Sevenoaks Town 1-2 Hollands & Blair - It feels great to win Kent Senior Trophy, says Paul Piggott

SEVENOAKS TOWN  1-2  HOLLANDS & BLAIR
Umbro Kent Senior Trophy Final
Sunday 15^th April 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Park View Road

HOLLANDS & BLAIR manager Paul Piggott says it was a great feeling to become the first Kent Invicta League club to win the Umbro Kent Senior Trophy after his side deservedly pulled off a shock victory over Kent League strugglers Sevenoaks Town.
 

The Gillingham based club, who went into the game sitting in sixth place, eleven points adrift of league leaders Bly Spartans with only three games remaining, celebrated winning the Kent Senior Trophy for the very first time in their history and they could potentially face Andy Hessenthaler’s Gillingham in the Kent Senior Cup next season.

They could also go down in history as the first team to win the silverware after losing a game en-route to the final.  Piggott’s side lost the semi-final in extra time to Erith & Belvedere, who were thrown out of the final after playing Michael Abnett, who didn’t have international clearance against Cray Valley (Paper Mills) in the quarter-finals and Hollands & Blair defeated Cray Valley 2-0 eight days’ ago to book their place in this showpiece final.

Piggott was a proud man after his side’s deserved victory, courtesy of a diving header and an excellent chip from striker Nick Smith in a devastating nine minute spell towards the end of the first half, while Sevenoaks Town pulled a goal back through substitute Aaron Guard, who looped in a chip of his own with six minutes remaining, to score the team’s first goal in 354 minutes of football.

Hollands & Blair have come a very long way in a very short space of time.  They won the Rochester & District League Premier Division title in 2004 and have rose upwards ever since and are one of the leading lights in the Kent Invicta League.

Piggott said afterwards: “It feels great!  It feels great!  We just said to the boys, we’re the first team from our league to go on and win that Cup and it’s great.  They’ve got to enjoy it. They’ve worked hard to get here. 

“As I said to you the other day, this club was kicking around in park football ten years’ ago and one man, Plum (Lawrence Plummer) has been at this club forty years.  He’s been at the club when it couldn’t get players out for a pub game and now he’s in charge of a club that’s won the Kent Senior Trophy!”

For Sevenoaks Town, who went into the game with only Greenwich Borough below them in the Kent Hurlimann Football League table, it’s another Cup Final disappointment, especially after they lost to Herne Bay in the Kent League Cup Final three years’ ago.

Sevenoaks Town manager Darren Anslow gave his assistant manager Martin Barnard the opportunity to speak about their disappointment.

Barnard said: “We’ve had a fantastic Cup run this year in our first season at senior level (Anslow and Barnard still run the Academy at Cray Wanderers) by beating Herne Bay at Herne Bay, Tunbridge Wells at Tunbridge Wells and then Deal at Deal and then for 45 minutes we didn’t turn up!

“I don’t know if it’s nerves, inexperience or what.  We’ve got a bit of experience on the pitch. We just didn’t perform in the first 35 minutes. 

“Second half, I thought we acquitted ourselves very well and goals change games.”

When asked whether he’s side lost the game in the first 35 minutes, Barnard replied, “I think so!  I thought we started quite brightly first 10-15 minutes. We did quite well and they dominated.  They’re a good side, they’re very well drilled.  Nick Smith up front took his goals well.  No complaints from us in that first half at all.”

Although the game was an entertaining affair, supporters complained about the lack of information about the players in each team as the Kent County Football Association official on the public address system failed to announce both team line-ups before the game, goalscorers, substitutions etc, during the game, which was very shambolic.

Sevenoaks won the first of their ten corners inside the opening two and a half minutes but Kevin Lott (who took all ten) swung in a corner from the right with his right foot and Chris Steadman ghosted in unchallenged and could only power his header wide.

Sevenoaks started the game well, but they failed to take advantage in the eleventh minute when Lott’s free-kick from the edge of the centre circle dropped down onto to Sean Brown’s illuminous orange boots, who looped a right-footed volley over the crossbar.

Hollands & Blair then began to gain a foothold on to the game and Sevenoaks just couldn’t live with Smith.

Ashley Doe whipped in a cross with his right foot from the right channel to pick out Smith at the far post, the striker headed down and across Ashley Bourne, who got a touch, and was relieved when his central defender Joe Stephenson charged down Steve Hafner’s follow up from close range.

A mistake from Sevenoaks central defender Fraser Cronin, who was sporting a Mohican haircut, nearly made a costly error when he failed to cut out a ball and Smith latched onto the pass, but his right-footed chip from 25-yards was comfortably caught by former Gillingham scholar Bourne.

But just 22 seconds later, Hollands & Blair went agonisingly close in taking a deserved lead when Smith cut in from the left and curled a right-footed shot from 20-yards, which bounced off the top of the crossbar with Bourne beaten.

Hollands & Blair, who on this performance will comfortably hold their own in the Kent League, went even closer in the 28^th minute.

Skipper Ross Brookes was shaping up to take the free-kick, but left it to his partner in midfielder, Stuart West, who hit his right-footed free-kick over the wall from 25-yards, which was destined to find the top right-hand corner, but Bourne jumped up to pluck the ball out of the air.

Sevenoaks Town can have no complaints when Hollands & Blair seized the advantage by taking a deserved 32^nd minute lead.

Sevenoaks left-back Tom Skelton was at fault as he failed to close down former Dartford winger Hafner, who slipped the ball past Skelton to release Ashley Doe, who had time and space to float in a cross with his right foot and Smith was left unmarked at the far post to power a diving header past Bourne to score from three yards.

Piggott praised his two-goal match winner, saying, “I thought in the first half he was good as I’ve seen him play.  He was hungry, he wanted the ball.

“His first chance he put it straight into the goalkeeper’s hands but there you go, but I thought he was a nuisance in the first half.

“It was a well worked goal, to be honest with you,” added Piggott.  “I thought Ash could’ve knocked it in earlier but he waited and waited to be fair. He was probably waiting for the opportunity, waited for the run and picked out Smithy and it was a great goal.”

Barnard admitted his players just couldn’t deal with Smith in the first half.

He said: “He’s a very clever player. He creates space for himself and finished. Yes, we could’ve stopped the cross getting in but that’s one part and if it is in we have to deal with it in the middle.”

Sevenoaks woke up from their slumber and Mike Bishop’s cross from the right was met by George Savage on the edge of the box, the winger turned and hit a right-footed shot, which bounced agonisingly wide of the far post.

Sevenoaks skipper Lott, meanwhile, cracked a snap shot with a right-footed angled drive from 30-yards, which brought the very best out of Hollands & Blair keeper Lewis Flisher, who dived to his right and got a fingertip to the shot to turn it around his post.

Piggott praised the 23-year-old keeper, saying, “He played well today. He’s been a bit shaky over the last few weeks’, not had a lot of confidence, but he’s come into this game not playing in the last two.  I thought he commanded his box very well, which is well pleasing.

That saved proved to be crucial in Hollands & Blair success as Smith scored a quality goal, just four minutes before the break.

Brookes played the ball out wide to Jordan Gallagher out on the left and he cut the ball back to Smith, who played the ball back to the winger, who slipped the ball inside to Smith, who unleashed a classy right-footed chip on the turn from sixteen-yards, which looped over a flat-footed Bourne to find the top near corner.

Piggott claimed Smith’s fifth-goal of the season was the best seen at Park View Road this season.

He said: “As good a goal as you’ll see on this ground and this is a proper ground as far as I’m concerned.  It’s good as a goal you’ll see on this pitch.  It wouldn’t look out of place (in Conference South) that goal, that finish.  It was a  great finish!”

Barnard added: “It was a good finish.  As I said I think he is a very good player!”

Mike Bishop outmuscled his marker at the end of the first half, but his weak shot on the turn on the edge of the box rolled into an untroubled Flisher’s gloves.

Piggott revealed he had to get his players’ off the ceiling inside the dressing room at the break.

He said: “It was difficult because they were all in there patting themselves on their back saying how well they’ve done, but I had to bring them back down to earth a little bit because it was only half a job done.

“As well as we’ve done and we got ourselves in front, but I knew they’ll come at us.  They’re (Sevenoaks) are a team full of lively players and I knew they were going to come at us.

“They (Sevenoaks) looked positive, they tried to play.  They played three up top and at times I thought they looked dangerous.”

When asked what was said in the Sevenoaks dressing room at the break, Barnard revealed: “Pretty much to believe in each other. We’ve got a very good changing room.  There’s some real good lads, honest lads (and they just had) to believe in themselves to keep working and something will happen, make something happen.  Eventually it did, but just not enough time.”

Sevenoaks were ruing their bad luck in the 53^rd minute when striker Mike Bishop hit the post.

Savage dinked a pass in behind the solid Hollands & Blair back four and Bishop’s swept right-footed curling shot flashed across Flisher and agonisingly bounced off the foot of the far post.

Barnard praised Bishop for his contribution in today’s final.

“He had some good chances.  He’s a good player.  He’s a decent, experienced player, who always gives his all.

“He held it up when he could.  I don’t think we supported him enough and got forward enough quickly enough at times.  His work-rate was excellent but there was a few that come on, Aaron (Guard), Jordan (Clark) and Mark Bishop had come on, upped the tempo and they all did themselves proud.”

Sevenoaks Town made a tactical switch for the final 20 minutes as right-back James Golding was moved up front to partner Bishop and substitute Jordan Clark slotted in at right-back.

They stepped up a gear and Bishop looped a crossfield pass to find Savage unmarked in the middle, who hooked a right-footed volley sailing over Flisher’s crossbar from sixteen-yards.

Flisher made an excellent save in the 71^st minute when he dived to his left to prevent Bishop scoring with a right-footed volley on the turn.

Sevenoaks continued piling pressure on a tiring Hollands & Blair side and Clark clipped a ball into the penalty area, which was headed away and Guard’s left-footed shot from 25-yards was caught by Flisher.

Sevenoaks deservedly pulled a goal back with just six minutes left when they scored from their tenth corner of the game.

Lott swung in a corner from the right with his right foot which was cleared away at the near post by Gallagher and Guard clipped a first time right-footed chipped volley from 25-yards, which looped over a crowded penalty area and dropped in underneath the crossbar with Flisher well beaten.

Barnard admitted the goal came too late.

He said: “Fantastic finish.  Credit to him.  Technically he’s a very, very good player. That was an excellent finish!

“Fifteen minutes earlier you could just feel their legs were starting to wobble a little bit, or I felt that and you just never know, another fifteen minutes, you never know.”

Piggott added: “I thought it was one hundred and ten corners, I’m sure of it!!  It seemed like we were forever defending corners.  We stood firm most of the time.  When you’ve got that many corners against you pressure’s going to tell in the end and the fella took it quite well to be fair.”

With blue shirts piling forward in a bid to snatch a late equaliser to force extra time, Sevenoaks were denied inside injury time when Bishop’s looping header from 12-yards out was plucked out of the air by Flisher after Sevenoaks keeper Bourne pumped a free-kick into the penalty area from close to the halfway line.

Piggott praised his defensive line, in particular Billy Johnson, who was a man-mountain at the heart of defence.

He said: “We’re quite good at defending, as in keeping shots away from our goal. It takes something special to open us up but the lad took his goal well.

“As a group of players, even the subs’ that came on, they helped us over the line.  We done well, but Billy Johnson for me is a man mountain back there and he kept us going when they chucked a lot of long throws and lots of balls forward and corners and he stood up and was counted and I thought he was brilliant for us.”

The winners of this competition enter the Kent Senior Cup the following season and it is hoped that the Kent County Football Association don’t fix the draw, as this season’s final could have potentially been Charlton Athletic against Gillingham. 

But both Football League sides were defeated by Dartford (in the semi-final) and Welling United (second round) respectively and Dartford will play Hythe Town in the final at Dartford’s Princes Park Stadium on 24 April.

It would be special occasion if Hollands & Blair were drawn against their more illustrious neighbours (Gillingham) in the Kent Senior Cup next season.

Piggott added: “If you win the Trophy and you win this Cup, yes, football says you deserve to be in that (Kent Senior Cup).  We won’t worry about that. We’ll go and enjoy this day first because it’s a great opportunity for this club.”

After their heartbreak against Herne Bay in the Kent League Cup Final three years’ ago, Sevenoaks still await their first trophy at this level.

Barnard added: “I wasn’t here then.  You can only go on what we’ve done this year. We gave it our best.  We just fell a little short!”

Sevenoaks Town:  Ashley Bourne, James Golding, Tom Skelton, Chris Steadman (Aaron Guard 46), Joe Stephenson, Fraser Cronin, Kevin Lott, Sean Brown, Sam Jerimiah (Jordan Clark 69), Mike Bishop, George Savage (Mark Bishop 73).
Subs:  Chris Round, Matt Bailey

Goal:  Aaron Guard 84

Booked: Chris Steadman 27

Hollands & Blair: Lewis Flisher, Steve Dampier, Carl Preston (Sam Prescott 80), Billy Johnson, Darren Blackburn, Stuart West, Ashley Doe (Cliff Eldridge 90), Ross Brookes, Steve Hafner (Mark Chiverton 71), Nick Smith, Jordan Gallagher.
Subs: Jason Doe, Martin May

Goals: Nick Smith 32, 41

Booked: Steve Hafner 25

Attendance: 350
Referee: Mr Constantine Hatzidakis (Bromley)
Assistants: Mr Mark Graves (Margate) & Mr Christopher Myatt (Dartford)
Fourth Official: Mr Richard Joss (Margate)