Kentish Football 
Faversham Town 2-1 Whitehawk - We've got no reason to fear anyone in this league, says Luchford
Saturday 15th January 2011
FAVERSHAM TOWN 2-1 WHITEHAWK
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 15th January 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Salters Lane
FAVERSHAM TOWN manager Justin Luchford says he was pleased that his side took their chances to beat big-spending, promotion chasing Whitehawk at a windy Salters Lane today.
First half goals from Dane Luchford and snood wearing Damian Abel gave Faversham a deserved 2-0 lead over the Brighton-based visitors’, who pulled a goal back during a one-sided second half through left-winger Josh Jones.
The two newly promoted sides shared the points in a 2-2 draw down on the Sussex coast on the opening day of the season and since then Whitehawk have climbed up to second place in the Ryman League Division One South table with 48 points from 24 games.
Faversham Town, meanwhile, have also adjusted to life at this level and climbed up four places to eighth place, thanks to their eighth league win of the season, which leaves them just seven points adrift of fifth-placed side Walton Casuals, although Luchford admitted afterwards that his sole priority was to reach the 50 points target.
“I think we were value for the win,” said Luchford, who guided the club to the Kent League and Kent Senior Trophy double last season.
“They had the last fifteen minutes, they put a few corners in the box, but I thought we outplayed them first half. We went in 2-0 and I thought we deserved it.
“The ball was bouncing off us just a little bit, we always knew they were going to come out, the wind’s played a part in the second half. It’s down the slope a little bit so we knew Whitehawk have come back from two down quite a few times this season so we knew it was going to be difficult.
“We’ve earned the points today. I don’t think anyone could argue with that.”
With average gates of just 101 - Whitehawk are the third worst supported club in the division - but with one of the highest budgets in the division, with an alleged weekly budget of £8,000 - which would probably cover the budgets of the six Kent sides in Division One (including Thamesmead Town in the Northern Division).
Luchford added: “Well, whatever their budget, it’s neither here or there. We know what they’re trying to do, they’ve made no secret about it and fair play to them. You can’t knock a club for trying to go up the pyramid, we all want to do that, so fair play to them. They’ve got a job to do, we’ve got our own job to do. Winning today was something these lads have deserved over the last 12 games.
“Like I said to you in the week, we’ve had (third-placed) Leatherhead here and taken a point of them and we’ve beaten Whitehawk. We don’t fear anyone. I’m not saying we’re the best in the league because we’re nowhere near it.”
An higher-than-average crowd of 170 witnessed a Faversham side in determined mood and players threw their bodies in the way of the ball to protect goalkeeper Rob French, who was hardly tested.
Left-back, Sam Gore, 22, was handed his home-debut and manager Luchford praised the former Dover Athletic defender for keeping Whitehawk danger man Jerahl Hughes so quiet, that the talented right-winger was hauled off at the interval.
“I’ve said for a long time I need a left-back,” added Luchford. “I said that since Larks (Dan Larkin) broke his nose back in September against Fleet. He was out for six weeks, he couldn’t regain his fitness, we’ve lost him now and that’s a shame because he’s been a great servant for the club, but I’ve been on the look out for a left back and what Sam does - he’s only 22 - he’s got a lot to learn but you can see his experience. He’s been under Hessie (Andy Hessenthaler at Dover Athletic), he knows what he’s doing, he’s cleared one off the line - a header from a corner - that’s what he’s there for.
“If someone had said to you before the game Jerahl Hughes will come off at half-time because he can’t get in the game, I think he’d say, ‘you’re mad!’ but it was a fantastic display by the whole defensive unit.”
Faversham skipper Tom Hickman got in behind the Whitehawk back four inside the opening two minutes and his low right-footed shot on the angle was too comfortable for visiting keeper Alan Mansfield at his near post.
And Abel - the first player of a Kent non-league football club to wear a snood at one of my games - hooked a right-footed shot into the keeper’s arms from the edge of the Whitehawk penalty box.
Faversham Town deserved their eighth minute lead, courtesy of Luchford’s eighth goal of the season.
Hickman, Dave Botterill and Abel played their part in the move and Abel slipped the ball through to Luchford, who drilled a low right-footed shot across Mansfield from outside of the box and the ball nestled into the bottom far corner before being mobbed by his jubilant team-mates.
The manager praised his goalscoring younger brother, saying, “Dane’s done exactly what we’ve asked him to do. The ball’s gone down the right-hand side, it’s come across into the middle and he’s made the second run. That’s what we want him and Justin to do from both sides and he’s made the second run, he’s got himself into a good position and he’s finished it well.
“We’ve talked in the week about being more clinical in front of goal and he’s taken his chance and that’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to take our chances because at this level what you find is the teams that take their chances win the games, it’s as simple as that, because you don’t get many clear cut and it was a good goal.”
Whitehawk - who welcome improving Whitstable Town to their sloping ground on Tuesday night - relied on Hughes’ pace during the first half and all their best moments came down the right-hand side.
Faversham were slow to pick up Hughes following a throw down the line by right-back Craig Richards and Hughes’ cross found it’s way through to Jones, who hooked a left-footed shot just past the foot of the near post, aided by a deflection.
Whitehawk packed the goal-mouth from corners - they won the corner count by 12-1 - and skipper Paul Armstrong (a central midfielder) picked out central defender Marc Pullan at the far post and he out jumped his marker Gore to send a powerful header wide.
Luchford was full of praise for central midfielder Dave Bathgate, a player he plucked out of Kent League football with Deal Town during the summer.
“We haven’t made too many changes from last year,” said Luchford. “We’ve brought a couple in, the likes of Matt Bourne, and Jake Leberl, who hasn’t even got on today. That shows you the strength of the squad.
“Dave Bathgate’s come in for the last three games and I was pleased for him that he got a win because he played last week when we lost to Walton & Hersham, he played Tuesday night when we drew at Merstham and I wanted to get that monkey of his back because he’s deserved more and he’s probably been one of my professional players and I’m pleased for him today.”
Faversham doubled their lead after 31 minutes, courtesy of Abel’s tenth goal of the season (nine for Faversham, the other for Hythe Town on the opening day of the Kent League season).
Botterill directed a powerful header to find Luchford’s feet down the left-hand channel and his driven cross was trapped expertly by Abel, who was left unmarked inside the penalty area at the near post, and the striker turned and cracked a stunning right-footed curler, which flew past the despairing diving Mansfield to fly into the top far corner of the net.
“That’s Damian all over,” beamed his manager, who added, “You don’t give Damian time and space. It’s as simple as that! If you give him time and space in the box he will score a goal.
“We got him back to the club from Hythe, I always wanted to go back in for him and since he’s been here he gives us something else.
“Alex (Waugh) is really, really unfortunate to be on the bench at the moment as he’s done really well for us. Damian’s doing really well for us and we’ve got goalscorers and that is a great goal, a great goal!”
When asked why the striker was wearing a snood, made famous by Carlos Teves at Manchester City, Luchford replied, “You’ll have to ask him! He gets enough stick for it! I don’t think it’s because it’s cold. He’s just trying to be fashionable knowing him! If he puts the ball in the goal from there and he keeps on doing that then he can keep the snood on from now.”
A third goal would have certainly killed off the big-spenders and that almost arrived when Justin Ascheri’s throw was flicked on at the near post and Luchford (who out jumped Richards inside the six-yard box) sent his header over the crossbar.
Stunned Whitehawk switched their formation from 4-4-2 to 4-4-3 at the interval as Hughes was withdrawn for Jamie Brotherton - which proved how much Gore strengthened the back four.
Armstrong released Brotherton through on goal inside the opening two minutes of the second half, but French got his big frame low down to his left to prevent the winger from scoring with a low right-footed drive from 25-yards.
Whitehawk went close through Jones’ deflected shot and a left-wing corner from Armstrong, which almost caught French out at his near post after he left a gap, before Whitehawk’s pressure finally paid off in the 63rd minute.
French’s goal-kick was caught in the wind and didn’t even make the half-way line and Botterill lost possession and Whitehawk played the ball from the middle of the pitch out to find Wes Tate on the edge of the penalty area and the former Tunbridge Wells striker played Jones in behind the Faversham back four, and the winger drove a left-footed shot across Shane Hamshare, Ashley Brown and French to find the far corner.
Luchford admitted he was a “little bit disappointed” with the goal, saying, “it’s come from the goal-kick and Frenchie’s probably taken the goal kick from the opposite side, against the wind, for the first time in the half. He’s not got enough on it, it’s bounced, Botts (Botterill) not got enough and they’ve managed to get it out to the left hand side and they’ve worked it well and got a goal.
“It’s a bit of a comedy, not a comedy of errors, but a couple of errors in there from our lads. We know that but I thought the defensive display second half, where the wind was coming against us, I think they’ve ended up with four up front in the end because they put another lad on and they had three at the back and I thought defensively we were just awesome today!”
Faversham were now on the ropes as Whitehawk pressed for an equaliser. Clearances up field were heading straight back as the ball didn’t stick at the opposite end of the pitch as Mansfield was a virtual spectator in the Hawks’ goal.
Whitehawk really should have equalised in the 73rd minute when Jones delivered an in-swinging corner with his left-foot from the right towards the far post and the unmarked Armstrong powered his header wide from six-yards.
Faversham made a triple substitution just a couple of minutes later and one of those players, Dale Skelton unleashed a right-footed rasping drive which curled past the left-upright and crashed into the roof of the stand behind the goal.
You thought it was going to be Faversham’s day when Jones and Kharley Archurst both blasted over during a period of sustained Whitehawk pressure.
And when Gore headed the ball off the line following Armstrong’s right-wing corner, Faversham were on the brink of claiming a heroic victory.
Faversham did well to keep Whitehawk out and the Kent side almost snatched a late third on the counter attack when Ascheri released substitute Alex Waugh (a striker who has scored six goals for Faversham whilst on loan from Margate), through the middle, but the former Malgo striker swept his right-footed shot past the foot of the post.
Luchford paid tribute to his players, saying, “We’ve lost one in 12, today was a big win, a big win, but nothing that we haven’t deserved. We’ve had a lot of draws out of those 12, where we should’ve won. We should’ve won Tuesday night and we got our just deserts today.
“Four points from Whitehawk? I’ll take that!”
Faversham are now only one point from cash-strapped local rivals Sittingbourne and the Lilywhites are now expected to be Kent’s highest ranked side in the division.
But with 32 points from 23 games, Luchford refused to make any bold predictions, just like last season when he kept the pressure off his promotion winning side.
“We’ve still got to get to 50 points, that has got to be the aim,” he said. “If we get 50 we’ll think about where we can go from there but we’ve done alright and we’re holding our own. We’ve got no reason to fear anyone in this league.
“Fifty points to stay up and then you can ask me the question again!”
Faversham Town: Rob French, Shane Hamshare, Sam Gore, Tom Hickman, Ashley Brown, Matthew Bourne, Dane Luchford, Dave Bathgate (Dale Skelton 75), Justin Ascheri, Damian Abel (Jack Baldwin 75), Dave Botterill (Alex Waugh 75).
Subs: Jake Leberl, Simon Overland.
Goals: Dane Luchford 8, Damian Abel 31
Booked: Dave Bathgate 13, Sam Gore 50
Whitehawk: Alan Mansfield, Craig Richards, Sam Fisk, Paul Armstrong, Stuart Tuck, Marc Pullan (Darren Budd 83), Jerhal Hughes (Jamie Brotherton 46), Kharley Archurst, Wes Tate, Sam Gargan (Ryan McBride 65), Josh Jones.
Subs: Scott Kirkwood, Matt Hurley.
Goal: Josh Jones 63
Booked: Sam Fisk 25, Darren Budd 90
Attendance: 170
Referee: Mr David Buck (Istead Rise)
Assistants: Mr Mark Graves (Margate) & Mr Richard Joss (Margate)
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