Sittingbourne 0-0 Horsham YMCA - It was a frustrating game for us, admits Abbott

Saturday 06th February 2010

SITTINGBOURNE 0-0 HORSHAM YMCA
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 6th February 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Bourne Park

SITTINGBOURNE manager Gary Abbott says the heroic goalkeeping of Horsham YMCA’s goalkeeper Tony Di Bernando denied his side a deserved three points.

The Brickies went into the game having banged twenty goals in their last six games - but they came across a Canadian stopper in top form, making a string of fine saves, and when he was twice beaten the woodwork came to his rescue.

But give Horsham YMCA some credit, as they arrived at Bourne Park unbeaten in their last six games, and were one place below Sittingbourne in tenth place in the Ryman League Division One South table at kick-off.

But Chris White’s side did play some good slick passing football today, although they lacked any cutting edge in front of goal and they did enough to claim a point.

The visiting keeper made his first fine save inside the opening seven minutes when 16-goal Hicham Akhazzan was released through the heart of the visitors defence, and his left-footed drive was blocked by the diving keeper, who managed to get back onto his feet to catch the looping ball.

Sittingbourne’s teenage keeper, Deren Ibrahim, made a smart comfortable low save at his near post after winger Tom Lawley drilled a low shot on the angle, in what proved out to be a bright opening ten minutes.

But the rest of the first half turned out to be disappointing, with the visitors failing to test Ibrahim again before the interval.

Sittingbourne should have broken the deadlock inside stoppage time when winger Jimmy Bottle was released down the left and after cutting in his low shot caressed off the foot of the near post with Akhazzan lurking at the near post ready to pounce.

Horsham YMCA should have scored early in the second half when striker Terry Dodd latched onto Matt Geard’s pass, but he blazed his shot high over the Sittingbourne crossbar when well placed.

Seconds later, Karl Dent, a seventeen-year-old striker who is on loan from Dartford, was thwarted by Di Bernardo, who got a strong right hand to a shot from the edge of the Horsham YMCA penalty area.

Halfway through the second half a throw from Joe Dowley (who earlier had collected his sixth booking of the season) found Akhazzan, and his cross field pass found Dent and his right-footed shot was beaten out by the impressive visiting stopper.

Four minutes later, Di Bernardo was at it again as he made a smart low save from Billy Manners’ right-footed drive from 20-yards, after Tom Bradbrook pulled the ball back from the left by-line.

Sittingbourne struck the woodwork for the second time in the 75th minute in a sustained period of pressure.

Colin Richmond floated a left-wing corner out to the edge of the penalty area and central defender Nick Reeves headed the ball back into the penalty area and Matt Bourne glanced his header off the top of the crossbar from inside a crowded penalty area.

The diving Di Bernando made yet another save inside the final thirteen minutes, when he got a strong hand to Bradbrook’s low drive after the former Dartford striker was released through on goal. Unfortunately for pressing Sittingbourne, Akhazzan could only find the side netting with the follow-up.

Horsham YMCA, meanwhile, almost snatched the victory when Luke Gedling slipped the ball to striker Tom Manton and his low shot trickled onto the foot of the near post, following Ibrahim’s decisive touch.

The Sittingbourne keeper then got his body behind an angled Manton drive from the edge of the penalty area, but both in-form sides had to settle for a goal-less stalemate, which clearly frustrated Abbott, when he spoke to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

The Sittingbourne boss was expecting a lot more, especially considering his side’s 6-1 win at Ramsgate a week ago.

“It was a frustrating game for us after last week,” he said. “I thought their keeper stopped everything to be fair to them.

“You look back on the chances in the second half. We’ve probably had six or seven good chances but you need that little bit of luck. We had it last week, we didn’t have it today.

“I can’t really fault the boys. I wasn’t happy with the first half performance. I just thought our shape, we weren’t tight enough, we were letting them turn, do what they want.

“We made them look like a good side but to be fair they’re not a bad side going forward, midfield, going forward. I thought they were good.

“The left-back (Nigel Brake) was steady but I thought their problems were their two centre halves and I just felt it we were not timing our runs and getting offside. I think it killed us.

“I thought we’ve got to start thinking about things like that because we had the pace to get in behind them and our final ball wasn’t good at all in the first half but it got better in the second half and I can’t fault the boys for the second half performance really.”

Abbott felt Horsham YMCA had strong claims for a penalty in the 71st minute when a challenge from his right-back Joe Horlock appeared to have upended Geard from just inside the penalty area.

“I thought they got a penalty with Joe Horlock,” Abbott admitted. “Some of the boys were saying it was in the box but I thought it was in the box but obviously the referee’s seen it as outside the box, which he’s done us a favour.”

Abbott felt his side created enough chances to win the game.

He said: “But yes they didn’t really hurt us. They had a lot of the ball, their movement was good up front but they didn’t hurt us.

“I think it was one team that was going to score today and that was us but it was one of them. You don’t get the rub of the green and I think we could’ve been out there all night and we wouldn’t have scored but I thought we should’ve got a penalty.

“I can’t see how that was not a penalty! Matt Bourne got across his man and it was a penalty all day. Obviously the referee’s seen it differently and that’s the way it goes.”

“Of course it’s two points dropped after last week! We’ve got to keep the run going.

“We’ve had so much of the game in the second half. It wasn’t going to go in today but man-of-the-match in the second half especially was their goalkeeper.”

Sittingbourne: Deren Ibrahim, Joe Horlock, Joe Dowley, Matt Bourne, Nick Reeves, Billy Manners, Hicham Akhazzan, Colin Richmond, Tom Bradbrook, Karl Dent, Jimmy Bottle (Elie Kayembe 73).
Subs: Matt McHugh, Ryan Golding, Bradley Abbott, Richard Brady.

Booked: Joe Dowley 42, Karl Dent 67

Horsham YMCA: Tony Di Bernardo, Neil Watts, Nigel Brake, Luke Gedling, Tony Timms, Steve Metcalf, Tom Lawley (John Westcott 66), Mike Huckett (Mark Pulling 82), Terry Dodd, Tony Manton, Matt Geard (Gavin Geddes 81).
Subs: Charlie Cooke, James Virgo.

Attendance: 177
Referee: Mr Stuart Franklin (Basildon, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Jeffrey Stanley (Basildon, Essex) & Mr Nick Pavitt (Southend, Essex)