Kentish Football 
Erith & Belvedere 2-3 Tunbridge Wells - I do believe a play-off push is not out of the question, says Tunbridge Wells manager Steve Ives
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Erith & Belvedere 
2 –
3 
Tunbridge Wells |
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| Location | Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY |
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| Kickoff | 17/11/2024 15:00 |
ERITH & BELVEDERE 2-3 TUNBRIDGE WELLS
Presence & Co Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division
Sunday 17 November 2024
Stephen McCartney reports from Park View Road
TUNBRIDGE WELLS manager Steve Ives says he believes a Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division Play-Off push is not out of the question after claiming a dramatic last-gasp victory over injury-hit Erith & Belvedere at Park View Road.
Tunbridge Wells grabbed the lead on the stroke of half-time through striker Jacob Feasey’s sixth goal of the season, before recalled Erith & Belvedere striker Dieko Falade lashed in the equaliser.
Tunbridge Wells restored their lead through a clinical strike from right-back Harry Hudson, before an ugly game of direct football sprung into life inside stoppage time.
Erith & Belvedere goalkeeper Charlie Cottrell went up into the other penalty area and won a controversial penalty, which was tucked home by Frederick Baker’s fourth goal of the season.
However, Tunbridge Wells snatched the victory with the penultimate touch of the ball, with centre-half Ryan Hine claiming the winner, following Hudson’s eighth-long throw into the box.
“Late drama is definitely a correct summary,” said Ives.
“I felt both sides were going for the win and that kind of lead to quite an entertaining game.
“I felt we had plenty of chances to put the game to bed at 2-1 up, just couldn’t quite get it over the line for us but to give Erith & Belvedere their credit, they just kept on making attacking substitutions and they didn’t lie down, which I wouldn’t expect them to.
“To be honest, I thought it was going to be a draw. Quite clearly when they equalised that late on, I thought it was going to be a point and I was sort of thinking to myself before the game I might’ve taken a point but I would’ve been a bit gutted in the context of the game.”
Disappointed Erith & Belvedere joint-manager Billy Hamlin added: “I thought we were flat, very, very flat. When you score in the last minute, injury-time and to go and concede in literally the last 10 seconds, was unacceptable!
“We should’ve done better. We should’ve cleared our lines. We know the kid’s got a long throw. We haven’t competed all day. We’ve been flat all day and if we had nicked a point, in my opinion, we probably nicked it really because I don’t think we were very good!
“But like I said to you last week mate, we’re playing more or less the same 11 every single week at the moment and the boys have gone to Bearsted and got us in the next round of the Vase, so I’m really, really disappointed but there’s a reason why we were flat today.
“We’ve had three 17-year-olds on the bench, They had a game this morning, they played for our under 18s and they’ve come down here just to fill the bench so it looks like we’ve got five (substitutes).”
Shannon McEvoy’s treatment table has Tunde Aderonmu (knee), Rob Curtis (ankle), Danny Lear (ACL), Ross Morley (back), Rob Strachan (knee) and Daniel Parkinson joined them after suffering a broken right ankle during the opening stages of the goal-less draw at Bearsted in The FA Vase Second Round last Saturday, which Erith & Belvedere won 4-2 on penalties – and striker Tommy Whitnell was ruled out today due to a toe infection.
Goalkeeper Cottrell played despite suffering from illness and picked up a hip injury, broken finger and a gash to his ankle during today’s game.
Hamlin also revealed post-match that left-back Ronnie McClean (groin) and central midfielder Frederick Cray (knee) were playing with knocks.
Tunbridge Wells, meanwhile, were without Festos Kamara (dead leg), Rory Ward (holiday), Joshua Woodliffe (toe ligaments) and centre-half Siji Akinlusi pulled up with a bout of cramp in the build-up to Falade scoring his third goal of the season.
Cottrell was the busier of the two goalkeepers and he was called into action after only 108 seconds following the away side’s first of two corners.
Striker Regan Corke swung the ball in from the left and the ball fell to Hudson at the far post and he stabbed his shot towards goal from three-yards, which forced Cottrell to grab hold of the ball, low to his right.
“He’s a very good shot-stopper isn’t he,” said Ives.
“We’ve moved Regan onto corner delivery after his exploits against Hassocks (3-0 win on penalties in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw in The FA Vase). He put some really good balls in late, against them, which got us back into the game and we scored from a corner as well.
“I actually felt dead ball, whether it was corners or whether it was Harry’s long throw, I thought we were causing them a lot of trouble throughout the game.”
Hamlin added: “Like I said last week, he’s a fantastic goalkeeper. He’s been struggling all week ill. We think he’s broken his finger. He’s got a nasty gash on his ankle from when he’s taken over for the penalty, so he’s in the wars but we can’t afford to lose him, but he’s a tough boy Charlie. I’m sure he’ll be fine!”
There was little quality and both sides treated the ball like a hot potato but Erith & Belvedere were playing the better football during the first half, but lacked the quality to call visiting goalkeeper George Bentley into making a save.
Ives admitted: “They’re a relatively direct side and to be honest we’re relatively direct at times as well, so I guess you’re saying the ball was going backwards and forwards a lot, which I won’t dispute that but that’s who we are, that’s how we play, I can’t really dress it up.”
Joe Chalker cut in from the right wing into the middle before working the ball to Baker on the left and he slipped in McClean, who put in a low cross but a poor first touch from attacking midfielder Ladic Melconian ensured the ball rolled harmlessly wide of the left-hand post from 15-yards.
There were several players wating at the far post for Melconian’s free-kick some 45-yards from goal and Melconian played the free-kick short to Chalker, who played the ball back to his former Erith Town team-mate, who cut inside and arrowed a right-footed drive from 30-yards over the top of the far post.
Hamlin said: “If it rattles in the top corner, you’re not surprised because he’s (Melconian) that good!
“We weren’t really at it today. We’ve lost a lot of second balls and they got a b*****king at half-time and we came out better in the second half.
“Joe Chalker has been electric this season and he was a bit quiet today. Ronnie shouldn’t have played today but he’s played.
“You want to dig them out and say ‘look, we weren’t good enough today', but there’s a reason why we weren’t good enough and I can’t be too hard on them because I know what’s going on in the background.
“We’ve scored in the last minute and then conceded, yes that’s rubbish. You shouldn’t do that but there’s some of them out there who shouldn’t be playing, it’s as simple as that.”
Erith & Belvedere were shading the first half and they kept knocking on the door and created another effort from outside the box in the 34th minute.
McClean slipped a 10-yard pass along the turf to feed Baker, who easily cut inside Tunbridge Wells’ holding midfielder James Shield, before flashing his right-footed angled drive across the keeper and past the foot of the far post from 20-yards.
“I think speculative would be the word I’d probably use,” added Ives.
“I think when we set up with the three at the back and Jack Walder and James Shield sitting in front, it’s very hard to penetrate us, so that does mean people are restricted to long-range shots. I don’t recall Bents being seriously troubled by anything.”
Hudson lined up his third long throw in the 42nd minute, which produced a superb reaction save from Cottrell.
Akinlusi flicked the ball on from within a crowd of players at the near post and the former Stansfeld stopper dived to his left to palm towards safety and the 10-goal striker Regan Corke lacked composure and lashed his shot over the crossbar.
“You’ve highlighted another dead ball and the keeper’s made another good save. I would’ve said, on the sort of save count, their keeper probably had the busier day,” added the Tunbridge Wells manager.
Hamlin added: “It was a fantastic save wasn’t it, a great save. We were looking right down the barrel of it. It was a fantastic save but it’s what you expect from him. He’s that good, so we expect him to make those saves.”
Tunbridge Wells grabbed the lead with 43 minutes and 45 seconds on the clock, following Hudson’s fourth long throw.
The ball came out to the edge of the box where Lewis Unwin – who played behind the front two – teed up an unmarked Corke, who drove a right-footed drive towards the bottom far corner from 20-yards. Cottrell dived to his right and spilt the ball and Feasey swept his first-time right-footed shot into the back of the net from inside the six-yard box.
Ives said: “That’s what a striker gets for following things up. Feasey spent a lot of time watching (our former striker) Trevor McCreadie last season and that’s the sort of goal that he’s starting to score, that Trev would score.
“I did fell like their keeper made a lot of good saves but I did feel there is the opportunity for rebounds, so I’m glad we took one.”
Hamlin added: “If you add the three goals up together, they’ve scored inside 10 yards, haven’t they?
“Charlie’s made the save and they’ve had a tap in from three-yards. We said to them at half-time, as soon as the ball goes out of the box, you’ve got to be pressing the shot and you see it every day of the week, you see it on Match of the Day all the time don’t you, people have shots and they stand offside.”
Both manager’s were asked their thoughts at the interval. The crowd of 135 hoped for more quality on the pitch.
Hamlin said: “We were very, very flat, very, very flat. We weren’t our normal self but you’re having a go at them and you’re saying ‘raise your game!’ and what not but at the back of your mind you’ve got boys taking pain killers and boys getting rubbed down at half-time. It’s a double-edged sword.
“You’re not happy but they’re still trying for you and some of them shouldn’t be on the pitch, so you can’t be too hard on them.”
Ives added: “Other than addressing how they were playing, which was pretty much what they thought they’d do, 4-2-3-1 with the right-winger cutting inside and the right-back looking to kick on and give them a little bit of width.
“I felt we were managing them pretty well. It was just a question of concentration and not giving them something from a mistake, which as it was, was exactly what we did unfortunately, but that’s life. We’re Step Five footballers and coaches.”
Erith & Belvedere created an opening following their first of three corners when after 72 seconds, McClean swung the ball in from the left and Melconian’s near-post header flew over Bentley’s crossbar.
However, Erith & Belvedere restored parity (8:51), thanks to some sloppy Tunbridge Wells defending, following Samuel Smith’s throw in from the right.
Akinlusi collapsed off the ball and this allowed Cray to recycle the ball back into the box from the right. Tunbridge Wells’ centre-half James White failed to clear his lines and a lucky bounce fell to Falade, who rifled his left-footed drive into the top left-hand (far) corner from 12-yards on the angle.
Hamlin said: “A great finish isn’t it? Dieko got three in four now. He’s really ticking since he’s gone through the middle.
“Dane (Luchford), the coach said to Dieko at half-time, 'he wasn’t running the channels, he was too central and he wasn’t moving' and then all off a sudden he came alive a little bit in the second half didn’t he and he caused a real big threat.”
Ives added: “Siji’s come back from a meniscus tear so I was a bit concerned that he done it again but he just locked up with cramp.
“I did say at half-time they’re more likely to score from a lapse of concentration from us rather than a moment of quality and as it was, it was a mistake from us that’s let them get the goal.
“It was more what happened before (the goal) with Siji slipping and cramping his leg up, which left him incapacitated on the floor and even then I felt we had a chance to clear our lines and it came in. It felt like a cheap one.
“I mean, a goalscorers goal, I guess from Dieko. He’s been with us for a little bit of time. I know he’s a good finisher. I know we had to be on our toes to keep him quiet and that’s what goalscorers do. Both number nines have popped up between the posts and both got a goal.”
Feasey was guilty of a glaring miss when Erith & Belvedere centre-half Anthony Morrison opened the gate on the hour-mark.
Tunbridge Wells’ left-back Ryan Moir whipped in a deep cross which picked out the unmarked Feasey, who drilled his right-footed angled drive across the keeper and past the far post from eight-yards.
“It was a big chance and you just kinda felt we needed that second goal,” admitted Ives.
“I felt we were knocking on the door to take the lead again. We don’t score enough goals so 1-0 is a dangerous score to have to rely on and quite clearly we weren’t able to, so then it was just a question of whether we can crank it up.
“What I would say, is we had an attacking bench today and I had a lot of confidence if we needed to, we could bring the boys on to get us over the line.”
Hamlin admitted; “We weren’t at it and we didn’t win enough second balls. We won the first contact but didn’t get out to him. We just wasn’t at it was we, just wasn’t at it.”
Unwin drew a foul from Morrison and Tunbridge Wells scored from the resulting free-kick, timed at 23 minutes and 56 seconds on the clock.
Moir floated the ball into the box from the right, holding midfielder Jack Walder knocked the ball across the face of the penalty area and Hudson produced a clinical first-time finish to place his shot across the keeper to find the far corner from eight-yards.
Ives said: “We’ve got a lot of threat. Harry’s a bit of a silent assassin because he’s not the biggest lad but he’s got a real good jump on him.
“It’s quite pleasing because we spend a lot of time working on dead ball and it’s paid a little bit of a reward today.
“When we play at the Culverden, it’s a bit of a necessity, obviously we’re playing on a good surface today, but we’re not able to just switch from being one sort of football to completely different, so I was pleased it was effective.”
Hamlin added: “Anyone knows, as a former defender myself, as soon as that ball goes out five yards, you get up six and we just stayed in the box!
“I think we had two men more or less on the goal line playing him onside. We didn’t get round the pitch enough and we wasn’t sharp in our heads today. Everything was a bit lethargic and we didn’t make the right decisions when we should’ve done.”
There was some controversy when Erith & Belvedere were denied an equaliser (31:45) thanks to a Christopher Bowdery’s offside flag, after Falade was fouled on the edge of the box.
Bentley lined up a four-man wall and Falade’s left-footed free-kick from 20-yards forced Bentley into punching the ball straight to Samuel Smith, who put the ball into the net but the offside flag was raised and the goal was chalked off.
Hamlin said: “We didn’t think he was offside because when the free-kick has been taken, we don’t think he’s offside but natural reaction, the lino looked up and he’s there on his own so he’s naturally going to give it.”
Ives added: “It was a good save, probably the one he’s actually had to make. There were a lot of goalmouth scrambles throughout the course of the game and it wasn’t really any different last week against Hassocks. There are a lot of sides playing quite direct football, so sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.”
Erith & Belvedere were reduced to 10 men (35:07-45:43) as substitute midfielder Ryan Fowler was thrown in the sin-bin by referee Byron Beard.
There were to be no goalscoring chances during this period, but the game exploded into life during stoppage time.
Erith & Belvedere substitute winger Tyller Davis-Whitlock fed the ball along the deck to Baker, who switched a diagonal cross over to the unmarked Smith, who lacked composure inside the box and failed to get a shot off to cause any alarm for Bentley.
Referee Beard pointed to the spot (50:23) despite Walder getting a touch on the ball before he followed through on Cottrell’s ankle and many of Tunbridge Wells' players hotly disputed the decision at the officials.
Erith & Belvedere grabbed the equaliser, with 53 minutes and 24 seconds on the clock, when Baker held his nerve and stroked his right-footed penalty straight down the middle, as Bentley dived to his left.
Hamlin said: “Fair play to Fred, he’s always keeps on saying he wants the penalties. Dan Parkinson was our penalty taker but obviously Dan is out now but he’s had the nuts to stand up and take it the young kid and fair play to him.
“We said in there after the game it’s the only time in both boxes that we’ve committed to anything. It’s taken our goalkeeper to go up in the last seconds of the game and he’s committed to the corner, he’s gone in and attacked it and we’ve won the penalty. We haven’t attacked anything in our box or in the box all day to be fair.”
Reflecting on his goalkeeper’s knocks, Hamlin replied: “He’s struggling. His ribs are hurting. He’s potentially got a broken finger. He didn’t get much protection today did he? With the penalty at the end, he’s got a nasty gash on his ankle and he’s been feeling rough all week, so he’s had a great week, bless him.”
Ives said: “I mean, credit where credit’s due. Erith & Belvedere did not lie down, they were back to the full complement of 11becuase Fowler got sin-binned and to give them their dues they were throwing everything at it.
“We weren’t clearing our lines well enough and I think we ended up conceding a couple of throw-ins, which I think was the run-in to the penalty.
“They’ve rolled the dice, they’ve sent the keeper up. You’ve seen it happen a lot, you rarely see it end in a positive outcome.
“I spoke to the referee after the game and he said that Walder ‘won the ball cleanly,’ but he just said, ‘it was an over-aggressive follow through.’
“It would’ve been a harsh way to lose two points. It was a good penalty, he’s sent Bents the wrong way and I’m sort of sitting there thinking to myself would I have taken a point before we came here and the answer is we possibly would’ve done, based on their league position, based on their current form.”
However, the home side threw it all away, as Tunbridge Wells snatched the victory, following Hudson’s eighth-long throw, with 54 minutes and 40 seconds on the clock.
Hudson launched the ball into the box from the right and up came Hine to flick his header into the top right-hand corner to score his second goal of the campaign.
Ives said: “But the boys had other ideas and never say die attitude. When we won the throw-in, I did say ‘one more chance, we’re going to have one more chance.’
“We’re giving it to Hinsey. We do work on the kick-offs, so it was quite pleasing to have one hit the sort of areas we want it to. It’s given us one more opportunity. We work on the throw-ins, it’s come up trumps.
“There does seem to be a little bit of a debate (on who got the final touch) but where I was standing, I’m pretty sure Hinsey’s flicked it.
“Did we deserve to win? I don’t know. What do you think? Put it this way, it would’ve been gutting to have the three (points) slip through our fingers in stoppage time for a penalty where we have won the ball.”
When asked whom scored the goal, Hamlin replied: “I couldn’t tell you mate! They took centre, pumped it into the left-back area, we’ve cleared it for a throw. We know the kid has got a long throw. Could we have done better and gone up the line?
“Your emotions are high there, we’ve just got back into the game. The kid has got a good throw to be fair. It’s not just long, it’s quite direct as well. It’s quite flat, it’s like a corner.
“We haven’t competed in both boxes. I’m looking to my centre-halves there to bully people out of the way and go and head it!”
There are only 14 points between fifth-placed Larkfield & New Hythe (27 points from 17 games) and Hollands & Blair, second-from-bottom with 13 points from 16 games.
Erith & Belvedere are in tenth-place in the table (22 points, six wins, four draws and five defeats), while Tunbridge Wells have climbed up four places into eleventh with 21 points (six wins, three draws and seven defeats).
“It’s crazy! I think Feasey was saying on the way up here in the car, he said there’s 14 points between relegation and play-offs. That’s the kind of thing you expect to see after a month or two. To have that in the middle of November, it just shows how tight the league is and whilst I want to be looking up at the play-offs, I also can’t not look over my shoulder,” said Ives.
“It’s a massive, massive three points for us. You never have an easy day, do you? It’s a very tough league and even at the top, I’m sure everyone will have their comments about who should be winning it based on their resources.
“You just can’t take anything for granted. The next run of games, we’ve got Faversham Town in the Kent Senior Trophy at home next Saturday, then we’ve got Glebe, Corinthian and Faversham, so it just doesn’t get any easier, does it?
“But then again, it’s going to get to the stage where teams think we’re not going to be a soft touch because we’re coming to places like this and winning, so we can give as good as we get.
“I’m disappointed because I believe we’ve lost seven games in the league, which is probably too many at this stage.
“I actually believe as the group starts to settle down, as we get injury free, I do believe a play-off push is not out of the question. Look, it’s going to be hard and I’m not going to stand here and say we’re going to make the play-offs but I do think we do have the right to be in that conversation – if we can keep everyone fit.”
Reflecting on his side’s league position, Hamlin replied: “We’re not happy because we’ve dropped silly points. Listen, today we weren’t no good in my opinion, we weren’t very good!
“It’s a long, long season. December-January, people are going to get suspensions and injuries. There aint another team in this league who’s got players in the calibre of Rob Strachan and Danny Lear and we’re going to get stronger.
“We can’t let the pack get away from us too much. Would we like to be higher? Yes, we would but you’ve seen in this league if you go and put three wins together and you’re third. Baring VCD and Faversham, it’s quite congested in there.
“We’ve played 15 games, so you’ve still got 23 league games. You’ve only got to put a run of five together. No one likes losing games but you’ve just hit the nail on the head, there’s light at the end of the tunnel and we’ll be alright.”
Both sides are in Cup action on Saturday, with Erith & Belvedere welcoming 13th placed First Division side Lewisham Borough to Park View Road in the Challenge Cup Second Round.
“We’ve just got to try and get a team out, it’s as simple as that,” added Hamlin.
“Freddie Cray and Ronnie McClean won’t play Saturday. Ryan Fowler will play next week, to get a bit of legs into him.”
Hamlin revealed he is being priced out of the non-contract transfer market - as players in this ninth-tier division usually demand £150 per week - if they are in the match-day squad.
“We’re always looking to bring players in, obviously budget dictates massively, massively. Listen, I’m not going to lie to you, we’ve gone after some players, some of these players are sitting on the bench at other clubs.
“I never played for money. It weren’t my be-all-and-end-all. I’d rather enjoy myself on a Saturday. It’s different times now. It’s all this social media.
“Some of these kids sit on the bench. How much do they want to play?
“It’s tough. You go after these people and you put seven-dayers in and you speak to them and you go ‘what are you on?’ and they go ‘X, Y, Z’ and you think ‘oh my god!’ and that’s the end of that conversation and then you’re talking, making small talk for the next 10 minutes – it is tough, it is tough!”
Tunbridge Wells, meanwhile, welcome Tommy Warrilow’s Faversham Town in the Kent Senior Trophy Second Round.
VCD Athletic reman at the summit with 37 points from 16 games, while the play-offs contain Faversham Town (36 points from 15 games), Fisher (32 points from 18 games), Punjab United (31 points from 17 games) and Larkfield & New Hythe.
“Our fans travel home and away in great numbers and they do deserve a little bit of success, they do deserve a day out. It’s probably the hardest game we could’ve got, I guess but so what,” said Ives.
“They’ve got to come to the Culverden, so good luck to them on that and I’m looking forward to it really.
“It’s a bit odd that we have to play them so closely in the league as well. We’ll have a good look at each other but honestly, I think we can beat anyone, but we can also lose to anyone. I guess it’s the definition of what we are but we’re still in the Vase and Kent Senior Trophy.”
Erith & Belvedere: Charlie Cottrell, Samuel Smith, Ronnie McClean, Maxx Manktelow (Tyller Davis-Whitlock 74), Donnell Anderson, Anthony Morrison, Frederick Baker, Frederick Cray, Dieko Falade, Ladic Melconian, Joe Chalker (Ryan Fowler 66).
Subs: Billy Ford, Luca Sanford, Freddie Springett
Goals: Dieko Falade 54, Frederick Baker 90 (penalty)
Booked: Frederick Baker 72, Frederick Cray 84, Samuel Smith 90
Temporary Dismissal: Ryan Fowler 80
Tunbridge Wells: George Bentley, Harry Hudson, Ryan Moir (Kazzeem Richards 73), James White, Siji Akinlusi (Rhys Bartlett 59), Ryan Hine, James Shield (Joshua McArthur Nolan 83), Jack Walder, Jacob Feasey (Jack Gallagher 73), Regan Corke, Lewis Unwin (Riley Assam 90).
Goals: Jacob Feasey 44, Harry Hudson 69, Ryan Hine 90
Booked: Jacob Feasey 31, Jack Walder 75, Ryan Hine 90
Attendance: 135
Referee: Mr Byron Beard
Assistants: Mr Rudin Preca & Mr Christopher Bowdery
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