Maidstone United 2-2 Tonbridge Angels - Watts is not a model professional - Hume

Saturday 05th September 2009

MAIDSTONE UNITED 2-2 TONBRIDGE ANGELS
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 5th September 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Homelands Stadium

MAIDSTONE UNITED joint-manager Lloyd Hume accused Kirk Watts for getting Dean Hernandez-Bradshaw sent off in what was generally a flat west-Kent derby at Homelands Stadium today.

Watts was seen dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes and rolling around like he had been shot on the stroke of half-time - the Tonbridge Angels winger must have been watching too much Premier League football if you go by his theatrics - after Maidstone United right-sided midfielder Hernandez-Bradshaw allegedly pushed Watts in the face.

As a result Hernandez-Bradshaw, a 21-year-old male model, was shown a straight red card by referee Harry Lennard and after ripping off his shirt he was heard shouting two offensive swear words regularly as he headed towards the players tunnel.

Hume - in his first game back in the dug-out following a six-match ban - spoke about the flashpoint.

“I think it’s a sending off because the lad’s put his hand in someone’s face,” Hume told www.kentishfootball.co.uk after his side’s spirited late fight-back.

“I don’t want to crucify Dean, things have been said on the pitch, he’s bigger and stronger than that, but equally their 11 (Watts) has got Dean sent off by going down very, very easily today. He went down like he had been shot!

“The referee assured me at half-time that it was just a push in the face but he had to go for that.

“He (Watts) tried to get Nathan (Paul) sent off in the second half with a similar incident. Whilst I don’t condone anything on the pitch, I don’t really condone that either to be fair.

“I expect a player to stand up. We’re all semi-professionals, we all want to play again next week. Dean’s unfortunate today, but he has to learn from that.”

Hume added: “I’m not disappointed with Tonbridge’s attitude on the pitch, I thought it was a good competitive derby. I just think the players today, whether its Tonbridge or anybody, it could be in the Premier League, people go down too easily sometimes.

“We can help referee’s out and help each other out by standing on our feet and being men!”

Hume went on, “I don’t know the lad, Tommy (Warrilow) has assured me during the game that if he’s gone down there’s a reason. The referee’s assured me that it was just a gentle push in the face.

“Whether it’s Kirk Watts or Wayne Rooney, we should help each other out, stay on your feet. Let’s be professional!

“When I used to play and when Tommy used to play, if someone pushed me or even hit me, it was an attitude of well, I’m not going to show you you’ve hurt me and I’m not going to go down and roll around the floor.”

Tonbridge Angels boss Tommy Warrilow, also speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk, turned into a French Premier League manager, when asked his take on the flashpoint.

“Hand on heart, I’m not giving it the Arsene Wenger, Steve, I didn’t see it.” came his response.

“They were having a little tussle over a corner, Kirk went to take a corner and they were barging each other.

“Hand on heart,” he added. “I don’t know. They said he’s pushed him in the face. I don’t know mate, so I can’t comment on it.”

Warrilow, meanwhile, admitted he was feeling “gutted” and sounded “like a broken record” as his side were punished yet again for failing to convert decent chances.

The Angels went into the break with a 1-0 lead, courtesy of Carl Rook’s fifth goal of the season, converting a 24th minute penalty.

Lee Minshull, a driving force in midfield, headed home Watts’ 63rd minute free-kick - before it all went wrong for the Angels as a spirited ten-man Maidstone United side fought back.

James Pinnock netted a 71st minute penalty to give the Stones hope - but Nathan Paul scored from a fluke that grabbed the home side a point with a cross-come-shot, with just 36 seconds of normal time left.

Wing-back Paul, 24, admitted to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards, that his last-gasp equaliser was a stroke of luck.

“Well, it’s one of them,” he said. “When you put it into the area, to get it in target, and if someone comes along and heads it in, but no, it was meant to go on target - and it went in.”

But the former Beckenham Town player also condemned Watts for his theatrics - something we are not used to seeing in the Ryman Premier League.

“There was something going on the pitch and these things happen,” said Paul. “Basically the other player (Watts) was out of order! Dean raised his hands so the referee had to send him off.

“He (Watts) went down like a baby! He should have a dummy!

“If you raise your hands to players nowadays they’re going to go down. Me personally, I like the battle so I’d stay up, stay on my feet. He (Watts) was trying to influence the referee’s decision. Just play the game and let the game be played!”

Other than the flashpoint and the four goals, this west-Kent derby failed to live up to expectations and passion on and off the pitch was sadly lacking.

Tonbridge Angels started brightly and created a couple of early decent half-chances.

Steve Ferguson’s throw was flicked on by Rook at the near post and Jamie Cade stabbed his shot just past the foot of the near post from six-yards in a crowded goal-mouth.

Then, following a Watts free-kick, Scott Gooding flicked the ball back for Rook, who poked his shot straight at former Tonbridge goalkeeper, Jamie Turner.

But Tonbridge Angels deservedly broke the stalemate, following a 24th minute penalty.

Ferguson floated in a corner from the right and Gooding was adjudged to have been pushed from behind by Jay Saunders and referee Mr Lennard pointed to the spot.

Rook stepped up and sent Turner the wrong way with a right-footed penalty kick, which he fired into the bottom left-hand corner to the delight of the travelling supporters behind the goal.

Maidstone United, meanwhile, failed to test Lee Worgan in the Angels’ goal, the best effort came from Keelan Mooney’s hooked effort, following Paul’s pass.

But the game exploded into life just a minute before the break. Maidstone substitute Dan Stubbs blazed a right-footed free-kick over from 35-yards and seconds later, in an off-the-ball incident, Hernandez-Bradshaw reacted to what Watts had said to him and allegedly pushed the experienced Tonbridge winger in the face, who dropped to the ground like a foreign Premier League footballer.

Hernandez-Bradshaw was shown a straight red card and after ripping off his shirt was heard swearing several times as he made his way towards the home dressing room.

The upset Maidstone faithful in the stand labelled Watts a “cheat” as both teams disappeared to the sanctuary of their dressing rooms to cool down.

Tonbridge Angels, meanwhile, were later made to pay for failing to convert decent chances.

As early as the 47th minute, Ferguson stole the ball off defender Tom Parkinson and after cutting in from the right, his low left-footed drive brought a comfortable save out of Turner.

Turner then made a comfortable save from Paul Booth’s right-footed free-kick from 25-yards in the 51st minute after Booth went to ground too easily following Stubbs’ challenge.

Jay Saunders, who switched from midfield to be the hard-working lone striker, stroked a ball into Worgan’s arms in a rare shot on target for a disappointing Maidstone side.

But Tonbridge seemingly thought they would go on to win the game, especially considering when Minshull netted his third goal of the season after 63 minutes.

Watts was the provider as it was his free-kick which was met by a towering header from the former Ramsgate midfielder, whose header glanced off the left upright and bounced down over the line.

Had Cade scored just two minutes later, then Warrilow’s men would have come away from Homelands with all three points.

But despite capitalising on some poor defending from Stones defender Peter Hawkins, Cade raced through on goal but dragged his shot agonisingly past the far post.

Ten-man Maidstone were galvanised when they pulled a goal back in the 71st minute from the penalty spot, but even then it looked to have only been a consolation.

The play was a carbon-copy of Angels penalty decision, but this time it was Stubbs who floated in Maidstone’s first corner of the game from the right and the jumping Gooding was adjudged to have pushed Roland Edge in the middle of the box.

Pinnock’s second goal of the season lifted the Stones, as his right-footed penalty only just found the net as Worgan, diving to his left, got a glove to the driven kick.

Tonbridge squandered a trio of chances to put the game beyond their bitter-rivals - but failed to take them.

Following Watts’ corner, Gooding played the ball in behind the Stones defence and Rook drove an angled right-footed shot across Turner and past the far post.

Ferguson then had a couple of chances - but Paul finished Maidstone’s one and only move of the game.

The Stones had played six passes before substitute James Peacock sprayed a low pass to Paul to work his magic and the nippy winger cut inside Watts after turning him inside out and cracked a left-footed angled cross-come-shot from 30-yards, which sailed across Worgan, and all the stunned, rooted keeper could do was watch the fluke fly into the top far corner to get Maidstone United out of jail.

“I think we deserved it,” said Hume. “We’ve rescued a point, scoring in the last minute. It’s a cross-come-shot, which isn’t the best of goals.

“Until the penalty we looked comfortable and even in the second half, when they scored their goal which was from a set-piece - we know they’re dangerous there - we looked comfortable.

“Once we went 2-0 down we threw caution to the wind. Peter Hawkins made a glaring mistake that gave them a great chance to put the game to bed. They didn’t take that chance and they regretted that.”

Hume added, “Everyone that knows me knows that I’ve got an attitude and I’d rather lose 5-0 than 2-0 and not have a go at it, so we threw Jay Saunders up front, which caused a bit of confusion for them because he’s a big lump and he doesn’t lose too much in the air.

“We tried to be a little bit more direct and that caused a few problems. It gave Nathan (Paul) a little bit more space and even before he’s cross-come-shot he got in behind them a couple of times and if he had delivered the right sort of ball we could’ve scored then as well.

“But he didn’t, but I’m, not going to crucify him because he’s rescued a point for us.”

Hume finished by saying, “I’m pleased with the lads, they’ve gone down to ten men, they’ve shown a lot of courage, they’ve battled really hard and I think they deserved it at the end of the day.”

Warrilow had a face like thunder as he stormed down the players tunnel after his side squandered chances to get one over their arch-rivals.

But just like last year’s home match, his side threw away a 2-0 lead to take just a point.

“Again, I’m sounding like a stuck record, we should have been out of sight by the time they got their penalty,” fumed Warrilow.

“Two-nil up, we’ve missed four good chances. Fair play to Maidstone, they took a gamble and it’s paid off so obviously I’m gutted - they’ve gambled and they’ve cashed in on it.

“The penalty has given them a big lift and had we put our chances away before the penalty goes in, it gives you a little bit of leeway and what’s what I say to the boys week in, week out. We’ve not converted our chances and it’s come back to bite us again.”

The Angels should have never drawn this game and even former chairman Nick Sullivan, who watched his first Tonbridge game of the season since stepping down in the summer, was far from impressed with the outcome.

“To be fair, we never played the second half,” said a bitter Warrilow. “We went long too quick, we sat deep, there were gaps between us, compared to how we played first half.

“That’s the disappointing factor but like I say we created some good chances. You’ve got to punish them and we didn’t. They’ve cashed in, I don’t know if their lad meant it in the end, but he’s hit a cross that’s sailed into the top corner.

Warrilow added: “They know they’ve let the supporters down second half, but we’ve drawn two-all with the last kick of the game.

“I think, overall, again, we deserved a win today and we’ve come away with a draw.”

Maidstone United: Jamie Turner, Nathan Paul, Ashley Ulph (Dan Stubbs 30), Ant Bodle (James Peacock 81), Peter Hawkins, Tom Parkinson, Roland Edge, Jay Saunders, James Pinnock, Keelan Mooney (Aaron Frith 57), Dean Hernandez-Bradshaw.
Subs: Jimmy Bottle, Richard Knell.

Goals: James Pinnock 71 (pen), Nathan Paul 89

Booked: James Pinnock 26, Nathan Paul 62

Sent off: Dean Hernandez-Bradshaw 45

Tonbridge Angels: Lee Worgan, Lewis Hamilton (Gavin Dayes 43), Jon Heath, Jamie Cade, Lee Minshull, Scott Gooding, Steve Ferguson, Anthony Storey, Paul Booth (Jean-Michal Sigere 83), Carl Rook, Kirk Watts.
Sub: Paul Butler.

Goals: Carl Rook 24 (pen), Lee Minshull 63

Booked: Kirk Watts 45

Attendance: 447
Referee: Mr Harry Lennard (Portslade, East Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Baris Erguven (Brighton, East Sussex) & Mr Stephen Roots (Tunbridge Wells, Kent)