Folkestone Invicta 2-0 Chatham Town - I'm man enough to take it on the chin, says O'Brien

Monday 05th April 2010

FOLKESTONE INVICTA 2-0 CHATHAM TOWN
Ryman League Division One South
Easter Monday 5th April 2010
Stephen McCartney reports form Cheriton Road

CHATHAM TOWN boss Alex O’Brien says he fears getting the chop at the end of the season - after his side went down to a 2-0 defeat away to second-placed Folkestone Invicta today.

The Medway side are currently in freefall and have slumped into the bottom six in the Ryman League Division One South table after collecting just one point from their last seven outings.

O’Brien rued missed chances as workmanlike Folkestone Invicta grabbed the points in what was a poor Kent derby, watched by a healthy crowd of 314 - the home side’s largest league crowd since Ashford Town visited on Boxing Day.

James Everitt missed a first half penalty, but wrapped up the points in the final ten minutes after Frankie Chappell headed home early in the second half.

O’Brien, who was speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk inside the away dressing room, admitted his side’s depressing run of form was “killing him.”

“It’s not what me and Lew (Watts) are about,” said O’Brien. “Anyone who knows me and Lew, especially being on a horrible run, it’s not us.

“But it’s difficult at times to get it through to the boys that football can turn in 24 hours and you can get yourselves out of a rut if you are prepared to work hard, if you are prepared to do the right things, eliminate mistakes and this, that and another.

“We’re still finding it difficult to do that. Whether that’s an in-house issue or down to individual players that will be addressed at the end of the season.”

When asked if he is already preparing for next season, O’Brien, who is coming to the end of his first season as a football manager replied, “Not at the minute. No! Just because I’ve been on a very, very bad run and I think since Christmas, I’ve always thought it’s not good enough.

“It’s not me - and that’s not the way I am! I want to win things, I want to do well and everyone’s saying ‘it’s your first job’ and this that and the other.

“It’s just really, really frustrating because I do believe on our day we’re a good side but we lack mental strength. We lack turning up week in week out being consistent and I’m sure its going to stop with me, no-one else.

“No player’s going to stand up and say ‘it’s my fault!’ or this, that or another. No chairman’s going to say ‘he’s not had a training ground’ and he’s not had this, that and another.

“That will stop at me. I’m big enough and man enough if it does come to it (parting company), I’ll take it on the chin.”

O’Brien’s side shaded a dull first half and created a couple of early half-chances, which weren’t taken by former Tonbridge Angels’ reserve team striker, Bobby Dixey.

Left-back, Ashley Probets reached the by-line before getting his foot around the ball to find Dixey unmarked at the near post, but his header was comfortably saved by Jack Delo.

James Lyons then played the ball down the line (Folkestone defender Chappell failing to cut out the through ball) to release Dixey, but his hopeful effort from the touch-line bounced into Delo’s grateful arms.

Chatham squandered their best first-half chance on the half-hour mark when central midfielder Matt Solly played Probets in behind the Folkestone defence and the former VCD Athletic player whipped in a delightful cross with his left foot but unmarked striker Jack Pallen powered his header over from six-yards out.

But Folkestone were awarded a penalty - against the run of play - in the 37th minute when Chatham central defender Chris Henry was penalised for handball, but James Everitt ballooned his right-footed penalty over the crossbar, hitting the roof of the stand.

“Yes, it was a poor penalty,” admitted Folkestone Invicta boss Neil Cugley, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk inside his office afterwards. “It would’ve been a lovely time to score. I know you always say that as a manager, come in 1-0 up, against the wind, might have settled us down a bit.”

If it wasn’t for the Folkestone faithful giving their players excellent vocal support - and banging their drum - then the rest of us would have fallen asleep!

Thankfully, the second half swiftly sprung into life, and Chatham were denied by an excellent save from Delo just 47 seconds in.

Dixey floated in a hanging cross from the left by-line and this was met by a downward header from Pallen, which was destined to find the back of the net, but Delo pulled something special out of the bag to make a fine block.

That turned out to be the turning point in the game, as Folkestone grabbed the lead with their first shot on target after 49 minutes.

Midfielder Jimmy Jackson floated a corner from the left into a crowded penalty area and Chappell rose like a salmon to power a header past American goalkeeper Dean Ruddy to score his sixth goal of the season.

Ruddy made a comfortable low save in front of his body to prevent Jackson from scoring with a left-footed dipping free-kick from 35-yards.

Chatham came within inches of equalising when Ryan Laker received the ball from Probets’ free-kick and his drilled shot rolled across Delo at his near post and was heading for the bottom far corner, only for Jackson to save the day to clear the ball off the line.

James Everitt - who started in midfield before partnering former Chatham Town striker Brendon Cass up front - wrapped up the unconvincing win in the final ten minutes.

The ball was played to the edge of the Chatham penalty box and Cass knocked the ball down to Everitt, who drilled an angled shot, which bounced off Ruddy’s body before rolling into the bottom far corner of the net.

Chatham’s hopes of getting back into the game disappeared when Solly played the ball to John Wilfort (the central defender was left unmarked on the right-wing having taken a throw in moments earlier) and his cross was met by Pallen but his header was never going to trouble Delo, who kept his 22nd clean sheet in 40 (league and cup) games this season.

Cugley wasn’t a happy man despite the victory, which keeps them in second place in the table on 74 points from 36 games - one point behind big-spending Croydon Athletic.

“I had a moan at the players and I don’t think we played anywhere near where we can,” said Cugley.

“We didn’t show the hunger and desire that I need for us if we’ve got any chance of getting in those top couple of places and players have got to do better than that!”

Praising Delo for the match-winning save, the long-serving manager said, “To be fair to Jack, he hasn’t had a lot to do this year. I’m not just saying that, he hasn’t!

“But when he’s called on he’s done well, but today he had to show he’s a good goalie. He’s got an ankle injury, we’ve bandaged him up and got him out there.”

On his side’s performance after the interval, Cugley said: “We changed it a little bit at half-time. We went with a bit more attitude with Ratty (James Everitt) pushing further up the field. Not having Darren Smith didn’t help us because we had to move things around a bit.

“James Everitt is the sort of lad who will get you a goal - but we’re disappointed that he missed the penalty!”

Cugley added: “I suppose we played very poorly and won 2-0 and missed a penalty so if you look at that we couldn’t have been that bad.

“I thought we were poor and I had my moan at them. Hopefully we can play a bit better for the last few games.”

O’Brien was a disappointed figure when he summed up the game.

He said: “That’s why they’ll probably win the league because they know how to win games. Two chances, two goals, clean sheet. I’d take that all day long to be successful!

“I think if it had been a boxing match and down to football and the way we passed the ball, I think we would’ve nicked it.

“We created a lot of chances but in true Chatham style - it’s been a problem all year - we haven’t converted those.

“We work hard. We do the right things and all of a sudden we made that mistake and we’re 1-0 down where as Folkestone work hard, they don’t make mistakes and when they get an opportunity they score goals and that’s why they’ll go on and be successful.”

Although Brendon Cass had a quiet game for his high-standards, O’Brien admitted he is missing the prolific striker - who has scored 16 goals for both Kent sides this season.

“It’s very, very frustrating because I think we probably had five decent chances and there was a couple of times when the ball rolled across the line and it was crying out for Brendon Cass to score - but unfortunately we haven’t got him any more and when we did have him we weren’t giving him the opportunities,” said O’Brien.

However, today’s performance was an improvement than their 1-0 defeat to Walton Casuals, a result that took the Surrey side out of the drop zone at the weekend.

“I was happy with the way we tried to bounce back from Saturday because Saturday was the most disappointed I think I’ve ever felt in football,” expressed O’Brien.

“No-one can give me an excuse, no-one can tell me any different from what I saw and that was pure rubbish!

“Today we’ve stepped up, obviously because we’re playing a top of the league side, giving it a go but as I said they took their chances and we didn’t!”

Folkestone Invicta: Jack Delo, Josh Vincent, Josh Burchell (Josh Sargeant 85), Liam Friend, Frankie Chappell, Micheal Everitt, Simon Austin (Olly Bartrum 75), Roy Guiver, James Everitt, James Everitt, Brendon Cass, Jimmy Jackson.
Subs: Jamie Bates, Sam Henson, James Dryden.

Goals: Frankie Chappell 49, James Everitt 80

Booked: Josh Burchell 51, Brendon Cass 67, Olly Bartrum 90

Chatham Town: Dean Ruddy, Darryl Hollington, Ashley Probets, Matt Solly, John Wilfort, Chris Henry, Ryan Laker, Brad Potter, Jack Pallen, Bobby Dixey (Tommy Hill 63), James Lyons.
Subs: Alex O’Brien, Ben Payne, Lew Watts, Richard Stroud.
Booked: Chris Henry 35, John Wilfort 55

Attendance: 314
Referee: Mr David Spain (Westfields, East Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Graham Bryant (Saltwood) & Mr Robert Ayling (Dover)