Hythe Town 3-0 Dover Athletic - We just love a scalp, says Hythe Town boss Scott Porter

HYTHE TOWN  3-0  DOVER ATHLETIC
Kent Senior Cup Sponsored by Portablefloodlighs.com Semi-Final
Tuesday 28^th February 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Reachfields Stadium

HYTHE TOWN boss Scott Porter hailed his heroic players’ after they pulled off yet another scalp to book their place in the Kent Senior Cup Final for the first time in twenty years by embarrassing a strong Dover Athletic side packed with first team stars.

The Ryman League Division One South hosts deserved to beat their more illustrious Blue Square Bet (Conference) South neighbours as they were immense in key areas of the pitch on arguably the club’s biggest ever midweek fixture at Reachfields Stadium.

The home fans in the crowd of 636, the largest of the season so far, went home happy as left-winger Taser Hassan and two goals from former Dover Athletic striker James Dryden sealed Hythe Town’s passage into the final, where they will meet either holders Dartford or League One outfit Charlton Athletic in the showpiece final, for only the second time in the club’s history.

Dartford will face Charlton Athletic at Princes Park on 27 March and the winners of that game will be favourites to go on and win the silverware – but you will be a fool to rule out Porter’s side springing yet another giant-killing act in a run that has seen them knock out Kent League side Erith Town and Conference Premier Ebbsfleet United.

Porter said: “I thought the boys’ attitude was fantastic, right from the start.  Alright, they gave us a lot of respect by playing nine first teamers or whatever it was.

“We outplayed them from the start and that’s what passion and togetherness does for a football side and that’s exactly what we got here and that’s what I’ve built into the side over the last three years’ and we keep working on that and we’re getting our rewards now.

“I can’t fault any of my lads’ tonight. I thought they were absolutely fantastic.”

Porter, whose side extended their unbeaten run to nine games, added: “There’s a lot more heroes out there.  My staff and the people involved but it’s a massive, massive scalp because it’s Dover.  They’ve come down here brought every single person with them and I told my lads before the start that’s an even bigger incentive to win today because who they’re playing.  I do drill into these players about the incentives and the rewards at the end and the good times and to believe in their ability and that’s exactly what they’ve done tonight.

“From start to finish my boys’ out played them, out muscled them.  Our fitness was fantastic and we got our rewards for that.  I’m very proud of them!”

Dover Athletic boss Nicky Forster started with ten players who can be called first teamers, although the inclusion of Ollie Schulz, alongside academy starlet Sean Raggett at the heart of defence, raised eyebrows among the visiting supporters’, especially the club announced on their official website this morning that his contract had been terminated through mutual consent.

Forster explained the situation afterwards, saying, “Well, no, he wasn’t released.  What was the situation was a club came in for him, everyone seemed to be in acceptance of the deal and at the last minute there was a slight change to it or Ollie believed himself there was a slight change to it and it wasn’t quite how he understood the deal to be so he decided against it.

“So at a very late notice, once we thought the forms had been exchanged and so forth, Ollie decided no and at this moment in time it’s not what he wants.”

With the players’ that were playing, Dover Athletic should have booked their place in the Kent Senior Cup Final for the first time in seven years’ – had their players performed to the levels expected of them.

“Obviously you’re in a semi-final and you’re that close to the final and maybe at a League ground, maybe Charlton or similar I should imagine.  To go out is disappointing but the manner which we went out was disappointing,” said Forster.

Hythe Town, however, kept faith with the same starting eleven who defeated in-form Crawley Down 3-1 here ten days ago, although Forster made eight changes to the side that slipped to a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to play-off chasing Welling United at the weekend.

Porter shouted out “enjoy it” to his players as his side kicked off this semi-final – and they certainly did, with a high tempo game plan that Dover just couldn’t deal with.

Porter explained: “You can’t give these (Dover) players time to get on the ball and play.  You’ve got to get in their faces and spoil it for them and that’s what we did and that’s what we do to most sides on our day.

“You give people like the players they have got and their quality they will just play around you so you have to get in their faces, be nasty, be a hard team to beat and that’s exactly what we did.”

But Dover Athletic should have avoided an uncomfortable night, inside the opening eight minutes.

Terry Dixon played an excellent diagonal pass from the middle of the park from inside the Dover half which released winger Donovan Simmons, who cut inside Aaron Lacy and his right-footed curler just sailed agonisingly wide of the far post.

But that was as good as it got for Dover as Nick Reeves and Pat Kingwell were immense at the heart of the Hythe defence and in front of them Nick Barnes was at his usual terrier self in the middle of the park.

Forster added: “I thought they played to their strength very well.   We knew it was going to be a competitive game. We knew they would put us under pressure and they’d put balls into the box.  They’re a big, physical team.  They worked hard. We knew it was coming. 

“I think the game was won and lost in both penalty boxes and I told that to the players.  I thought they wanted it more than ours and defended better in theirs.”

Former Dover Athletic winger, Kane Rice, whipped in a cross from the right and Dryden’s initial shot was blocked inside the box and Barnes cracked a right-footed drive which sailed wide from 25-yards.

Ronnie Dolan sprayed the ball out wide to Rice, who cut in from the right and unleashed a speculative left-footed drive from 30-yards, which flashed wide of the post.

Hythe issued their higher-league neighbours a seventeenth minute warning when Dolan delivered a precise free-kick from the right and Kingwell came up and looped a header over from ten-yards.

Dover failed to trouble Dean Ruddy in the Hythe goal.  The American keeper was in fact Dover’s keeper when Hythe Town produced a FA Cup giant-killing at Reachfields back in 2007, when Andy Hessenthaler was the player-manager at Crabble.

Dover striker, James Walker, curled a right-footed shot over Ruddy’s crossbar and into the trees behind the goal.

But Hythe started believing that a giant-killing act was on when they took a deserved lead in the 22^nd minute.

Dolan got the better of Dover Athletic full-back Tom Wynter down the right hand side and delivered a low cross, which was dummied by Gary Mickelborough at the near post and the impressive Hassan kept his composure at the far post, smashing a right-footed shot past three Dover players and into the back of the net from 12-yards.

“We pressed the ball, we pressed the ball high and we stopped them playing out from the back and obviously we got our rewards for that,” said Porter.

“A great ball from Ronnie and Tash came around the back where he should be and I felt he was fantastic tonight.

“No disrespect, he destroyed their full-backs and it proved that with them bringing him down all the time so it’s a credit to that lad as he’s worked his socks off for us since he’s been at the club and he’s been a credit to us.”

Dover Athletic just couldn’t cope with Hythe’s high-tempo game and the home side doubled their lead just seven minutes later.

Aaron Lacy launched a trademark long throw from the right and Reeves headed the ball high into the air at the near post and once the ball came down Dryden looped his header into the bottom left-hand corner from six-yards.

Porter added: “It was always going to be a big game for Jimmy, he’s been there (Dover) for years’ and he’s showed he’s still got it. 

“He’s been at Ashford (in the Kent Invicta League) and he’s come back and he’s got his reward with two great goals. 

“He’s played in that hole where Dave Cook’s played and it will be hard for Dave to take his shirt off him.

“He was superb tonight and he’s loving every minute of it!”

When the question of Dryden wanting to put one over his former club was put to Forster, who wasn’t around Kent football when the prolific striker helped bring the Ryman League Division One South title to Crabble under then boss Hessenthaler, Forster replied, “I’ve got no interest talking about James Dryden with all due respect to him.  If you want to talk about my boys, then I’ll talk about them but for me it’s about Dover.”

Hythe almost embarrassed Dover further on the half-hour mark when Hassan’s out-swinging corner from the left was met by Reeves again, this time the defender nodding wide from fourteen-yards.

Stunned Dover Athletic came within inches of pulling a goal back six minutes before the break.

Midfielder Augustine Battipiedi, who was later forced off through a knee injury, swung in a corner from the left and Ruddy made a hash of his punched clearance and the ball dropped to Schulz, who smashed a right-footed volley, which crashed onto the top of the crossbar and out for a goal-kick.

Seconds later, Dover striker Billy Bricknell was put in by a fine pass but all he could do was roll a shot into Ruddy’s gloves.

Hassan almost embarrassed Dover’s second-choice keeper Lee Hook late on in the half when he curled a cross-come-shot from the left flank, some 30-yards from goal, but Hook pushed the ball away from underneath his crossbar at the last second.

Dover Athletic came back on to the pitch a few minutes early and the travelling fans hoped for a positive reaction following a poor first half showing from a side that play two league’s higher than their resilient hosts.

James Walker played an early ball over the top of the Hythe defence to release Simmons, whose cross tested Ruddy, the keeper diving to his left to push the ball away.

Simmons then played a cross field ball to James Walker, who lashed a left-footed rasping drive, which flew over Ruddy and his near post.

That miss sparked off a chorus of “we’re going to the final,” from the vocal big-match Hythe supporters, but their deserved passage was sealed on the hour-mark.

Reeves and Kingwell went up for a free-kick, which broke down but Kingwell played a one-two with Reeves, who found his central defensive partner down the right flank in space and Kingwell whipped in an excellent low cross, which flashed across the box and an unmarked Dryden swept a first-time right-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner from eight-yards.

Porter wasn’t surprised that his two central defenders set up Dryden’s eighth goal of the season in Hythe colours.

“They both play football and they can play football and they showed that tonight,” he said.

“Most people would panic but they built it up between themselves and Jimmy, that’s where he should be and it’s deserved.

“I can’t praise my lads’ enough, about what they did tonight and it shows what this club is about.  Put in a shift and you get your rewards.”

Dover Athletic clipped the outside of the far post in the 71^st minute when Michael Noone swung in a free-kick from the right flank.

Dixon then swung in a corner from the left, but Wynter’s headed wide of the far post from eight-yards.

For Hythe, substitutes Tom Parkinson and Brendon Cass were denied by comfortable saves by Hook.

Dover Athletic’s first shot on target, however, came inside injury time, which brought ironic cheers from the depressed travelling fans, a left-footed drive from 30-yards from substitute Lloyd Harrington, which was saved low by Ruddy.

Porter added: “They didn’t create many chances.   The only way I thought they would score was from a set-piece.  The heroes out there were the back five.  I can’t single anyone out really, they’ve all worked their absolute socks off.” 

The final whistle brought boos from the Dover fans behind the goal and jubilation from Hythe, who deserved their victory.

Porter said: “We’ve got a scalp in us and it proved we’re a hard nut to crack down here.  People don’t like coming down here.  There’s no excuses for them. 

“We just love a scalp.  If players can believe in their ability and can match other teams they’ll get their rewards and that’s exactly what we did and we won our battles all over the pitch.

“The crowd were great tonight and it brings such a buzz around the town. We’re not the biggest of towns but to get that many people on a Tuesday night and they go home smiling is a credit to the supporters’ and I thought they were fantastic and hopefully they can all come back on Saturday.”

Looking ahead to the final, Porter is relishing the underdog tag again.

“With the likes of Dartford or Charlton we’re in there so it’s down to them (to join us).  I don’t care who we get, we’re in there and we’re going to make a big thing of it.  We’re the underdogs and we’re the smallest side left and we’ll enjoy the night because we’ve worked hard to get there.”

Reflecting on the game, Forster said: “They won both halves, which is disappointing.  I think their chances amassed to seven chances in the game and they scored three goals and we counted sixteen chances we had, we hit the target probably three times.  There wasn’t enough cutting edge going forward.

“I put a side out tonight, put a side together, that I thought was capable of winning this game on paper.  It was a very strong side.  We had a mix of first team starters of late and we had, the rest of them, other than Sean Raggett, were first team players and that team pretty should have been good enough to win the game.

“The fact that it wasn’t saying a lot how we played on the night.

“I thought they played to their strengths and did very well.  I thought they were worthy winners.”

Hythe Town: Dean Ruddy, Aaron Lacy (Tom Parkinson 66), John Walker, Pat Kingwell, Nick Reeves, Ronnie Dolan, Taser Hassan, Nick Barnes, James Dryden (Lee Winfield 84), Gary Mickelborough (Brendon Cass 57), Kane Rice.
Subs: Kieran Bryne, Kieron Mann

Goals: Taser Hassan 22, James Dryden 29, 60

Booked: Nick Reeves 45

Dover Athletic: Lee Hook, Phil Starkey, Tom Wynter, Augustine Battipiedi (Lloyd Harrington 63), Ollie Schulz, Sean Raggett, Terry Dixon, Michael Noone, James Walker, Billy Bricknell, Donovan Simmons.
Subs: Scott Cramp, Corey Watts, Dave Pilcher, Charlie Evison

Booked: Phil Starkey 37, Augustine Battipiedi 62, Tom Wynter 81

Attendance: 636
Referee: Mr Stuart Butler (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr Nolan Wilde (Maidstone) & Mr Daniel Bonneywell (Canterbury)
Fourth Official:  Mr Philip Rowley (Canterbury)