I felt for Deal leaking ten as we've been in that position before, says Corinthian boss Tony Sitford

Monday 19th December 2011
CORINTHIAN manager Tony Sitford says there was no jumping up and down after his side humiliated nine-man Deal Town at Gay Dawn Farm on Saturday, writes Stephen McCartney.


Corinthian squandered numerous first half chances and had to settle for a goal-less first half, but they went goal crazy as Lee Barnett, Ryan Johnson (2), Erik Astrom, Mark Axel, Alfie May (3) and Jack Highwood secured a 10-0 victory, with all ten goals coming in the last 35 minutes of the Kent Hurlimann Football League fixture.

Second-from-bottom Deal saw Andy Hadden and Jordan Miller red-carded inside the opening fifteen minutes of the game, but Sitford, 72, revealed the fixture was in doubt right up to two hours’ before the kick-off.

He said: “We had a six-inch water main burst at the top of the ground an what we were frightened off was the fact that it would affect the water into the dressing rooms but fortunately for us it came the opposite way round so we were able to play the game as the dressing rooms weren’t affected.  If it was the other way round we would have been in real trouble.

“If there was no water we would have to call it off.  Fortunately the water board came round at a quarter-to-twelve and turned the water off.  Fortunately the leak was beyond the dressing rooms and the pitch wasn’t affected, so we were lucky.”

Reflecting on the game, Sitford said: “We were 0-0 at half-time, with all due respect, we had six or seven chances by then.  Their keeper (Chris Waymark) did well, kept the score down.  I’m not patronising.  When it was eleven-versus-eleven we still should have been well in front.  We missed one-on-one’s with the keeper and we felt it was going to be one of those days.”

Sitford was on the end of a 9-0 home defeat by Ryman League Division One South side Maidstone United in an FA Cup with Budweiser Preliminary Round tie back in sunny August, where Stones targetman Shaun Welford helped himself to five goals.

Sitford said: “Don’t forget, we’ve been on the end of it!  We weren’t patronising, we weren’t jumping up and down.  We weren’t trying to take the mickey!

“We kept playing football.  We kept our discipline, that’s why we scored the goals.  We didn’t showboat and we treated them with respect because we have been in the same position.

“It’s very, very difficult when you go down to nine men – we accept that.  We didn’t take the mickey and we continued to play football, like we’ve been doing all game.  The two men would have made a lot of difference and we accept that.

“I want it clearly understood that there was no animosity from our part.

“It’s easy to say I felt for the guy (Deal Town manager Derek Hares) as I’ve been there and I know how it feels and I know how uncomfortable it is.  When you’ve been in that position you don’t jump up and down as you know how it feels like.  None of my players jumped up and down and took the mickey.

“It was one of those things that happens in football.  At the end of the day they beat us the previous week, so that’s what football’s all about, isn’t it?”

The village club sit in ninth-place in the Kent Hurlimann Football League table thanks to seven wins and two draws from sixteen games.

And with their next game being at home to Lordswood on Monday 2 January 2012, Sitford reflected on their league campaign to date.

“We are pleased and disappointed as we feel we have players who are capable of doing better,” he said.

“We’ve got a very good footballing side here and the one thing we lack is someone to put the ball in the back of the net but our centre midfielder Mark Axel is playing absolutely superbly upfront and he’s coming on leaps and bounds.”

And the Corinthian manager wants his players to enjoy their football in 2012.

“We want people to enjoy their football and their life,” he said.  “When you get to my age you look back and say ‘if only!’  It’s too late then so life has to be enjoyed.  If you talk to any old codger they tell you to enjoy your life, don’t offend people, don’t upset people. Don’t do anything stupid like that, just go through your life and enjoy it.”

The Fawkham based club have been playing Kent League football for two and a half years since their return to this level and Sitford’s main aim is to bring Ryman Premier League football to the picturesque Gay Dawn Farm.

“Where can the club go? Well, let’s start at the beginning.  We had a week to get things ready so that season was a virtual right off but we did very well, we didn’t finish at the bottom.  Last year we did better.  This year we’re doing better.

“We’ve got youngsters playing, we’re sticking to a policy the club has had and we’re getting better.

“The ultimate is to win the Kent League.  That’s what we want to do.  That’s what we’re aiming to do.  We said it takes three years to get an established Kent League side.

“The Kent League is a hard league to win.  Don’t kid yourself!  I bet you go and ask Hythe and all of those (previous winners) it’s a hard league to win.

“You’ve got some good players in this league.  There’s some good teams in this league and it ain’t easy to win so you have to build and that’s what we’re trying to do.

“It will take a couple of years and you have to get into the Ryman League and whether we’ll be strong to stay in the Ryman League, I don’t know.

“The Ryman Premier League is the ultimate – that will be superb.  To get to the Ryman Premier League will be a great achievement for this club – and we can do it!”