Maidstone United 4-5 Walton & Hersham - We've thrown it away with shoolboy defending, says Saunders

MAIDSTONE UNITED  4-5  WALTON & HERSHAM
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 18^th August 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from The Gallagher Stadium

MAIDSTONE UNITED boss Jay Saunders criticised his side’s schoolboy defending after the Ryman League Division One South title favourites were stunned by an opening day defeat to Walton & Hersham.

Chuck Martini’s side failed to read the script as they stunned the crowd of 1,569 to win a nine-goal thriller on a scorching Saturday afternoon in Maidstone United’s first League game at their impressive £2.6m stadium.

Walton & Hersham, who finished in 12^th place last season, six places underneath the Stones, opened the scoring with 17 minutes and 34 seconds on the clock, courtesy of their best player, Phil Williams.

But Maidstone United clawed themselves back from that set-back and 35-year-old former Lewes striker Paul Booth scored twice on his debut in the space of 138 seconds, the first from the spot, to put the Kent side into the lead at the break.

The Swans were lethal on the counter-attack and Williams levelled on the hour mark when he capitalised on poor defending from a big boot straight down the middle from his goalkeeper.

Walton & Hersham took the lead for the first time with fifteen minutes left when striker Graeme Purdy scored, before Jason Henry gave the visitors a two-goal lead just six minutes later.

Maidstone United winger, Alex Flisher, pulled a goal back in the 89^th minute, before there were a couple of goals inside injury-time.  Purdy scored his second to score Walton & Hersham’s fifth, which resulted in several fans getting up from the stand to head for the exit, before Maidstone United scored their fourth, courtesy of midfielder Michael Phillips as the home side suffered their fourth-successive opening day defeat.

Saunders, 33, was clearly an unhappy man at the final whistle, as no one in the Ryman League would have predicted today’s result.

He stormed: “Embarrassing! Embarrassing!  I don’t know how you can have possibly 80% of possession, which we did.  We had all the play, but if you let in schoolboy goals, that’s what happened. Should be ashamed of them!

“I don’t have to give them the riot act, they know deep down. We started a bit sloppy, gave away silly balls and then we got ourselves back into the game.  I was confident we’d go on and win it, even though they scored, but every time we had a corner or a free-kick or every time we had the ball as soon as they broke we looked like we couldn’t defend!

“It’s a bit of a shock!  It’s a hot day and I think a few of the boys we’re just taking it for granted that we’d go out and win today and it certainly gave them a wake-up call, but overall our final ball in the box, our corners, were poor.

“I don’t think Alex Flisher or Sam Bewick (our two wingers) put in a decent ball all game. As I say, you can have all the possession in the world, but if you don’t make it count or if you’re not solid, then you can come away with nothing.”

There was a buzz of anticipation ahead of kick-off as Maidstone United became the first club since Feltham & Hounslow Borough to play a Ryman League fixture on an artificial pitch.

Maidstone United started well and they called visiting keeper Sheikh Ceesay into early action after Booth and Ben Davisson combined, the ball was played inside to Flisher, whose left-footed drive from 25-yards brought a comfortable low save from the Walton & Hersham keeper.

Walton & Hersham issued the Stones a warning when Henry unleashed a speculative right-footed angled drive, which sailed over the crossbar.

Shaun Welford – who was the first Maidstone United player to score a goal at this ground in pre-season – should have repeated that feat today but he met Sam Bewick’s corner with a glancing header, which went wide of the near post.

The entire ground was stunned into silence when Walton & Hersham had the audacity to open the scoring.

Josh Bonnett swung in a corner from the right and Purdy flicked the ball towards goal and former Dartford keeper Deren Ibrahim, 21, parried the ball and Williams was given time to steer a right-footed shot from four-yards, which bounced into the bottom far corner.

Saunders slammed his side’s defending inside their six-yard box.

He bemoaned: “That’s what I’ve just said to them at half-time, how the hell he’s got that much room and time on the six-yard box to have two stabs at it? We don’t have that in their box. We worked on things and if people don’t take it in and do it then it’s a different matter!”

And Maidstone United almost faced an uphill struggle in the 28 degree heat when Walton & Hersham’s left-back Adriano Moraes clipped the ball in behind Maidstone’s two central defenders (Nicky Humphrey and Graeme Andrews), but all Purdy could do was blast a good chance over from the edge of the box.

Walton & Hersham hit Maidstone United on the break at every opportunity and Moraes did well to outmuscle Humphrey down the left hand side after the left-back burst into home side’s half and he floated the ball across the pitch to find Henry, who cut inside and his left-footed drive was beaten away at the near post by Ibrahim’s outstretched left hand.

Maidstone United combined well down the left and full-back Tom Mills linked up well with Booth and this resulted in Flisher’s angled right-footed drive stinging the fingers of Ceesay.

But a roar went up around the stadium when Maidstone United scored from the penalty spot five minutes before half-time.

Booth caressed the ball into Mills’ feet and he was brought down just inside the Walton & Hersham penalty area by Moraes and referee John Pike pointed to the spot.

Booth stepped up and lashed an emphatic right-footed penalty into the top right-hand corner to open his account for the season.

Saunders said: “Good penalty and good build up play with Millsey so that was pleasing.”

Saunders admitted he felt his side would go on and win the game when they took the lead in the 42^nd minute, courtesy of three players who have all played for the neighbours Tonbridge Angels.

Sam Bewick had time and space down the right wing and his ball into the box found Phillips at the near post and he clipped the ball in towards the far post and Booth ghosted in and planted his downward header across Ceesay and into the far corner from four-yards.

Saunders said: “I think Boothy took his goals well.  Done well.  Going forward we done alright but not enough – defensively it was just a shocker!”

When asked what he said to his players at the half-time interval, Saunders replied, “Just keep the ball, keep playing and we’ll create more chances and to be fair we came out second half and we did create a few chances early on but we didn’t take them and obviously they broke and got level.”

But Saunders added: “When we went 2-1 up, a couple people came out second half and thought we’ll be alright here and it just goes to show it ain’t - so hopefully it’s a wake-up call and they realise they have to up their game!”

Walton & Hersham made a couple of substitutions after the break and Ceesay made a comfortable save with only 42 seconds on the clock to deny Welford scoring from a left-footed drive and then there was a lull in play with Maidstone United supporters regularly chanting anti-Gillingham songs.

Ceesay needed treatment when he plucked Tommy Osborne’s cross from the right out of the air under Welford’s watchful eye on the edge of the six-yard box.

But Maidstone United switched off in the next phase as Walton & Hersham went route one to equalise on the hour-mark.

Referee Pike dropped the ball to the Walton & Hersham keeper who kicked the ball straight over the top of the Maidstone defence where Humphrey and Ibrahim were guilty of not dealing with the ball and Williams’ initial attempt was blocked by the keeper but the former Dulwich Hamlet and Dartford striker steered the ball past three defenders on the line to score with a low right-footed drive.

Expressing his thoughts on the goal, Saunders claimed it was Sunday League defending.

He said: “Shocking! Shocking!  As I’ve said to them you can have park players to go and stand at the back and head balls and as centre halves or as full-backs you should be able to head a long ball from a goal-kick but we haven’t.  It’s concentration at the end of the day!”

Humphrey should have made amends for that error of judgement when he met Phillips’ free-kick with a glancing header, which sailed wide of the post.

The game exploded into life during an exciting final twenty minutes.

Ibrahim’s kick up field was flicked on by Welford and Booth was presented with a golden chance just eight-yards from goal but all he could do was stab a right-footed shot straight at Ceesay.

And within two minutes, Ibrahim made a fine save, tipping Purdy’s low angled drive around his post after the Walton & Hersham striker cut inside from the left.

The turning point of the game came when Booth spread the ball out to Flisher, whose pace saw him beat right-back Chris Wales and he was destined to score with a low left-footed drive across Ceesay, but the keeper swiftly stuck out his left leg to prevent the ball nestling into the bottom far corner.

But after that passage of play ensured Walton & Hersham finished the game strong to seal a famous three points.

They took a 3-2 lead in the 75^th minute when Wales played the ball to substitute Romayne Thomas, who had time and space to whip in a cross from the right and Williams’ effort crashed back down off the underside of the bar.  Henry’s follow-up shot was blocked by Ibrahim and Purdy scrambled the ball into the net.

Six minutes later and it was 4-2 to Walton & Hersham.  Central defender Dan Dean had time and space to drill a brilliant diagonal pass to find Henry out on the left and he cut inside and unleashed a right-footed drive across Ibrahim and the ball caressed the foot of the far post before crossing the line.

Several home fans were seen to get off their seats in the stand and to head for the exits.

Saunders said: “I didn’t pay attention to that.  I’ve got other things on my mind than people getting up and leaving.”

But Maidstone United scored goal number seven in the last minute when Flisher’s burst of pace took him past struggling Wales and he drilled a left-footed shot across Ceesay to find the far corner.

But any dramatic come-back from Maidstone United was dealt a blow when Walton & Hersham scored their fifth-goal with 47:35 on the clock.

A run from former Woking midfielder Jerome Maledon saw him burst past a couple of defenders and he set up a chance for Henry, whose shot was parried by Ibrahim but Purdy was there to nod the ball into the net with the Stones defence all at sea.

Reflecting on all five of Walton & Hersham’s goals, Saunders said: “You could go through them all and say there wasn’t one goal that they had to work for.  You can’t say any of them were good goals. We’ve gifted them their goals, simple as.  You don’t win games by doing that!

“I said to them before the game, we’ve had them watched, I knew they had pace on the break.  You can only tell players so much once they cross that line.

“We got ourselves back into it at 2-1, great position at home, playing some decent football and you can play all the decent football you want. If you don’t defend right, you’re never going to win games.”

Maidstone United’s fourth goal came with 48:43 on the clock when Phillips was found inside the penalty area and he slammed a right-footed shot across Ceesay to find the far corner.

Saunders said: “But we shouldn’t be trying to get ourselves back into games at home like that!  Against a side like them we shouldn’t be trying to score last minute goals.  It’s not good enough!”

He continued: “We had enough today to go out attack minded, set-up attack minded but we should’ve be conceding four goals to a team like that to be fair. They were poor. They wanted to hit us on the break and to be fair to them it worked for them.

“It will be a wake-up call and realise just because you’re at a big club and a nice new stadium that people aren’t just going to roll over.

“I’m a bit speechless to be honest.  I can’t believe how we can defend that bad. To score four goals at home you expect to go on and win the game!

Saunders refused to blame the hot temperatures for his side’s downfall.

“It’s the same for both teams so end of the day you can say that, but I thought we had enough to out-do them,” said the Bearsted based midfielder, whose side are in fourteenth-place in the table after their first outing.

“We should have won the game, simple as!  We’ve thrown it away.  To score four goals at home you should be winning games.  To score four goals anyway we should be winning games but schoolboy defending!”

Maidstone United: Deren Ibrahim, Tommy Osborne (Tim Olorunda 83), Tom Mills, Nicky Humphrey, Graeme Andrews, Michael Phillips, Ben Davisson, Sam Bewick (Kaiyne Woolery 64), Shaun Welford (Ade Olorunda 83), Paul Booth, Alex Flisher.
Subs: Ryan Cooper, Charlie Mitten

Goals: Paul Booth 40 (pen), 42, Alex Flisher 89, Michael Phillips 90

Walton & Hersham: Sheikh Ceesay, Chris Wales, Adriano Moraes (Romayne Thomas 55), Jerome Maledon, Dan Dean, Aaron Nowacki, Josh Bonnett (Ashley Quashie 46), Victor Kiri (Harold Odametey 46), Graeme Purdy, Jason Henry, Phil Williams.
Subs: Harry Smart, Kevin Wheeler

Goals: Phil Williams 18, 60, Graeme Purdy 75, 90, Jason Henry 81

Attendance: 1,569
Referee: Mr John Pike (Hurstpierpoint, East Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Theo Parfitt (Heathfield, East Sussex) & Mr Jacob Miles (Peacehaven, East Sussex)