Little warns that Tigers have improved this season

Sunday 12th August 2007

Read some match reports from Saturday’s games.

Slade Green 1-1 Sporting Bengal United

Slade Green boss, Peter Little, praised his side’s fighting spirit as they snatched a dramatic last gasp equaliser against Sporting Bengal on Saturday, in their opening Kent League game of the season, writes Robert Smith.

It might seem a strange comment to make considering Bengal’s reputation but the rest of the Kent League beware, make no mistake about it this is a new look Bengal outfit, with just two players left from last season and without doubt new boss Jim Hendry has assembled the strongest side in the club’s history.

Even then Little was bitterly disappointed not to take all 3 points.

Chances were at a premium for the entire game and it was the East Londoners who threatened first.

Slade Green were penalised after keeper Billy Webb had picked up Shaun Malyon’s back pass and although John Paul McKey blocked the resulting free kick from Ben Moriend , the danger was still not cleared and after the ensuing goalmouth scramble the ball fell to Leon Ryan whose gaolbound effort was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Webb.

Green ended the first half strongly, Paul Springett set up John Gallagher who duly found the net only to be ruled offside, while a seemingly harmless looking cross cum shot from McKey clipped the Bengal crossbar.

Good work by McKey and Adam Morrish then paved the way for Kris Hollidge whose powerful effort drew a good save from Matt Dilworth.

With an hour played Green looked to have broken the deadlock, Gallagher’s slick pass released Springett only to see his effort thwarted at close range by Dilworth.

However, with ten minutes remaining a rare lapse in concentration from an otherwise resolute Green defence enabled Morend to nip in and fire Bengal ahead.

This looked to have given Bengal maximum points but it was two new signings who combined to stun Bengal in the very last minute.

Former VCD man Terry Hodgkinson, who came on as a substitute, made fine inroads down the left before releasing a pin point cross to find Tom Kelliher making his senior football debut he calmly drew the ball down and from an acute angle let fly with a pile driver to leave the ball nestling in the bottom right corner of the goal.

“We were under no illusion, we knew it would be a tough game, their manager Jim Hendry has brought in a lot of experienced players,” said Green boss Little.

“Even though I was disappointed we didn’t take all three points.

“We had plenty of possession but there wasn’t real end product. Paul Springett and John Gallagher looked threatening throughout the game.

“We were forced to play Shaun Malyon in an unfamiliar role as centre half but he and Lee Barber were outstanding.

“Left back Terry Murphy looked very comfortable while our other full back Casey Scotter had a fine debut and made some great challenges and his distribution was very good.

“Georgian signing Zviad Kurhivashvili caused problems after coming off bench with his pace.

“After conceding such a late goal a lot of players heads could have dropped but the team showed fighting spirit after going a goal down to get a well deserved point. It was a well worked goal from the two new boys Terry and Tom'.

Slade Green: Webb, Scotter, Murphy, Barber, Malyon, McKey, Hollidge (Hodgkinson), Gallagher, Morrish (Kurhivashvili), Springett, Kelliher. Subs not used: Lee, Harris, Longhurst

Horsham YMCA 1-4 Folkestone Invicta

Folkestone Invicta completed their pre-season programme with a 4-1 win over Horsham YMCA as left back Kevin Watson scored a hat-trick within the opening 24 minutes after James Corbett had opened the scoring as Neil Cugley’s side raced into an early 4-0 lead at a sunny Gorings Mead, writes Richard Murrill.

Invicta dominated the first half from the start as James Everitt was close at the far post as early as the fourth minute when the ball trickled back across goal following a Damian Abel cross from the right.

And Corbett soon put Invicta ahead when he volleyed home at the far post in the seventh minute after Leigh Bremner’s cross from the left.

Watson made it 2-0 three minutes later when he was there to tap the ball in after goalkeeper Chris May had saved from Abel in a move also involving David Piper and Corbett.

Another Abel shot was blocked by defender Lewis Joyce when the Invicta striker latched onto defender Dean Carden’s attempted headed back pass in the eleventh minute.

Watson, captain on the day, made it 3-0 with a well-struck free kick from the edge of the penalty area after 15 minutes.

Bremner headed over with another chance in the 18^th minute when Piper played the ball down to Abel on the right hand side.

And Watson completed an unlikely hat-trick for a rampant Invicta in the 24^th minute when he struck again from just outside the penalty area after Abel touched the ball back to him.

There was some respite for the home side in the 28^th minute when Carden converted a penalty after Invicta goalkeeper Paul Adu had impeded striker Steve Davies who did his best to stay on his feet and put the ball into the net.

Adu – who trains daily with Gillingham and who has also appeared pre-season for Dover Athletic – was making his first appearance for Invicta as new goalkeeper Charlie Mitten had to watch from the sidelines with a recurrence of his thigh injury.

All the game’s goals were to come inside the opening half hour on what was a very hot afternoon.

Davies headed wide at the far post in the 32^nd minute after Andy Ohley’s cross from the left and Davies shot over from the right hand edge of the penalty area four minutes later.

Invicta lost striker Bremner to a groin injury before half time in what was a precautionary move as the Folkestone side prepare for their season’s opener at home to Wealdstone.

James Everitt fired at former Ramsgate goalkeeper May – who also had a spell on loan with Invicta last season – after 37 minutes when Corbett played the ball up to Abel on the left.

The second half was a far more even affair as the home side’s Jono Richardson somehow failed to find the net when he shot straight at Adu from virtually on the goal line in the 48^th minute when Davies got on the end of a cross from the left.

Richardson was soon involved at the other end when he cleared off the line a minute later after an Ellis Remy shot had crept past goalkeeper May following a Micheal Everitt through ball.

Carden then fired over with a 25-yard strike for the Sussex side.

Abel then lobbed just wide of the far post from the left hand side of the penalty area after 56 minutes and Remy shot wide across goal following a James Everitt throw from the left a minute later.

May touched a Remy shot onto the post and out for a corner in the 59^th minute when a Corbett through ball sent the centre forward clear down the middle.

Adu got up to beat Davies to the ball when centre half Frankie Chappell sliced a cross from the left after 66 minutes and one of the home side’s substitutes did not connect properly nine minutes later when Carden played the ball in from the left.

An Ohley shot was deflected for a corner in the 82^nd minute when Chappell’s clearance was charged down.

A stretching Remy then the put the ball over from close range in the 87^th minute when the overlapping Piper put in an inviting cross from the right after hat-trick man Watson had spread the play from the left hand side.

HORSHAM YMCA: May, Carden, Keaney, Richardson, Joyce, White, Taylor, Keehan, Greenfield, Davies, Ohley.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Adu (Stonebridge 70), Piper, Watson, Okikiolu (Glyde 45), Friend, Chappell, M. Everitt, J. Everitt, Abel, Bremner (Remy 31), Corbett (Sly 70 ).

Chatham Town 2-1 Tonbridge Angels

Chatham completed pre-season schedule with a well earned win against Ryman Premier side Tonbridge Angels, writes Neil Sanders.

Both sides created chances in an open first half. Darren Smith intercepted a back header and forced a decent save early on, before Angels took the lead after 18 minutes.

They capitalised on a poor first touch out wide and after a clear run down the line Jon Main applied the final touch from close range.

Chatham pulled level 10 minutes later when a misunderstanding in the Angels defence resulted in James Donovan heading over his own keeper from just outside the 18 yard box.

Both sides continued to push forward and after John Whitehouse had pulled off the best save of the match to keep out a powerful header, Chats took the lead 3 minutes before the break.

A long ball from Danny Larkin found Dominic Elmes running the box and his accurate pull back picked out Gavin Schulz to find the net through a crown of players from 10 yards.

The defences tightened up in the second half and chances were harder to come by.

Rob Goodger had an excellent game restricting Main to just a couple of chances and on the one occasion he did find space in the second period, Whitehouse saved well at the near post.

Chatham picked up a couple of knocks towards the end of the game, but will be feeling fairly confident after this performance as the league season starts.

Next Saturday they visit Corinthian Casuals on the opening day of the Ryman League campaign, then welcome Ashford Town to Maidstone Road on Tuesday 21st August.

Chatham: Whitehouse, (Craddock), King (James), White (Finn), Larkin (Groombridge), Goodger, Best, D.Smith, Solly, Schulz, Elmes (J.Smith), Murison (Govey).

Holmesdale 2-4 Erith & Belvedere

Erith & Belvedere put in an at best ordinary performance to see off newly promoted Holmesdale – in fact it was only thanks to a 20-minute spell of magic in the second half that the Deres avoided an incredibly embarrassing defeat, writes Thomas Hawes.

Things couldn’t have started worse for Chris Cosgrove’s side as Holmesdale took the lead with the first shot of the match.

With ten minutes on the clock, Dale’s Steve O’Rourke found himself with plenty of time to line up a shot from 20 yards out.

O’Rourke’s attempt may have been accurate, but his shot lacked pace and therefore it was a surprise when Deres keeper Grant Wallis failed to keep the shot out.

The summer signing from Kent League rivals VCD Athletic almost seemed to be expecting (or hoping) that the ball would go wide and failed to commit 100% to making the save.

As it was, the ball crept into the bottom corner of the net, leaving Wallis with egg on his face.

As the first half wore on, with the unthinkable scoreline of Holmesdale 1, Erith & Belvedere 0, Chris Cosgrove looked like another man who may end up with egg on his face having made bold comments in the week predicting that his side would win the Kent Premier League.

Despite controlling possession, Erith & Belvedere failed to make chances for strike-duo Nick Smith and Dave Hassett.

This was hardly a surprise with the Deres main man for creating chances – Adrian Deane – playing at left-back.

An injury to the other main creative player for Erith & Belvedere, Austin Berkley, seemed to suggest that it was going to be an uphill struggle for the Deres to come back into the game.

The reality was, in fact, that only following Berkley’s departure, that Erith & Belvedere began to turn on the style and show why they are being touted as title contenders.

However, just before Berkley limped off having been on the wrong end of a crunching 18^th minute tackle, the Deres were back on level terms.

A corner was whipped in from the right and Tom Maycock was on hand to fire the ball into the roof of the net from six yards out.

The hard-hitting defensive midfielder, who is the only surviving player from the Deres’ Southern League days, was injured in the process of scoring of the goal but unlike Berkley, Maycock’s dedication to the cause meant that he could continue playing for the remainder of the match.

Having worked so hard to defend their lead, conceding a goal on the stroke of half-time was a kick in the teeth for Holmesdale and in truth they never recovered.

Chris Cosgrove and Paul Gorman (who will return to the sidelines in the next few weeks) expect to bring the Kent League title to Park View Road come April and following the half-time team-talk the Deres began to show their true class.

And 62 seconds into the second half Erith & Belvedere were ahead. Striker Dave Hassett, who looked much hungrier in the second period, broke away from the Holmesdale defence and drilled a shot at Danny Murley in the Holmesdale goal.

Murley did well to parry the venomous shot away, but only to Deres central defender Paul Gross who tapped-in from 6 yards out to the relief of the Erith & Belvedere contingent at Oakley Road.

Why or how defender Gross managed to end up being on hand to score a tap-in is unknown, but his goal proved to be the turning point in the match.

A despondent Holmesdale outfit began to tire and they will need to do a lot of fitness work if they are to be able to keep up with top Kent League sides for the full 90 minutes.

Having looked solid during the first half, Dale were mediocre in the opening stages of the second half, whilst the Deres were excellent.

Mitch Crawley, who replaced Berkley, slotted in at right-back allowing Matt Bedford to move up to right-winger where he excelled during pre-season. Bedford was his usual determined self and was causing the Holmesdale defence all sorts of problems.

On the other side of the pitch, summer acquisition from Whitstable Town, Marlon Button, and Adrian Deane were linking up well. And up-front Hassett and Nick Smith began to turn on the style.

Hassett failed to impress during pre-season, but in the second half against Dale he began to show glimpses of why Cosgrove and Gorman decided to sign him from Tunbridge Wells.

Having played a key role in the second goal, the third Deres goal, which came on 52 minutes was created thanks to some great play by Hassett.

Hassett wandered his way through the Holmesdale midfield and defence before laying the ball on a plate for strike partner Nick Smith who coolly slotted the ball into the corner of the net to give the Deres a 3-1 lead.

It was soon to be 4-1 as on 60 minutes, Button had a pop from 40 yards out. The ball took a cruel deflection and looped over a helpless Murley in the Holmesdale goal.

Erith continued to push for more goals as they dominated the rest of the game. It could have quite easily been 7 or 8-1 to the Deres, but as the game wore on Erith seemed satisfied with the knowledge that they would be going into Tuesday’s encounter with Slade Green at Park View Road with a maximum points haul from their opening encounter.

There was, however, still enough time for Deres keeper Wallis to make another blunder as he was beaten by James Dadson in a race for the ball.

Dadson then had the easiest of tasks to pass the ball into the empty net. With two terrible errors, Wallis will do well to hold onto his place in the team for Tuesday night’s meeting with Slade Green, who could only manage a draw with Sporting Bengal United.

HOLMESDALE: Murley, Jones, Bushell, White, Tolfrey (capt.), O’Rourke, Dadson, Nicoli, Creasey, Beckett (West 69), Hughes.
Subs: Crofts, Stocks, Greenslade, Price.

ERITH & BELVEDERE: Wallis, Bedford, Deane, Maycock, Gross, Farley (capt.), Johnson, Berkley (Crawley 45), Hassett (McKenna 79), Smith (Benacynte 79), Button.
Subs: Fitzpatrick, Morgan.

Attendance: 109

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