Sheppey & Sheerness United 7-0 Erith 147 Sports - It's a fantastic day for the club, says Kevin Hake

SHEPPEY & SHEERNESS UNITED  7-0  ERITH 147 SPORTS
Haart of Kent County League Premier Division
Saturday 17^th May 2014
Stephen McCartney reports from Holm Park

SHEPPEY & SHEERNESS UNITED manager Kevin Hake says it's a fantastic day for the club after sealing promotion to the Kent Invicta League in style.

The Ites finished runners-up in the Haart of Kent County League Premier Division table with 64 points from 28 games, but will gain promotion because champions Metrogas (who collected one more point) failed to meet the ground grading criteria.

The Ites chalked up a comfortable 7-0 win over Erith 147 Sports – who only turned up with ten-players and wilted in the heat.

Striker Dan Bradshaw took his goalscoring tally for the season up to 37 with a hat-trick. 

Former Thamesmead Town striker Baff Addae scored twice before substitute Grant Groom scored with a screamer and influential captain Russell Jeffrey converted a late penalty.

“It’s really nice to finish the season with a nice victory,” said Hake, 38, after his side’s 21^st league win of the season.

“We knew we had to go out there to win today or at least get a point to guarantee promotion and after the disappointment of not winning the league last week it was just very important that we put on a decent show for our fans.

“It’s very important we finish the season on a high and we showed everyone what we could do.

“We only assembled the team at the start of the season and to go and do what we’ve achieved is beyond our wildest dreams to actually do it in our first season so hats off to the boys, hats off to the management and hats off to everyone behind the scenes as well because without everyone working in harmony you can’t get promotions like this.

“Because with the ground it’s got to match what’s going on, on the pitch hand I think at the moment the ground, the pitch, everything, we’ve done it.  We’re up in the Invicta League. Fantastic and fair play to the boys for achieving it!”

Sheppey & Sheerness United – who are waiting on Kent FA approval to revert their name back to Sheppey United next season – received initial approval 40 minutes before kick-off that Holm Park was given the green light to stage Kent Invicta League football next season.

Joint-chairman Matthew Smith said before the game: “It’s been a bit of a journey to be honest with you!  

“We’ve ticked all the right boxes so as long as the boys do it on the field today and get a win we’re definitely up.

“We’ve spent over £50,000 in the clubhouse doing it all up and now we’re just waiting for the Football Foundation monies to come through to finalise floodlighting, stand and hard standing around the pitch.

“It’s all got to be in place by 31^st March next year to stay in the Kent Invicta and that’s the same for all the Kent Invicta League sides that are there at the moment.”

Despite losing the league title last weekend when they lost 3-0 away to Metrogas, there was no sign of lingering disappointment as the Islanders cruised to a comfortable victory.

Erith 147 Sports’ manager Andy Freeman named fourteen players on his official team sheet that was handed in to referee Wayne Cooksey, but only ten took to the field as Joe Abbott (listed at number seven) and subs Michael Hare, Joe Diggins and Mike Kirkland all failed to turn up.

Freeman revealed afterwards that the quartet were stuck in traffic, but the news will not go down well at third-placed APM Contrast (who beat last season’s title winners Hildenborough Athletic 1-0 at Honey Lane) who were hoping to snatch the sole promotion place if the Islands slipped up.

Freeman said: “Very tough day, not a very good day at the office playing 90 minutes with ten players, very hard. 

“We had four players stuck on the motorway broken down, not a lot you can do!

“I thought my boys done very, very well.  We gave them two silly little goals. It’s very hard to come back from that, very hard, especially on a hot day like this.  There’s not a lot you can do about that to be truthful.”

Hake added: “These things happen! Unfortunately when the season goes on this long to the seventeenth, you don’t expect it to go on for this long!

“We had seven players out today but we still wanted to play the game.  We believe that you should play a fixture. You get a team out. We’ve got a reserve team, we’ll always get the fixture out.”
 
Sheppey & Sheerness United dominated the entire game and referee Mr Cooksey seemed to have felt sorry for Erith 147 Sports after blowing his final whistle 25 seconds early!

Sheppey & Sheerness United opened the floodgates early, taking the lead inside the opening five minutes.

Bradshaw cut in from the right and played the ball to Addae, who cut the ball back to Lewis Gransden who set-up Bradshaw to slam the ball past Mark Rogers from six-yards.

Hake said: “Dan’s been outstanding for us all season!  Obviously it’s highlighted when you do end up with that many goals. I look forward to him playing in the Invicta League and pushing on and getting goals at the higher level.

“But it’s not just about Dan.  It’s about the whole team, the whole squad.  We’ve got the best strikers’ record, the most goals scored in the league. We’ve got the best defensive record in the league.  It’s just a shame we didn’t win the title.”

Freeman added: “Bad mistake by us, simple as that. When you make silly mistakes like that against sides who score goals, you’re always up against it.”

Sheppey & Sheerness United’s left-back Scott Foster whipped in a quality free-kick from the left but Addae stuck out his right leg to guide his volley over the bar from eight-yards.

Addae picked the ball up before dancing forward before he stroked his left-footed drive across the keeper and past the far post from 25-yards.

Erith 147 Sports’ should have equalised with a great chance after seventeen minutes.

Scotty Allen swung in a right-footed free-kick in from the left and Danny Roots came up from the back to plant his towering header over the bar.

Freeman said: “If you don’t take them you’re always up against it unfortunately.

“Goals win games and that’s one of our biggest problems this year. We make so many chances, we never take them!  Against the better sides you’ve got to do that, simple as that!”

That was to be the closest that Erith 147 Sports were to making this game a contest as Sheppey & Sheerness United showed that they’ll be competing for the Kent Invicta League title next season.

Jeffrey clipped a ball out of defence to release Dan Patterson down the left who cut the ball back to Addae, whose shot was cleared off the line.

Gransden then clipped the ball forward and a poor back header from Roots was latched onto by Bradshaw, but he drilled his shot straight at Rogers.

It continued to be one-way traffic but frustration crept into the home side’s ranks where Addae and Patterson started to argue.

But Addae shock that frustration out of his mind when within seconds he released Bradshaw through on goal but Rogers did well to come off his line to smother the ball at the striker’s feet.

The home side produced a sweeping move in the 32^nd minute when Suliman Charm exchanged a one-two with Addae outside the right corner of the penalty area before Addae and Bradshaw linked up and Gransden swept a first time left-footed shot straight at Rogers from ten-yards.

Sheppey & Sheerness United doubled their lead in the 38^th minute, courtesy of a goalkeeping mistake from Rogers.

Rogers attempted to pump the ball forward with his right-boot but the clearance went straight to Addae and a striker who started this season playing in the Ryman Premier League was not going to miss.

Addae kept his composure and slotted his right-footed shot across the keeper for the ball to roll into the bottom left-hand corner.

Hake said: “The thing is if you put Baff in front of goal, he’s going to score. He’s a fantastic striker and we’re blessed.”

Freeman added: “I don’t think anybody would miss them there wouldn’t they? In front of goal, pick any corner, which he did.  You’re not going (to miss).

“I’m not going to have a moan about that. When you’re starting with ten men you’re always going to be up against it.

“I think we controlled the game to a certain extent but we’ve given them two silly goals.”

Addae and Charm linked up well again on the right and the ball came out to Foster who stretched to poke his shot wide of the far post.

Jeffrey then played the ball inside to Sean Palmer, who teed-up Gransden, whose right-footed drive appeared to be going wide but Rogers dived to his right to push the ball around the post to make a morale-boosting save.

Patterson – who was later forced off through a knee injury – linked up with Addae down the left and Gransden, who often linked up with the front two, dinked his right-footed shot into Rogers’ arms for a comfortable save.

Poor goalkeeping from Rogers almost gifted Sheppey & Sheerness United a third goal, just 35 seconds into the second half.

Patterson whipped in a low cross from the left which should have been meat and drink for the goalkeeper, but he spilt the ball at his near post and was relieved to see the ball trickle behind for a corner.

Erith 147 Sports ventured forward in a brief good spell but they lacked any quality in many positions and were totally thrashed.

Charm’s clever diagonal free-kick released Bradshaw through on goal but he drilled his right-footed shot past the foot of the near post whilst under pressure from a sliding challenge.

Sheppey & Sheerness United scored their third goal in the 55^th minute as Addae scored his ninth goal of the season.

Sean Palmer picked the ball up in midfield and penetrated forward before running into a brick wall.  The ball was picked up by Addae, who cut inside and with space opening up in front of him, he drilled a left-footed shot towards goal, a deflection deceiving the diving goalkeeper.

When asked which of his players the ball deflected off, Freeman replied: “I don’t know, I don’t know! But again a bit of luck like that could go either way. It’s the end of the season, when you’ve got nothing to go for, it’s very hard, very, very hard.”

Hake added: “Baff will always draw the defender and draw the challenge and you’re always going to get things like deflections and things like that happening.

“He’s an outstanding player and his contribution today and the team’s contribution today was all about getting the whole squad involved.  We had a few players out today so it’s a shame they can’t share in our promotion but they’ve booked holiday’s etc because you expect the league to be over in the middle of May!”

Rogers then dived to his right to make a comfortable save to deny Bradshaw before the home side scored their fourth goal just 131 seconds after their third.

Charm’s skill rode a lunge from Erith 147 Sports’ left-back Ryan Townrow and he played a short pass to Addae, who crossed low towards the far post where Bradshaw steered his shot into the far corner from close range.

“Lovely finish!” said Hake.

“Dan has scored goals for fun all season.  His strike rate is absolutely phenomenal.  He’s been at this club for just over a season now. He finished the latter part of the season fantastic and he’s just started where he’s left off. 

“We probably missed him for the first two games of the season because we did open up with two losses and unfortunately things like that just come back and haunt you but the transition of the team from the two games to where we are now is colossal so we just need to take that in to next season and work really hard over pre-season which we will be.”

Freeman added: “It’s got to be the easiest of goals that he’s got all year. He aint going to miss from two-yards out when there’s no one in front of you!”

It was now a case of how many Sheppey & Sheerness United would score during the last half-an-hour as Erith 147 Sports struggled to cope with a lack of numbers in the heat.

The home side were running at Erith 147 Sports at will and missed a number of chances.

Goalkeeper Ben Smart launched a big kick straight down the middle of the pitch, which was flicked on by Bradshaw to release substitute Groom, who cut the ball back across the face of goal for the onrushing Patterson to blast his first time shot over the bar from six-yards.

Patterson then cut the ball back which found its way to Patterson, whose right-footed drive sailed over the keeper’s shoulder and crashed against the crossbar.

Bradshaw was then played in behind the defence and swept his right-footed shot across the goalkeeper towards the bottom far corner, but Rogers made a brilliant diving save to his right to scoop the ball around the post for a corner.

Freeman said: “Again, I’m not going to fault any of my players today. It could have been 20-0 and I wouldn’t had faulted any one of them.

“Their attitude has been spot on. Even when we was 5-0 down they were fighting for every ball. They wanted to get the ball down and they wanted to play it.

“The conditions don’t help when it’s this hot and you’re playing with ten-men.  They can make changes. I can’t make one and that’s the difference. If I could’ve, it might have been a different game.”

The resulting corner was cleared away to substitute Groom, who cracked a right-footed screamer into the top right-hand corner of the net from 35-yards to make the score 5-0 in the 65^th minute.

Hake said: “Great strike! I just said to him enjoy and go on for the last half-an-hour. Enjoy the game and he certainly did!

“He scored an absolute peach of a goal! I thought he was a menace all afternoon and he certainly gave me something to think about for next season with a performance like that!”

Freeman simply added: “It could’ve gone anywhere! A bit of glory, why not?”

If this was a Boxing fight then the referee would have called a halt to proceedings.

A hooked pass from Groom released Bradshaw through on goal but his shot was blocked by the keeper’s legs as he came out to narrow the angle.

A volleyed clearance from Sheppey & Sheerness United substitute Gary Hake released substitute Lyndon Rowland (who offered words of encouragement to his team mates whilst out on the bench and on the bench) and the former Maidstone United striker played the ball out wide to Groom, who played the ball inside for Bradshaw to lash his shot over the bar.

“We’ve got Lyndon, he’s going to be involved with the club next season, which is fantastic and to have that strike-force here we’re truly blessed,” said Hake.

After a break in play through injury, Erith 147 Sports did have a shot on target saved when Allen hit a speculative shot straight at Smart from 40-yards.

And at the other end Bradshaw floated over a cross into the penalty area where Palmer planted his header over the bar.

Erith 147 Sports were reduced to nine men for the final 12 minutes when midfielder Matt Arber walked off the pitch with an ankle injury.

Freeman said: “Unfortunately since Christmas we’ve had injury-upon-injury and it’s very hard to get the calibre (of player) back that we’ve had.

“He’s been struggling Matt for the past month, five weeks with an ankle injury and we strapped it up today, but the pitch was rock hard.”

The away side ventured forward and created their next chance in the final six minutes.

Townrow progressed down the left before whipping in a cross which sailed over everybody’s heads towards the far post where right wing-back Nick Crowe produced an acrobatic hooked volley, which was deflected wide for a corner.

But Sheppey & Sheerness United scored their sixth goal in the final four minutes.

Charm comfortably beat Townrow (who is also a committee member of the club)  down the right and centred low across the face of goal where Bradshaw turned the ball in from close range.

Charm slotted in at right-back during the second half after playing further up the pitch in the first half.

“We expect all of our players to play in different positions and Sully slotted in at right-back because we thought we could get a lot out of him because they were getting a lot of the possession of the ball.  He drew the defender and he crossed it in.  Fantastic! That’s what we like to see. We like to play with pace and width and fortunately we’ve got it in abundance.”

Freeman, meanwhile, praised skipper Ben Tutt, who played in the heart of his defence.

“My centre half Ben Tutt marshalled him (Bradshaw) well to be fair.  The whole game, I thought he was superb today, my captain. I’m not going to fault anybody today.”

Tackles were flying in on Sheppey & Sheerness United players inside the Erith 147 Sports penalty area and referee Cooksey blew for a penalty when Townrow lunged in to send Palmer sprawling to the deck.

Jeffrey stepped up from the heart of defence to rifle his right-footed penalty into the top left-hand corner to score the home side’s 88^th league goal of the season in the 89^th minute.

Freeman said: “Stupidity! You can’t dive in at people, especially you can’t dive in the box. A blatant penalty.  He’s been doing very well this year.  Again, you’ve got to stand on your feet. If you do that in the box you’ll always give a penalty away.”

Courageous captain Jeffrey was playing through the pain barrier after his wife passed away last week.

It would be apt to dedicate the defender’s fifth goal of the season to his wife.

An emotional Hake said: “A special mention had got to go to him because he’s been our leader all season. He’s been absolutely fantastic to actually have the balls to be here today just over a week after his wife’s tragic passing is quite frankly unbelievable but it’s not when you consider he’s RJ because the guys a leader, he’s a warrior and he’s here today.

“He’s put in an exemplary performance in where we finished with a clean sheet and he capped it all off with him scoring a goal and fair play for him for doing that.

“RJ has been an absolute warrior and is everything that this club stands for and he’ll be a force going into the Invicta League next year. He’s be one of our driving force behind us.”

When asked whether he can take any positives away from a 7-0 thrashing, Freeman said he can.

“Yes, I could take a lot of positives from today,” he said.  “If you don’t take positives from a game you shouldn’t be a manager.

“At the end of the day they probably deserved, I don’t know about seven but probably five would’ve been if we didn’t give the two sills goals we gave them. I would have been happy with that but we never stopped trying.”

This was the end of Erith 147 Sports’ first campaign at this level and they finished in seventh-place (out of fifteen) with 47 points from 28 games.

“Since it’s our first year in the top league, we’ve given a few scares to a few people,” said Freeman.

“I think we should have been top four. After Christmas injuries have played a big part with us and it’s very hard to get the calibre back that we’ve got. It is hard.  It’s hard to keep the momentum going when you keep losing players from injuries.

“But I’ll take that, especially considering where the eighth-team (Hildenborough Athletic) was how far behind (nine points) they were to us.

“We’ve learnt a lot against them this year. Hopefully next year we’ll go on. We’ll get some more players that will come again. Hopefully we’ll push on in the top four next year.”

But Sheppey & Sheerness United can look forward to beginning their climb back up the football pyramid.

“It’s so easy for it to be the Lord Mayor’s show today and the lads to be not up for it but I was pleased that we kept the intensity on, that we got the result,” said Hake.

“At the end of the season it’s very hard to get yourselves up for these sort of games sometimes because you think the season’s sort of over – you expect it to be over but look we’re moving up a level now.

“We’ve got to consider ourselves a part of the Invicta League and we’re just very, very excited and feel very privileged to have the right to take the club forward and go into the Invicta League.

“It’s a fantastic day for the club and I’m absolutely over the moon!

“We appreciate you coming down as well and showing some interest but as you see out there the club’s starting to get a nice little buzz about it now and that’s what we want to build on.”

Sheppey & Sheerness United: Ben Smart, Rob Reardon (Lyndon Rowland 46), Scott Foster, Russell Jeffery, Chris Miller, Sean Palmer, Dan Patterson (Gary Hake 71), Lewis Gransden, Dan Bradshaw, Baff Addae (Grant Groom 60), Suliman Charm.

Goals: Dan Bradshaw 5, 56, 86, Baff Addae 38, 55, Grant Groom 65, Russell Jeffrey 89 (penalty)

Booked: Sulaiman Charm 51

Erith 147 Sports: Mark Rogers, Nick Crowe, Ryan Townrow, Ben Tutt, Danny Roots, Harry Lewis, Joe Abbott, Matthew Mitten, Danny Smyth, Scotty Allen, Matt Arber.
Subs: Michael Hare, Joe Diggins, Mike Kirkland

Booked: Ryan Townrow 70

Attendance: 58
Referee: Mr Wayne Cooksey (Warden Bay, Isle of Sheppey)
Assistants: Mr Paul Franks (Sittingbourne) & Mr Zoltan Konkoly (Maidstone)