Herne Bay 0-3 Charlton Athletic - We just couldn't live with them, admits Simon Halsey

HERNE BAY  0-3  CHARLTON ATHLETIC
Kent Senior Cup (Sponsored by Portablefloodlights.com) Quarter-Final
Wednesday 27^th February 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Winch’s Field

HERNE BAY boss Simon Halsey says it was a great experience to play Charlton Athletic at Winch’s Field.

But the Addicks proved that there was a gulf in class between the development side at a Championship outfit and a Herne Bay side that are presently in eighteenth-place in the Ryman League Division One South table with 32 points from 27 games, eleven points clear of the foot of the table.

Charlton Athletic comfortably booked their place in the Kent Senior Cup (Sponsored by Portablefloodlights.com) Semi-Final and they will boost the coffers of their Ryman League Division One North neighbours Thamesmead Town when the two club’s meet at Bayliss Avenue.

Nathan Jones’ side were gifted their opening goal by Herne Bay keeper Rob French, who was at fault for Bradley Jordan’s early opener.
 
Striker Michael Smith slotted home a second before half-time, before central midfielder Jordan headed home a third.

”It was a good experience,” said Halsey, who guided Herne Bay out of the Kent League as champions at the end of last season.

”The boys’ were disappointed at half-time, but at the end of the day I said to them that’s the levels they are and that’s the levels we are.  You just have to take your personal performances out of it.

”We know, don’t get me wrong, I thought the first two goals were sloppy for us and you can’t let teams like that have a lead like that, but it’s a great experience.

”In little patches we did try and pass it.  I thought we was alright.

”I thought Dover were quite good but that’s a different level again.”

Charlton Athletic opened the scoring with only three minutes and 47 seconds on the clock, thanks to a blunder from French.

Morgan Fox played the ball out of defence towards the right hand side of the penalty area and Jordan stroked a weak left-footed angled drive from 12-yards, which caught out French, the keeper diving to allow the ball to bounce over him and apologetically creep inside the bottom corner.

”I thought we made the wrong decisions from our defenders,” said Halsey.

”First and foremost I thought it was the wrong ball to play. We should have cleared our lines and then obviously Frenchie had a chance to deal with the second bit and he didn’t deal with it.  It’s a soft goal and he knows that and he’s held his hands up at half-time and we move on.”

It was not the start that the hosts wanted and Charlton Athletic almost raced into a 2-0 lead following their first corner.

Jordan whipped in the ball from the left and Steve Hanson missed his clearance at the near post and Joe Pigott’s diving header from a couple of yards was blocked by French.

Pigott, who scored four goals in eight appearances whilst on loan at Blue Square Bet (Conference) South club Bromley earlier in the season, formed a formidable striking partnership alongside Smith, with Callum Harriott terrorising Herne Bay with his pace and movement, in behind the front two.

”I learnt to get to the levels that we want to be at we need to be able to train a lot more, more than once or twice a week. That was the difference to be honest,” said Halsey. 

”They played a very narrow diamond formation that we didn’t like in the first ten minutes so we matched them up and went like for like in there but even when we went in there and matched them up with their movement from the 10 (Harriott) was just like unbelievable!

”I said to my players’ as much as we can try and stay with them but their movement it was just complete and utter movement all the time.  We just couldn’t live with it!”

A lay-off from Pigott set up a chance for winger Courtney Harris, who was given time and space to flash his right-footed drive wide from 25-yards.

French redeemed himself on several occasions for his earlier blunder and the Herne Bay keeper denied Charlton Athletic a second in the 18^th minute.

Smith’s flicked pass released Pigott through on goal and he cracked a right-footed drive from sixteen-yards which forced French into raising both of his arms high above his head to beat the ball away.

The home fans had to wait until the 21^st minute for their first shot on goal.

Striker James Turner was brought down by Harry Osborne just to the left of the D and central defender Calum McGeehan stepped up to stroke a right-footed free-kick from 25-yards over the wall and visiting keeper Nick Pope dived to his right to catch the ball.

Halsey added: ”It was a good save from the keeper.  He’s good at free-kick’s and I think that was our only real chance, apart from a set-piece in the second half and Steve Hanson headed that over the bar.”

The impressive Harriott released Pigott through on goal and French rushed swiftly of his line to bravely dived at the striker’s feet and the keeper received a lucky break as Pigott pushed the ball past the left-hand post.

Smith issued Herne Bay a warning when he shrugged off Marvin Okundalaiye to make space for himself before dragging his right-footed drive past the near post from 25-yards.

But Charlton Athletic doubled their lead in the 36^th minute.

Central defender Kevin Feely received congratulations from his team-mates for the assist, powering a header out of defence straight through the heart of the Herne Bay defence and Smith drove his right-footed shot across French to find the bottom far corner.

Halsey said: “That’s what we said at half-time. That’s what they’re good at.  Even when in spells in the first half when they’re under pressure and they only had half chances the ball’s they played in to right areas, even half balls, were decent balls.

”Their forwards were probably an inch smaller than Camps (James Campbell) and Calum but they’re so strong and so quick and they’re just instinctive as well.”

Halsey was full of praise for Billy Bennett and the former VCD Athletic central midfielder hit a speculative effort from 30-yards which was caught by Pope.

He said: “I thought Billy Bennett came out with a massive, massive plus out of that. I thought Billy was superb out there. I thought he was our man-of-the-match.  He was continually trying to get on to the ball. He’s got good feet and he’s nineteen-years-old.”

Harriott’s burst of pace created a chance for him 89 seconds into the second half, but French made a comfortable save.

Herne Bay went agonisingly close to pulling a goal back when Ben Brown swung in a right-footed free-kick from 35-yards towards the far post and left-back Tom Bryant glanced his header just wide from six-yards.

French made another good save after Fox played the ball into Pigott down the left channel and he whipped in a cross towards the near post for Smith and his flicked shot forced French into diving low to his left to claw out before gathering at the second attempt.

Bryant cut into the Charlton Athletic penalty box in the 65^th minute but his right-footed shot from sixteen-yards sailed over.

Herne Bay’s next chance was an even better one as Brown swung in a corner from the right towards the near post for Hanson to stoop a free-header agonisingly over the bar from eight-yards.

Halsey admitted: We didn’t really create that much but we had a mixed team in there tonight.  I brought a few of the reserves in to give them a run out.  Marvin (Okundalaiye) has been around the first team and the reserves for the best part of this season and he’s had 90 minutes. Steve Hanson’s not played for four months most probably and got 90 minutes tonight. We had a mixture of a side. We’ve not done ourselves any harm tonight really.

”Camps had a little bit of a tweak,” added Halsey, who made six changes to the side that went down to a 3-1 home defeat to leaders Maidstone United at the weekend.

He added: “As with Joe Nelder, Gary Sayer, Nathan Eastwood, Rhys Lawson and Byron Walker, they were not ones that I was going to risk tonight. As much as it was a great occasion, we wanted to try to win it. It wasn’t one that I was going to risk too many players because as a manager need to get as many points on the board over the next month.”

But just 36 seconds later Herne Bay conceded their third goal on the night.

Halsey wasn’t pleased with his side’s marking because they allowed Pigott to pick the ball up down the left before floating a cross over to Jordan who planted his header over French’s left shoulder to find the far corner.

”That was most probably their best goal and we have to hold our hands up and say they popped it around there and put a great ball in the box.  I’m a bit disappointed that we haven’t tucked around to the far post to mark him but again that’s the difference, that’s the levels they are at.  They get bodies forward and their movement and they get into good areas especially their 10 (Harriott).  He was magnificent.  We tried to mark him but he pulled here and pulled there and he just ran us ragged really.”

French made a smart save to raise his left hand to tip Harriott’s left-footed dipping shot into his side netting before Pigott cracked a right-footed curler on a run from 25-yards which left French rooted to the spot before the ball bounced of the crossbar.

Charlton Athletic were denied again when Pigott released Jordan through on goal and French came rushing off his line to make a fine block.  The ball fell to substitute Tareiq Holmes-Dennis who swept a left-footed shot rolling towards the goal line but Hanson got back just in time to clear the ball off the line.

Halsey said: “It was a great experience.  It’s good to have a team of Charlton’s caliber come to Winch’s Field. It shows how far we’ve come.

”I don’t know if we deserved a goal. I thought at times we tried to pass the ball in the right areas and do the right things but when you’re playing against their centre halves (Semi Ajayi and Feely) they’re so strong. When we tried to turn them they’re so strong.  You could see they’re built to play football and train every day.

”You could see it straight away. They eat football, train football, sleep football 24-7. We get together for an hour and a half, three hours a week for a Saturday afternoon. We live in the real world, but it’s a great experience for us, so great to watch to be fair.

”We could sit here and talk about everything that they’ve done. It was great to be part of it.  It just shows you how far we’ve come at Winch’s Field to have teams like that down here.”

Herne Bay:  Rob French, Steve Hanson, Tom Bryant, Calum McGeehan, James Campbell (Steven Lloyd 46), Billy Bennett, Marvin Okundalaiye, Ben Brown, James Turner (Emmanuel Abe 60), Jordan Agbaje, Dean Grant (Anthony Seale 65).
Subs: Michael Turner, Rhys Lawson

Charlton Athletic: Nick Pope, Harry Osborne, Morgan Fox, Bradley Jordan, Kevin Feely, Semi Ajayi (Harry Lennon 78), Courtney Harris (Harry Gerrard 78), Jordan Cousins, Michael Smith, Callum Harriott (Tareiq Holmes-Dennis 84), Joe Pigott.
Sub: Dillon Phillips

Goals: Bradley Jordan 4, 73, Michael Smith 36

Attendance: 260
Referee: Mr Darren Blunden (Dartford)
Assistants: Mr Kevin Welsh (Sittingbourne) & Mr Jason Down (Sittingbourne)