Match Reports: Herne Bay earn replay after heorics at Hayes & Yeading

Despite a very bright opening period Bay were kept on the back foot by their more experienced opposition for most of the first period.

Indeed the Blue Square South hosts took the lead in the 16^th minute when Staforde Palmer was given too much space on the edge of the box.

His swift turn and precise low drive gave Jack Delo no chance.

However, the Kent League side could have collapsed under the severe pressure they were but under but this is a more resolute Herne Bay side this season.

Despite the hosts' dominance, Bay still gave the home side a few scares and none better than when on the half-hour a superb Martin Chandler cross field pass found Aaron Frith on the right.

Frith sold a dummy to his marker and fired a cross into the area and Dave Soutan smashed his volley high and wide from close range.

The home side captain, Nevin Saroya, was controlling the game from the heart of the defence, seemingly involved with every move forward. He was key to all of Hayes & Yeading’s play throughout the half.

When the half time whistle went despite trailing 0-1 Bay could feel quite pleased with their efforts.

I don’t know what was said at half time but we certainly saw a different Herne Bay for the second period.

Straight from the restart Bay pressed at their hosts and three minutes into the half the breakthrough came.

Soutan lobbed a ball over the head of defender Allen-Page. As he tried to guide the ball out of play Nathan Eastwood nipped in behind and crossed the ball from the by-line over the out stretched arms of keeper Delroy Preddie onto the head of Rhys Lawson, who nodded the ball down inside the post.



LEVELLER:  Rhys Lawson (blue shirt on left) heads Kent League side Herne Bay level during their FA Cup draw at Blue Square South outfit Hayes & Yeading.
Photography courtesy of www.hernebayfc.net

This set the scene for a fantastic final 40 minutes of Cup football.

Hayes & Yeading were back in front within 4 minutes and it was that man Saroya scoring a beautifully worked goal.

Delo in the Bay goal was convinced he would simply pick the ball out of the air from a deep cross, but Saroya nipped in on the keeper’s blind side to send a header looping over a stunned Delo into the goal.

Bay reacted by replacing Aaron O’Leary with new signing, Ben Brown, whose role was to put pressure on Saroya. By doing this Bay then came more and more into the game and it was Chandler and Soutan who started controlling the midfield.

With Brown chasing Soroya down every time he got the ball the hosts started to lose their grip on the game.

As Bay powered forward keeper Preddie was forced into a number of fine saves; the best from a Nathan Eastwood volley.

One minute later Delo was forced to replicate the save. Fortunately he was equal to the task.

The equaliser came in the 63rd minute. From a Chandler corner to the far post Roy Guiver rose high above the defence to send the ball high into the top corner of the net to the delight of the whole Bay side, management and supporters alike.

Bay were really up for the fight now and for the last twenty minutes it looked like they would emulate Hythe Town’s win over Dover Athletic.

Herne Bay dominated midfield play they made their hosts looked tired and Frith was giving their defence a torrid time with his superb control and skill.

Bay still had to be on their guard as Palmer was always dangerous on the occasions when he got through, but there was always Andy Forster, playing as a makeshift central defender, who stepped in with some fine tackles.

Forster was absolutely immense at the back throughout the game.

In the 84th minute Bay thought they had got the winner when a diving header from Ben Brown smashed against the underside of the bar, with Preddie beaten. The ball unfortunately ricocheted away to safety.



SECOND CHANCE:  Herne Bay boss Jason Lillis was delighted that his side have brought Hayes & Yeading back to Winch's Field for Wednesday night's replay.
Photograph courtesy of www.hernebayfc.net

A great team performance and all are really looking forward to the replay at Winch’s Field on Wednesday evening. That’s the magic of the FA Cup!

Herne Bay: Delo, Forster, Bremner, O’Leary (B Brown 58), Guiver, Chandler, Eastwood, S Brown, Frith, Soutan, Lawson.
Subs: Collins, Kane, Hanson, Oliver.

Attendance: 211


Walton Casuals 1-2 Whitstable Town
Saturday 29^th September 2007
Ryman League Division One South
By Mark Wyver

After the disappointing home defeat against Chipstead, Marc Seager's side travelled to the banks of the River Thames where they took on Walton Casuals a side with an identical record after seven league games.

The Reds restored Steven Lloyd and Sam Denly to the starting line up at the expense of Gary Sayer and Jake Gess while Jackson Ohakam was among the substitutes after his loan spell at Redhill.

Within the first ten minutes the Reds looked a much improved side from previous weeks with Stuart King and Jon Neal causing the home defence problems with their running off the ball.

It was the home side, however, who almost took the lead when Anthony Gale's shot was superbly saved by the boot of Kevin Fewell who looked solid throughout the ninety minutes.

After a very even half the home side gain went close when Stephen Omonua's shot hit Fewell's right hand post before being cleared to safety. Whitstable Town defender Michael Adcock also cleared well from a Jefferson Gowland effort.

Thirteen minutes into the second half it was Whitstable Town who finally broke the deadlock when from a free kick twenty yards out striker Stuart King drove the ball through the wall and with goalkeeper Paul Smith fumbling the ball into the net and Whitstable Town found themselves 1-0 ahead.

It took only five minutes for the home side to net the equaliser when from a Greg Ball through ball, home striker Nana Badu placed his shot past Fewell to level the scores.

The winning goal for Whitstable Town arrived with thirteen minutes remaining when some clever play between substitute Jake Gess and King saw the striker cross a perfect ball onto he head of the recalled Denly who planted his header past Smith and into the net.

A workmanlike performance from the Reds pushed them up to fifteenth place in the Ryman Division One South table and in good spirits for two Cup competitions that are next up for Marc Seager's side.

Whitstable Town: Fewell, Adcock, Tipple, Thomas, Lloyd, Hossick, Martin, Perona, Neal, King, Denly.
Subs: Gess, Marshall, Ohakam, Sayer, Lawrence.


Croydon Athletic 6-2 Chatham Town
Saturday 29^th September 2007
Ryman League Division One South
By Neil Sanders

Chatham Town suffered their second heavy defeat in a week as Croydon Athletic ran out 6-2 winners - with four of their goals coming in the final quarter.

The home side took the lead in the 15^th minute, when a deep cross from Adam Wadmore picked out the unmarked Reggie Savage to head home powerfully from 10 yards.

Dominic Elmes levelled the score nine minutes later with a low shot via the inside of the post, after turning his opponent well just outside the 18 yard box.

Croydon restored their lead shortly before half time thanks to a good run down the right by sub Martin Debrah. His cross found the elusive Savage in the clear once again and the chest control and volleyed finish deserved the applause it received.

After a fairly quiet opening to the second half, Croydon made it 3-1 after 66 minutes. Chatham were only able to partly clear from a corner and when the ball was lobbed back in, Richard Blackwell was all on his own to lob a header over John Whitehouse.

The fourth goal came after Whitehouse had blocked out a Danny Waldren shot, only to see the rebound laid back for Debrah to fire home via a deflection.

Elmes pulled a goal back after 79 minutes with another decent finish from the edge of the box, after battling past the last defender.

However, two late goals for the hosts will leave Chatham needing to take a very long hard look at themselves.

Savage completed his hatrick from the penalty spot and Waldren thumped home a goal he deserved with a fine right foot shot in the last minute.

Chatham visit Ramsgate in the Ryman League Cup on Tuesday evening and then host Division One South front runners Kingstonian in the FA Trophy next Saturday.

Chatham Town: Whitehouse, Binks, White (Ascheri 74), Larkin, Goodger, Best, Solly, James, Elmes, Schulz, Govey (Brooks 64).
Subs: Groombridge, King.

Folkestone Invicta 0-0 Windsor & Eton
FA Cup (Sponsored by E.ON) Second Qualifying Round
Saturday 29^th September 2007
By Richard Murill.

Folkestone Invicta drew at home for a third consecutive Saturday as their FA Cup Second Qualifying Round tie against Windsor and Eton finished in a goalless stalemate.

Windsor came to the Buzzlines Stadium unbeaten away from home so far this season and the visitors had the better of the first half before Invicta showed far more purpose after the interval.

The Royalists started well as Jon Case shot against the underside of the crossbar when Martin Williams’ cross from the left fell to him at the far post in the fifth minute.

There was another scare in the Invicta box five minutes later when Case couldn’t quite turn the ball in after a headed back pass had gone past goalkeeper Kieron Mann.

A 25-yard Mark Burgess shot then dipped just over the Invicta crossbar after ten minutes.

Centre half Mark Cooper headed a 19^th minute Ryan Parsons cross just wide and Invicta captain Roland Edge blocked a Jermaine Roche shot from the right hand side of the penalty area three minutes later following a Williams ball.

For Invicta, James Everitt headed just wide at the far post on his 100^th starting appearance for the club when Kevin Watson played the ball in from the right after 22 minutes.

But Mann had to get down to get his fingertips to a Roche shot across goal at the expense of a corner a minute later.

Mann saved at point blank range from Case when Matt Seedel met Parsons’ subsequent corner from the right and Mann was called into action again when he saved from Windsor captain Steve Butler as Invicta held on again after 25 minutes.

Windsor goalkeeper Sam Mazurek got down to touch a low 20-yard Micheal Everitt strike round the post after 37 minutes and James Everitt got to the bye line down the left hand side when he went past Burgess following an Edge ball after 42 minutes but his cross was just too high for Watson at the far post.

Invicta might have been relieved to have gone in still level at half time but went 4-4-2 for the second half as Damian Abel replaced defender Frankie Chappell and then took the game to their visitors

The home side were to create more chances during the opening five minutes of the second half as they had throughout the opening 45 minutes.

Centre forward Ellis Remy shot wastefully over at the far post within a minute of the re-start from an Abel ball in following a pass out wide from James Everitt and Corbett shot at goalkeeper Mazurek from the edge of the penalty area after 47 minutes.

Perhaps the home side’s best chance of the afternoon came in the 50^th minute when Mazurek made a point blank save to keep out a close range header from the in-form Mark Saunders following Corbett’s ball in when Micheal Everitt found younger brother James on the right.

Remy then headed Abel’s ball in from the right hand side over the crossbar after 50 minutes.

Invicta continued to create chances as Terry O’Connor headed away when Corbett played the ball in from the right on the hour when Abel played the ball out wide and Remy got up to head wide when Corbett played another great ball in from the right hand side four minutes later.

At the other end, Mann got down to save from Roche when substitute Michael Chennels played the ball into the penalty area after 73 minutes.

And the visitors had a late chance to snatch victory when centre half Butler was close from near the goal line after an 85^th minute free kick into the box and Seedel’s rebound was blocked.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Mann, Watson, Edge, Chappell (Abel 45), Friend, Okikiolu, M. Everitt, Saunders (Sly 90), Remy, J. Everitt, Corbett.
Subs: Bremner, Briggs, Mitten.

WINDSOR and ETON: Mazurek, O’Connor, Parsons, Cooper, Butler, Williams, Ngongu (Chennels 60), Case (Dunlop 87), Roche (Chandiram 76 mins), Seedel, Burgess. Subs: Taylor-Ives, Richards.

Attendance: 264.