I'm expecting a tough game against Whitstable, says Thamesmead boss Keith McMahon

THAMESMEAD TOWN boss Keith McMahon says he wants his side to bounce back from their FA Cup exit to progress into the next round of The FA Trophy, writes Stephen McCartney.



The Mead held Margate to a goal-less draw in their FA Cup Second Qualifying Round tie at the weekend, but five goals from striker Kwesi Appiah helped Margate win the replay 6-1 at Bayliss Avenue in midweek.

“They were both very close (games) to be fair,” said McMahon.  “I know the second one doesn’t look it.  The first one we went basically with a full strength side.  We had the best of the chances in the first half and we got the ball across the line but the lino didn’t give it – which is disappointing.

“We coped with them, they’re a very, very direct side, they’re quite big up front and I thought we were excellent and we rode the last twenty minutes and we had a lot of pressure on us but we could have won it, we had a great chance in stoppage time, but I was really pleased.”

McMahon lost central defender Lewis Tozer to injury during the warm-up on Tuesday night – a big loss for the Ryman League Division One North side.

McMahon said: “Again, we started well, we hit the post from a corner and we found ourselves 2-0 down to freak goals really. 

“Second half we had a go at them and got a goal back (through Theo Fairweather-Johnson) and they were rocking a bit but we conceded a really poor goal within five minutes and it knocked the stuffing out of us to be fair.

“I made a few changes to get more bodies forward and they picked us off in the last fifteen minutes when we had four or five up front.

“The score didn’t reflect the game over the two legs.  We battled really, really well and I thought we were really organised and we were excellent to be fair.”

A second coastal side in the shape of Whitstable Town, visit Bayliss Avenue on Saturday, to contest a FA Carlsberg Trophy Preliminary Round tie.

Peter Nott’s side have collected only three wins from their first ten league games of the season and they sit in seventeenth place in the Ryman League Division One South table.

McMahon said: “It’s going to be tough.  We know them well.  I know they’re not having a good run.

“If we carry on playing like we have for the last nine games and that’s including the two Margate games we’re going to be difficult to beat.  We’re looking very solid, especially defensively and we’re doing well going forward.

“I’m expecting a tough game. It’s a bit of pressure of them in the league as it’s a cup game.

“They’ll be looking to get a win under their belts to kick start a run.  We’re coming off the back of a defeat.  They may think it was a heavy one and they may sit there and think they have a very good chance.

“They’re not a bad side, but maybe they just need a bit of luck.  Hopefully we can bounce back straight away.  We’re in tonight, I know the lads’ won’t be too down because we competed over the last two games against a strong Margate side.

“Hopefully we can get back to winning ways again on Saturday.”

Thamesmead picked up £4,500 in prize money from their two victories in The FA Cup and there’s £2,000 more at stake for Saturday’s FA Trophy tie.

“It’s desperate for a club like ours,” said McMahon.  “We’re a very small type budget club and any money is a major bonus for us.  The two-thousand pounds will be huge.  The lads know that and we can dig deep and try and get it.”

McMahon faces giving several players fitness tests ahead of Saturday’s clash against Whitstable.

Speaking about his injury list, he said: “It’s quite bad to be honest.  We’ve got Dean Standen, who will be out for maybe another four weeks after he’s already been out for three. We’ve just found out after a second x-ray he’s out for a fractured metatarsal.

“Richard Butler has his cartlidge operation on 9 November and we’ve got worries over Danny Penny, Danny Moore, Lea Dawson, Jack Hopkins and Jake Burman, all with knocks from Tuesday, but we’re all in tonight and we’ll get the physio and we’ll try to patch them up and get them through the game on Saturday and they can have a rest midweek when we play in the Kent Senior Cup.”

The Kent Senior Cup, which is sponsored by portablefloodlights.com, kicks off next Tuesday with three games and Thamesmead Town welcome Tommy Warrilow’s Tonbridge Angels to Bayliss Avenue in the first round.

McMahon revealed that he will make several changes against the Blue Square Bet South side.

“They’ll be a hell of a lot of people having a rest on Tuesday,” revealed McMahon, knowing that the Kent Senior Cup has welcomed back Gillingham and Charlton Athletic this season.

“We’ve had a lot of games, it’s a shame.  I want to put out a really strong side against them.

“I’m friends with Tommy Warrilow but our league is more important.  We’ve been playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday all the way through for about six weeks and we’ve got another three or four more coming up.”

McMahon added: “A lot of people will get a rest on Tuesday night. I’ll still put a strong side out, don’t get me wrong.  I’ve got a really strong squad.  I imagine Tonbridge will do the same as he wants as many fit players for his game on Saturday.

“I have to look after the players a little bit and I’ve not been able to at the moment.

“If we get Lewis Tozer back fit on Saturday, he definitely won’t feature, Danny Penny won’t definitely feature and it gives a couple of others a chance and maybe a point to prove as well.”

Visit Thamesmead Town’s website: www.thamesmeadtownfc.co.uk  

Thamesmead Town  v  Whitstable Town
The FA Carlsberg Trophy Preliminary Round
Saturday 8^th October 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Bayliss Avenue, Thamesmead, London SE28 8NJ