Harlow Town 2-0 Chatham Town - You need to score when you're on top, says Kevin Watson

HARLOW TOWN  2-0  CHATHAM TOWN
Ryman League Division One North
Saturday 22^nd February 2014
Stephen McCartney reports from The Harlow Arena

CHATHAM TOWN manager Kevin Watson says his side lacked the cutting edge and luck after they went down to an unlucky defeat at title-chasing Harlow Town.

Chatham Town’s fourteenth league defeat of the season has them looking over their shoulder in the bottom six and are now only six points clear of the relegation zone after Erith & Belvedere ended their miserable run of results with a 3-2 win over Heybridge Swifts at Park View Road.

Chatham Town dominated large chunks of the game but were profligate in front of goal and were twice denied by the woodwork on a frustrating day.

A huge blunder from Chatham Town goalkeeper Jack Bradshaw gifted third-placed Harlow Town the lead against the run of play when Junior Dadson, 25, was gifted his thirteenth goal of the season.

Harlow Town wrapped up the victory with a late strike from striker Alex Read, 25, who gleefully stroked home his 35^th goal of the season – but Chatham Town deserved more from their day in Essex.

“I think you’re right there, we didn’t do a lot wrong today to be fair,” said Watson afterwards.

“I thought in the first half we were very good but you need to score when you’re on top of the game.

“Once we conceded we was a bit vulnerable for about five minutes in the first half but other than that I thought we dominated that half possession wise.

“A pitch like this was always going to suit us because we pass the ball well. We stepped a team out with people that pass the ball.

“We hit the crossbar and we had a few other chances but ultimately you need to score really.”

Chatham Town took advantage of the artificial pitch at The Harlow Arena and played lovely passing football.

The Kent side’s first piece of bad luck arrived inside the opening five minutes.

Kieran McCann slipped the ball forward and impressive left-winger Ade Yusuff spun his marker to penetrate into the penalty area before drilling a right-footed shot agonisingly against the crossbar from sixteen-yards.

“He done well in the first half and he was unlucky not to score,” Watson said of his winger.

“He didn’t do a lot wrong. He hit the bar and he causes problems. His athletic, he’s only young and he’s got a lot to learn, but he can only do that by playing games.”

A throw from right-back Brad Potter was knocked down by striker Austin Gacheru and Alfie May lashed his left-footed half-volley high and wide from 35-yards.

Harlow Town’s first opening arrived in the 20^th minute when right-back Donny Barnard (with his back to goal) cut a free-kick back to Josh Urquhart who pumped a long ball into the penalty area.  The ball came out to Read, who lashed his left-footed volley high over the bar from eighteen-yards.

But Harlow Town’s goalkeeper Daniel Knowles was to make a string of excellent saves to thwart Chatham Town.

Lee Hales’ flicked a pass forward to Gacheru outside the box, who sprayed the ball out wide to May, who was given time and space to drill a right-footed piledriver towards goal from the edge of the box, which forced Knowles to dive full-length to his right to parry and gather the loose ball after the ball bounced off Yusuff.

Watson was clearly impressed by the 28-year-old goalkeeper.

“I thought their keeper had quite a bit to do and he done it quite well in all fairness.  He made some good saves.”

Chatham Town left-back Greg Benbow rolled a ball inside to Yusuff, who looked up and stroked a right-footed angled drive from 30-yards, which was gathered by Knowles at his near post.

Matt Solly slid a free-kick into Yusuff’s feet, who turned his marker again but stroked his right-footed shot into the foot of the side netting from inside the penalty area.

But Harlow Town grabbed the lead – against the run of play – in the 35^th minute.

Harlow played a long ball forward down the left channel which should have been meat and drink for Bradshaw.

The former Erith & Belvedere goalkeeper ran out of his penalty area and had time to either pump the ball forward our into row Z for a Harlow throw-in.

However, he shanked his right-footed clearance straight to Dadson, who kept composed and swept his right-footed shot into the empty goal from 35-yards as the goalkeeper struggled to get back.

Watson said: “Like people, critics will say that Jack could’ve kicked it out but I think the way it was sitting to him he would fancy himself to clear that down the pitch.

“He’s just shanked it really. He’s not hit it very well. Like every player on the pitch today for both teams probably had miss-placed pass. It’s just his has lead to a goal really.

“He stops us conceding more goals, he’s a good goalkeeper. I rate him highly here so a mistake like that, it’s the nature of being a goalkeeper isn’t it?  You make a mistake and generally it leads to a goal.”

Despite that set-back, Chatham Town created a couple more first half chances to justifiably get back into the game.

Potter floated in a deep cross form the right and Gacheru’s glancing header dropped into Knowles gloves, low to his right.

And with the last kick of the half, Hales swung in a corner from the left and Potter’s header seemed destined to loop into the roof of the net but a defender was there to head the ball off the line.

Watson said: “You can’t really think off too many more (Harlow chances in the first half).

“We was very good. I came in at half-time, I didn’t want us to panic. I didn’t need to change a lot.”

Harlow Town were forced to make amendments at the back during the break after losing skipper Darren Blewitt to an injury.

Chatham Town created their first chance of the second half inside the opening four minutes.

Solly touched a free-kick short to Benbow and Solly played the ball out to Hales, who had time and space to hit a speculative right-footed drive from 35-yards, which bounced several times before being collected by Knowles.

The Chatham faithful knew it wasn’t going to be their day when the woodwork saved Harlow Town for a second time in the 51^st minute.

Hales swept the ball out to McCann and the former Erith & Belvedere winger reached the left by-line before whipping in a cross towards the penalty spot and Potter’s free header bounced agonisingly against the crossbar and towards safety.

A frustrated Potter received a cut-back from May and drilled a speculative right-footed effort from 40-yards, which dipped over the crossbar.

Potter was involved again when he met Hales’ in-swinging corner from the left with a towering header, which he sent over the crossbar from within a crowded six-yard box.

Harlow Town weathered the storm and created a chance just past the hour mark when James Smith clipped the ball forward from inside the centre circle to release Read who sent his left-footed chip wide of the left-hand post.

May was to be denied his 24^th goal of the season when he brought the ball under his spell before cracking a right-footed drive from 30-yards, which forced Knowles to dive to his right to parry the shot before gathering at the second attempt.

Chatham Town were to be denied the equaliser that their dominance demanded with 20 minutes remaining.

They were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the D and Hales stepped up and stroked a right-footed free-kick towards the left-hand corner, but Knowles dived full-length to his right and used a strong right hand to push the ball behind for a corner.

Watson said: “He made a good save in the second half from Lee Hales’ free-kick.  

“Brad Potter hit the post in the second half. We certainly posed them problems but we didn’t have that final cutting edge or a bit of luck or whatever it may be, which you need to win games really.”

A Chatham move involving Gacheru, McCann and substitute James Alderman set up a chance for Solly, whose right-footed drive from 30-yards flashed just past the foot of the left-hand post.

Harlow Town squandered an excellent chance to put the game to bed in the last eighteen minutes when Leon Antoine was released down the right and he put in a low cross towards the near post where Bradshaw did enough to ensure Read poked the ball past the foot of the post.

Bradshaw flung himself to his left to make a good save to prevent Dadson curling a right-footed shot into the far corner.  But referee Lee Forrester angered the home fans when he awarded Bradshaw a goal-kick instead of awarding a corner.

Smith played a clever through ball, which was poked just past the foot of the right-hand post by Read, before another chance went begging for Chatham Town.

Hales’ out-swinging corner was met by a towering header from Potter, who put his head in his hands after his downward header went agonisingly wide of the left-hand post.

Harlow Town also created a chance from a corner, which was delivered by Smith and striker Antoine planted his free header over the bar from ten-yards.

Watson made a double substitution but Harlow Town grabbed their second goal with five minutes left.

Right-winger Smith clipped the ball forward to release Read who swept his right-footed shot across Bradshaw to find the far corner from eight-yards.

Watson added: “I think their second goal was just a case of us chasing the game towards the end. Your shape goes a little bit with five minutes left.”

Read swept the ball out wide to Dadson, who was unlucky when his left-footed angled drive flashed agonisingly past the far post, before Chatham’s last chance fell to Gacheru, who hooked his left-footed shot over from eighteen-yards.

On this performance, Chatham Town are certainly a better side than one that are in the bottom six.

“We’re a decent side and we cause teams problems but we just haven’t got that killer instinct really in games that we need,” said Watson.

“I don’t think we’re far off.  I think it’s fine lines from where we are in the table to being up the top. The difference between us and some of the teams at the top isn’t necessarily quality. It’s sometimes a resilience, sometimes that maturity and that experience really.”

Chatham Town must cram nineteen more games in the last 64 days of the season and welcome Erith & Belvedere to Maidstone Road on Tuesday night.

The Deres won their sixth league game of the season when Ryan Flack scored a late winner after Heybridge Swifts fought back from being two goals down inside the opening 23 minutes.  The Deres got off to a perfect start after Felix Ogeah-Andrews and Tyler Christina-Law put them in the driving seat.

“It’s going to be a hectic schedule but we’ll deal with that – it’s fine,” said Watson.

“Players’ want to play games, don’t they?  They’ll get opportunities. We’ve got a squad slightly big enough to probably cope with it to complete the games, which is fine.

“Erith & Belvedere will be up for it won’t they? We’ve had some good results against them at their place and we have to try to repeat that.

“It will be slightly different. They’ve got a lot of different personnel but as long as we’re up for it, hopefully we’ll get a good result.”

Watson dismissed the fact that his side are involved in a relegation scrap.

When asked whether he’s looking over his shoulder, Brentwood based Watson replied: “Not really! Not any more than we’re looking in front of us really. We still need to look to try and get up the table and that will mean getting away from the teams below us but we’ll just concentrate on ourselves.”

Chatham Town have collected 27 points from their 27 games and when asked what his targets are for the remainder of the season the manager replied: “I don’t normally say.  We’re slipping away from the target we set at the beginning of the season.  It’s going to be very difficult to achieve realistically but we’ve got to try to improve every season whether that means financially in the cup that we have done, whether that means league position, whether that means personnel for the next season, so that’s what we look to do really.”

Harlow Town moved into the impressive facilities at the 3,000 capacity Harlow Arena in 2006 at a cost of £3.5m but spent £350,000 to lay a 3G pitch during the summer of 2013.

A strange looking bright yellow object made a rare appearance from blue skies as non-league clubs got back to playing football today after the wettest winter in 250 years.

Watson admitted he still has mixed feelings about playing games on artificial pitches.

He said: “We were just talking about it in there. The players would like to play on it every week. Obviously with the weather recently it definitely helps in terms of beating the drum for such surfaces.

“I’ve got mixed feelings on it really.

“It’s very hard to maintain a pitch at our level without having a full-time groundsman and things like that.

“It probably could happen, which would be ideal. A lot of teams could groundshare because it’s hard for everyone. The problem is every club wants their own ground.

“If we could get one we’d get one because of the revenue and all of the other bits that go with it.

“I think the playing surface, ideally we’d be playing at Highbury or the Emirates (Arsenal’s old and current stadium) every week on a surface like that when it’s as good as that but grass, but the reality is we’re not gonna but I felt we dealt with that ok.

“They train and play on that and play 50% of their games on it.”

Watson added: “We’re a passing team, we try to get it down so I expected us to do ok on it and we did today.  There wasn’t a lot wrong. There’s more positives I think than negatives today.”

Harlow Town: Daniel Knowles, Donny Barnard, Layne Eadie, Josh Urquhart, Darren Blewitt (John Glowacki 46), Robbie Martin, Junior Dadson (Shane Stamp 88), Stanley Muguo, Alex Read (Chinedu McKenzie 88), Leon Antoine, James Smith.
Subs: Joe O’Donoghue, James May

Goals: Junior Dadson 35, Alex Read 85

Booked: John Glowacki 48, Junior Dadson 87

Chatham Town: Jack Bradshaw, Brad Potter, Greg Benbow (Liam Hickey 83), Matt Solly, Lewis Knight, Corey Holder, Ade Yusuff (James Alderman 66), Lee Hales, Austin Gacheru, Alfie May, Kieran McCann (Taylor McDonagh 83).
Subs: Kevin Watson, Lee Kidman

Booked: Matt Solly 6, Corey Holder 90

Attendance: 192
Referee: Mr Lee Forrester (Luton, Bedfordshire)
Assistants:  Mr Mark Stevens (Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire) & Mr Alex Rayment (Dunstable, Bedfordshire)