Kentish Football 
Leatherhead 0-1 Hythe Town - The new Hythe is a better Hythe, says Scott Porter
LEATHERHEAD 0-1 HYTHE TOWN
Ryman League Division One South
Wednesday 19th March 2014
Stephen McCartney reports from Fetcham Grove
HYTHE TOWN boss Scott Porter says his side pulled off a scalp after coming away from second-placed Leatherhead with a shock win.
Josh Burchell, 23, flicked home the only goal of the game as Hythe Town recorded their second 1-0 victory over Leatherhead, who went into the game seven points adrift of league leaders Peacehaven & Telscombe.
Hythe Town moved into 12th place in the Ryman League Division One South table with 48 points from 34 games, 17 points adrift of fifth-placed Hastings United following their fourteenth league win of the season.
Porter was delighted with his players, who proved to be hard to beat as Leatherhead suffered their third league home defeat of the season.
He said: “We’ve been working hard to become a hard team to beat, what we expect from my players at this football club, what we’ve done over the years.
“It’s been a frustrating season on and off the pitch as people know. We’re getting back to being a hard team to beat.
“We’ve got a lot of characters. We’ve got some big players in there and we showed that tonight. The energy and the work-rate we’ve showed is what I expect the levels we’re at, which is good.”
Porter admitted it was a Hythe Town performance of old.
“We’ve had a lot of players come and go this year for certain reasons. That’s the Hythe of old. That’s what I want. I want teams not want to play us.
“This year has been different because I’ve had players come and go, a different team week in, week out but now I’ve got a steady bunch of lads, an organised bunch of lads, who just want to work for each other and we’ve just gone back to basics really with the way we’ve played and we’ve got our rewards.”
Porter added: “We wouldn’t have won this game four or five weeks ago – not a chance – but winning games breeds confidence and that changing room is a very confident place at the minute and hopefully we can keep working as hard as that, which we need to and we’ll get our rewards.
“He’s got some decent players here and he’s probably paying them some decent money because of where they are in the league.
“It’s a good scalp for us tonight. We’ve beaten teams around us in the last three or four games and to beat a team up at the top just shows how far we’re coming in four or five weeks.”
Richard Brady’s Leatherhead, which has a large number of Kent based players within their ranks, created the first chance of the game inside the opening five minutes.
Tom Bradbrook never looked like adding to his 29-goal haul when he blasted his speculative right-footed volley over the bar from 30-yards.
But Hythe Town were to be denied the opening goal of the game inside the opening seven minutes.
Burchell’s through ball released 25-goal striker Shaun Welford through on goal and his shot from 12-yards forced Deren Ibrahim to dive to his left to parry the ball away to safety.
“We tried to hit the front man early really because you’ve got to play to those two strengths, Thommo and Welford,” explained Porter.
“They work their socks off and they’re a threat from the first minute to the last. Obviously he’s gone in and the keeper made a good save.”
Visiting goalkeeper Dan Eason made a similar sort of save to thwart Leatherhead within three minutes of that chance.
Darren Smith released left-winger Kev Terry down the left before he cut into the penalty area to stroke a right-footed angled drive which forced Eason to dive low to his right to parry.
Porter added: “To be fair, I don’t think our goalkeeper has had many saves to make. We’ve had chances as well.
“Ok, we’ve soaked up a bit of pressure but not a lot to worry about. I thought we dealt with Bradbrook and Draycott got dragged off. I don’t think they caused us a lot of problems. They had a lot of possession but we hit them on the break a few times. We had a chances at the end as well.
“Dan’s come in tonight. He’s got mumps so we’ve had to keep our distance from him tonight but he’s quality there and he keeps us in games in certain times and he’s made a decent save.”
A penetrating run down half the length of the pitch from Theo Fairweather-Johnson saw the ball played inside to Bradbrook, who swept the ball out to the left flank for Terry, to cut inside and set up a chance for Smith, who was given time and space to crack his right-footed drive sailing harmlessly wide of the far post from 35-yards.
Hythe Town received a huge slice of luck when Leatherhead somehow struck the crossbar in the 28th minute.
Central defender, Jamie Coyle, maintained his forward presence from a free-kick and reached the by-line to hook a floated cross in to the danger area where Fairweather-Johnson sent his header against the crossbar from six-yards, before the ball bounced down and away.
Porter said: “I thought it was going out and then it stayed in and it came back off (the bar).
“To be fair, five or six weeks ago that goes in the back of the net because that was the run that we was on.
“When it goes your way things like that happen.”
Eason, 24, pulled off a smart save inside the final four minutes of the first half.
Bradbrook flicked the ball into Ian Draycott’s path and his fierce drive smashed into Lee Pleau’s face and nearly wrong-footed the Hythe Town keeper, who managed to get a strong right hand to the ball to prevent a goal.
Draycott floated in the resulting corner from the right, which was flicked on by Bradbrook at the near post and Coyle sent his header over the bar.
Leatherhead right-back Ryan Mahal was given time and space to float in a cross where Bradbrook planted his header just wide of the near post.
Porter was pleased that the score was still equal at the break.
He said: “You want to go in at half-time. We had a little bit of pressure in the end and regroup, get the breathers and get a little bit of information across to certain players and have your game plan for the second half and we did that and the boys responded and to be fair it worked out exactly what I said.
“I said if we stay in the game we’ll nick one because they’re vulnerable at the back. They’ll get frustrated because we defended well and we nicked a goal. To be fair my team talk happened. The players actually said it happened!”
Leatherhead continued to press during the early stages of the second half.
Left-back Daniel Johnson, another product of Maidstone United’s Academy, ventured forward to whip in a low cross, which was missed by Draycott at the near post only for Terry to loop his left-footed shot over the crossbar from eight-yards.
A rare mistake from Hythe Town central defender Craig Cloke gifted a chance for Bradbrook, who burst into the penalty area only for his right-footed drive from 12-yards to force Eason to dive low to his left to push the ball around the post for a corner.
It proved to be the only mistake from Cloke, who was immense alongside Lee Pleau, 18, a product of Maidstone United’s Academy.
Porter said: “Lee Pleaue is eighteen. Tom Bradbrook didn’t have a sniff. I don’t think he had a shot on target. Lee Pleau has come on abundance. He’s at Maidstone Academy. Jay (Saunders) sorted me out with him. He’s excelled into a good centre half because Clokey’s monitoring him there. He’s looking a good partnership.
“The pair of them were immense,” added Porter.
“Their threats were Bradbrook and Draycott and they’ve dealt with it quite comfortably and the more you frustrate them the more they get annoyed.
“We’ll get the best out of Lee Pleau because Craig Cloke is there to keep him going and Clokey’s come back into the side and that’s why we need leaders like that. He’s come into his own Clokey, he’s a leader. He’s got the changing room going. Same as Danny Lye, same as Dan Stubbs. These are new lads that have come in and they’ve made it a better place.”
The two defenders were to be at their best and it forced Leatherhead central midfielder Paul Semakula to try his luck from 25-yards, with a right-footed curler, which was caught by Eason as he moved across his goal.
Leatherhead did breach Hythe Town’s backline when Smith whipped in a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area and Mahal’s looping header towards the top far corner was headed off the line by Hythe right-back Louis Sprosen beside the post.
Leatherhead should have scored when Mahal rolled the ball through Bradbrook’s legs into Terry’s feet inside the penalty area and he played the ball inside to Fairweather-Johnson, who clipped his right-footed shot over the bar from 12-yards.
But Hythe Town weathered the storm and grabbed the winning goal in the 66th minute through Burchell’s third goal for the club since his move from local rivals Folkestone Invicta.
Stubbs’ right-footed corner was cleared away and Stubbs picked up the loose ball before whipping in a cross towards the far post where Pleau headed the ball back into the near post for Burchell to nip in front of Ibrahim to flick his shot into the bottom near corner from four-yards.
Porter said: “That’s the areas he gets. He gets into little pockets Burchy. I know they’re not great from set-pieces and it came back out and we kept the ball alive and it’s important you do that when you have corners. If you have a chance to get the ball back in the box you’ll cause them problems and we did that and Burch has found a little pocket and put the ball in the back of the net.”
Welford, who worked tirelessly hard up front with Craig Thompson, cracked a right-footed half-volley over the bar.
Bradbrook played the ball in behind the Hythe defence where Mahal curved his run to whip in an excellent cross with his right foot, which forced Eason to dive to push the ball away to safety.
A frustrated Bradbrook should have equalised with twelve minutes remaining when he met Mahal’s cross with a planted header at the far post which he directed over the crossbar.
Welford took the ball off Thompson to bulldoze his way to the edge of the Leatherhead penalty area only to drag his right-footed shot wide of the left-hand post when he should have tested Ibrahim.
Holding midfielder Danny Lye picked up the man-of-the-match award for his honest endeavour of doing the ugly stuff and protecting Cloke and Pleau behind him.
Lye clipped the ball forward and Thompson’s right-footed shot on the turn was comfortably saved by Ibrahim at his near post.
Porter was full of praise for Lye, who doesn’t attract the headline grabbing attention when he plays.
The Hythe Town boss said: “He does the horrible stuff. You’re right. He’s a leader, he’s the captain and he does that horrible stuff and he’s been immense in the middle of the park since he’s come back.
“We’ve got the back bone there. We’ve got Dan Eason, Clokey, Lysey, Welford and Tommo and we’ve got people in and around.
“We’re missing James Morrish tonight through suspension and we’re missing John Walker who’s ill so we’re missing two big players there as well, but there’s players that have come in and have worked their socks off.
“I’ve got some big leaders in there. The new Hythe is a better Hythe because people are working for each other and are digging in and that’s what we’re all about.”
Thompson spotted that Ibrahim had strayed off his line and unleashed a right-footed curler towards the far corner from 35-yards, which Ibrahim did well to dive to his left to tip around the post.
Hythe Town almost finished the game off with a second in the final minute when Lee Winfield played the ball in from the left, Welford played the ball inside for substitute Sam Bewick, who curled his right-footed shot around the far post from 20-yards.
Hythe Town finished in a record best position of fourth-place last season but Porter would like to finish strongly during their last eleven league games.
He said: “I think it was two weeks ago, we were looking over our shoulders. We was looking at teams below us. Now all I want to concentrate on each game as it comes and look at the teams above us and just keep winning games.
“Enjoy the last 11 games because we deserve to enjoy it because we’ve been through an up and down season on and off the park. We’re gradually getting there on and off the park and you want to finish as high as you can. Win as many games as you can and it gives you a stepping stone what we want to do next season.”
Porter admitted it’s been the hardest season in charge of the club, which has seen budget cuts that have seen stalwarts Pat Kingwell, Dave Cook and Ronnie Dolan sign for Southern Counties East Football League side Ashford United in recent weeks.
He said: “Yes, without a doubt! Just because what’s happened on and off the park. We’ve had it not go all our way but we’ve always been successful and that’s why I want to make these last eleven games enjoyable and win as many games as we can.
“I’m concentrating on this season at the minute because of the position that we’re in. I want to finish as high as we can to give us a stepping stone for next year.”
Porter takes his side to Burgess Hill Town on Saturday, a side that are presently in seventh-place in the table, eight points adrift of the play-offs.
“They’re on a good run. They’re doing alright. It’s going to be tough, but each game what comes the confidence is getting more and more.”
Leatherhead: Deren Ibrahim, Ryan Mahal, Daniel Johnson (Ryan Cooper 80), Paul Semakula, Jamie Coyle, Jerry Nnamani, Theo Fairweather-Johnson, Darren Smith, Tom Bradbrook, Ian Draycott (Mohamed Eisa 61), Kev Terry.
Subs: Jordan Gough, Ben Franklin, Tom Parkinson
Booked: Paul Semakula 53
Hythe Town: Dan Eason, Louis Sprosen, Tommy Osborne, Lee Pleau, Craig Cloke, Danny Lye, Dan Stubbs (Jamie Collado 71), Lee Winfield, Shaun Welford, Craig Thompson, John Burchell (Sam Bewick 81).
Sub: Lloyd Blackman
Goal: Josh Burchell 66
Booked: Craig Thompson 90
Attendance: 216
Referee: Mr David Spain (Westfield, East Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Errol Walker (Wimbledon, London SW19) & Mr Michael Ryan (Littlehampton, West Sussex)
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