Hollands & Blair 0-2 Ashford United - I want a litlte bit more from my players, says Paul Chambers

HOLLANDS & BLAIR  0-2  ASHFORD UNITED
Kent Invicta League
Saturday 8^th September 2012
Mike Green reports from Star Meadow

Hollands & Blair lost top spot in the Kent Invicta League (and their 100% record) as they were left to rue missed first half chances as Ashford United made it five wins out of five with two second half goals in the baking Gillingham sunshine.

A wonder strike from Liam Whiting and a typical predatory goal from Mo Takaloo sealed the win for Paul Chambers’ side, and left the United manager a very happy man.

"Yeah I'm very happy," he said after the game. "We set about building a squad this year and I think we've achieved that, and we've told the lads we expect a little bit more from them. And I think that they did today - I thought they were absolutely superb!

“Hollands & Blair are a good side - they look good and you don't win five out of five without being a good side and we always knew today would be a good test for us, and to be fair I thought that we passed with flying colours.

“Once we got the first goal, I thought that we were all over them but obviously others will see it differently from me. But it could have gone either way as they had a couple of good chances in the first half. But there aren't many teams going to come here and take the three points so I'm more than happy."

Chambers added: "It was definitely a game of two halves, but what a goal it was that got us in front. I thought it deserved to win any game on its own, but obviously they're a good side. It was one ball that kept doing us all the time but after that I thought that second half we were head and shoulders above them and our fitness really came through and I thought that we looked a really good side.

“Hollands & Blair are always going to get chances no matter who they play and to be fair they're very difficult to play here especially – it’s a big slope here and they do play very well. They did well first half, but I still thought that we were a little bit comfortable despite the fact that we could well have been behind.

“Really our keeper didn't have a shot to save and if you don’t hit the target you don’t test the keeper - he's 17 years old our keeper (Joe Mant) and I thought that he was magnificent today - he didn’t miss a thing all day. He’s got a great future, and he was superb, but full credit to the rest of the lads - to play five games now and to play two of the top teams and only concede two goals is great!"

Blair boss Paul Piggott agreed that his side should perhaps have been in front by the break and then paid for it.

He said: "I said to the boys at half time that when you are in control, you've got to take your chances, especially against good sides but we didn’t do that.

“There's no hiding that we had problems at the back today - we've had to play Ben Brown there who's been scoring a lot of goals for us recently but I thought he was our Man of the Match today - he was superb against a very good striker!

"It was disappointing that our final ball into the box wasn't better and as we go more and more desperate we got longer and longer - we should have kept the game short and do what you're best at and we didn't do that.

“Over the ninety minutes, I think that they deserved to win purely because we didn't take our chances when we had them and when we did go behind we went long too early. We've got good footballers at this football club and we didn't keep the ball enough today."

The game as is often the way when two sides with perfect records meet began very cagily indeed.

The opening resembled a chess contest with neither side wanting to give an inch.

It took 20 minutes for the games first real chance, but what a chance it was when it came.

Sean Hattersley sprinted clear down the Blair right, and broke clear into the box before pulling the ball back for Freeman who was only denied by an outstanding defensive block, although Freeman may well feel that he could have done better.

It seemed to be the kick start the home side and the game needed as on 24 minutes they went even closer.

Stuart West's brilliant diving header from a right wing corner crashed to safety off of the left post with keeper Mant motionless.

Then just before half time, the home side had loud shouts for a penalty waved away as the official ruled that Freeman's progress towards goal hadn't been stopped by an Ashford hand.

It all left Blair boss Piggott frustrated, "Westy did well to get his head round the ball and get in such a great header, and when you're doing well in stages of the game as we were then, you've got to take your chances. Ricky created himself a great little chance too and smashed it over the bar, but you've got to take the chances."

And how Blair would pay, as after the break, Ashford came out looking a completely different side, and took the game by the scruff of its neck, and were ahead within 10 minutes of the restart courtesy of a wonder strike.

Whiting picked the ball up 10 yards inside the Blair half and advanced before unleashing an unstoppable swerving drive that gave Blair keeper James Smith very little chance, and left manager Piggott full of praise.

He confessed: "If the guy hits another one like that he'll have done well, and to be fair he did do well too to get his head over the ball and keep it down like that. Yet it was frustrating for me that the guy had so much time to shape for the shot - we needed to come out and squeeze the line - we didn't do that, and we must do it a lot quicker! And then again once the guys hit the wonder strike, I think that was it and some of our heads went down and there was only going to be one winner of the game and it wasn't us."

If Whiting's goal was sensational, then so too in its own way was Ben Jordan's drive just after, but the midfielders drive flew over the cross bar and bounced on the roof of the town houses on the small estate behind the goal.

The clinching goal came with just 12 minutes left on the clock, and proved just how every side needs a striker with an eye for goal.

Ashford worked space for themselves really well down the right, before a brilliant cross field ball found Takaloo unmarked inside the 18 yard box, and the vastly experienced striker skipped round the keepers desperate lunge before rolling the ball home for his sixth goal in the last six games.

The goal left his manager very happy - Chambers was full of praise for his striker. He said, "Tak will score goals for fun. You know that he won’t run around and he'll always score goals for us - you know what you're going to get from him and that’s a goal - he won’t do much outside the box but inside the area he'll always score you goals."

And there was praise too from the Blair camp, when Piggott said, "He's doing well to be fair - he's keeping himself fit and he's keeping himself sharp! I saw him out there and he didn't look like someone just turning out to pick his money up - he looked sharp and someone who looked like he wanted to win games of football; he was hungry for it and that's why he's still playing!"

Sadly for the home side try as they might there was no way back and their unbeaten record was gone, not that Piggott was going to dwell on the lost record.

He admitted, "As I see it today, we've not lost our 100% record - you know that will happen at some point. As I see it we've lost a home game against another one of the sides that I think are going to be there or there abouts against a side who I think is going to be up there hopefully with us!

“If we're still within a couple of points coming into the last five or six games of the season then we've done well as everyone knows they're a big club with a big budget, and they've got big players at the club. So if we can keep in touch with them between now and April then of course we'll be happy!

“The important thing now is that we start again next week - when we have a defeat like this, it how you react, it’s as simple as that! We didn't react to the first goal going in, which was disappointing but we'll bounce back from this; we've got some good characters and we now need to show that in our game next week at Bridon Ropes."

Whilst Blair continue their League campaign next weekend, Ashford continue down the Road to Wembley in the FA Carlsberg Vase, although Chambers was first to admit that he hadn't yet given their opponents much thought.

He said: "To be honest we've always said, and even when I played the game, I always took one game at a time and that’s all we'll ever do. We next go in the Vase next Saturday at St Francis, and we'll look forward to that game and that’s what we do!

“We don’t get ahead of ourselves and think that this is the game that will win us the league, or this is the game that’s going to decide the league - we've got St Francis away next week and we're looking forward to it. And then to tell you the truth, I know that we've got Woodstock Park on the Tuesday at home and then I haven't got a clue who we've got - and that’s me being truthful.

“We look at who we've got in the next week and that’s all I want to know. I know it’s a cliche, but we really do take one game at a time!

“We've got 20 players in our squad and there a competition for places, and we've played five and won five, but that's all in the past now, and that’s how we're going to carry on!"

Hollands & Blair: James Smith, Jack West (Cliff Eldridge 66), Bryan Greenfield, Marc Chapman (Steve Hafner 66), Darren Blackburn, Ben Brown, Lee Preston, Stuart West, Ricky Freeman, Sean Hattersley, Jordan Gallagher (Ross Brookes 80).
Subs:  Michael Jenner, Lewis Flisher

Booked:  Ricky Freeman 49

Ashford United: Joe Mant, Dan Morrison, Luke Cuthbert, Ben Jordan, Richard Quigley (Aaron Firth 56), Lee Coburn, Adam Cuthbert, Ollie Finch, Mo Takaloo (Sam Conlon 86), Garry Mickleborough (Sam Fisher 86), Liam Whiting.
Subs:  Liam Walsh, Tom Carr

Goals:  Liam Whiting 54, Mo Takaloo 78

Booked:  Lee Coburn 47, Mo Takaloo 67, Aaron Firth 70

Attendance: 126
Referee:  Mr Neil Baker (Welling)
Assistants:  Mr Andrew Cutting (Gillingham) & Mr Darren Ellis (Canterbury)