Rusthall 1-3 Sevenoaks Town - It was a good day for us, says Sevenoaks Town boss Simon Jones

RUSTHALL  1-3  SEVENOAKS TOWN
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 7^th July 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Jockey Farm

SEVENOAKS TOWN boss Simon Jones says he was pleased with his side’s character after they opened their pre-season campaign with a victory over Rusthall.

The Kent League side came away from Jockey Farm with a morale boosting victory, courtesy of goals from the returning Jamie Johnson and strike pairing Karl Balogan and Gerald Akosa.
Rusthall, who finished in eleventh place in the inaugural Kent Invicta League campaign last season, deservedly scored a consolation through substitute Alex Emery.

Jones, who got through three goalkeepers in a chopping-and-changing  22-man squad in a game split into three 30 minute thirds, was pleased with his first warm-up game back in charge at Greatness Park.

“Yes, it was alright,” he said.   “It was never a competitive game but it was always an opportunity to look at players to see if they could rise to the challenge and that’s probably what Paul (McDonagh, the Rusthall manager) did as well.

“From Sevenoaks’ perspective, I thought the players’ did really well. We set them simple instructions to go out there and try and follow some simple ideas that we had and I thought we did that really well.

“I thought there were lots of mistakes – let’s be honest it’s early in the season – and a lot of good things to come out of that as well.

“I think some of the players’ that we’re looking at really shone.  I think the spine that we’ve been speaking about looked really good but overall, a good day for us.”

Rusthall boss Paul McDonagh, who was coaching Ryman League Division One North side Thamesmead Town last season, added: “I thought it was an important procedure for a pre-season, which was to see a few players and field a half-and-half side of regular players and trialists’.

“A few players’ let me down last minute, but at this level sometimes you get that as there’s no budget.

“It served its purpose. It was a good work-out.  I was quite pleased with how the lads’ played.  They’ve done what they were told.  They worked hard. Some of them ran out of steam pretty early than expected.”

Sevenoaks Town got off to a flying start as they took the lead inside the opening nine minutes.

Chris Round delivered an excellent in-swinging corner from the right and Johnson ghosted in to glance his header across keeper Phil Hawkins and into the far corner.

“It was an excellent outcome from the corner,” said Jones.  “Again, it was a very simple instruction we asked the guys to think about from the corners but very affective.  Yes, good goal.

“Jamie was telling me that was his first goal for the club, even though he was here three or four years ago wasn’t he – after all those games he put in then.

“When I saw him today he was still the same physical specimen he was.  He works super hard for the team, a brilliant guy in the dressing room.  The words (to him to get him to return to the club today) were ‘I’m putting the band back together’ and he agreed to return and there will be one or two others on the edges as well.”

McDonagh, however, blamed the goal on the fact that he didn’t have any recognised central defenders playing.

He said: “We didn’t have any centre halves available today so whoever played there today was pretty much makeshift so we were always going to be susceptible to things in the air.

“If it happens in two or three weeks’ time with proper centre halves then obviously it’s something that needs to be addressed.  I’m not too worried about that purely because we didn’t have no centre halves.”

Rusthall’s response was almost immediate and striker Chris Mearing called Sevenoaks’ first keeper of the afternoon, Ogaga Oteri, into making a comfortable save, before winger Josh Fermor’s showed glimpses of  trickery, as he cut inside from the left to set up a chance for Jamie James, who fired over when left unmarked on the edge of the penalty box.

An injury forced Oteri off the pitch after only nineteen minute and his replacement Andrew Osei made a comfortable collection after Fermor tried his luck with a speculative left-footed drive from 25-yards.

A ball over the top by Sevenoaks’ familiar defender, Dave Waters, released Balogun in the 21^st minute and the striker cut inside Matt Thompson and his right-footed angled drive sailed just over Phil Hawkins’ crossbar.

And at the end of the first period, a diving Hawkins was relieved to see a right-footed half-volley from Balogun curl just past his outstretched left arm, clipping the far post.

Stand-in referee, Mark Miller was in a state of confusion when he was reminded that the game was to consist of three sections of 30 minutes – but Jones made numerous changes to his team during the two breaks.

However, Sevenoaks Town were at their clinical best during the second period with two further goals that knocked the stuffing out of a wilting Rusthall side.

Jones was delighted with the passage of play, which lead to their second  goal in the 35^th minute, a right-footed half-volley from Balogan, which sailed across Hawkins into the far corner, after a knock-down by his strike partner at the time, Calvin Doyley.

Jones said: “Again, an excellent finish, but I point to the build-up play, the movement.  The players’ who went to support him, they ran the defenders away from him to give him the chance to score the goal.  From a purely football point of view, a good goal.

“The guys’ who didn’t get on the scoresheet made the space for Karl and he’s took it very well, so credit the boy.”

And the game was wrapped up seven minutes later with the best goal of the game.

Akosa picked the ball up and cut inside before unleashing a left-footed curler from 30-yards, which sailed into the top left-hand corner to give Hawkins – or any goalkeeper - no chance.

Jones said: “The third one was a spectacular one.  Left foot, top corner, you can’t argue with that, but the third goal was the end of an excellent passing move.  If you look at the lead up to that point it was a lovely passage of play, so I was really pleased.

“I’d like to think it was going back to that attractive football that we used to play, on the ground, passing and moving, against a very well organised Rusthall side.”

McDonagh added: “The screamer was interesting because what I did say to the lads we switched off from the throw.  It was a great strike.  Those things during pre-season, the sharpness of players, you can accept that at this stage in pre-season, but in games to come you can’t except loose marking.”

Rusthall were unlucky not to pull a goal back when Mearing met a cross ahead of Sevenoaks’ flapping third choice keeper Mike McKay and his header agonisingly sailed narrowly wide of the post.

Further changes were made by Sevenoaks ahead of the final third of the game and central midfielder Chris Hassan almost made an immediate impression on his manager when he let fly from 30-yards.

His goalbound shot produced a breathtaking flying save from Rusthall’s substitute goalkeeper Max Bridges, who tipped the ball over the crossbar.

McDonagh added: “I did say to him it was a great save, but initially it was himself that set that chance up with a poor kick.  The kick was poor from him but obviously he covered himself by pulling off a great save.  He’s a good shot-stopper but he needs to work on that.”

McKay made his best save of the afternoon when he dived swiftly to his right to push Matt Thompson’s downward header around the post after substitute Dave Jackson clipped in a cross towards the far post from the right channel.

Rusthall were, however, rewarded for their endeavour when they scored a well-deserved consolation in the 79^th minute.

A long kick down-hill should have been dealt with by Sevenoaks defender Andrew Jones but he gifted the ball to Emery, who produced a fine finish, slotting the ball across the keeper and into an empty net from a tight angle.

The Rusthall boss said: “I thought that’s what we deserved for our efforts of working hard and get our balance and shape right which is something that we’ve been looking at in pre-season.

“It was nice to get a goal.  Alex Emery is a good player. He didn’t play very much last season because of injuries and he’s new to the club. I think he can do well for us this season.

“It was good to see him pressurising the player with the ball and forcing the mistake and calmly finishing.”

Jones added: “A little bit of a defensive mix-up, but these things happen.  At that stage of proceedings we’ve gone with the majority of the team we’re the youngsters so we were probably expecting mistakes to see how they react.

“At Sevenoaks, where we have a large youth section, it’s really, really important that we start to give the youngsters a chance to shine. Give them a chance to make mistakes, give them a chance to demystify what the big League is all about.”

Both managers took plenty of positives from their first outings of the season –but will be looking to improve fitness levels as roll-on, roll-off substitutions and three thirds of ninety minutes was the only downside of the encounter.

Jones, who was in charge of the first team during the 2009-10 season, said: “Today could’ve been a bit of a banana skin.  It could’ve been a confidence blip for everybody because Rusthall are a good side  They’re well organised, very physical.  They play to their strengths although they played some good football today so credit to them.  Paul is doing a good job, maybe changing the mentality a bit so it was a good test for us.”

When asked what he got out of the game, Jones, who admitted ‘the result wasn’t important today’, replied, “Firstly fitness was number one and to see the guys’ that we’re going to be up for the battle. Whilst we all want to play the beautiful game we have to show a bit of a beast at times and today was to see who could man up, step up and show some sort of character and also to show you could actually work together within a team - so all positives for us."

McDonagh, who said he is targeting a top-eight finish this season, added: “Yes, some plus points to come out of that. Theo (Cunningham) played his first senior game, he’s only sixteen, very quick, but he’s still got a lot to learn still.  Alex Emery, I like the way he works.

“Whilst I could say is that I did get to see where players who are possible cover for the centre backs and some of the trialists’ came out of it quite well.  I think Jamie Jones did very well until he ran out of steam.  Generally, I’d like to keep a positive attitude.”

Jones, meanwhile, declined to unveil which of today’s players have put pen to paper on Kent League registration forms – but hinted central defender Waters has.

He said: “Yes, I’ve signed a few. There’s a few boys’ who I’ve seen enough of already and I know they’ll do a job, work hard and they’ve got the attitude and temperament so we’ve got a few boys’ signed up – and I’m not telling you who they are!”

Speaking about the experienced Waters, Jones added: “He did really well, Dave.  A leader.  A real good organiser at the back.  I’m so pleased to have got him.  I think he’ll be a great acquisition for us throughout the season. He’s a guy who the youngsters look up to.  The guys’ have a lot of respect for and his performances speak for themselves.”

Rusthall: Phil Hawkins (Max Bridges 61), Danny Black (Matt Thompson 61), Wayne Balmer, Matt Thomson (Josh Fermor 53), Oliver Allman, Martin Millins (Alex Kibbey 58), Ian Balmery (Alex Emery 43), Theo Cunningham, Jamie James, Chris Mearing, Josh Fermor (Dave Jackson 40).

Goal: Alex Emery 79

Sevenoaks Town: Ogaga Oteri (Andrew Osei 19, Mike McKay 53), Craig Palmer (Lewis David 31), Ochain Gondorf (Adam Horne 61, Ben Holliday 76), Dave Waters (Jamie Johnson 61), Matt Dennis (Craig Palmer 61, Andrew Jones 76), Jamie Johnson (Ben Holliday 31, Mitch Clegg 61), Adam Horne (Jonas Kanda 31, Chris Hassan 61), Chris Round (Harry Cantell 31, Jonas Kanda 76), Gerald Akosa (unknown 61), Karl Balogun, Dre Wright-Edwards (Calvin Doyley 31, Chris Round 61).

Goals: Jamie Johnson 9, Karl Balogan 35, Gerald Akosa 42

Attendance: 60
Referee: Mr Mark Miller (Tunbridge Wells)
Assistants: Ben Fitzerald (Tunbridge Wells) & Mr Paul Weston (Rusthall)