Kentish Football 
Fisher 0-3 Herne Bay - We're ready to snatch it if Hythe slip up, says Simon Halsey
Saturday 23rd April 2011
FISHER 0-3 HERNE BAY
Safety Net Associates Kent LeagueEaster Saturday 23rd April 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Champion Hill Stadium
HERNE BAY boss Simon Halsey has told his side to look after themselves over the Easter weekend as the exciting Kent League title race enters its final seven days.
With leaders Hythe Town stumbling to a 3-1 defeat on Good Friday, thus ending their 22-match unbeaten run, Herne Bay closed the gap to just two points following their convincing three goal victory over second-from-bottom side Fisher, who have now extended their miserable run to eight games without a win.
Byron Walker scored his 20th goal of the season with 44:51 on the clock to settle any nerves, before Jamie Maxted and stand-in striker Darren Marsden converted second half goals to keep the pressure up on Scott Porter’s side.
The league title could be won or lost on Easter Monday. Hythe welcome Beckenham Town to Reachfields Stadium, whilst Herne Bay host Holmesdale.
And on the final day, both sides are away from home on Saturday. Hythe travel to Tunbridge Wells; Herne Bay go to third-placed VCD Athletic.
With his side now sixteen games unbeaten, a relaxed Halsey said, “I think that’s, apart from when we beat Greenwich Borough 3-1 at our place earlier in the season (last October), that was near enough the best football we’ve played all season. Three-nil’s good, but I think realistically it could’ve been a few more to be honest.
Fisher boss Gary Lisney, meanwhile, was impressed with the quality football that was played from the visitors’.
”We conceded poor goals top be fair,” he bemoaned. “Very disappointing to concede so close to half-time. It has a bearing on the game, obviously goals change games as everybody says.
“Herne Bay are a good side, they’re a strong side. They had another couple of chances as well so 3-0 - I’m at a view that we should’ve prevented those goals. They had other chances so on the balance of the game they deserved to win it.
”That’s why they are where they are in the league. That’s why they’re fighting for the title against Hythe because they’re a good side.
”They keep going, they put the ball in the right areas and they like to play. They’re a good side to be fair so no complaints from me. I’m disappointed with the nature of the goals we conceded but no complaints with the result.”
With Herne Bay skipper Luke Harvey unavailable through work-commitments, Marsden partnered Walker up front and Ben Brown kept his place in midfield.
Fisher goalkeeper Adam Lisney made a comfortable collection beside his post as he picked up a deflected shot from Marsden after only 42 seconds.
Herne Bay dominated the game from start to finish, they even had a couple of goals ruled out for offside, and Fisher only created one chance, on another warm, sunny day.
Herne Bay, playing their trademark slick passing game, stepped up a gear and they really should have opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Brown swung in a free-kick and left-back Maxted glanced his header agonisingly wide of the far post.
Eight-seconds later Lisney tipped over a header from James Campbell after Toby Ashmore delivered a free-kick from the half-way line.
Another chance swiftly followed when Brown played a short corner to Marsden, who cut inside and his right-footed angled drive sailed just over the top of the far post.
Although Fisher were playing much better than a side that only have Sporting Bengal United below them in the table, Herne Bay created another chance when Maxted sent a looping header over after Ashmore’s free-kick from the half-way line.
A slick passing move involving Dan Lawrence, Nathan Eastwood and Michael Jenner carved a chance for Walker, who cut the ball on to his left foot, but he drilled a low shot just past the near post from 25-yards.
Lawrence then laid the ball back to Nathan Eastwood, who whipped in a first time cross from the right and Walker glanced his header from the edge of the box to Michael Turner, who scuffed a good chance wide of the near post.
Another slick move, this time down the left, saw Turner cut the ball back to Jenner, who put in an excellent cross and Marsden took a touch and cracked a right-footed volley, which whistled agonisingly past the far post, as he aimed for the top corner.
Herne Bay did put the ball into the back of the Fisher net in the 33rd minute, but Marsden was adjudged to have been offside, despite weaving his way past two players and beating Lisney at his near post.
Halsey said: “We had one goal ruled out for offside which I can’t work out because Marzo went around two players to score the goal so I couldn’t work that one out, but we had enough chances in the first half to be well established in the lead.”
But the half-time team talks changed as Walker scored one of his most crucial goals of the season.
Brown played a delightful through ball in between Luis Rozan and Cedric Abraham and Walker clipped a delicate left-footed chip over Lisney and the ball dropped into an empty net, despite Rozan’s attempts to get back.
“It was a great finish on the half bounce and he’s lobbed the goalie,” added Halsey.
”He’s doing well, he’s scoring, but I don’t think he’s really hit the form he can yet either and that’s serious and he’ll admit that. I think he hasn’t been consistent as he could’ve been.”
Pink-shirted Eason did actually pick the ball up inside the opening four minutes of the second half, after Colombian striker Juan Ramirez glanced Louis Sprossen’s free-kick towards goal.
Herne Bay had a second goal ruled out for offside in the 53rd minute.
After Simon St Aimie earned himself a yellow card for a lung on Jenner, Brown pumped a free-kick into the penalty area from the half-way line and James Campbell sent a towering header across Lisney and into the far corner from a very tight angle but the flag went up for offside.
Lisney clawed out a stabbed effort from Marsden, who made room for himself in a crowded penalty area, before Herne Bay doubled their lead in the 57th minute – through route one football.
Goalkeeper Eason pumped a free-kick up field with his right foot and Campbell caused havoc inside the box and Fisher allowed the ball to bounce inside the six-yard box and Maxted stabbed the ball into the bottom near corner from a couple of yards from goal.
The Fisher boss admitted it was an ugly goal to concede.
”Route one but the ball’s bouncing in our six-yard box and that’s not acceptable really,” Lisney added.
Ashmore somehow planted a header over the Fisher crossbar from three yards out after he met an excellent free-kick from Brown.
Fisher’s one and only chance, however, finally arrived in the 66th minute.
Substitute Luke Sherman put the ball into the box and Ramirez squandered the opportunity when his left-footed shot rolled straight into Eason’s gloves, as the keeper went on to keep his fifth successive clean sheet.
Lisney thwarted substitute Rhys Lawson, by making a comfortable low save to his right, before Fisher were reduced to ten-men and Herne Bay scored from the resulting free-kick.
Central defender John Sinnott, who was booked only six minutes earlier, for a tussle with Lawrence, picked up his second yellow card for a foul on Walker on the very edge of the penalty area.
Both manager’s felt it was harsh to send off the Fisher number 5.
Halsey said: “The ref was a little bit indifferent I thought but the high feet was not a booking to start with so I don’t think he would’ve got his second yellow.
Lisney ranted he felt referee Mr Christopher Dodd should have used “some common sense.”
He said: “Frankly ridiculous to be fair. First one, booking or not? Not in my view. Both of them got their feet up, both going for the ball. Their player gets a touch. Free kick? Absolutely. I’ve no issue with that. I don’t know why he’s booked him. Has he booked him for a challenge? No! They both put their feet up, they’re both trying to get the ball with their feet at waist high, chest high. Their player gets a touch on it, my player don’t. Foul all day long, but not a booking in my view.
”The second one was quite frankly ridiculous. Foul? Absolutely yes. Booking? No! The ref has been watching too much football mate. He’s been watching too much Premiership football on TV.
”A bit of common sense really, really wouldn’t go a miss.
”I don’t like criticising officials and let’s be clear the official had no bearing on the result today but we’ve lost a player for the last fifteen minutes but it’s an absolutely ridiculous sending off frankly.
”It’s completely unnecessary. It influences games of football. It didn’t affect the result today but there’s no need for it. Common sense, please!”
Marsden stepped up and bent a right-footed free-kick around the wall and Lisney couldn’t re-adjust his feet to keep the ball from crashing into the back of the net in the 80th minute.
”That’s finished it off tremendously,” added Halsey. “I didn’t know who was going to take it. Toby, Jenner or Marzo, they’re all good taking a free-kick. He’s put it around the wall and the goalie’s moved his feet too quick and he’s tried to go backwards and 3-0 is a deserved win.”
The Fisher boss thought Marsden made his son look “foolish.”
”Again, not a good goal from our point of view. The goalkeeper tried to second guess it going over the wall and he didn’t take enough care of protecting his side of the goal and gambled a little bit. Sometimes if it does go over the wall and he gets there everyone thinks ‘it’s a brilliant save, well done, how did he get to that?’
“But at the same token if it goes to your side of the goal and you don’t get there you look a bit foolish.”
Herne Bay really should have made it four when Marden slipped the ball through to substitute Steve Hanson (who was playing on the right side of midfield) and he centred the ball across the face of goal but Walker slammed the ball inches wide of the left-hand post when well placed.
Today’s win cranks up the pressure on Hythe Town, who have the biggest budget in the Kent League and are famous for slipping up when the pressure mounts.
”They’ve still got one hand on it still,” said Halsey.
”I said it a couple of weeks ago, it’s theirs to lose. There hands are still on it and our job hasn’t changed. We knew when we played them down our place (a goal-less draw on 6 April) that we just need to win every game.
”We’ve got no pressure on us and if we win our last two, who knows where it will be next Saturday, but we’re in it and I’m just so happy that if Monday’s result is right we’ll be in the last weekend of the season, which is great, not just for us and Hythe but the Kent League. It adds a great end to the season.”
When asked if Herne Bay can snatch the title from Hythe’s grasp, Halsey replied, “Of course we can. There’s two games to play and there’s only two points in it so they can win it, we can win it. They’ve got one hand on it and we’re ready to snatch it if they slip up but we’ll all know at ten-to-five next Saturday.
”I’m just excited to be apart of it. If they win it, they win it. If we win it, we win it. As I’ve always said the league table don’t like at the end of the season and that’s how it will be.”
But Halsey wants his side to look after their bodies and do not go overboard over the Bank Holiday weekend.
”I’ve said to the lads they’ve got to look after themselves. It’s a bank holiday weekend, don’t undo everything that you’ve done this season by not looking after yourselves. It’s very hard, I know, they’re young players and they want to enjoy themselves.
”We were fortunate to become runners-up and win a Cup final (last season) and be at least runners-up and in another cup final in two successive seasons those players of mine.
”Some players don’t go through their whole careers without getting a sniff of that and they’ve got it and Iv’e asked them to look after themselves for Monday.”
Lisney wants his side to complete their campaign with a home win over Sevenoaks Town to avoid finishing at the foot of the table.
”We’ll take some positives out of today’s game. The first half we didn’t play any football at all really and it makes the frustration even more when you concede a poor goal.
”But second half I thought we tried to play a little bit in patches. We got it down and we played so I think our overriding goal for the next seven days is to try and pick up next Saturday at three o’clock, where we left off today before the last ten minutes when it was eleven-versus-ten.”
Fisher: Adam Lisney, Marco Bianchi, Luis Rozan (Joseph Adesina 81), John Sinnott, Simon St Aimie (Luke Sherman 61), George Savage (Tamba Ngongue 79), Louis Sprosen, Juan Ramirez, Cedric Abraham, Mark Lewis.
Subs: Mishari Al-Asmpan, Daniel Teeley
Booked: Simon St Aimie 52, Ernest Simon 57, John Sinnott 71
Sent Off: John Sinnott 77
Herne Bay: Dan Eason, Nathan Eastwood (Steve Hanson 72), Jamie Maxted, Toby Ashmore, James Campbell, Michael Jenner, Dan Lawrence, Ben Brown (David Crofts 68), Byron Walker, Darren Marsden, Michael Turner (Rhys Lawson 60).
Subs: James Turner, Peter Williams
Goals: Byron Walker 45, Jamie Maxted 57, Darren Marsden 80
Attendance: 97
Referee: Mr Christopher Dodd (Eltham, London SE9)
Assistants: Mr Alexis Stacchini (Orpington) & Mr Andrew Butler (Upper Norwood, London SE19)
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