Herne Bay 2-3 VCD Athletic - We haven't become a bad side all off a sudden, says Simon Halsey

HERNE BAY  2-3  VCD ATHLETIC
Kent League Challenge Shield
Saturday 21^st July 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Winch’s Field

VCD ATHLETIC manager Ricky Bennett says he was pleased with his side after they claimed a pre-season scalp in beating Ryman League Division One South newcomers Herne Bay to lift the Kent League Challenge Shield.

Herne Bay were the holders of the annual curtain raiser between the Kent League champions and the Kent League Cup winners – but they were outplayed by Vickers, who finished in third-place last season and defeated Corinthian 2-0 to lift the Kent League Cup.

VCD Athletic, who begin their new campaign at home to Beckenham Town in two weeks’ time, fully deserved their victory against a sluggish Herne Bay side, who have to patiently wait a further two weeks to kick-off their inaugural Ryman League campaign, at home to Tooting & Mitcham United.

And the two sides’ difference in fitness levels was clear for everyone to see as Vickers passed their way to a 3-0 lead, before Herne Bay scored two flattering goals inside the final seven minutes to give the scoreline more respectability.

Jimmy Rogers opened the scoring inside the opening 12 minutes with an excellent free-kick, before Aiden Pursglove gave the Crayford-based outfit a 2-0 lead with a penalty just five minutes later.

And when substitute James Duckworth scored with twelve minutes left to give Vickers’ a deserved 3-0 lead, it had the home fans in the sun-kissed crowd of 155 concerned.

But Herne Bay pulled two late goals back, courtesy of a headed own-goal from Vickers’ right-back Jack Asbury and then Calum McGeeghan’s deflected shot from outside the penalty area, before Herne Bay substitute, Ben Brown, saw red for a reckless challenge on Karl Dent inside the final two minutes.

Bennett said: “Very pleased to be honest. I thought for probably 70-75 minutes we were much in control of the game. Very pleased with our fitness levels and some of our play as well on a difficult surface.”

Speaking about his side becoming Herne Bay’s bogey side, Bennett said: “That’s good to have on your CV I suppose.  It’s a Challenge Shield. It’s a pre-season.  It’s not as important as a league game but we do seem to do well against them.  We’re not going to play them no more, so good luck to them in the Ryman League.

“At the end of the day it’s pre-season.  We’re not going to get carried away. We’re not too excited about winning the Challenge Shield. It’s always nice to win a pot, but long way to go, but we’re going in the right way.   To take a scalp of a Ryman side is pleasing, but results don’t really mean much in pre-season as everyone says.”

Herne Bay boss Simon Halsey, meanwhile, gave an honest assessment on his side’s performance.

He said: “We weren’t good enough!  No-where near on the mark. No-where near fitness wise. We didn’t pass the ball well and 3-2 flattered us really so I’ve got no qualms to losing the game to a better side.”

Halsey, who began his coaching career at VCD Athletic, admitted his side are cursed when they play teams in green, which will mean his side are expected to struggle when they lock horns with Leatherhead and Chipstead (who wear green) in the Ryman League this season.

He said: “I think if you look over a couple of my interviews, I struggle against teams in green for some reason.  I ain’t got a clue why!”

VCD Athletic created the game’s first chance when Billy Bennett released Pursglove in behind the Herne Bay defence but his left-footed shot brought a low save from Herne Bay keeper Dan Eason.

Herne Bay immediately went up the other end and striker James Turner’s right-footed drive bounced harmlessly past Brad McNamara’s left-hand post.

But VCD Athletic – who remained unbeaten against Herne Bay on four occasions last season – opened the scoring with a piece of quality from Rogers.

A penetrating 30-yard run from left-winger Uche Ibemere saw him brought down and Rogers stepped up and from 20-yards curled a right-footed free-kick over the four-man wall and past Eason’s despairing dive and found the back of the net in off the far post.

Bennett praised Rogers by saying, “He’s got that in his locker, Jim.  He’s an excellent player. He suffered last year with little injuries.  Hopefully he’s got his buzz back about football and he’s looking sharp in pre-season so hopefully that will continue in pre-season.”

Halsey added: “I just think the whole day was never going to go our way and right from the first whistle we just didn’t do anything right and to be fair they ran us ragged!

“I’m not going to go on about their goals too much. I’m more concerned about what we didn’t do to be honest and through the 90 minutes we didn’t do enough to win the game. We didn’t pass it well when we had it.  Our retention was poor. Our decision making was poor.  Our effort was poor as well, but fair play to them. They passed the ball round and passed us off the park.

“It doesn’t concern me at all. We played well in the last two games. We’ve got another month until our season starts.”

Vickers’ swiftly doubled their lead, which left the Herne Bay faithful scratching their heads as they watched their side torn apart by Vickers’ brand of passing football. 

Rogers’ fine pass released Pursglove, who was brought down by Herne Bay’s central defender James Campbell, who was booked for the challenge.

Striker Pursglove stepped up and clinically sent Eason the wrong way from the penalty spot, stroking his right-footed penalty half-way up the inside the left-hand corner of the net.

Bennett added: “You always fancy Aiden to sore from a spot-kick.  It was definitely a penalty and he showed his composure and sent the keeper the wrong way.”

It was clearly evident that Herne Bay were lacking the pace down each flank, and haven’t replaced Dan Lawrence (who is one of four players to sign for Faversham Town) and Rhys Lawson, who missed the game through holiday.  Last season’s top-scorer, Byron Walker, meanwhile, was the main absentee.

When asked about the lack of pace in his side, Halsey admitted: “A little bit. That’s what concerned me. It’s something we’ve got to work on.”

The one time that they troubled Vickers’ left-back Greg Benbow came in 19^th minute when the man to fill Lawrence’s boots, Ollie Bartrum, picked up the ball and cut inside to stab the ball to George Landais and the former 20-year-old Aldershot Town striker floated in a cross into the six-yard box where striker James Turner agonisingly clipped the right-hand post with an over-head kick with his back to goal.

Herne Bay’s left-back, Tom Bryant, tried his luck with a left-footed free-kick from 25-yards, which only just cleared McNamara’s crossbar.

Things just weren’t going for Herne Bay.  An example of this came on the half-hour mark when Landais released Michael Turner, but he swept a left-footed curler past the far post.

Michael Turner then turned provider when he sent over a hanging cross from the left and Bartrum oujumped his marker and headed wide of the post.

VCD Athletic squandered two excellent chances to put the game beyond Herne Bay’s reach just before half-time.

Benbow latched onto a fine diagonal pass and dragged his left-footed shot across Eason and past the far post when he only had the keeper to beat and then a stretching Bennett poked a right-footed shot wide of the other post from the edge of the penalty area.

Halsey made three of his five substitutions at the interval, while Bennett was content in just bringing Duckworth on.

And Duckworth almost made an immediate impact on the game as his low left-footed shot forced a diving Eason to tip the ball around the post after just 30 seconds.

Striker Duckworth – who is good enough to play at a higher level – was denied by a brilliant save from Eason within a further five minutes.

Rogers had time and space to float over a cross from the left and Duckworth, who had his back to goal, looped an audacious flick towards goal, but a diving Eason tipped the ball around the post.

Inevitably, with this game being a competitive pre-season friendly, the action died down until the final 20 minutes.

Herne Bay should have pulled a goal back in the 72^nd minute when Josh Seargeant swung in a corner from the right and Campbell ghosted in unchallenged and could only steer his glancing header wide.

Bennett was full of praise for Duckworth, after his goal six minutes later won the Shield.

He said: “Great finish – but that’s what Duckers is about, so quick and trickery. If he can get a bit more meaner, be a bit more of a physical presence.  He shouldn’t be playing at this level, but he is and we’re glad he is.

“Hopefully he brings a little bit more to his game and he can go on, on, on and on.  He’s a very good player.”

When asked if higher-league clubs have taken an interest in the striker, Bennett revealed: “Last season when we played (Blue Square Bet South) Thurrock in the FA Cup they showed a little bit of interest in him but after that nothing happened but I’m not going to stop people going on and improving themselves, but hopefully he stays with us.  I’m sure he will.”

Substitute Chris Page, who slotted in at left-back when he came on for Benbow, played a delightful ball over the top to release Duckworth, who danced forward and kept his composure to round the advancing Eason and once inside the penalty area slotted a low right-footed shot into an empty net.

Herne Bay were now facing a mountain to climb – but to their credit they did score two flattering goals late on.

McNamara, 17, made a comfortable low save to his right to deny Landais, before the home side scored what everyone thought was an 83^rd minute consolation.

Speaking about Landais, Halsey said: “He’s just played in Sweden.  He got released from there for financial reasons and came straight to us so we’re glad to have him on board.   Again, I saw glimpses of good stuff from him but we just need to work on the others around him now.”

Bryant swung in a free-kick from the right and McGeeghan, who was deployed as a striker when he came on at the break, thought he had scored with a glancing header, but the goal will go down as an own goal by Asbury, who got the final touch.

Herne Bay’s second goal – just 125 seconds later – will gloss over a poor performance from Halsey’s men, who didn’t come close to the performances that clinched the Kent League title and saw them reach the FA Vase Semi-Finals last season.

Michael Turner played the ball inside to McGeeghan, who cracked a right-footed drive from 25-yards, which looped off Vickers’ defender Chris Hill and sailed into the roof of the net.

Halsey said: “If you want to take the positives out of it, we never gave up and we got two goals back towards the end.  You could say in a game that might be the difference between getting a point or not, but the rest of the game we were played off the park, so that’s what I’ve got to look at and perhaps our fitness levels.”

Bennett spoke of his disappointment about shipping in a couple of late goals, but admitted it was good experience for McNamara, who stood in for Jack Bradshaw.

He said: “Yes, I am (disappointed). I am on one hand but the other hand we made quite a lot of changes late on in the game, which interrupted the play a bit.

“They were spawny goals. One was an own-goal and one’s a deflection.  I think it hit Chris Hill on the way and looped over.”

Speaking about keeper McNamara, Bennett said: “He’s only a young boy, 17.  He was playing for our under 18’s last year. He played the odd game for the ressies last season and we’ve got a lot of faith in him.

“He will become a very good keeper I’m sure.  It’s good for him that he’s got the opportunity with Jack Bradshaw away on holiday.  He’s got a couple of games under his belt to see what first team football is all about. He has acquitted himself magnificently.”

Both managers were asked their thoughts on Brown’s straight red card for his reckless challenge on Vickers substitute Dent in the final two minutes.

Bennett said: “From where I was, yes, it looked like he was a bit reckless and the rules are now, his studs were showing, he’s gone in, so that’s the letter of the law.  But I don’t think it was a nasty, tetchy game to be fair, but that’s down to the officials’ to see it how they see it.”

When asked what his positives and negatives were from the game today, Bennett said: “Positives, the fitness levels and the way we’re approaching this season is a massive positive. The negative is sloppy goals.  We were excellent for two seasons with the best defensive records there or there abouts and I want that to continue and I’m sure it will, but things are going to be ironed out before the first league game on 4 August.”

Halsey, meanwhile, told Herne Bay supporters not to panic, after all the club have four more weeks until the real stuff begins.

He said: “We haven’t become a bad side all off a sudden. We’ve had a bad day at the office. 

“Nothing that we’ve done right, by a change of personnel, by changing formation, never affected the game.

“It was just a bad day at the office.   Put it like this. We haven’t become a bad side that’s for sure.  We’re not panicking that’s for sure!”

Herne Bay: Dan Eason, Nathan Eastwood, Tom Bryant, Neil Perkins (Joe Nelder 46), James Campbell, Tom Parker (Adam Wallcott 46), Ollie Bartram (Brad King 60), Josh Seargeant (Ben Brown 75), James Turner (Calum McGeeghan 46), George Landais, Michael Turner.

Goals: Jack Asbury 83 (own goal), Calum McGeeghan 86

Booked:  James Campbell 16, Nathan Eastwood 17, Tom Parker 45, Tom Bryant 89

Sent Off: Ben Brown 88

VCD Athletic: Brad McNamara, Jack Asbury, Greg Benbow (Chris Page 53), Chris Hill, Paul Gross, Fraser Walker (Karl Dent 63), Jimmy Rogers (Jake Burman 73), Billy Bennett, Aiden Pursglove (David Noel 58), Daryl Wheeler (James Duckworth 46), Uche Ibemere.

Goals: Jimmy Rogers 12, Aiden Pursglove 17 (pen), James Duckworth 78

Booked:  Paul Gross 89

Attendance: 155
Referee: Mr Nick Dunn (Deal)
Assistants: Isaac Searle (Herne Bay) & Mr Ryan Cole (Herne Bay)
Fourth Official:  Mr Phil Rowley (Canterbury)