Sevenoaks Town 2-3 Herne Bay (aet)- Hat-trick hero King had his right head on him today - Halsey

Monday 03rd May 2010

SEVENOAKS TOWN 2-3 HERNE BAY
(after extra time)
Bulmers Cider Kent League Cup Final
Bank Holiday Monday 3rd May 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Cheriton Road

INJURY plagued striker Stuart King was back to his best today - as his hat-trick ensured bridesmaids Herne Bay collected their first trophy in eleven years at a wet Folkestone.

The 20-year-old former Ramsgate striker has missed large chunks of the season through injury (breaking his arm after falling off a ladder whilst at work), suspension and a loss of form - but he pulled it out of the bag on the big occasion for well-supported Herne Bay.

With club captain Luke Harvey unable to lead the line through a torn calf, King’s hat-trick ensured it was Harvey that lifted the Kent League Cup after 120 minutes of unimpressive football, spoilt by 22-year-old referee Mr Oliver Jackson.

King had given Herne Bay a 24th minute lead, before find of the season, Bill Shinners netted his 21st goal of the season to bring Sevenoaks back on level terms.

Substitute Alfie Keroma then gave Sevenoaks the advantage in the final seventeen minutes - but their hearts were broken when King smashed home his second just nine minutes before full-time.

Skipper Danny Ward cost Sevenoaks the game when he picked up his second yellow card at the end of the 90 minutes - before King fired home a match-winning strike just 38 seconds into the second period to win it for Herne Bay.

Sevenoaks have enjoyed their most successful campaign in the Kent League as manager Simon Jones has guided the Greatness Park outfit to sixth place and reaching their first ever Kent League Cup Final is a major achievement by the west Kent club.

Herne Bay, meanwhile, completed their campaign in second place, six points behind Faversham Town, and will be the favourites to go one better next season.

Herne Bay were without Harvey and Michael Jenner (ankle), whilst Sevenoaks were without long-serving defender Michael Webb (away) and cup-tied trio Tony Atkins, Badar Mohamed and John Maloney.

King had an early sighter on goal as early as the fifth minute when he shrugged off Danny Twinn’s attentions and his angled drive took a deflection before drifting past the far post.

Herne Bay enjoyed plenty of possession during the early stages - but Sevenoaks created the better chances but Joe Minter’s stroked effort from the edge of the box was saved by Dan Eason and Joe Creasey drilled a shot past the near post.

Herne Bay, however, grabbed the lead after 24 minutes - through uncharacteristic route-one football.

Towering central defender Steve Hanson thumped the ball up field and King wiggled his way past Charlie Burgess to slam a left-footed drive across San Funnell to find the bottom far corner.

But Sevenoaks were back on level terms just nine minutes later.

Ward - showing the better side of his game - slipped the ball in behind Herne Bay’s two central defenders for Shinners to roll the ball under Eason to find the bottom far corner.

Sevenoaks striker Creasey should have done better with a hat-trick of half-chances that came his way before the break.

Sevenoaks had a glorious chance to regain the lead after 61 minutes when Creasey did get a shot away on target with a right-footed drive which skidded off the wet turf and forced Eason into making a low save to his right.

Things got even better for Sevenoaks - as they took the lead against the run of play - with 17 minutes remaining.

Creasey - who was now playing in a deeper position in midfield - played a delightful ball over the top of the Herne Bay defence for Keroma to latch on to and after leaving his marker behind, the substitute dinked the ball past Eason into the empty net.

Sadly, this game was ruined by a card happy referee, who applied the letter of the law in front off watching Kent League and Kent County Football Association officials and produced a total number of nine cards.

Sevenoaks keeper Funnell pulled off his save of the game to push away a fierce shot from King, who escaped the attentions of the Sevenoaks defence inside the penalty area.

But Herne Bay levelled from the resulting corner.

Dan Lawrence swung in the ball from the left and Sevenoaks failed to clear their lines and the ball dropped kindly for King to lash the ball into the top left-hand corner with his left-foot to aid the recovery.

Sevenoaks were now dead on their feet - and the size of their task increased when Ward was sent off 98 seconds into time added on.

Chris Walker played the ball through the heart of the Herne Bay defence and Ward was never going to get to the ball before bright-pink shirted Eason, who won the race and nodded the ball away, from outside his box.

Ward deserved his second yellow card - and then a red - for going through the Herne Bay keeper, who needed treatment.

The poor challenge ended Sevenoaks’ hopes of lifting their first piece of silverware since rejoining the Kent League in 2003.

It was only a matter of time that Herne Bay would score the winning goal - Sevenoaks were hoping to hang on to take the game to penalties.

Substitute David Crofts saw a floating shot from a tight angle headed off the line by Twin before King came agonisingly close to winning it when his shot bounced off the left-hand post and rolled along the goal-line on its way to safety.

But King repaid his managers faith as inside the first minute of the second period a sliding pass from Jamie Maxted found him inside the Sevenoaks penalty area and the striker smashed a shot in off the far post.

King then raced toward the vocal Herne Bay supporters - wearing yellow and black striped scarves for the occasion - in the main stand and jumped over the perimeter fence into the celebrating fans - before climbing back over the fence to shake Mr Jackson’s hand and collecting a yellow card.

It was good to see a striker back at the top of his game.

“That’s Stuart King!” said a delighted Simon Halsey, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

The Herne Bay boss added: “He’s been saying it to me all season, after coming back from injury, but he hasn’t been fit enough to go yet.

“He’s been playing for me regularly now and that’s Stuart King and I’m pleased for him.

“If you ask him he’ll tell you we was out in the centre circle and I said to him ‘you’ll get a hat-trick today’ and he agreed with me - as Stuart would!

“I had that feeling, I just had that feeling about Stuart, I know what he’s like. He seemed to have his right head on today and he knows that and he’ll be the first to admit that. It’s very important for Stuart to have his right head on and he did.

“He had five chances and scored three so you can’t ask for any more! When Stuart King’s on fire, Stuart King’s a goalscorer and no-one can never take that away from him.”

Despite winning, Halsey wasn’t pleased that supporters didn’t see their trademark slick passing game.

“I’m just disappointed how we played today to be honest,” he said. “We played well for must be 30 minutes out of the whole 90 minutes and extra-time.

“First 15 minutes, ok, then we went off it and then about the last 20, if I’m honest, I’m a honest person, even when we went to two-all I was not happy! I’m happy with the end result obviously, it shows that we’ve ground out and I’m delighted for them!”

He added: “After 15 minutes we decided not to pass the ball short, not to pass the ball to Darren Marsden and not into our forwards feet. When it did go into them the touch wasn’t there and we just gave possession back and that’s happened to us a few times this year.

“It just invites pressure. The centre halves then start getting worried, drop deeper and we’re defending our last third all the time.”

Herne Bay are a football club that should be playing Ryman League Division One South football at least!

It’s amazing that such a big club have gone a number of years without success.

Halsey added: “I’m delighted for John (Bathurst, chairman). It’s our first trophy for 11 years, runners-up three times, runners-up in this, so we’ve broken that eleven year duck. It’s 13 years to the day since Tommy Sampson last won it for Herne Bay.

“I’m glad to be the manager and just pleased for the club. I’m disappointed we didn’t win the league - that’s my little failure of the season - but other than that I’m well pleased.”

Sevenoaks Town boss Simon Jones, meanwhile, said he was proud of his side.

“I thought there were passages of play in that game when they (Sevenoaks) were untouchable and I thought they deserved to get back into the game and they deserved to take the lead when they did,” Jones told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“And then incidents conspired against us. Sometimes I admire their ability to recover from adversity but it’s taken a pretty special finish to beat us.

“Credit to them, the guy scored three good goals and we scored two.”

Jones refused to point the finger of blame to his captain Ward for ultimately costing them the game.

“I can’t see how Danny Ward could do anything else when he did that and I can’t see how the referee can’t send him off anyway for the second booking,” said Jones.

“But not one of the guys in the dressing room has had anything to say. For me it’s team spirit and I thought they worked admirably.

“Hadn’t it been for one moment and a special moment we would’ve taken it through to a penalty shoot-out. I think that’s credit to the boys, the team spirit.”

Jones was full of praise for striker Keroma, who kept the dream alive with his strike.

“That’s what Alfie’s all about, he’s big and strong,” said Jones. “I thought he did exceptionally well. He’s come on at half-time and all the way through to the end he never stopped running and he’s a handful for anybody.

“For me that was a well worked goal and a well deserved goal. People may say that was a bit of a counter attack but football is about scoring goals and that was good play, well played.”

Reflecting on King’s second, Jones added: “We were a bit disappointed. A little mistake that lead to the corner and we had three or four chances to clear it. We couldn’t clear our lines and then it was a pretty emphatic finish.”

Despite defeat, the Sevenoaks squad can hold their heads up high on an excellent season.

Jones agreed: “It’s been a special season. I’ve thanked all the players from the bottom of my heart for what has been a truly memorable season.

“I’ve learnt a lot. I’d like to think they have as well and today is just a minor blip in what’s been a successful season.

“They should be proud of that performance. Let’s be honest about it. Everybody’s already saying that Herne Bay are going to be the champions-elect for next season and to be honest with you I think they were lucky to be level with us in normal time and ok, they’ve taken the advantage in extra-time but we had a man down.”

Sevenoaks Town: Sean Funnell, Ossie Bayram, Michael Cook, Jamie Johnson, Danny Ward, Charlie Burgess, Joe Minter (Alfie Keroma 46), , Danny Twinn, Joe Creasey (Daniel Akpoveta 106), Bill Shinners (John Phillips 91), Chris Walker.
Subs: Malik Fofana, Shaun Mayer

Goals: Bill Shinners 33, Alfie Keroma 73

Booked: Joe Minter 30, Danny Ward 62

Sent Off: Danny Ward 90

Herne Bay: Dan Eason, Simon Moore (David Crofts 80), Sean Bremner, Jamie Maxted, Steve Hanson, Jake Gess (Nathan Eastwood 80), Dan Lawrence, Darren Marsden, Stuart King, Rob Lawrence (James Turner 63), Michael Turner.
Subs: Neil Perkins, Shaun Smith.

Goals: Stuart King 24, 81, 106

Booked: Sean Bremner 43, Jamie Maxted 63, Dan Lawrence 76, Stuart King 107, Nathan Eastwood 113, Darren Marsden 118

Attendance: 375
Referee: Mr Oliver Jackson (Gillingham)
Assistants: Mr Nick Harnett (Ramsgate) & Mr Phillip Rowley (Canterbury)
Fourth Official: Mr Alex Ayling (Dover)