Greenwich Borough 0-3 West Wickham - There was no fire in our belly tonight, admits Borough boss Cox

GREENWICH BOROUGH  0-3  WEST WICKHAM
Umbro Kent Senior Trophy First Round
Tuesday 11^th October 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Oakley Road

GREENWICH BOROUGH joint-manager Gerry Cox vows performances can only get better after his poor side were eliminated from the Umbro Kent Senior Trophy by Southern Amateur League side West Wickham.

The statistics looked bleak for Greenwich Borough as they went into this first round tie languishing in the bottom three of the Kent Hurlimann Football League and with only one win in twelve competitive games.  They have scored only 11 goals in those 12 games and went into the game on the back of seven games without a win.

Neighbouring West Wickham, meanwhile, have begun their top-flight Southern Amateur League campaign with wins over Winchmore Hill, Broomfield and Polytechnic, keeping three clean sheets in the process, but Nottsborough, who ended their interest in the AFA Surrey Kent Cup at the first hurdle and have won the league title for the last three years, are one point clear of West Wickham at the summit at this early stage of the season.

But West Wickham proved that they can compete at Kent League level as they booked a trip to Kent Invicta League side Hollands & Blair in the second round thanks to three goals in a devastating twelve minute spell, courtesy of Chris Rose, Matt King and Ross Simmonds.

West Wickham manager, Keith D’Urso, 56, was a proud man afterwards.

He said:  “Very pleased with the performance, I can’t complain there.  We probably could’ve had a few more if I’m honest!

“They’re a good side.  I’ve been to see them only on one occasion.  I knew they’d be fairly lively but I knew if we could contain them and perhaps go in with a couple of goals’ cushion at half-time they might fold in the second half.  We got the (second) goal early in the second half and I think we moved on from there.”

Greenwich Borough boss Cox added: “We find ourselves in the same position again as we’ve been several times this season.

“What can I say?  We were beaten tonight by a team that really wanted to win the game, rather than flatter to deceive as some of our boys do.

“We’re working on it, we’re trying to improve on the field, get some more team spirit going again and hopefully things will pick up.

“It is what it is, we’re a team down the bottom of the league, scrapping for results and not really getting much joy at that level either.”

Greenwich Borough appeared to be a team full of eleven individuals, whilst West Wickham showed the togetherness throughout as they all performed on the club’s big night out.

West Wickham’s visit to Oakley Road, Bromley, proved to be Greenwich Borough’s largest crowd of the season, as around 100 watched the action, but Cox explained why the official crowd was given as only 40.

“Looking at it tonight there was officially 40 supporters’ here, although there was probably 100,” admitted Cox.

“But that reflects on the nature of the people trying to get in and not paying, deliberately avoiding payment and we can’t do anything about that!

“I spoke to the West Wickham man before the game and explained the situation to him.  I’ve got the figures here so they can see there’s nothing untoward been done but that’s just the way it is.”

When asked why 60 supporters in the estimated crowd of 100 didn’t pay, Cox replied, “Because they’ve avoided it!  They’ve either said they’ve paid it or they’ve come in after the gate was closed.   We didn’t have anybody on the gate to begin with - that’s what we’re up against, when people deliberately set out not to pay, it’s very difficult.”

Cox, who went around taking £5 from a group of people as they gathered outside of the clubhouse ten minutes  before kick-off, added, “If there’s anything interested in coming on board, give them my number!”

D’Urso thought West Wickham’s visit was to be a lucrative night for Greenwich Borough, who use Holmesdale’s Oakley Road ground.

He said: “I told you we would (bring support with us).  We’re only local, up the road.  Last time we had a midweek game in this tournament, I think was down in Sevenoaks a few seasons ago and we brought a few with us then as well so I knew we’d get a good crowd here and hopefully we’ve created a bit of money for Greenwich Borough as well, so hopefully they can benefit from that as well.”

And the travelling supporters enjoyed what they were seeing as West Wickham made Greenwich Borough look poor on an embarrassing night for the home club.

Littered by mistakes throughout, central defender Hugh Samuel played a ball out of defence straight to Rose, whose diagonal cross found King at the far post but the striker leaned back and blasted his shot over from an acute angle inside the opening seven minutes.

Greenwich Borough’s best player was the diminutive Phil McBean, who pulled all of their strings from the middle of the park, although he cut inside at every opportunity and his talent on the ball carved open a chance for striker Declan Thompson, who failed to produce the finish such a move warranted, looping a 30-yard shot on the run wide.

Jay Asken turned and drilled a right-footed drive into the Greenwich Borough side-netting, and 59 seconds later, Sheriff Babatunde flashed an ambitious low angled drive wide of the far post at the other end.

West Wickham were by far the best team throughout and they really should have scored in the 25^th minute when King cut the ball back to James Horton, who played the ball inside to Lee Cornnall, who scuffed his right-footed shot past the near post from 25-yards.

A slick move down the left involving Jamie James, Asken and king, saw King’s driven shot fail to find the corner thanks to a piece of last-ditch defending by Alan Arinaitwe, who stuck out a leg to make a fine block, but the loose ball fell to Asken, whose shot on the turn only just cleared the crossbar.

West Wickham were getting closer to the goal their play richly deserved and Rose sent Greenwich Borough’s right-back George Jones sliding onto his backside with some trickery down the left flank and his whipped in cross was knocked down by James at the near post and Asken’s left-footed shot curled agonisingly wide of the near post.

McBean gifted possession to West Wickham with a sloppy pass out of defence, but Rose lashed a right-footed drive just over Luke Roberts’ fingertips and just over the crossbar.

But West Wickham deservedly opened the scoring in the 44^th minute.

Steve Jones slipped the ball inside from the right flank and King picked up the ball on the edge of the Greenwich Borough penalty area and laid the ball off to an unmarked Rose, who lashed a left-footed drive high over Roberts and into the roof of the net.

D’Urso said: “We’ve strengthened up down both flanks this season and I’ve not got a better balanced side.  We’ve got four naturally left-sided players and it’s created a better balance right throughout the whole squad.  We can now get better shape down both flanks so yes, very, very pleased (with the goal).”

Things got even better for West Wickham as they doubled their lead inside the opening four minutes of the second half.

Winger Rose sprinted down the left flank, winning a foot race with Greenwich skipper George Jones and he whipped in a precise cross towards the far post for Steve Jones, who caressed the ball back into the goalmouth for King to smash his shot into the roof of the net.

“Matt King’s found his form this season,” added D’Urso. “We’ve got a very strong squad and I’m trying to keep the balance going, get a bit of rotation.  I had to disappoint a few players tonight by bringing a squad of 16 where I only take fourteen, but it’s a very strong squad this season.”

Greenwich Borough took 53 minutes to register their first shot on target, an angled drive from substitute Matiea Ramsamy, which was comfortably gathered low down by West Wickham keeper Sam Wheeler.

West Wickham’s whirlwind saw them sail into a three-goal lead in the 56^th minute.

Asken swung in a corner from the left flank towards the near post and solid central defender Ross Simmonds headed down and into the roof of the net.

D’Urso added: “He loved that one and went off after and had a little celebration with his mother who was in the crowd so I don’t think he’ll live that one down with the lads.”

Cox added: “I don’t want to say where we conceded the goals, obviously we’re giving our opposition our weaknesses!

“But what we’re worried about, no matter how we change the personnel, it’s the nature of the pattern of the game takes the same format whoever’s out there and when we are playing the way we’re playing it doesn’t breed confidence and unfortunately it’s an uphill struggle, but I’m sure the boys, they know what we expect of them. 

“If they can’t produce what we’re expecting off them now very quickly then we’re looking elsewhere to try to strengthen.  We’re always looking to strengthen the squad, that’s the way forward.”

It could have been four just before the hour mark, but King was penalised for a foul on Arinaitwe, who he shrugged off with ease before slotting the ball past an exposed Roberts after latching onto a ball over the top of the Greenwich Borough defence.

Greenwich Borough’s most talented player, McBean, finally called visiting keeper Wheeler into serious action in the 66^th minute.

West Wickham defender Lee Fieldwick picked up the game’s only booking for fouling Kieran McCann on the edge of the box and McBean curled a right-footed free-kick over the five-man wall towards the top near corner, but Wheeler did brilliantly to tip the ball over the bar.

McBean, 22, stood head and shoulders above everyone else in a red and black striped shirt.

“Again, we don’t want to highlight our assets,” added Cox.

“We had some good personal performances tonight and these players will hopefully stay and there’s something to build on, their desire, their work-rate is something to show the young kids or something for the younger kids, if they want to be in the team, what we expect of them.”

Greenwich Borough keeper Roberts stooped down low to get his face in the way of James’ right-footed half-volley from 25-yards, before the well beaten hosts rallied in the final ten minutes with McBean exchanging a one-two with Thompson before unleashing a right-footed shot on the run from 30-yards which was comfortably saved by Wheeler, before McBean’s far post corner was headed wide by an unmarked Kieran McCann, but Greenwich Borough were a well-beaten side by then.

D’Urso felt his victorious side deserved their place in the second round and says he wants to have an extended stay in the competition.

He said: “I think it’s good to complete in the Kent (Senior Trophy) against the Kent (League) sides.  I think it’s a shame we can’t progress and actually compete week on week out because I think we can actually hold our own in the Kent Senior League but such is life that we can’t progress as we don’t have the lights and infrastructure so we’re confined to the Southern Amateur League, but again, it’s a good level down there and I think we’ve proved we play at a good level tonight.

“We’re affiliated to the Amateur Football Alliance and we play in the Southern Amateur League.  It is purely amateur and the players actually pay to play.  £75 is their annual membership and they have to pay £10 per game.  We are self-funding, we don’t have any rich benefactors, which could make a difference!  If someone wants to leave us a few hundred grand I’m sure we could put it to good use and maybe we could progress up the pyramid!

“The Southern Amateur League, certainly the top division of senior football, is a very, very high standard and I think we proved that today.”

Looking ahead to their trip to play Hollands & Blair in the second round, D’Urso added: “Again, we’ll treat every side with respect.  Although they play in the Kent County League or the Kent Invicta League as it is now, we’ll go down there and I’ll try and do a bit of homework before hand and see where their strengths and weaknesses are. 

“Again, we want to go far in this competition but we have to beat some good sides to get there and I’m looking forward to it already.

“I think we got to the dizzy heights when we went out to Whitstable on penalties in the semi-finals a few years’ ago, it will be great to get that far again and even one step further.  You never know.  You’ve got to be ambitious in this game.”

Cox and his fellow manager, John Cumberbatch insist they are going to carry on.

Cox said: “We’re here for the long term.  We’ve brought a very inexperienced group of young boys together who are not good enough for the challenge at the moment.  We can only work on it.  It’s not going to be an overnight fix.  We’re here for the long term.

“We’re lacking in experience and a bit of steel. 

“We’re under no illusions that we’re doing well but given the circumstances that we’re doing.  We’re working towards our goals.  We’re not panicking, there’s no pressure on us to achieve it.  What myself and John are looking for is we don’t care if we lose, as long as we lose with a fight.  There was no fire in our belly tonight in certain areas.

“Myself and John are under no pressure.  The chairman’s working hard off the scenes to get us back in the Borough, get our own ground again.”

Greenwich Borough: Luke Roberts, George Jones, Sheriff Babatunde, Hugh Samuel (Tony Kenyon 63), Alan Arinaitwe, Phil McBean, Kieran McCann, Mel McCann (Matiea Ramsamy 46), Rico Spencer, Declan Thompson, Ola Akinwande (Ope Aromona 56).
Subs: Zak Henry, Leighton Francis

West Wickham: Sam Wheeler, Adam Freeman, James Horton, Lee Cornnall (Ben David 62), Lee Fieldwick (James Gibson 82), Ross Simmonds, Chris Rose (Ben Middleton 66), Steve Jones, Jamie James, Matt King, Jay Asken.
Subs: Joe Ivory, Dave Adams

Goals: Chris Rose 44, Matt King 48, Ross Simmonds 56

Booked: Lee Fieldwick 65

Attendance: 40
Referee: Mr David Smart (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr Trevor Bailey (Bromley) & Mr Lee Culpeck (Gravesend)