Hollands & Blair 4-3 Lydd Town - We weren't at our best today, admits Blair boss Paul Piggott

HOLLANDS & BLAIR 4-3 LYDD TOWN
Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy (Sponsored by Sandom Robinson) Final
Easter Monday 1 April 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Homelands Stadium

HOLLANDS & BLAIR boss Paul Piggott admitted his side were not at their best after they lifted the Kent Invicta Challenge Trophy for the first time.

Six of the seven goals arrived in a crazy 33 minute spell during the first half at a sunny but chilly Homelands Stadium in Ashford.

Lydd Town opened the scoring with a seventh minute penalty from skipper Barrington Beaney, before former Woodstock Sports winger Louis Valencia equalised 12 minutes later.

Piggott said he was disappointed with the basketball nature of the game as four goals were scored in a clinical five minute spell.

Steve West headed the Gillingham-based side into the lead, before Ricky Freeman scored his 35^th goal of the season with a 20-yard curler, before Lydd Town scored their second when Billy Johnson scored an own-goal.

West scored with his second header of the game in the 40^th minute to complete Hollands & Blair’s goalscoring.

Lydd Town gave themselves hope when they scored the game’s seventh goal eleven minutes into the second half through striker Steve Harris, but they ran out of steam and couldn’t force extra time.

Last season Bly Spartans (who changed their name to Rochester United upon their promotion to the Kent League) won the inaugural Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy when they defeated runners-up Phoenix Sports 4-2 on penalties after the game finished 2-2 after extra time last season.

That game was watched by a crowd of 450 at Welling United’s Park View Road last Good Friday, but today’s game attracted a disappointing turn-out of 154 people, mainly due to every other Kent team being in action today.

Hollands & Blair were the favourites because they went into the game sitting in second place in the table with 62 points from 25 games, three points behind Phoenix Sports, having played a couple more games.

Lydd Town leapfrogged over Crockenhill into ninth-place with 26 points from 21 games, following their comfortable 4-0 win at Wested Meadow on Good Friday, but they were missing Matt Hadlum, Richard Quigley, Mark Wallis and Jordan Wright today because they weren’t signed in time.

“We are pleased,” said Piggott afterwards.  “Relieved is more the word because we weren’t at our best today!

“There were too many goals for me, especially against, but at the end of the day, as I’ve just said to the players you’ve got to win the game.  You don’t have to be at your best, you just have to win it and won it we have, so we’ll enjoy it.”

Lydd Town boss Dave Smith blamed sloppy first half defending for the defeat.

The former Bromley Green boss said: “We had a really bad spell for fifteen minutes in the first half that cost us dearly.  We gave some really sloppy goals away from poor defending.

“I said to them at half-time they let themselves down and second half we had to go out and give it everything and come in the changing room with no regrets - and we did.

“We got the goal early on.  We really couldn’t force it. We didn’t have enough numbers. We had two subs, not even three subs.  It affected the game a bit because we couldn’t make another change.

“I was really pleased. Not disappointed at all. Obviously disappointed we’ve lost the cup but I’m not disappointed in the way we played, the effort we put in. I’m well pleased with everything today.”

Lydd Town started well and they forced Hollands & Blair goalkeeper James Smith into making a low save after only 64 seconds.

Beaney clipped a left-footed towards the edge of the box where 20-year-old striker Gary Lockyer turned his marker and his left-footed drive from 25-yards forced the keeper to dive low to his left to make the save.

Hollands & Blair were lucky to keep eleven men on the pitch when last man, central defender Johnson was guilty of bringing down Harris in the box.

Referee Scott Waters pointed to the spot and brandished Johnson a yellow card and Beaney stepped up to send Craig Smith the wrong way with a drilled right-footed penalty, which found the middle right-hand corner of the net.

When asked whether Johnson should have been sent off, Dave Smith replied: “Yes, definitely could’ve gone! It was one of those really. You don’t want to see a guy sent-off in a final but it’s the letter of the law.

“I think if it was the 35^th minute I think he would’ve gone, but because it’s in the fifth minute I think it’s a different reaction. It’s up to the referee at the end of the day.  I thought the ref had a good game so leave it to the ref. I don’t get too wound up by things like that because sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t. It happens.”

Boss Smith added: “It’s the first penalty we’ve had since I’ve been in charge so I was quite surprised.  He’s (Beaney) been dying to take one. He’s a good penalty taker to be fair so I knew he would score. He always scores.”

Piggott added: “I was holding my breath for a bit.  It would’ve been a travesty to be sent off in the first five minutes of a final but there you go.  We’ve got a little bit of luck there and gone through to be right for us.”

Lydd Town almost doubled their lead when a free-kick from left-back Simon Ewins deflected across struggling keeper James Smith and bounced off the foot of the far post.

“I knew they’d start well,” said Piggott.  “At the end of the day it’s a Cup Final. If you can’t play well in a Cup Final you shouldn’t be there and they did (play well).”
 
Lydd Town’s central midfielder Dan Barham was penalised for fouling Freeman just outside the corner of the box and former Herne Bay midfielder Michael Jenner drove his angled 20-yard free-kick through a crowded penalty area and past the foot of the far post.

But Hollands & Blair equalised, courtesy of the impressive Valencia. His seventh-goal of the season.

Jordan Gallagher did well to skip past his marker before playing the ball inside to Valencia, who took a touch before rolling his right-footed shot across the stranded Craig Smith to find the bottom far corner.

Piggott said: “It was a great little move actually. Gally done well. He got himself away from his defender, cut the ball back inside to Louis and Louis was nice and composed and finished it well and got us back into the game. It was important that we scored early because you go 1-0 down the longer that goes on in the game you start to struggle and we can’t afford it to be a struggle.”

Boss Smith added: “Very, very poor defending. No talking. We got sucked over. The centre half got sucked wide left. We left ourselves open. It was too easy for them to score.”

Valencia shrugged off the attentions of Lydd Town’s central defender Shaun Russell before playing the ball inside to Gallagher, who cut the ball back to Jenner, who stroked a right-footed shot, which took a deflection and was rolling out of play for a corner, but credit to Craig Smith for preventing the corner.

Right-winger Valencia played a low pass inside to Gallagher, who managed to get a shot away despite a sliding challenge from Linton Hayles, but the Lydd Town keeper made a comfortable save.

Both side’s defences and goalkeeper went missing as the game went goal crazy.

Hollands & Blair edged into a 2-1 lead in the 35^th minute when left-back Bryan Greenfield clipped a left-footed free-kick towards the far post from 35-yards and Freeman jumped like a salmon to head the ball back across the face of goal from the by-line for West to nod into the roof of the net from two-yards.

Piggott said: “We’re quite dangerous from them. Jock (Greenfield) knocks a great ball in to the box. Sometimes we don’t do those balls justice.  Ricky winning the first one was pleasing and Westy following up the second was even more pleasing.  We needed to respond from the early goal we conceded and we did that.”

Boss Smith added: “Again, poor defending. No one commanded the box. The keeper didn’t command the box. The defence didn’t command the box and made it too easy for them to make it 2-1.”

Hollands & Blair scored their third goal, only 111 seconds later and it came out of nothing.

Hollands & Blair were thwarted down the left channel and the ball came out to Freeman, who curled a right-footed angled shot from 20-yards, which he bent around the stranded goalkeeper, the ball bouncing into the bottom far corner.

Piggott said: “From where we were we didn’t think it was going in because he’s wrapped his foot around the ball and we was at a different angle and I thought the ball was going wide!  It weren’t until I heard someone shouting behind the goal that it had gone in. It was a great finish from Ricky!”

Boss Smith added:”A goal out of nothing!  Fair play. He could do that twenty times and it wouldn’t go in.  Nineteen out of twenty at least. It’s one of those things. What was it? Just a goal, a fluke really.”

Lydd Town accepted a lifeline when they scored their second goal, only 144 seconds later.

Lloyd Taylor played the ball inside to Beaney, who was given time and space to deliver a right-footed cross from 40-yards into the middle of the penalty area and Johnson slid the ball past his own goalkeeper and into his net from 12-yards.

Boss Smith said: “A good knock in the box. The defender was struggling, but they struggled all day to be honest.

“We should’ve then seen it out after that, gone in 3-2 it would’ve given us the edge, but we gave away the next goal to make it 4-2.” 

Piggott added: “We didn’t deal with the ball early enough! We should’ve stopped the ball coming into the box in the first place!  It’s our first mistake.  Billy’s just Billy – he wants to get on the end of everything. If that ball’s coming in and around his area he wants to throw something on it and unfortunately for him it rebounded off him and went in.”

However, Lydd Town undone all of their work as Hollands & Blair edged two goals in front, exactly 60 seconds later.

Man-of-the-Match Valencia left two markers under his spell down the right hand side of the pitch before clipping a cross into the penalty box for West to power his header into the roof of the net.

Piggott said: “He’s good at that Stuart. He comes in late from deep areas and if you get the right service into the box he’s the man you want on the end of them, especially on his head. He’s unmarkable from that!”

Boss Smith added: “Two of my guys got beat wide by one player and he’s crossed the ball into the box. The centre half didn’t react with a header.

“I thought that goal was very poor.  It was the most disappointing goal of the game. He beat two players when he shouldn’t beat them. They should’ve just seen him off the line. They held him up. They didn’t tackle and then he took so long to get the cross in. No-one’s marking the centre forward. That’s disappointing. 

“I found that really very disappointing and it killed us because it was 3-2 and it went to 4-2.  It’s a different game 3-2 at half-time.”

Hollands & Blair could have raced further in front with a further two chances before the break.

Gallagher sent Greenfield free down the left before the Scottish full-back whipped in a good cross which found Valencia unmarked at the far post to head the ball across Craig Smith and past the far post.

Hollands & Blair won themselves a free-kick and Greenfield touched the ball to Jenner, who swung in a swerving right-footed cross towards the near post and the untracked Johnson looped his header over.

Both managers were asked what they told their players at the interval, which gave the supporters’ a chance to catch their breath.

Piggott said: “Well we said let’s not turn it into a basketball match.  That’s what it seemed to be. We go up your end, we score. You go up our end, you score.

“No matter what I said at half-time I don’t think it went down very well because they never listened to me! We went out and we conceded and we shouldn’t have conceded.  We’re better than that!” 

Lydd Town boss Smith said in the build up to the game that he wanted to keep things tight and goalless at the break.

He said: “I said at half-time we needed to go out there and show some pride!  It we got back in it we needed to score a goal.  Very similar to the game at their place. We got a goal back with about fifteen minutes to go at their place and they panicked.

“I said as long as we get one back it doesn’t matter when it is, whether it’s ten minutes from the end.  I said we need to keep it nice and tight, keep in the game and everyone’s got to run themselves in to the ground.”

The first chance of the second half led to Lydd Town scoring their third goal with 56 minutes on the clock.

Lockyer picked the ball up close to the left touchline just yards into Blair’s half of the pitch and he swept a precise right-footed pass which sliced open Johnson and Tom Staff and Harris took a touch before stroking the ball past the stranded keeper, bouncing into the bottom right-hand corner from 25-yards.

Boss Smith praised his two strikers, by saying: “Those two work together. They’ve played together now for four or five seasons with Bromley Green with me as well so I know them well. They’re both good players, both good lads and they do work off each other well.”

He added: “We got a goal back, probably a little bit early than we probably liked to really because we sat back a little bit then really and we did run out of steam.

“I could only use two subs because that’s all I had so we really didn’t have enough energy.  We didn’t have that extra momentum to go and push on and get the equaliser.”

Piggott admitted Harris, 30, caused his back four problems all afternoon.

He said: “To concede three goals is not good enough by our standards defensively and that’s not taking anything away from Lydd because they threw everything at us. 

“The lad up top caused us problems all afternoon. He played well all afternoon. There’s not too many people who cause our centre halves problems, but he did because he’s a half decent player and he proved that today.”

Lydd Town then hit a brick wall in terms of fitness and couldn’t produce another quality finish to force extra time.

Boss Smith said: “We didn’t have enough legs in the tank or energy in the tank or whatever you want to call it to just push on and get the equaliser.

“If we got the equaliser I would’ve then actually pushed for the fifth because I wouldn’t have fancied us going into extra-time because I think we would’ve died. We were dying as it was.  I think extra-time would’ve just killed us.  They only used one sub, I think they had plenty in reserve for the rest of the game.”

West squandered an excellent chance to score a hat-trick of headers after 69  minutes.

Jenner played a clever pass into the right channel for Valancia to collect whilst peeling off his marker inside the Lydd Town box.  Valencia whipped in a cross with his right foot and West powered his towering header over at the near post from 12-yards, when he should have hit the top right-hand corner.

“That’s his forte, arriving in the box late and getting on the end of things,” said Piggott.

“He’s disappointed with that. He’s disappointed he didn’t’ score a hat-trick in the final but there you go!”

Hollands & Blair missed another chance when Jenner produced another excellent pass, a diagonal driven pass, to release Valencia, who cut inside to reach the penalty area before cutting the ball inside to an unmarked Freeman, who got the slightest of touches to the ball instead of burying the chance with a hooked right-footed effort.

Piggott added: “Louis done his little tricks down the line. Louis was superb out there today. He had people doubled up today and he got himself a great ball across the box.  Ricky, it was great movement, gone to the near post and he just missed the ball and how he missed the ball only he will know.”

Piggott spoke about Freeman’s 35-goal haul for the season, saying: “That’s Ricky! He’s a goalscorer. He lives and breathes goals and that’s all he wants to do and he’s good at it.

“There’s certain parts that he needs to work on and he knows that and we try to work on him. When he does that I’m sure he will get more out of his game.”

And there was another precise pass from Jenner which gave Gallagher a chance, but his shot from an acute angle was beaten out at the near post by Craig Smith.

A tired looking shot from Hayles from the corner of the box from 20-yards sailed high over the Hollands & Blair penalty area inside stoppage time.

Piggott said he was relieved that Lydd Town didn’t score again.

“It weren’t good for me. I don’t want to hang on like that at the end because I feel that we’re better than that,” he said.

“I think we shouldn’t be hanging on. I think we should be in control but that’s all credit to them.  They worked hard for their manager today and they made a real good game of it today. It weren’t good for my nerves.”

There was to be no massive celebration inside the home dressing room after skipper Ross Brookes collected the trophy.

“My players are quiet in there and I think that’s because they know they haven’t performed to their full potential, but you’ve got to win Cup Finals and that’s all it is and we’ve won it today.”

Lydd Town kept three clean sheets en-route to the final against Crockenhill, Lewisham Borough and Bearsted, but it all went wrong today.

Boss Smith said: “It’s a strange one. I didn’t have my first choice back four. I had two players out of my best back four. We missed them. We missed the players who weren’t available. We said that before the game with the restrictions, that’s how it is.”

Both sides return to Kent Invicta League action at the weekend.  Hollands & Blair travel to Seven Acre & Sidcup, whilst Lydd Town host struggling Meridian.

Piggott said: “A tough game as always down there, especially at their place, but we’ll get over today. We’ll celebrate that today and worry about that game on Tuesday.”

The Lydd Town boss added: “We’ll pick them up. We’ve picked up a few knocks, players struggling. We’ve got six or seven who can come in.  We said to the boys it’s all about the league now. We want to get as many points as we can. We’ve got nine games left and we want to push on. We’re looking to win every game.  We won’t be coasting through. I can guarantee that!”

Hollands & Blair: James Smith, Steve Dampier, Bryan Greenfield, Michael Jenner, Billy Johnson, Tom Staff, Stuart West, Ross Brookes (Emmanuel Abe 82), Ricky Freeman, Louis Valencia, Jordan Gallagher.
Subs: Marc Chapman, Jack West, Cliff Eldridge, Darren Blackburn

Goals: Louis Valencia 19, Stuart West 35, 40, Ricky Freeman 37

Booked: Billy Johnson 6, Stuart West 70

Lydd Town: Craig Smith, Barrington Beaney, Simon Ewins, Dan Barham (Kieran Sanger 46), Jordan Miller, Shaun Russell (Steve Ward 52), Lloyd Taylor, Linton Hayles,  Steve Harris, Gary Lockyer, Alex Coyne.
Sub: Ray Hostler

Goals: Barrington Beaney 7 (penalty), Billy Johnson 39 (own goal), Steve Harris 56

Booked: Dan Barham 44, Gary Lockyer 49, Lloyd Taylor 73

Attendance: 154
Referee: Mr Scott Waters (Sittingbourne)
Assistants: Mr Kane Dempster (Hythe) & Mr Glenn Capelli (Erith)
Fourth Official: Mr Danny Geary (Aylesford)