Kentish Football 
Seven Acre & Sidcup 2-3 Hollands & Blair - Third is not good enough for us, says Paul Piggott
SEVEN ACRE & SIDCUP 2-3 HOLLANDS & BLAIR
Kent Invicta League
Monday 30th April 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Oxford Road
HOLLANDS & BLAIR manager Paul Piggott says a potential third-place finish in the inaugural Kent Invicta League is not good enough.
The Gillingham based outfit leapfrogged over Ashford United into fourth place and they can finish in third behind Bly Spartans and Phoenix Sports if they win their final game of the season away to Erith & Dartford Town on Saturday.
The Kent Senior Trophy winners came away from Oxford Road with a 3-2 victory in an entertaining end-to-end game over ninth-placed Seven Acre & Sidcup, thanks to a brace from striker Ricky Freeman and his strike partner Ben Brown.
Seven Acre & Sidcup striker, Daniel Parish, took his goalscoring record to 20 goals for the season with his two goals tonight and they finish their campaign at home to Woodstock Park.
That game was scheduled for this coming Wednesday, but has been cancelled due to the Sittingbourne based club can’t field a team in midweek. Oxford Road will stage American Football side Kent Exiles on Saturday so that day is not an option.
Piggott wasn’t satisfied with his side’s third win over their Sidcup based rivals.
“Poor to be honest! Typical end of season, nothing on it. Scrappy game,” he said after his side’s sixteenth league win of the season.
“I said to the boys’ before the game, we can finish third if we win both our games, which for us is not good enough!
“But we still have something to aim for. I think we’ve been average at best this year in the league so third, you look back and it’s not the end of the world.”
Seven Acre & Sidcup manager, Lee Hill, was pleased with his side’s performance against a leading light at this level of football.
He said: “I thought we held our own. I think we was unlucky in the end with two chances at the end. Hollands & Blair are a very well organised side as usual. They probably thought they deserved it, but I thought we had a couple of half chances, we hit the bar second half as well.
“I thought a draw would be a fair result, but I couldn’t fault the effort and the commitment, considering we had four or five players out injured.
“I’m disappointed in losing, but as I say, a tremendous performance by our young boys really.”
Hollands & Blair started on the front foot and they could have taken the lead inside the opening two minutes but central defender Liam Dawson powered his header over the crossbar after Cliff Eldridge swung in a corner from the left with his right foot.
Brown swept a low left-footed shot wide of the near post after right-back Steve Dampier throw was cleared out to him by the home defence.
Seven Acre & Sidcup’s first chance came in the 12th minute, courtesy of route one football.
Keeper Charlie Martin pumped the ball up field and the ball bounced over central defender Darren Blackburn but striker Parish squandered the chance by stroking a left-footed shot wide of the left-hand post from 22-yards.
But Hollands & Blair deservedly opened the scoring in the 18th minute.
Central defender Rob Leaver was shrugged off the ball by Freeman outside of the penalty area and the number 9 burst into the box, rounded keeper Martin and kept his composure by slamming a low drive into the bottom far corner from a tight angle.
Piggott said: “That’s what Ricky does. That’s what he does best. He scores goals and he’s a quality finisher. Put the ball in the box and he will score goals.”
Hill added: “I can’t remember too much about it! It was a cluster of goals. First of all they break very quick. I’m not happy with marking the runner and he slotted it. From my angle I thought we were going to get something on it and obviously clear it but he took it well.
“I’m disappointed. I thought we were in the game then.”
But Seven Acre & Sidcup levelled from the penalty spot in the 26th minute.
Ayo Ajose delivered the ball in from the right wing and Parish flicked the ball up with his right foot and the ball hit Blackburn’s right hand and referee Daren Rudd pointed to the spot.
Parish stepped up and drove his resulting penalty over the diving Lewis Flisher to bring the home side back into the game.
Hill said: “We got a penalty, well taken by Parish, who I thought was outstanding again. We got it back to 1-1. They just looked dangerous every time on the break first half.”
Speaking about referee Mr Daren Rudd’s penalty decision, Piggott added: “I thought it was harsh. It’s one of those ones that’s against you, you think it’s harsh, but if it’s for you, you’ll take them. It was ball to hand rather than hand to ball for me but there you go!”
Hollands & Blair regained the lead, with their next attack in the 32nd minute - a goal of high quality.
Captain Ross Brookes clipped the ball over the top to pick out Freeman, who spread the ball out wide to Stuart West, who played the ball across the penalty area for Brown to fire his shot low into the bottom right-hand corner.
Piggott said: “I said to the boys’, we didn’t pass it enough tonight. We kept hoofing it. We didn’t get the ball down. It was one of those scrappy games and the one time, two times we did get it down and pass it we created chances and scored from them.”
Hill added: “It was great! You can’t defend things like that. It was a good move, a good goal and they deserved to be 2-1 ahead at the time.”
But Piggott was left angry as the home side immediately equalised, just 45 seconds later.
He said: “I hate it! I hate it. I get on my players’ all the time about it! The next five minutes after you score a goal are the most important five minutes of the game.
“We were lazy. Simple as that! They worked hard to get in front of us and we didn’t work hard enough to get behind the ball so a crap goal to give away!”
Syd Badaru wriggled free down the left wing and had time and space to pull the ball back and Parish cracked a fierce right-footed drive from the edge of the penalty area. Flisher appeared to have got enough of a hand to the powerful shot, but all he could do was help the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.
Hill was full of praise for the creator of the goal.
“Syd hasn’t played well for a long time but the last two games he’s come into his own again, how he used to play for us. A bit of confidence, another good move, a great strike. The goalkeeper got a hand to it but you don’t stop them!”
Seven Acre & Sidcup almost took the lead for the first time when Franco Pozzuolo’s corner from the left was met by a powerful header from former Holmesdale defender Ricky Hardie, but the ball flew straight into Flisher’s hands, high above his head underneath the crossbar.
Hollands & Blair went close when Eldridge drove a free-kick into the penalty area into the danger area at the near post but Freeman swept a right-footed shot on the turn wide of the near post from 12-yards.
And the home side had the last chance of the first half after Parish and Badaru retained possession on the edge of the penalty area and the ball was cut back to Danny Brooks, who dragged his right-footed shot wide of the left-hand post.
Both managers were asked what they told their players during the shortened half-time interval, due to the fact that Cray Wanderers’ spiritual home doesn’t have floodlights.
Piggott said: “We were getting lazy. That’s not good enough for us. When we scored the goal you’ve got to work harder and we didn’t work hard enough.”
Hill added: “At half-time I said ‘boys, just believe in yourself, have a bit of confidence and we can go on and nick this. I thought just keep going, give it your all for the next 45 minutes and just keep doing what we were doing.”
Flisher made a comfortable save early in the second half from Badaru’s low right-footed drive after Parish knocked the ball down into his path down the left channel.
And Hollands & Blair really should have increased their lead when Jordan Gallacher wriggled his way past Tony Ecuyer down the left flank and cut inside and whipped in an excellent cross with his left foot, which was hit on the half-volley by a stretching Eldridge, which cleared the crossbar from ten-yards.
Seven Acre & Sidcup squandered a great chance to score in the 53rd minute when Matt Reader clipped the ball over the top but Parish’s hooked his first time shot wide of the left post.
Piggott made a brave treble substitution in the 56th minute and his side were playing some good football at times on a bumpy pitch and a flowing passing move resulted in substitute Sam Leadsham (with his back to goal) playing the ball into Freeman’s feet, whose shot on the turn screamed just past the near post.
And it was a Seven Acre & Sidcup substitute, Mark Cox, who went agonisingly close to taking the lead in the 65th minute.
Brooks played the ball inside to Cox, who clipped a left-footed drive onto the top of the crossbar and out for a goal-kick from 25-yards.
Hill revealed Cox’s background, saying, “He’s a story of his own. He played for the reserves all season, scoring 35 goals. He played early doors for us but he didn’t make much impact but he came on. He’s a good player. He hit the bar. I thought that’s it. That’s how our luck is going at the moment. We’re not getting any breaks. He done well when he came on.”
But Hollands & Blair sealed the points in the 69th minute through Freeman’s second of the game.
Dampier burst down the right flank and played the ball inside to substitute Ashley Doe, who laid the ball to Freeman, who dinked a right-footed shot past a flat-footed Martin into the bottom near corner.
“He could’ve had a hat-trick,” said Piggott. “I say he gets in the box when you give him a chance he’ll score goals but he’s only human, but he deserved his couple of goals tonight. He worked hard.”
Hill was full of praise for his very own two-goal hero, saying, “I thought Parish looked sharp all game. He had the back four ran ragged really.”
Hollands & Blair missed chances to further increase their lead when Brookes released substitute Lee Farrell, who beat the offside trap, down the left wing and his cross evaded Freeman and found Doe lurking at the far post, but he brought the ball under control and stroked a left-footed shot, which clipped the crossbar.
Piggott added: “Again it was another good move. We passed the ball three or four times to get to him. When he got the ball I think he hit it too well. He didn’t need to put so much pace on the ball. He could’ve concentrated more on hitting the target and I think he would’ve got his reward for it.”
And hesitant defending from Hardie and Martin allowed Farrell to nip in and clip a right-footed shot over the crossbar following Eldridge’s pass up field.
Seven Acre & Sidcup squandered a couple of decent chances to claim a point but Badaru fluffed his lines on both occasions.
A long ball out of defence from Hardie released Badaru through on goal but he lashed his right-footed half-volley into the side netting as Flisher spread himself.
Hollands & Blair were thwarted by a fine double save from Martin in the final five minutes.
Freeman was denied a hat-trick when he cut in from the left and his testing right-footed drive was spilt by Martin, who made amends by blocking Farrell’s follow up with his legs.
Piggott said: “He spilt the first one but to be fair to him, he made amends. He was braved. He dived down at Lee and he saved well.”
And Badaru should have scored when he latched onto Parish’s headed flick and sent his right-footed chip over the crossbar when he only had visiting keeper Flisher to beat.
Piggott felt the home side’s number 15 caused his defence problems.
He said: “He looked lively when he got the ball in to our third. We rode our luck a little there but you have to at times.”
Hill, meanwhile, felt Badaru should have scored.
He said: “You’ve got to bury them at this level. The level we’re playing at he’s got to take especially the last one. I thought he was being pulled back but the referee said to me it was only a tug but he played the advantage and he ballooned it over. He should’ve buried that really. That would have been a good day, a good point really. I think it would’ve been a well-deserved point, but that’s the way it is.”
The last chance of the game fell to Leaver who blasted the ball over the bar after a spot of pinball inside the visitors’ penalty box.
Seven Acre & Sidcup were due to face Woodstock Park in their next game but Hill, who is also the secretary of the club, revealed the game will have to be re-arranged.
He said: “Unfortunately Woodstock re-arranged it again for Wednesday but they’ve got another game going on with all their players. They didn’t realise. Hopefully tomorrow it will be re-arranged. They don’t want to play midweek but I can’t see us playing on Saturday either so we’ll have to compromise and see when we’re going to play it really.”
Hill wants to avoid defeat to ensure they end their season in ninth-place.
“We’ve faltered towards the end. We’ve had a lot of injuries, probably five or six players who could’ve played tonight were injured. I could only have 12 players’ really. I only had one sub and in the end I thought that told.
“I’m well happy with ninth-place. Coming into the league and season playing in a new league we were supposed to be whipping boys. People have come and seen us play. We’re a good, young side and hopefully we can build on with what we’ve got for next season, taking it forward. We’ll keep the youngsters and with a couple of experienced players with it and I think we’ll do alright.”
Piggott cannot wait for the season to end on Saturday, with a trip to Oakwood to place fourth-from-bottom side Erith & Dartford Town, which kicks off at 1pm.
He said: “I’m looking forward for the end of the season this year. It’s been a tough one for us with the players, with the luck we’ve had this year. I’m looking for a bit of a rest to be honest with you and then we’ll get this last game out of the way and we’ll see where we go from there.”
Seven Acre & Sidcup: Charlie Martin, Syd Badaru, Danny Brooks, Tony Ecuyer, Ricky Hardie, Rob Leaver, Matt Reader, Ayo Ajose, Daniel Parish, Franco Pozzuolo (Mark Cox 59), Tony Hill.
Subs: Dan Parmenter, Sam Doona
Goals: Daniel Parish 26 (pen), 33
Hollands & Blair: Lewis Flisher, Steve Dampier, Jack West, Darren Blackburn, Liam Dawson, Stuart West (Sam Leadsham 56), Cliff Eldridge, Ross Brookes, Ricky Freeman, Ben Brown (Lee Farrell 56), Jordan Gallacher (Ashley Doe 56).
Sub: Marc Chapman
Goals: Ricky Freeman 18, 69, Ben Brown 32
Attendance: 40
Referee: Mr Daren Rudd (Dartford)
Assistants: Mr Scott Rudd (Dartford) & Mr Trevor B Bailey (Orpington)
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