Kentish Football 
Faversham Town 2-1 Hollands & Blair - Luchford impressed with valiant Blair
FAVERSHAM TOWN 2-1 HOLLANDS & BLAIR
Kent Senior Trophy Quarter-Final
Wednesday 20th January 2010
Mike Green reports from Salters Lane
Reigning Vandanel Kent County League champions Hollands & Blair pushed current Kent League leaders Faversham Town to the very brink of exit in the Kent Senior Trophy only to succumb to a stunning injury time winner from Dale Skelton which broke the hearts of the Gillingham side, and took Faversham into the last four.
With Blair seconds away from taking the home side to a deserved period of Extra Time, Dane Luchford picked up the ball just inside the Blair half and ran at the defence. As it backed off and off without challenging, Luchford fed the ball into the inside left channel for Skelton to run onto and drill an unstoppable drive into the top corner of Lois Flischer's net leaving the keeper grasping at thin air.
It was especially tough to take for Blair skipper Darren Blackman, who had been his sides midfield engine room throughout, as just seven minutes earlier, he'd been presented with a golden opportunity to send Faversham out of the competition. A routine ball into the box wasn't dealt with, and despite some pushing and shoving, the ball hit Mike Dodsworth on a raised arm and referee Mr Graeme Ions had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Blackman stepped up only to be denied but a sensation full length save from Rob French in the Faversham goal. It was in truth so close to being the perfect penalty - the only problem was that French guessed right to add another notch on his growing reputation.
Things started so well for the home side as within 90 seconds, a new slim line looking Lee Shearer was on the end of a right wing to power home a header - a goal that disappointed Blair boss Paul Piggott.
Speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk he joked: "You've got to say that we're a very good 88 minute side on that display haven't you! We weren't quick out of the traps. We'd just spoken about Shearers heading ability before the game. But talking about it and dealing with it are two completely different things as he's top draw at it and that's why he's still a top defender.
"I'm disappointed with the result of course but how can I be disappointed with the performance?" Piggott then asked. "We didn't lose the game tonight because Darren took a poor penalty - we lost it because of an amazing save by a good keeper who will play higher and a wonder goal. There were slightly tired legs on our part - we didn't close the guy down quick enough and he was able to take full advantage - a real peach of a goal."
Faversham Town manager Justin Luchford was a relieved man when he spoke to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.
"We did leave it very late didn't we?" he said. "We looked a bit tired at the end - we haven't trained for a long time with players coming back from injury we needed to grind out a result tonight and that's what we did.
“I thought Hollands & Blair were excellent - a typical Piggy (Paul Piggott) side that play good football and work hard and they didn't disappoint to be honest.
“I gave them the respect that they deserved by playing pretty much my full first team as there was no way we could line up against them without that.
“I thought we started very well with the early goal and hoped that we might kick on.
“When they scored we were at sixes and sevens and I do genuinely believe that they shaded the first half to be honest.
“We had a few cross words with a few people at half time which benefited rather than going against us.
“I thought for the first half of the second half we put them under a lot of pressure - Rob's had nothing to do in goal - and played some good stuff at times. And then they go and get the penalty against the run of play! I've no complaints about it incidentally as I'd have been disappointed if we didn't get one if it had happened at the other end, and the best keeper around as far as I'm concerned makes one hell of a save to keep us in the game!
“I think we deserved that bit of luck - I was dreading extra time as we've another bog game in the League at Fisher at the weekend and we looked really tired and the last thing we needed was another 30 minutes!
“I expected them to be stronger than us in an extra time so I was more than happy when Dale popped up at the end with that screamer!”
To their credit, the early set back seemed to inspire the visitors as twice French had to make smart saves under his bar to deny Blackman's header and the Martin May's curling drive.
The Faversham keeper though could do nothing on 22 minutes as Mike Vernon latched onto a great through ball before slotting the ball wide of the onrushing keeper to level the scores with a goal that pleased his manager no end.
Piggott said: "Vern's not started many games for us this season for one reason or another and today was his first start for quite a while, and when he went through I thought he showed outstanding composure as if he being playing every week."
Level at the break then, the game developed into a cat and mouse contest with the home side pressing but rarely threatening the Blair back line who were brilliantly marshalled by the central defensive pairing of Sam Cormack and Billy Johnson.
And when they were beaten keeper Flischer pulled off two stunning two handed saves to deny Damien Abel and Dale Luchford.
Indeed from the second one the keeper actually needed treatment for cramp.
Then came the Blair heartbreak as first Blackman missed his penalty followed a few minutes later by Skelton's contender for Goal of the Month!
Piggott couldn't hide his enthusiasm for the task ahead. ""These are the games that we want to be playing in. When we played Erith and Belvedere we told the boys that we wanted to match them and we did. So we came here tonight and wanted to show people that it wasn't a fluke - we can play at grounds like this and on pitches like this.
“This is where the club wants to be and want to come every week. Unfortunately finances dictate a lot at our level where you can play as a football club, and that will hinder our progress.
“Just look around you tonight - we cant match this ground - the way its been done up in the past five or six years is brilliant but its taken a lot of money, and that's something we haven't got so that's its going to take longer, but we know that - but I'll say it again, this is where we want to be."
For the Faversham boss, his side’s direction seems to land in their own hands.
"The league table is the league table and to me it doesn't tell the true position until everyone has played the same number of games," Luchford admitted.
“"If we were then seven points clear with everyone having played the same then I'd be over the moon.
“But we're not as in the scheme of things, if Herne Bay win their two games in hand its only one point - the league's anyone's as far as I'm concerned, As I've said many, many times, I just want to better last season and at the moment we're on course to do that."
Reflecting on the fact that his side have won just once in their last four league games, Luchford rued the recent poor weather.
He said: "I don't think we're necessarily getting pegged back, as over the last eight weeks we've played just three games and so at the moment there's no consistency in playing, and you can’t really point the finger at any teams pegging you back.
“Take Hollands & Blair tonight for instance was their first game I'm told since December 12th. I think we need another month with everyone playing football to see where we are.
“Tonight, at the end of the day, we've won the game - we weren't brilliant; we weren't poor - but what we did get was the win that i think we just about deserved!"
With an eye on possibly being part of a higher League next season, the manager then said, "The squad that we have here could go into the Ryman and not embarrass ourselves. Whether we go up this year is anyone's guess at the moment.
“We've still got to play half a season to go and as I said before as far as I'm concerned we're a single point clear. We've just got to concentrate on Fisher on Saturday and that's all I'm interested in at the moment!"
Finally the ever popular Piggott was asked if he missed playing. "I don't to be honest" as the smile appeared again on his face. "That's actually the reason I stopped playing because I stopped enjoying it! I wanted to do this side of it, and really enjoy it especially when you get the response that we got tonight - there are times when you want to lay into them but when they respond like that, it really does make your day!"
Sadly for the valiant Blair their day was somewhat ruined by Skelton's wonder goal as its Faversham who march on into the last four!
Subs: (unknown as no details were made available)
Booked: Lee Shearer 73, Mike Dodsworth 83
Goals: Lee Shearer 2, Dale Skelton 90
Hollands & Blair: Louis Flischer, Sean Hettersley, Len Dengate, Sam Cormack, Billy Johnson, Darren Blackman, Cliff Eldridge, Ross Brookes, Martin May, Lee Preston, Mike Vernon.
Subs: Alan Backshall, Craig harvey, Aiken Thomas, Neil Crust, Marc Chapman.
Booked: Darren Blackman 28, Louis Flischer 42
Goal: Mike Vernon 24
Attendance: 97
Referee: Mr Graeme Ions (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr P Rowley (Canterbury) and Mr M Cheeseman (Davington)
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