Hythe Town 1-0 Burgess Hill Town - It's about time we got a late winner, says Scott Porter

HYTHE TOWN  1-0  BURGESS HILL TOWN
FA Carlsberg Trophy First Qualifying Round
Saturday 22^nd October 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Reachfields Stadium

HYTHE TOWN boss Scott Porter says his dominant side were rewarded for their persistence as a last-gasp strike from Ronnie Dolan ensured they were successful in the club’s first ever game in The FA Carlsberg Trophy.

Burgess Hill Town went into this First Qualifying Round tie sitting in the bottom three in the Ryman League Division One South table, and they arrived on the Kent coast with limited talent and a negative attitude, but right-sided midfielder Dolan got on the end of a move with 48:16 on the clock at the end of the second half to seal progress with his second goal of the season.

The Hillians, who had right-sided midfielder George Hayward red-carded with four minutes left, had a couple of familiar names in their ranks.  Former Ramsgate and Tonbridge Angels striker, Akwasi Edusei, slotted in at left-back and diminutive winger, Quentin Conteh, who is currently on loan from Blue Square Bet South side Welling United, only had a four-minute cameo at the end.

“I think we’re due that to be honest with you,” said Porter, 32, after his side deservedly booked their place in the Second Qualifying Round, which is played on 5 November.

“We’ve conceded a lot of late goals lately over the past 12 games in the league so we’re due a bit of luck.

“We dominated the whole game, but it was so frustrating not to kill the game off early doors.  We could’ve done it in the first half, we could’ve done it early in the second half, but when teams come down and the tempo’s not as high we need to learn to take the game by the scruff of the neck because when we play against the teams who are higher up in the league, we do that and it’s a battle.

“But when we play teams down the bottom we should take the game by the scruff of the neck and dictate the game from start to finish.  We did it but not at a tempo, not at pace and no urgency, but we got our rewards because we kept plugging away.

“Obviously when they had a player sent-off we went (with a) 4-3-3 (formation) and obviously it paid off, so we’re delighted with that.

“All credit to the boys’ because we are due a bit of luck.  We kept going and we got our rewards at the end.”

Hythe Town camped themselves inside the Burgess Hill Town half for the whole game half and although they created chances in the first half they were not clear-cut.

A method used numerous times was from Aaron Lacy’s long throws and central defender Laurence Harvey used his aerial presence by towering over the Burgess Hill defence to head wide from 12-yards.

The Kent side used this method again in the 15^th minute, this time Harvey’s flick dropped to Richard Sinden just two-yards out, who was denied by a fine reaction block from visiting keeper Joel Harding and an offside flag.

Lacy opted for a short-throw, this time to left-back John Walker, who laid the ball back to Lacy, who swept in a left-wing cross from 35-yards, which dropped on top of the roof of the net.

The only time that Burgess Hill had an attempt on goal during a boring first half arrived in the 35^th minute but skipper Lloyd Cotton scuffed a poor right-footed shot wide of the goal with an ambitious shot from 35-yards.

Hythe called visiting keeper Harding into action in the 38^th minute as Walker whipped in a cross from the left with his right-foot and Sinden had made space inside the Burgess Hill penalty area but his glancing header was blocked by Harding, who was under pressure from Dave Cook inside the six-yard box.

Dominant Hythe continued to press, albeit at a low tempo, but they really should have broken the stalemate when Dolan twisted and turned Edusei before his initial cross was headed back to him and his second cross found James Dryden unmarked at the far post, who guided his header across Harding and past the far post from eight-yards.

Harvey came up from his defensive duties and got on the end of a couple of decent chances on the edge of the six-yard box.

Lee Winfield’s hanging corner from the right was nodded wide by Harvey from eight-yards, before the defender rose to nod Lacy’s throw towards the far post, which was caught by Harding beside the post before it dropped into the corner.

Reflecting on the first half, a frustrated Porter said: “It’s sometimes hard to break teams down when they put men behind the ball when they did but at the end of the day it’s a Cup competition, you’d take a 1-0 or a 5-0, it doesn’t matter, you’re in the next round of the Cup.  You get money in the bank (£2,200) and we’re delighted to be in the next round.”

But the best chance to liven up the game came inside the opening two minutes of the second half.

Central midfield general, Nick Barnes, always willing to encourage his team-mates, hooked a pass forward, which played Sinden through on goal, but the former Faversham Town striker wasted the chance by dinking a right-footed shot into the ground, which allowed an advancing Harding to block with his right leg to prevent the ball finding the bottom far corner.

Porter said: “I think if that goes in you go and win it two or three maybe!  That’s the difference at the minute.”

Burgess Hill almost grabbed the lead in the 65^th minute when Edusei was released down the left channel and after some hesitant defence from Lacy he into the  box and his low centre towards Jones Awuah at the near post was dealt with by Kieron Mann.

As the resulting corner was cleared, Neil Watts swept a left-footed shot wide from 25-yards.

However, the introduction of left-winger Taser Hassan was an inspirational tactical move from Porter as he gave right-sided players Jonathan Melia and Craig Hall problems with his pace as the game exploded into life as Hythe opted for a new tactic.

Praising Hassan, Porter said: “That’s what he’s good at, that’s why I brought him on.  The game was stretched, he can get at people.”

Burgess Hill were braver as the game moved into the final twenty minute, as they brought on a couple of substitutes.

One of which, Tom Howard-Bold, a right-sided midfielder, sprinted forward and ran himself into a red brick wall and centred low for Hayward, whose first time shot from 19-yards (on the corner of the D) rolled harmlessly wide of the left-post.

Burgess Hill faced a mountain to climb in the 86^th minute when Essex based referee Andrew Parker, who was being assessed by retired Kent referee Martin Yerby, reached for his pocket to brandish a red-card to Hayward for a two-footed lunge which flattened Harvey.

Porter said: “I thought it was two-footed.  You was alongside me up there (in the press box on the balcony) and I think he raised, he went up in the air and raised both of his legs, so in this day and age you get sent-off.

“I don’t like to see if but at the end of the day, regardless of the sending off, we kept going and going and I’m sure that wouldn’t have made any difference to anything that happened today.”

As is so often the case in these types of games, Burgess Hill almost snatched an undeserved victory within a minute of that set-back.

Conteh slipped the ball through to Awuah, who out-muscled his way through on goal, but Mann advanced and made a fine block.

“Kieron’s made a great save at the end,” added Porter.  “All the time it’s nil-nil and you’re not putting it in the net at the other end and it always brings pressure on the back four and that’s what we’ve struggled with lately.

“All credit to the back five.  I’m delighted for them.  A clean-sheet, a 1-0, last minute winner and we’re in the next round!”

But as everyone thought there would be a replay at Leylands Park on Tuesday night, Hythe scored the winning goal that they deserved.

Kingwell started the move by poking the ball to Hassan, who burst down the left and delivered a good cross which found Cook at the near post with his back to goal and sandwiched by two defenders and he flicked the ball with his left foot towards the far post and Dolan ghosted in and steered a right-footed shot underneath Harding into the back of the net from six-yards.

Porter said: “A great delivery, Dave’s helped it on and Ronnie’s gone right to the back post.  People should do (that) all the time.  He’s done that, it was a great finish.

“We got our rewards at the end of the day.  We did deserve it, just for the possession we had and we dominated the game.   We didn’t create a lot of chances but like I say, a win’s a win.  You don’t care how you get it!

“Hopefully with that luck we’ve had at the end, not so much luck, but a little bit of paying dividends really of keeping going, that will rub off now and we can build on that now and go on a little bit of a run in the league.

“If you don’t keep plugging away, you don’t keep going forward, you’re not going to score at the end and obviously we did. 

“It’s about time we got a late winner, rather than conceding them!”

Burgess Hill’s one and only league win came at Hythe Town on 24 September and Porter reflected, “We was poor in the league game.  We got back into it and we should’ve got something out of it, but we owed them one.  The job’s done now, we move on.  I’m delighted.”

Porter has now ended his four-match touchline ban and he is looking forward to vacating his position on the balcony armed with his mobile phone to join his coaching staff pitch side.

“It is the worst thing ever, it’s so frustrating because you can’t get across to the players’ what you want to get across straight away,” explained Porter.

“Using a mobile phone is no good because it’s a delayed reaction by the time the phone rings.  You learn your lesson and that’s why they (The Football Association) probably do it and I’ve learned my lesson!  I can’t wait to get to be on that touchline next Saturday!”

When asked what he would like in the next round, Porter replied, “Home tie!  You always want a home tie don’t you in the Cup and hopefully we can get a home tie and see who we get and come up against it when it happens.

“Any Cup run is good.  I’ve said that it breeds confidence to the team, it brings money to the club.  It keeps your season alive.  Our season is always going to be alive because we’re new in the league but with a Cup run, it would be fantastic and hopefully we can go on a little run, who knows.”

Hythe’s dream tie will be against local rivals Folkestone Invicta, who knocked out Ryman Premier League side Metropolitan Police over at Cheriton Road today.

Hythe Town: Kieron  Mann, Aaron Lacy, John Walker, Pat Kingwell, Laurence Harvey, Ronnie Dolan, Dave Cook, Nick Barnes, James Dryden (Lloyd Blackman 72), Richard Sinden, Lee Winfield (Taser Hassan 62).
Subs: Ashley Porter, Greg Smith, Paul Egan

Goal:  Ronnie Dolan 90

Booked: Ronnie Dolan 72

Burgess Hill Town: Joel Harding, Craig Hall, Akwasi Edusei, Olalakan Bankole, Bradley Murray, Neil Watts, Jonathan Melia (Quentin Conteh 86), Lloyd Cotton (Casey Ham 71), Jones Awuah, George Hayward, James Rhodes (Tom Howard-Bold 71).
Sub: Brendon Willis

Booked: Lloyd Cotton 42

Sent Off: George Hayward 86

Attendance: 201
Referee: Mr Andrew Parker (Stanford-le-Hope, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Chris McGovern (Ingatestone, Essex) & Mr Peter Newman (Billericay, Essex)