Phoenix Sports 4-1 Bearsted - It was a great win for the club, says Steve O'Boyle

PHOENIX SPORTS  4-1  BEARSTED
Kent Invicta League
Saturday 17^th November 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Mayplace Road East

PHOENIX SPORTS’ joint-manager Steve O’Boyle says he doesn’t want the embarrassing performance from the match officials’ to deflect away from his side’s excellent win in this crucial top-of-the-table clash against Bearsted.

Phoenix Sports are now seven points clear at the top of the Kent Invicta League table after Hollands & Blair leapfrogged over Bearsted into second place following their 2-0 win at basement side Crown Alexandra.  Bearsted, drop down a place to third, following their fourth league defeat of the season.

The Bears were the only side to take points off unbeaten leaders Phoenix Sports following the enthralling 4-4 draw at Honey Lane back in August.

But Phoenix Sports’ 4-1 home win has put the Barnehurst based outfit firmly in the driving seat after fourteen league games in this four-club title race and are favourites to clinch promotion to the Kent League for the first time in the club’s history at the end of the season.

However, it will be the extremely poor performance from two match officials that will, sadly, be the talking point of today’s encounter.

These two ambitious promotion chasing clubs deserved better than referee Mr Kelvin Clare, who was, on this performance, pub football standard and both clubs should submit an official complaint to the football authorities following his hapless performance.

Not only was the Aylesford based referee struggling to run, he was around 40 yards behind play, only hobbled ten-yards at a time around the centre circle, made howlers when it really mattered and was simply embarrassing to watch!

Phoenix Sports went into this game leading the Kent Invicta League Fair Play table with seven yellow cards to their name, but referee Mr Clare confronted Phoenix joint-manager Tony Beckingham three times during the game, before making Beckingham the first person to be red-carded at the club just before half-time.

Mr Clare threatened to abandon the game on two occasions as he tried to send Beckingham to the dressing room.

The referee’s shocker came to a premature end in the 75^th minute when he was forced off with a calf injury, which proved to everybody that he wasn’t fit enough to manage a game of this magnitude.

Hoping senior assistant Tony Wood would be better, the Erith official made the most bizarre decision when he initially awarded Bearsted an injury-time penalty after he appeared to have seen a phantom handball by an invisible Phoenix player – despite goalkeeper Adam Woodward clearly using his right hand to make a smart save following a header from a corner.

Despite the protests, Mr Wood consulted assistant referee Glenn Capelli, who decided that the stand-in referee had clearly made a howler and awarded a drop-ball on the edge of the penalty area instead!

Despite the chaos, Phoenix Sports came out deserved 4-1 winners.

Chris Edwards got the home side off to a flying start, converting a sixth-minute penalty, before James Brown came up from the back to power home a corner in the 31^st minute.

Bearsted pulled a goal back inside injury-time when former Tunbridge Wells striker, Nick Nowotny, converted the game’s second penalty, but Edwards’ fourteenth goal of the season killed off Bearsted before the half-time whistle and Beckingham’s red-card.

Phoenix Sports wrapped up the victory with seven minutes remaining when striker Dan Parish volleyed home his 20^th goal of the season in near darkness.

“I thought we were superb first half,” said O’Boyle, 35, after his side’s victory.

“I thought we started better, won our personal battles, played the better football.

“I think, first half, winning at 3-1 and I think their goalkeeper made two or three really good saves in the first half to keep them in it.

“We expected them to chuck everything and to be fair second half they did.  It was backs against the wall second half, we were a little bit under pressure, but I thought we rode the storm well and that was a great win for us.”

O’Boyle added: “The boys have been fantastic today.  It was a great win for the club.”

Bearsted manager, Tony Cornwell, meanwhile, was disconsolate following his side’s fourth defeat of the season that may take the Honey Lane based outfit out of the title race.

“I’m bitterly disappointed at the moment,” he said.  “Obviously the result isn’t what we came here to achieve.

“Big trouble for us now, dropping another three points against one of the top sides.”

Phoenix Sports gave unattached striker Joel Greaves his debut because Steve Strotten, who has netted thirteen goals for two clubs this season, was up in Newcastle.

Bearsted’s seventeen-goal striker, Miles Cornwell, failed a fitness test on his injured ankle before the game, so Lewis Mingle was a late replacement for a place on the bench.

Phoenix Sports drew first blood, by taking the lead with only five minutes and fourteen seconds on the clock.

Keeper Adam Woodward launched a big kick up field and Greaves’ flick on was latched onto by Parish, who cut in from the left and was brought down by central defender Andy Hart.

Edwards stepped up and stroked his right-footed penalty into the right-hand corner, despite Bearsted keeper Scott Andrews guessing the right way and getting something to the ball.

O’Boyle said: “A great bit of football into Joel Greaves, flicked onto Dan Parish and great movement and obvious Chris Orange (Edwards) has taken a few penalties this year, slotted it away lovely.

“We’ve gone 1-0 down in a lot of games this season and sort of clawed our way back.  That was a great start! We’ve been drumming into the boys we knew this game was coming for a few weeks now and we just wanted to be in a position that when it did come up we wanted all of the points on the board.”

Cornwell added: “I’m disappointed with the officials’ performances today.  Got off to a very poor start with a very dubious penalty, which put us a little bit on the back foot and to be fair if I’m honest we didn’t deal with Phoenix’s set-plays really.  They’ve cased us a lot of problems, which we talked about before the game but unfortunately we just didn’t deal with it.”

Bearsted were disappointing early on and the chairman’s son in goal, prevented Phoenix Sports winning the game inside the opening twenty minutes.

Edwards’ diagonal pass picked out Daryl Wheeler out on the right flank and the former VCD Athletic winger unleashed a right-footed angled drive, which was beaten away by Andrews at his near post after seventeen minutes.

Then, 116 seconds later, Wheeler turned provider, whipping in an excellent cross to pick-out Parish, whose bullet header forced an excellent diving save from Andrews, who used his left hand to prevent a certain goal.

Bearsted’s first chance, however, arrived half-way through the first half when Andrews’ long kick was flicked on by Nowotny and his strike partner, Peter Williams cut into the penalty area and his right-footed shot from the corner of the penalty area was well held by the diving Woodward at his near post.

But The Bears were punished for that miss when Phoenix Sports doubled their lead in the 31^st minute – their second set-piece of the game.

Edwards drove over his right-footed corner from the right flank towards the far post and Brown planted a powerful header past Andy Foster on the line to score from three-yards out.

O’Boyle has waited patiently for Brown’s first goal of the season.

He said: “I’ve been on Brownie’s case a lot!  Chris Edwards delivers a good ball. I’ve been saying to our centre halves you’ve got to make sure those balls turn into goals.  

“We’ve said it today, especially top-of-the-table clashes like it was today, set-plays are massive in the game and we have got to make them count and I’m so pleased that Brownie did score because I’ve been on his case for a few weeks now, that he’s got to be scoring a few goals.”

Bearsted boss Cornwell, however, was naturally disappointed with the goal.

He said: “Another set piece!  As much as you try to warn the players how they’re going to deliver the ball, you still have to have people committed enough to make those challenges and not let people to have free headers on goal.  We didn’t do it well enough today and they punished us.

“I didn’t think they played football around us. I don’t think they beat us football wise. They beat us with their set-plays.”

Bearsted were thankful for Andrews for making a fine double save as dominant Phoenix Sports proved why they are doing so well this season.

Greaves played the ball inside to Edwards, who cracked a right-footed drive from 35-yards towards goal, which stung Andrews’ fingers as he dived to his right, but the Bearsted keeper reacted well and immediately got back up onto his feet and blocked Parish’s follow up shot.

Speaking about the visiting keeper, O’Boyle said: “I think he was decent! He looked a good footballer as well when the ball went back to him. He looked comfortable on the ball. He kept them in it a lot!

But Cornwell blamed his keeper for Phoenix’s decisive third goal.

He said: “Again, he’s pulled off a couple of good saves. Unfortunately, I thought, when we got back into the game at 2-1 and we gave a silly throw in and a free-kick away, he was a little bit culpable for the third goal, which if we could’ve gone in at 2-1 maybe it would have been a different scenario to the second half.

“But I think going in again two goals behind we had to change it. I knew they would put men behind the ball and make it difficult for us.”

Bearsted were then denied in the 39^th minute after Tom Hunt and Williams linked up well and Williams’ reverse pass played in Michael Holliday in behind the Phoenix defence but his right-footed flicked shot was blocked by Woodward at his near post.

But Bearsted were handed a life-line when they pulled a goal back with 46:27 on the clock.

Referee Clare was positioned just yards away from the edge of the centre circle and without any help from assistant Mr Woods, deemed Martin Chirimutu to have fouled Steve Elliot on the right-hand corner of the Phoenix penalty area, despite many bodies in his way.

Nowotny, however, kept his composure to drive his right-footed penalty just left of centre of goal, despite Woodward going down to his left.

Both managers were asked their thoughts on the decision.

Cornwell said: “I’ve got to be honest. I was surprise when we got the penalty!  I thought it was a 50-50 challenge. I thought the lad got his head to it and then caught Steve after the ball. I don’t think it was a penalty either!”

O’Boyle added: “I didn’t think it was a penalty!  The only thing I will say is we actually gave him the decision to make, but I didn’t think it was a penalty!  I wasn’t sure if it was in the box or not, but just before half-time that could’ve been a crucial goal we’ve let in there so I didn’t think it was a penalty but we go straight at the other end and made it 3-1!”

But Bearsted threw away that life-line, as Phoenix Sports scored the vital third goal with 47:55 on the first half clock.

There seemed to be no danger when Bearsted gave away a free-kick on the corner of their penalty area, but Edwards managed to get his right-footed curling free-kick up and over the wall but Andrews can be blamed for allowing the ball to bounce in front of him before looping into his goal.

O’Boyle was full of praise for two-goal Edwards, nicknamed Orange.

He said: “He’s scored a few this year.  He’s very good on the dead ball. He does pop up with a few goals.”

Referee Clare walked towards the home dug-out and warned Beckingham he would abandon the game if he didn’t listen to his instruction to leave the technical area.

O’Boyle explained what happened, saying, “I think it was the most embarrassing decision I’ve ever seen! The first instance he’s come over and warned us. We were actually having a go at our right back, Charlie McCarthy, which I’ve never seen a referee coming over.  Just because one of our players has made a mistake we’ve had a go at him. He’s warned us and when we’ve scored to make it 3-1 he’s come over and asked Tony to leave the technical area .  It could have been any one of ten people to have said something. He’s 50-yards away, back turned, how can he actually say it was Tony? To be honest with you I think you might find that might have been our physio!”

Both camps were asked their thoughts at the interval.

O’Boyle said: “We did actually say to them at half-time, their season, they’ve got 45 minutes to get their season back on track so we expected them to chuck everything at us second half and they did.

“We had to be strong and defend for our lives and if we get any chances, take the chances.”

Cornwell added: “We got ourselves back in the game at 2-1, conceded a very poor third goal and made it very difficult.  We had to go out for the second period and chase the game and we’ve changed the system a little bit, changed the personalities around and made a couple of substitutions and went for it to try and get back into the game.

“For the majority of the second half we bossed possession, without really causing them problems. But we didn’t have the cutting edge in front of goal today – there were not clear cut chances.”

Phoenix Sports created the first chance of the second half when Wheeler played the ball inside to Parish, who had two bites of the cherry to play thread the ball through to Greaves, who stroked a right-footed shot from fifteen-yards straight at Andrews, who made a comfortable 53^rd minute save.

Nowotny’s left-footed drive from 30-yards sailed just over the Phoenix crossbar, as did Edwards’ speculative right-footed free-kick from 35-yards at the other end.

Bearsted wasted a decent opportunity after the referee spotted Brown’s handball but yellow-booted substitute Tom Brown skied his right-footed free-kick from 26-yards.

More chaos followed on the hour-mark following a dubious offside flag from Mr Capelli resulted in the game playing on, before referee Mr Clare stormed over to the home technical area and insisted “if you don’t move I’ll abandon the game,” to Beckingham, who was positioned behind the pitch perimeter on the half-way line, as the referee took centre stage.

Phoenix Sports should have scored again when Edwards swung in a corner from the right but right-back Charlie McCarthy planted his diving header over from six-yards.

Mr Clare received a massive cheer when he was forced off with a calf injury, 75 minutes into his farcical performance.

O’Boyle quipped: “I think the best decision he made all day, I’m sorry, was actually subbing himself, which the crowd rose to.

“I think I was all about him! Even their management turned round and said it was a top-of-the-table clash. He should’ve let the game flowed but I don’t want to be talking about the referee now. 

“We’ve had a great 4-1 win. I’m not really interested in what the referee’s done! We’ve won 4-1. It’s a great win.  We’re flying and we’re just going to enjoy tonight now and roll on next week (away to Hollands & Blair).”

Cornwell was just as miffed by the officials’ performance: “We’ve had him two or three times before and you’re spot on what you say!  It seems the game wants to revolve around him and not the game played with him just in the background. He tends to take centre stage. He was closing the play down and stopping the play for us when we were pressing the game and delaying the game by coming over and speaking to their management two or three times.  It just slows the game. It broke up the play for us and it just spoilt the game for us.”

Both sides’ supporters hoped the stand-in would perform better – but sadly he was just as bad!

Phoenix Sports scored their only goal in open play with seven minutes remaining.

McCarthy had time and space to float a cross over the flat-footed Bearsted defence and Parish brought the ball under control with his chest before smashing a left-footed volley past Andrews to move five goals within his target set by his management team.

O’Boyle said: “We’ve got him from Seven Acre in the summer.  I think he was one of my first signings. I had him at Erith Town about three years ago and we thought he was a really good player then and he’s come down here and we’ve asked him for 25 goals this season and he’s got 20 so far so it ain’t a bad start.”

Cornwell admitted: “Again, when you’re pushing players forward sometimes you leave gaps at the back and we had to take that risk. 

“Dan’s a poacher. I’ve watched him two or three times now and he gets into the right positions and he can finish.

“We should’ve dealt with the first ball yet again and the ball’s dropped to him unmarked in our penalty area.  You allow people with his talent and he’ll put the ball away, he’ll kill you!

“We were pushing to get back into it and we were going to leave ourselves exposed at times.”

Bearsted called Woodward into action a minute before the end when Elliot’s dipping right-footed free-kick from 25-yards was palmed away by the keeper at the last second.

Then came more controversy when Elliot’s out-swinging corner from the right was met by a bullet downward header by Ashley Russell and Woodward dived to his right to make a fine block with his right-arm.

The ball may have bounced over the line as Woodward tried to scoop the ball back into his hands – but to award Bearsted a penalty for handball by the goalkeeper was simply embarrassing!

O’Boyle said: “It was actually a really good save as well and I’m amazed he actually gave a penalty!  I’m just glad that he actually realised his mistake and it wasn’t given.  That’s not really an issue for us.”

It was for Cornwell, who said: “A typical event of what’s happened for the course of the day! Wrong decision. The goalkeeper did get his hand on it.  It wasn’t a player handling the ball!  Whether the ball was over the line was questionable but it was a goalkeeper save and it certainly wasn’t a penalty.

“If it was awarded as a penalty, if the referee saw somebody hand it, or in his opinion handled it, I can’t understand why the fella hasn’t received a red-card because he’s denied a goal bound opportunity in which case he should’ve been sent off and rewarded a penalty.

“At the end of the day he’s gone to consult a young linesman, who got the right decision. Whether he saw it or not or whether he was persuaded by Phoenix’s massive assault on him saying it wasn’t a penalty, it wasn’t a penalty!”

Cornwell added: “You could say we can blame the officials’ that we’ve lost this game.  They contributed to us losing the game. Our poor defensive display on set-pieces also contributed to the game and just our cutting edge in front of goal. Three major factors but you shouldn’t have the three guys’ out there officiating the game changing the end result.”

Phoenix Sports travel to second-placed Hollands & Blair next Saturday, then travel to Erith & Belvedere to contest a Kent Senior Trophy Second Round tie, before the away clash against unbeaten Ashford United on 15 December.

O’Boyle said: “Bearsted are a good side. There’s four teams in this division and they should’ve beat us at their place. We knew that our boys’ knew they were in for a game today. We’ve asked them the question and they’ve come out with the answers again.

When asked whether there are now only three teams involved in the title race, O’Boyle replied, “Not so much Bearsted now, Hollands & Blair and Ashford. Bearsted are outsiders now, but the other two are going to be hard.   Ashford are a decent club, ex Ryman League, ex Southern League, got some good players down there, have a decent budget. They’re going to be a tough nut to crack and Hollands & Blair have been here and done it (winning the Kent County League Premier Division title) two years’ ago.

“I wouldn’t say I’m worried about Bearsted before I was today.  They’re still in it but nine points (clear of Bearsted) with a game in hand that should be enough because they’ve got to go and win every game now to stay in it. We’ll see how it goes next week.   We could lose and they could win and there back in it so that’s the thing, we have to keep on winning.”

Bearsted boss Cornwell admitted: “We knew we had to come here for a result and now we’ve got some serious hard work. We’ve got to rely on Phoenix, Ashford and Hollands & Blair losing games. We’ve only now got Hollands & Blair and Ashford to play. We must win those games without any question of doubt.

“Phoenix have got to play Hollands & Blair and they’ve got to play Ashford, tough games for them.  We probably need them to draw so they’re both dropping points.  I said all along it will be Phoenix, Ashford and Hollands & Blair will be our three major rivals’ in this league and it’s working out that way.  At the moment we’re looking to be in fourth place.”

Phoenix Sports: Adam Woodward, Charlie McCarthy, Aaron Jeffery, Sam O’Keefe, James Brown, Martin Chirimutu, Chris Edwards, Gary Phillimore, Joel Greaves (Raphael Akala 70), Dan Parish, Daryl Wheeler.
Subs: Lamar Hubbard, Aran Heyrettin, Steve Wickes

Goals: Chris Edwards 6 (pen), 45, James Brown 45, Dan Parish 83

Booked: Daryl Wheeler 72

Sent Off: Tony Beckingham 45 (joint-manager)

Bearsted: Scott Andrews, Andy Foster (Tom Brown 46), Shannon O’Donovan (Lewis Mingle 54), Andy Hart, Ashley Russell, Tom Hunt, Steve Elliot, Michael Holliday (Ben Holliday 75), Nick Nowotny, Peter Williams, Michael Cook.
Subs: James Funnell, Adam Flewers

Goal: Nick Nowotny 45 (pen)

Attendance: 70
Referee: Mr Kelvin Clare (Aylesford)
Assistants: Mr Tony Woods (Erith) & Glenn Capelli (Erith)