Kingstonian 4-1 Thamesmead Town - You get punished at this level, says Keith McMahon

KINGSTONIAN  4-1  THAMESMEAD TOWN
Ryman Premier League
Sunday 13^th October 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Kingsmeadow Stadium

THAMESMEAD TOWN manager Keith McMahon criticised his side’s defending after they capitulated against fourth-placed Kingstonian.

The Mead remain rooted inside the bottom two of the Ryman Premier League table on seven points from thirteen games after leaking three goals in the final fifteen minutes.

Things started badly for Thamesmead Town - who went into the game on the back of their second league win of the season – a 1-0 win over East Thurrock United at Bayliss Avenue eight days ago.

Central midfielder Tommy Kavanagh drove home his first goal of the season to give Kingstonian the lead inside the opening four minutes, before Thamesmead Town lost striker Tyrus Gordon-Young, who was stretchered off the pitch and left the ground on crutches with a hip injury.

The Mead, who were without central defender Lewis Tozer and attacker Theo Fairweather-Johnson through suspension, vastly improved during the second half before capitulating late on.

Kingstonian striker Ryan Moss notched his tenth-goal of the season with a powerful header, before former Salisbury City winger Charlie Knight danced his way past three men to drill in a third.

Lone striker Javilon Campbell drove into the corner to score his first goal for Thamesmead Town, following his move from Billericay Town.

But the K’s wrapped up their victory when left-back Marcus Moody got in the goalscoring act as Alan Dowson’s side moved to within a point of third-placed Dulwich Hamlet.

If it wasn’t for the heroics of injured Thamesmead Town stopper Rob Budd then Kingstonian would have scored 12 goals today!

“He’s come into form at the right time after a lot of people were starting to doubt him – the last three games he’s been exceptional,” McMahon said of his heroic goalkeeper.

“He’s a good goalkeeper. People were doubting him. I’ve had three goalkeepers ring me up and even people giving me their numbers asking if I’m looking for a goalkeeper and at one point we was – he was struggling – but just as cover because he’s got some injuries not because we didn’t believe in him.

“He got goalkeeper of the year last year (in Ryman League Division One North) and rightly so – he deserved it!

“He had some injuries at the beginning of the season and he hasn’t been on form but at the moment he’s showing his quality. You need to stick by people and we’re sticking by him and he’s coming good.

“He’s got a hip problem, just above his hip. He’s had this for the last three or four weeks. He’s played through and he’s got us through and again in the first half he’s had to twist on it and he’s felt it again, but he’s got through. It’s not affected him too much.”

Reflecting on the game itself, McMahon said: “We just seemed to be up against it at little bit first half.

“We conceded a poor goal. We didn’t start well for the first five minutes, but we’ve had a bad injury with Tyrus (Gordon-Young) and it rocked us massively.  We didn’t have an extra forward on the bench and we was all over the place for the first half and we were lucky to come in at 1-0.

“Buddy made a couple of really good saves and we just had to hang in and see if we could nick something.

“We got in at half-time and we re-shaped things and I thought second half we was excellent for 35 minutes. We kept the ball, we looked the better side. We just needed to score.

“I’m disappointed with individual mistakes today in the second half because we was well in the game, even though on chances we weren’t, but away from home, second half we were well in the game.”

Kingstonian stamped their authority on the game straight from kick-off and impressive right-winger Matt Pattison got in behind Mead left-back Jay Porter to whip in an excellent cross which was sliced wide of his own post by Thamesmead Town defender Richard Butler, who like James Donovan have had better games.

But Kingstonian opened the scoring, a second shy of four minutes.

Winger Knight made progress down the left, played the ball into Moss, who from the corner of the penalty area cut the ball back to Kavanagh, who turned his man before stroking his right-footed shot on the turn into the bottom left-hand corner from 20-yards.

McMahon said: “James Donovan’s misjudged the flight of the ball. They got in behind and pulled it back and he’s struck it.  The midfielder didn’t go with the runner and he’s struck it from the edge of the box. We were very, very slow in the first 45 minutes.”

When asked about Gordon-Young’s injury, which held up play for five minutes, McMahon replied: “He’s put his hip out. Two of them clumped into him from behind and he’s landed and he’s put his hip out and it looked quite serious.

“Carly and Alan (our physio’s) have looked after him. I thought they’ve put it back in but he’s on crutches at the moment and we’ll just see how he is.”

A long kick by Kingstonian keeper Rob Tolfrey was flicked forward by Moss’s clever pass and his 10-goal strike partner Andre McCollin stroked a right-footed shot past the near post from fifteen yards.

Out-played Thamesmead Town created their only first half chance at the halfway stage.

Much-travelled central midfielder Karl Beckford whipped a pacy, curling right-footed free-kick from 22-yards over the wall and Tolfrey parried the ball away high to his left to prevent the ball sailing into the top right-hand corner.

“It was our only chance, I think, going forward,” admitted McMahon.

“When you come away to places like this, you just need to keep it tight and see if you can get something. When we was really up against it in the first half that’s what you’ve got to try and do. We had a couple of free-kicks on the edge of the box in the first half and you just have to take one and obviously we didn’t.”

Kingstonian went agonisingly close to doubling their lead within four minutes when Pattison cracked a right-footed drive from 30-yards which flew past the diving Budd only for the ball to smash against the crossbar.

“We was all over the place,” admitted McMahon.  “I think the big turning point was losing Tyrus with the injury.  We was just all at sea. We had just the one up top. We couldn’t support him and they were getting in behind.  They were zipping it down between the side of the centre halves and we struggled.

“Buddy’s kept us in the game really with a couple of really good saves.”

Kingstonian demolished Thamesmead Town for the remainder of the first half and it was a miracle that McMahon welcomed his team inside the dressing room with only a one goal deficit.

Pattison whipped in a cross from the right and McCollin’s near-post header clipped Donovan and Budd recovered to smother the ball low to his left on the goal-line.

Kavanagh clipped the ball over the top of the Mead defence to put Moss clear down the left hand side and his right-footed angled drive forced Budd to save low to his right.

Pattison then swung in a corner from the left which hung in the air and big central defender Nathan Campbell nodded down and narrowly wide from close range at the far post.

Budd then made a low save to his left to prevent McCollin scoring with a left-footed angled drive from fifteen-yards.

Budd was then seen holding his right hip and was in pain following that save – but he was to produce a number of world-class saves later on.

K’s man-of-the-match Pattison whipped in another cross from the right for Moss to stab his shot towards goal, which bounced into Budd’s gloves for him to make a routine save.

McCollin then slid a brilliant pass in between Butler and Donovan to release Moss, who stroked a low right-footed shot across Budd and the ball trickled against the foot of the far post.

When asked how the score remained 1-0 at the break, McMahon simply replied: “They didn’t score, simple as that!  They’ve hit the post and the bar and Buddy’s made a couple of good saves and then we’ve had to defend as a team.  You couldn’t say they’ve had glaring misses and he’s just made saves but they didn’t score.

“Sometimes you sit there with what’s gone on with the goal and the Tyrone incident thinking maybe it is your day. Maybe you could just get something and in the second half I thought that was going to be the case.”

And a poor clearance from Thamesmead Town’s right-back Jack Hopkins inside a crowded penalty area went straight to McCollin, who failed to accept the gift and dragged his shot wide of the far post.

McMahon admitted he was disappointed with his side’s poor first half performance.

He said: “I didn’t go mad, sometimes you can’t. We lost our way here.  We didn’t know what we’re doing and we just sat down and I re-shaped the side. I brought on Anton in the second half, we went with two holding midfield players and three behind the striker and it worked.

“Listen, sometimes this could be your day. You could be in it. We’re only 1-0. We could be buried but we’re not – let’s go have a go! We just told them to keep the ball and pass it, which we did for 35 minutes of the second half. They couldn’t have done any more. I thought we were superb.”

McMahon made a tactical switch at the break. He brought on Anton Douglas, who slotted in beside Donovan at the heart of defence and Butler slotted in between Jordan Hibbert (who is on loan from Dagenham & Redbridge) in the middle of the park.

Thamesmead Town started the second half with much more purpose and started to take the game to Kingstonian.

Full-back Porter made progress down the left and whipped in a cross into the Kingstonian penalty area where an unmarked Danny Phillips hooked his overhead kick wide of the far post after only 27 seconds.

Beckford then cut a corner back to Hibbert, who burst into the penalty area and from a tight angle drilled a left-footed shot from a tight angle which went straight down Tolfrey’s throat at the near post.

Budd made his first world-class save in the 55^th minute when Moody cut the ball along the face of the penalty area and McCollin cracked a left-footed shot on the turn from eighteen-yards and Budd dived to his right and turned the ball around the post with a strong right hand.

The yet again outstanding Phillips released Javilon Campbell, who drilled a low right-footed shot into the bottom far corner of the net but the offside flag was raised.

“We got an offside goal, which was pretty close from where I was when Javilon has run though,” said McMahon.

“I thought we had a lot of possession in the second half down their end. We were patient. We created chances. The response was excellent. I couldn’t have asked for any more!

“If we started like that we would’ve been fine I think but we didn’t and it’s always tough to come here. I was really pleased with our second half performance apart from the last ten minutes with their goals.”

Kingstonian brought the very best out of Budd again in the 61^st minute when Moss delivered a hanging cross from the right channel which sailed over Donovan’s head at the near post and McCollin’s header from six-yards was brilliantly blocked by the busy keeper.

Thamesmead Town were given some breathing space as Kingstonian went into their shell and Beckford’s pass released the hard-working Javilon Campbell down the left and his left-footed angled drive nestled into the side netting.

Kingstonian were denied by another piece of brilliant Budd goalkeeping in the 69^th minute following their tenth corner.

Knight swung in the corner from the right which was flicked across goal and Nathan Campbell powered his header across the keeper from six-yards. The ball was destined to crash into the roof of the net but Budd hurled his body to his left to claw the ball out.

Thamesmead Town went close with a decent chance when a back header from Kingstonian central defender and skipper Sam Page was latched onto by Beckford who played the ball into Javilon Campbell who made space for himself to crack a right-footed volley, which flashed agonisingly wide of the far post.

Kingstonian celebrated their second goal with fifteen minutes remaining when Knight whipped in a cross from the left and the unmarked Moss powered his header into the top near corner from six-yards.

McMahon said: “Great header but again he should have been marked! Anton’s left him two yards in space, switched off and he’s scored. You get punished at this level. It’s an individual defensive error and we should have dealt with it!”

Moss beat the offside flag when he latched onto Matthew Drage’s through ball but dragged his right-footed shot across goal and past the far post, before Kingstonian made it 3-0 with eight minutes left.

McMahon was not pleased with the defending as Knight danced his way past three sky blue shirted defenders on the edge of the penalty area before rifling a left-footed drive across Budd into the far corner from fifteen-yards.

He said: “James Donovan has tried to step up and play offside and it ain’t worked! The ball’s got slipped in behind him, he’s come in and smashed it home. A great finish but again just do your job and we may prevent that!”

Thamesmead Town pulled a goal back 178 seconds later when Butler poked the ball into the penalty area for Javilon Campbell to be rewarded for his graft, driving his angled left-footed shot across Tolfrey to nestle inside the bottom far corner.

McMahon said: “He was excellent today Jav up top on his own.  He worked his absolute socks off. He ran the line well. His actual running off the ball was great. He was outstanding.

“Great goal! We deserved it. He deserved his goal.”

Kingstonian made it 4-1 only 139 seconds later when Moody skipped past Donovan and slammed his left-footed shot past Budd just left of centre.

“Just walked past, poor again! We’re disappointed with the defending. We could have done a lot better and on reflection I think James will think that as well. The game’s gone and buried and that was it.”

Kingstonian could have scored more but Knight’s corner found Nathan Campbell at the far post and his header was saved by Budd, high to his right.

And man-of-the-match Budd dived to his right to deny substitute Daniel Sweeney at the death.

McMahon added: “Coming to places like this is always going to be difficult. We knew that, but we play like that against maybe the 14-15 sides around us, we’ll be ok.

“They had a lot of chances in the first half. The performance was awful because we had no shape. It was nothing else. We had no shape at all and they should have buried us before half-time.

“For 35 minutes (in the second half) I thought we was excellent. I thought we were the better side but if you come here and you don’t keep your shape and you don’t do your jobs you get punished by the top sides and they’ve done that.

“There’s a lot of plusses for the second half performance.”

Thamesmead Town put their relegation battle to one side when they welcome Essex Senior League side Greenhouse London (the artist formerly known as Mauritius Sports and Haringey & Waltham Development) in the London Senior Cup Sponsored by Coventry Scaffolding First Round at Bayliss Avenue on Tuesday night.

“We’ll put in our under 21s and bench (players),” revealed McMahon.

“No disrespect and I’ve spoken to the London FA.  The officials’ were appalling last year and the year before. We had issues.

“We’ve got a lot of games to play as well and the under 21s need a few so it will be my bench and a couple of trailists’ and there will be no first team players’ playing.  I’ll be involved, maybe from the stand, so I won’t get done. If we get through I’m not too fussed about it.”

Kingstonian: Rob Tolfrey, Tom Jelley, Marcus Moody, Matthew Drage, Sam Page, Nathan Campbell (Daniel Sweeney 73), Matt Pattison (Dee Okojie 73), Tommy Kavanagh, Ryan Moss, Andre McCollin (Matt Somner 81), Charlie Knight.
Subs: Adam Faith, Aaron Goode

Goals: Tommy Kavanagh 4, Ryan Moss 75, Charlie Knight 82, Marcus Moody 87

Thamesmead Town: Rob Budd, Jack Hopkins, Jay Porter, Olianke Bankhole (Anton Douglas 46), Richard Butler, James Donovan, Sean Roberts (George Monger 81), Karl Beckford, Tyrus Gordon-Young (Jordan Hibbert 11), Javilon Campbell, Danny Phillips.
Subs: John Scarborough, Richard Stevens

Goal: Javilon Campbell 85

Booked: Jack Hopkins 44

Attendance: 249
Referee:  Mr Alex Neil (Sutton, Surrey)
Assistants: Mr Mike Coen (Worcester Park, Surrey) & Mr Daniel Simpson (Drayton, Middlesex)