Faversham Town 1-0 AFC Sudbury - We're raising the profile of the club, says Ray Turner

FAVERSHAM TOWN  1-0  AFC SUDBURY
The FA Carlsberg Trophy Preliminary Round
Saturday 15^th September 2012
Mike Green reports from Salters Lane

The game might not long live long in the memory of those who saw it, but for Faversham Town boss Ray Turner substitute Adrian Stone's deflected winner seven minutes from time gave him 2,300 reasons to smile, as his side beat a very disappointing AFC Sudbury side to progress in this season's FA Trophy.

Stone's strike - his third of the season already - came seven minutes from time and has earned his side a home First Qualifying Round tie against one of Ryman South's promotion favourites Leatherhead in a fortnight's time.

And to be fair it was an outcome that Turner's side just about deserved as both teams struggled in the Salters Lane heat.

"It’s a bit harsh to say that the best thing about the game was that we won 1-0," Turner admitted after the game.

"Obviously walking off thinking that you've won a Cup tie is something that we must be delighted with especially as we haven’t kept many clean sheets this year. I've got to admit though that it was one of the hardest games that I've had to watch for a very long time!

“Having to change both centre halves in the second half at the same time due to injury and fatigue, and we were hanging on in parts in the second half, but it was our day today and I said to the boys that today was our just rewards for our performances against Margate and things have come around in our favour today!"

Overall it could have been argued by some that a replay would have been a fair outcome, especially as far as the visitors were concerned as the performance of keeper Danny Gay at times was nothing short of heroic.

Once in each half he produced a truly break taking save to frustrate Turner's side, and was only eventually beaten by a shot that was deflected.

His side then had edged through to the next round in a game that really won’t live long in the memory - a point that Turner acknowledged.

He admitted: "When I'm looking at the game as the point of being a bit frazzled mentally by having to move the side around second half. But when you take into account the overall picture, I think that we've just about edged it particularly the way in the first half that we were trying to build the game up where we got into some great positions in the box in the first half and didn't quite put a finish to it.

“It is a confidence thing with this side at the moment - we've not scored loads of goals but obviously the clean sheet is important!

“Mentally this is a big boost but as I said to the boys after we went out of the Cup at Margate the other day, the only thing that matters is the result at the end of it and that’s the fact of the game - we've won 1-0 and I think it was the case that there was just so many things to think about second half in terms of re-jigging the side."

Both sides seemed to cancel each other out in a very cagey opening half where Danny Hockton had a shot blocked for Faversham, whilst the home defence were lucky to escape as a long throw bounced through the box and away to safety!

It was Hockton who first tested Gay on the stroke of half time as his deflected drive seemed to be looping over the back pedalling keeper only for the Sudbury keeper to somehow just get enough of a touch to turn the ball over the bar.

Thankfully the second half was a much better spectacle, and on another day Sudbury's former Ebbsfleet defender James Smith could have had a hat trick.

Just three minutes after the break, the giant defender saw a free header from six yards sail over the Faversham bar, before Gay was again called into action at the other end producing a stunning save to tip over Danny Lawrence's drive.

Sudbury were left ruing their luck on the hour as both central defenders could and perhaps should have opened the scoring.

First Smith couldn't connect properly to Russell Pond's cross - only glancing the cross into the path of fellow defender Bradley Thomas, but Thomas' shot flew high over the bar.

Hockton then had a free header - ghosting in round the back of the defence to get on the end of Aaron Lacy's deep cross - which he sent straight at a relieved keeper Gay.

Then came the 90 seconds that effectively turned the game. On 80 minutes Sudbury substitute Leon Antoine broke clear and as he bore down on goal Faversham keeper Simon Overland raced from goal and only succeeded in bringing the substitute down 10 yards outside of the box.

After consultations with his assistant, referee Mr Goldsmith produced a yellow card much to Sudbury's annoyance, yet to be fair to the official, Antoine had been heading away from the goal when contact was made and there was covering defenders as well.

Anyway from the resulting free kick somehow a diving Thomas at the back post couldn't hit the target from inside the six yard box.

Faversham then built down the right, and as the ball was switched, Stone came in off the left to drill the ball (with the help of a slight deflection) past a wrong footed Gay to ease the home side's noses in front.

Yet the visitors should really have earned a Tuesday night replay - and would have but for Overland's brilliant stoppage time block to somehow deny Smith's header from point blank range. Quite how the Faversham keeper readjusted his feet quickly enough to block the downward header is incredible, but he did and the victory was confirmed shortly afterwards.

Turner was only too well aware of how important progress was for Faversham. "The financial reward for winning today is massive for the club, as along with it though is the raising of the club's profile," he said,

"We spoke about it after the Margate game and it’s really important now that we keep going in competitions like this as we've got very little history at this level. So every time we win a game in the Trophy, and every time we've won a game in the FA Cup we're raising the profile of the club. And that is absolutely vital at our level with the crowds and it’s always difficult to get sponsorship, and so we've beaten a good club today and now we've got another home tie in the next round against Leatherhead."

The conditions again undoubtedly played their part as the baking sun clearly took its toll on both sides. Turner said: "I've got to say that this weather isn’t helping any football team at the moment particularly our team. We've got some really good ball players out wide but the pitches are so difficult to play; they're fighting all the time to get control of the football. I just think that when the pitches get softer it'll help us as we've got players who can go at defenders and commit defenders - we've got that sort of team, which is why I for one can’t wait for this weather to break."

Hockton was given the Man of the Match award, but the industrious Aidan Sherlock, who ran the home side’s midfield, must have run the veteran striker close. "Aidan was my man of the match today," admitted his manager. "He’s someone who just needs games - he's been at big clubs but he's not had matches; he’s not had time on the pitch, and we're showing a bit of belief in him by putting him out there in a key position. I think he's learning as he goes along, and you can see today that he's taking up some very good key positions - he's done a lot of good work in front of the back four and I think he's only going to get better."

It had been a tough decision for Turner to leave Stone out of his starting line-up, but grinning the manager was happy to admit, "I'm so pleased with him and have a lot of time for Stoney! It's probably the longest he's been at a club for a long time - he likes the football club, and I like having him around the place. I made the decision today to leave him out - I think it’s important that everyone knows that there competition for places and Danny Hockton and Luke Harvey linked up so well at Margate on Tuesday. Danny still has so much to offer and is doing so for us and Stoney's come on and got the goal!"

After a week where they bowed out of the FA Cup to Margate, and have now progressed in the Trophy, Turner was keen to point out how much a club of Faversham's stature need to have Cup success and the exposure that it brings.

He said: "It’s been a great time for the club. Last year our Cup ties weren't the most glamorous but this year seems to be the complete opposite to that." Jokingly the Faversham boss went on by saying, "I just know that I'm glad that we're not going to Sudbury on Tuesday night, but to go to Princes Park and play Dartford (in the Kent Senior Cup Second Round) is a great boost for the players and I've got a small squad - we've got no reserves, and so the guys who haven't been getting first team football will play on Tuesday but we will go there with a strong side to try and do well. And then we've got the League leaders (Crawley Down Gatwick) next Saturday and that just proves that there's no easy game and it just simply doesn't let up!"

Faversham Town:  Simon Overland, Aaron Lacy, Jamie Maxted, James Peacock (Ashley Brown 63), Matt Bourne (Toby Ashmore 63), Aidan Sherlock, Danny Lawrence, Wayne Wilson, Danny Hockton, Luke Harvey (Adrian Stone 70), Renford Tenyue.
Subs: Antonio Gonella, Dan Ellis

Goal:  Adrian Stone 82

Booked:  Simon Overland 80

AFC Sudbury:  Danny Gay, Lauris Coggin (Tom Webb 87), Adam Dalby, Michael Shinn, James Smith, Bradley Thomas, Ben Bowditch, Russell Pond, David Bryant, Danny Charge (Leon Antoine 79), Ben Smith.
Subs: David Cowley, Stuart Fergus, Tom Ross

Attendance: 137
Referee: Mr Matthew Goldsmith (Hastings, East Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Jamie Broughton (Deptford, London SE8) & Mr Sikiru Idris (London SE5)