holmesdale faced an uphill struggle but they created a couple of half-chances early in the second half.

Former Bromley Academy left-back Cristian Campbell launched a long throw into the box but Suda blasted high over the bar from 12-yards and then central defender Rob Curtis rose to head Rob Wells’ corner towards the far post wide.

But the game was over as a contest when Erith Town scored their third goal in the 56^th minute.

Man-of-the-match Burgess floated in an excellent precise corner from the right to the edge of the six-yard box and Walters-Wright powered a free-header past a static defence and keeper.

Rossi was clearly annoyed with his goalkeeper and central defenders for not averting the danger.

He said: “Not good enough!  The goalkeeper could have done better, should’ve come and got it! Defenders could have got in the way. We’ve got to be more competitive in the box really. If the goalkeeper ain’t coming, the centre halves have got to clear it!

Russell was full of praise for 21-year-old Burgess, calling him “different class”.

“We pride ourselves on things like that because we spend hours out here working on them.  I want to give the boys as much opportunity so the boys who are attacking the ball know exactly where the ball’s going to be and when you’ve got something like Liam he’s going to put it on the spot for you.

“Cory’s got two for us now and he’s a fantastic young player.  He’s only eighteen and he’s been absolutely brilliant.”

Holmesdale keeper Williams made a comfortable save beside his post just past the hour-mark after Humphris cracked a right-footed volley from 25-yards after a yellow shirted player headed away another Burgess corner from the right.

And Fewell was called into action when he dived to his right to block Suda’s swept right-footed shot after a lay-off from Strotten with twenty minutes left.

Erith Town should have scored when Humphris’ corner from the left sailed over the keepers head and Stanhope cut the ball back from the by-line but the unmarked Calum Comerford produced a central defender’s finish – caressing a side-footed volley just over from eight-yards.

Erith Town wrapped up the victory in the final four minutes, courtesy of Stanhope’s first goal for the first team.

Full marks go to substitute Shaquille Richards who robbed the ball off sloppy Curtis on the edge of the penalty area on the right hand side and the striker played a low centre across the face of goal and Stanhope applied the easiest of finishes, side-footing the ball into the bottom near corner from two-yards.

Russell said: “Shaq’s has had to be patient.  We’ve got decent midfielders but he’s been coming on and doing well.  I thought he came on and influenced the game really well.

“We’ve got big hopes for Harry to be fair. We do like him.  He’s 17-18.  Jon Main (a striker who now plays for Welling United) recommended him to us. I think he’s a family member of he’s. We had a look at him and he’s been scoring in the reserves and even when he’s been training with the first team he looks good. He just needs to learn a bit. He got whacked about a bit tonight when he came on and that will do him the world of good.

“A lovely bit of movement for the goal, even though it was a tap-in, but he took the defender away. He’s got good promise.”

Rossi felt Curtis, who came in for skipper Aaron Hamilton, who was unavailable through work commitments, should have done better.

“Rob’s done really well. Perhaps he needs to learn a little bit. He’s got bundled off the ball a bit there. He should’ve been stronger.”

But with five straight defeats in all competitions, Rossi admitted confidence has vanished from his side.

He said: “We had some chances, but we just didn’t take them!

“Real tough start.  It’s pretty disappointing.  It’s just the amount of injuries that we’ve had. Confidence drains quickly.  Pre-season went pretty well. We worked them hard but once the real stuff got going it was tough. Just too many injuries to deal with at the moment.”

Russell, meanwhile, is delighted with the big fat zero in the goals’ conceded column in the league table and his side’s 100% start in the league.

“In pre-season we didn’t keep one clean sheet and that was the thing that me and Razor were going mad about. We couldn’t keep a clean sheet for love or money,” said Russell.

“You’ve got to be realistic. The fixture secretary has been kind to us. We’ve had three home games. You always look to win your home games. We know we haven’t won nothing. It’s just a start. We’ve had a decent start that’s it! 

“The VCD’s, Beckenham’s and Erith & Belvedere’s are big, proper clubs. We’re just a club who play at a sports centre – what chance have we got?”

Erith Town: Kevin Fewell, Dean Morris, Lee Craig, Cory Walters-Wright, Calum Comerford, Chris Walker (Shaquille Richards 65), Liam Burgess, Peter Smith (Marcos Perona 79), Tyrus Gordon (Harry Stanhope 69), Aaron Williams, Jamie Humphris.
Subs: Ray Powell, Conrad Lee

Goals: Tyrus Gordon 23, Aaron Williams 45, Cory Walters-Wright 56, Harry Stanhope 86

Holmesdale: Jamie Williams, Paul Lyons (Mark Barber 61), Cristian Campbell, John Paul Collier (Arlie Desanges 73), Lyndsay Prescott-Kerr, Rob Curtis, Rob Wells (Francis Tshikaya 65), Mitch Hyland, Steve Strotten, Toby Suda, Nathan Taylor.
Subs: Mitesh Koria, Marcus Black

Booked: Nathan Taylor 87

Attendance: 55
Referee: Mr Valentine Anekwe (Bromley)
Assistants: Mr Stephen Roots (Tunbridge Wells) & Mr James Hewitt (Sutton at Hone)