Lydd Town 1-1 Hollands & Blair - I'm convincned there's going to be twists and turns, says Smith

LYDD TOWN  1-1  HOLLANDS & BLAIR
Kent Invicta League
Saturday 15^th March 2014
Stephen McCartney reports from Dengemarsh Road

LYDD TOWN manager Dave Smith says he is happy snatching a point at the end of the top-of-the-table clash against Hollands & Blair.

The Lydders go into the last thirteen games sitting two points clear at the top of the Kent Invicta League table thanks to a last-gasp equaliser from 23-year-old central defender Ryan Smith.

Hollands & Blair, who edged a disappointing affair, had taken an early lead through James McDonald’s 23^rd goal of the season.

The Gillingham based side have a game in hand and must cram in fourteen games before the season draws to a close on 5 May.

“After the way we played first half, if you said to me at half-time we’d get a draw out of it, I’d probably be happy to be fair,” admitted Smith afterwards.

“I thought we was poor in the first half.  We looked a bit nervous during the game. We didn’t really get our football down, didn’t play at all, so I was disappointed at half-time.

“I was pleased with the way we reacted in the second half without being at our best.  I thought we stuck at it. We kept trying to create chances although they were few and far between. We never created a good goalscoring chance.

“Our defenders all did well because they just hung on to the shirt tails. At times we were hanging on desperately.  I thought at times getting caught on the break, but I thought we showed a lot of spirit to get a one-all draw out of it at in the end.”

Hollands & Blair boss Paul Piggott, meanwhile, was disappointed that his side were an agonising 37 seconds from returning to the summit.

“Yes it was (close) but at the end of the day you’ve got to defend for 90 minutes and we just let our guard down just for once,” he said.

“It cost us a couple of points but the shift that the lads’ put in today was superb.  I’m more than pleased especially after last week. We was poor as it got last week. I asked for a reaction and they more than gave me that today.

“We let in six goals last week so that’s not good enough by our standards, or any team’s standards who want to do well in the league.

“I asked for that reaction and I thought they defended superbly – all bar one corner.”

Lydd Town went into the game on a five match unbeaten run and McDonald’s strike was the first goal that Lydd Town have conceded in 310 minutes of football.

Hollands & Blair, meanwhile, arrived on the Kent coast on the back of two cup defeats.

Ashford United denied them a place in the Kent Senior Trophy Sponsored by Spire Alexandra Hospital Final after Gary Clarke’s scrambled goal two weeks’ ago.

And they threw away a three-goal advantage to lose 6-3 at home to Sutton Athletic last weekend, going out of the Pain & Glory Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy Quarter-Final 6-4 on aggregate last weekend.

Hollands & Blair created the first of a few clear cut chances in the opening seven minutes.

Central midfielder Sam Prescott released striker Stuart West through on goal and his left-footed chip was tipped around the post by a strong left hand from Lydd Town goalkeeper Craig Smith.

“Very good save.  I was pleased with Craig, having a good game in goal,” said the Lydd Town manager.

Hollands & Blair took the lead as early as the thirteenth minute.

Winger Sam Welsh released West in behind the Lydd Town back four and was denied a goal when his right-footed shot was blocked by the diving keeper’s left leg but McDonald was on hand to steer the rebound into the back of the net from a tight angle.

Piggott said: “The bloke’s an out-and-out goalscorer and that’s what he does. He’s always alive, he’s always bobbling around in boxes and he’s always a threat to centre halves and goalkeepers.

“It was good support play. He gambled on the fact that something might be happening with Westy’s shot and like all good centre forwards do he just sniffed out a goal. That’s what he’s about.”

Smith added: “Even the goal they did score, he did a good save and was unlucky when the deflection fell to their guy to put them in front.  Craig’s been superb all season and he’s just carried it on today.

“The rebound went to their player but they caught us on the break three or four times and going in 1-0 down was probably a bonus because we could have been two or three down at the beak with the breakaways they caught us on.”

From that moment on, shots from both sides were mostly off target as both sides wilted under pressure on a sunny but windy and chilly day at The Lindsey Field.

Hollands & Blair left-back Bryan Greenfield cracked a left-footed free-kick sailing harmlessly over the crossbar from 22-yards, before Lydd Town created their opening chance in the 21^st minute.

Matt Collins swept the ball out to right-back Chris Clements who was given time and space to float in a cross towards the edge of the box where Paul Burt chested the ball down for Jordan Wright to send his right-footed drive wide.

A chipped pass from Blair skipper West released McDonald down the right channel and his over-hit cross wasn’t cleared away by Clements.  Liam Stone cut the ball back to Greenfield, who had time and space to whip in a cross towards the near post but Welsh skied his shot high and wide.

Hollands & Blair were much closer just 119 seconds later when Welsh launched a long throw into the penalty area but Tom Michelson sent his header into the side netting.

Good play from Hollands & Blair right-back Lewis Taylor, spinning past Collins, saw his low drive blocked before Michelson drilled his low shot through a crowd of players and past the far post from 25-yards.

Lydd Town created a half-chance in the 37^th minute when Craig Smith launched a long ball forward and frustrated lone striker Gary Lockyer sent his speculative right-footed half-volley sailing harmlessly wide of the right-hand post from 30-yards.

Manager Dave Smith explained why the 20-year-old was playing up front on his own.

He said: “We’ve changed our formation for the last three or four weeks. We’ve put an extra person in midfield because we got over-run when we played Seven Acres so we decided to have a look at it and we changed our formation.

“It gives an option of playing three central midfielders and then linking up to the forwards. It worked well for us in the last three games. It didn’t work particularly well today but we have to try different things with different players so it’s probably a work in progress.”

Hollands & Blair squandered an excellent chance to edge further in front with four first half minutes remaining.

Greenfield swung in a corner from the right towards the far post where the unmarked West sent his header past the near post from six-yards.

But The Lydders best opening of the first half arrived in the 44^th minute.

Clements floated over a cross from the right which Lockyer laid off to Collins, who cut inside and curled his right-footed shot around the far post from 25-yards.

Lydd Town boss Smith added: “Something out of nothing really. They were just shots we take on. I’d be happy if we were creating more chances, making the goalie work.  We didn’t work the keeper at all the whole game, let alone the first half so that was a little disappointing. Again, our quality of passing wasn’t there to open them up. They’re well-organised at the back as well.”

Hollands & Blair created the first chance of the second half when West flicked the ball on for McDonald to cut inside before curling his right-footed shot agonisingly around the far post from 25-yards.

They created their next opening on the hour-mark when Greenfield arrowed his left-footed free-kick over the crossbar from 35-yards, but Piggott explained why he thought this eagerly-awaited clash was lacking in quality.

He said: “You’ve got two sides who are both going for the league so it’s not going to be end-to-end, goalmouth scrambles but it’s not going to be one of those games.  We both knew that but it’s important you take chances when you do play in games like that.”

McDonald stroked a speculative right-footed drive from 40-yards, which bounced wide of the left-hand post.

A run down the left wing from substitute Ryan Norman carved an opening for the home side in the 64^th minute but Lockyer dragged his right-footed shot harmlessly across goal and out for a throw in beside the corner flag.

Lydd Town goalkeeper Craig Smith was called into action when he parried Greenfield’s left-footed free-kick from 35-yards and referee Brian Woodhouse had blown his whistle by the time West steered the ball over the line.

Hollands & Blair hit Lydd Town on the break again when West swept the ball out wide to McDonald and his cross was headed away and substitute Louis Valencia cut inside and sent his right-footed shot over the bar from 25-yards.

The Lydders boss added: “We was pushing on. Extra players were pushing on from the midfield up front. We was trying to work as hard as we could and we was always going to get caught with their breakaways.  They’re good on the break.

“I was really pleased with our back four, they stuck to the task, chased the last man down, put their foot in and put their head in when they had to and somehow kept them at bay really.

“They never had really many good chances in the second half themselves, shots similar to us, going over the bar, but no real threats on the goal.”

A mistake from Lydd defender Ryan Smith gifted McDonald a chance of sealing the victory, but his first time right-footed shot flashed wide of the near post from 25-yards.

“He got himself in some great chances today. He might be disappointed with the fact that he didn’t take one or two more but he scored the one that mattered and that’s all that mattered,” said Piggott.

West then cut in from the right and curled his right-footed drive past the far post.

Piggott explained why he benched nineteen-goal striker Rob Denness until the last seven minutes of the game.

“There was a lot of players out there today who didn’t deserve to play. I can’t drop eleven players but I had to drop some people today so the starting eleven were lucky boys because they didn’t deserve to be in the eleven just as much as the people I left out.

“Sometimes you have to make tough decisions to help the team and I had to make some tough decisions today. It nearly worked for us but there you go, you have to make these decisions sometimes.”

Lydd Town rallied late on and Wright played the ball inside to Ryan Smith, who dinked the ball into the box but Clements couldn’t get his angled shot on target under pressure.

Lydd Town manager Smith felt his side should have been awarded a penalty when his skipper Tom Ripley was brought to the ground inside a crowded penalty area.

“I thought it was a stonewall penalty on Tom Ripley in the area,” said Smith.

“In fact anywhere near the halfway line that’s a foul because it’s contact. He didn’t play the ball, he played his foot and that’s a foul. It’s a foul eighteen-yards out or fifty-yards out, it’s a foul in the penalty area.  You get them or you don’t but I thought it was a penalty.”

Piggott added: “There was a shout for a penalty right at the end which I wasn’t sure whether it was or not.

“I heard the contact to be honest with you. I heard contact. There was a lot of bodies in there so I wasn’t sure whether it was or it wasn’t.

“I had my heart in my mouth for a minute. I wondered whether it was going to be but I thought the referee had a good game.”

But Hollands & Blair threw away the chance to return to the summit when Lydd Town grabbed an equaliser with four minutes and 39 seconds into stoppage time.

Left-back Richard Quigley whipped in his fifth corner of the game from the right, which flashed across the face of goal and Ryan Smith bundled the ball into the bottom left hand corner from close range to make it a great time to wait to score his first goal of the season.

Smith said: “The longer it went, we seemed to be growing into the game and we are good at set-pieces. We score a lot of goals from set-pieces, any free-kicks and corners, we are dangerous, so all the time we were creating them I thought we may have nicked something.

“He’s bundled it in! I thought the referee disallowed it for handball because he seemed to be pointing at his arm but then all of a sudden it was a goal.”

And reflecting on the timing of his son’s first goal of the season, the 52-year-old manager said: “Is it? I wouldn’t even know. I don’t keep scoring charts! Someone could tell me if he was top scorer I’d be amazed because I ain’t got a clue! It doesn’t interest me at all. I’d be surprised if he ain’t got one put it that way. He can score goals.”

Piggott was disappointed that his side just couldn’t hang on just a little longer.

“I wanted a reaction from our team defensively and I thought they were superb today from goalkeeper to centre halves, the full-backs and the midfielders who were protecting them. I thought they were superb today but they just let themselves down once. That’s a little bit disappointing.

“We’re a bit strong side and we shouldn’t be letting in goals defensively from corners. We’re better than that.

“We’re bigger and stronger and it’s about the want and the desire to get on the end of it and unfortunately their lad did a little bit more than ours at the end but I’m not going to take that away from our performance at the end.

“I thought the lads’ bounced back from last week and showed a lot of desire and will to want to bounce back from last week’s defeat.”

Smith was delighted with the point, a sign off a good team is picking up points when not playing well.

He said: “This game has always been on the horizon.  We all knew this was a massive game for the club and for everybody, the same as it was for them and dearly we would have loved to have won it to put ourselves in a really good position in the league.

“Sometimes we showed a little bit of a lack of experience of not being one of the top sides for years’ and years’.  As I said before we’re learning.  January 2013 we were fourteenth in the league. March 2014 we’re top of the league so we’ve showed that improvement.

“Hollands & Blair have been a top side for the last four or five seasons and they know how to win games, whereas probably sometimes in the bigger games we’re not quite sure how to go and win games and dominate games. That’s something that we’ve got to learn.”

Both managers reflected on the two-horse title race.

Reflecting on his table-topping position, Smith said: “Yes, just about. Obviously they’ve got a game in hand now so if we’d had lost we wouldn’t be top and they would have had a game in hand as well.  We’re top. They’ve got the work to do. We’ve got the work to do. We’ve both got hard games.

“There’s going to be a lot of fixtures coming up really quick. We’re nearly in April so there’s going to be a lot of fixtures for both sides coming up. It’s how everyone reacts to playing maybe midweek and Saturday and we’ll see how we react. We don’t know.

“I’m convinced there’s going to be twists and turns yet.”

Piggott added: ”Listen, it’s a better point for us as it is for them. We win all our games we win the league, so they needed the three points more than we did today, so we’re happy with our point.”

Lydd Town: Craig Smith, Chris Clements, Richard Quigley, Mark Wallis, Tom Ripley, Ryan Smith, Jordan Wright, Barrington Beaney (Craig Calvert 60), Paul Burt, Gary Lockyer (Lloyd Taylor 72), Matt Collins (Ryan Norman 56).
Subs: Owen Kessack, Alex Coyne

Goal: Ryan Smith 90

Booked: Paul Burt 31, Ryan Smith 65, Jordan Wright 67, Mark Wallis 75, Richard Quigley 90

Hollands & Blair: James Smith, Lewis Taylor, Bryan Greenfield, Sam Prescott (Steve Dampier 90), Billy Johnson, Tom Staff, Sam Welsh (Rob Denness 83), Tom Michelson, James McDonald, Stuart West, Liam Stone (Louis Valencia 71).
Subs: Nick Smith, Damien Hopkins

Goal: James McDonald 13

Booked: Billy Johnson 69

Attendance: 91
Referee: Mr Brian Woodhouse (Sittingbourne)
Assistants: Mr Ollie Butcher (Canterbury) & Mr Dave Shrewsbury (Folkestone)