Sittingbourne 1-0 Hythe Town - Abbott in two tug-of-war fights this pre-season

Saturday 25th July 2009

SITTINGBOURNE 1-0 HYTHE TOWN
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 25th July 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Bourne Park

SITTINGBOURNE boss Gary Abbott faces a couple of tug-of-war fights to keep goalkeeper Deren Ibrahim and attacking winger Ben Yiadom at Bourne Park.

Teenager Ibrahim is one of four goalkeepers presently vying for the number one jersey at Ryman Premier League side Dartford, whilst former Croydon winger Yiadom had put pen to paper to sign for Kent League side Erith Town earlier this month.

And it was Yiadom’s 46th minute strike that had won this dull pre-season friendly against big and strong Kent League side Hythe Town, in front of just 64 fans at sunny Bourne Park today.

Yiadom explained to www.kentishfootball.co.uk why he turned out for Sittingbourne today, instead of the Dockers’ home game against Chipstead.

“My bother, whose a scholar (at Watford), he’s down the coast (Dover), so I had to come down and support him,” said the 25-year-old Greenwich based winger.

“I’ve known Abbo (Gary Abbott) and (Richard) Brady for a while, why not come down and get a run out.

“I quite enjoyed it actually getting on the score sheet, I can’t complain. It’s great to get on the score sheet!”

Yiadom has been invited to future training sessions by Sittingbourne manager Gary Abbott, and despite signing Kent League forms for Erith Town, Yiadom appears to be a wanted man.

“Erith’s close to my heart,” said Yiadom, who you may remember played for both Erith & Belvedere and Croydon last summer before opting to sign a contract with the Trams.

“They’re my local side and 8th August I’ll be putting on the Erith shirt, the other red and black shirt.”

Explaining why he opted to leave Croydon, a side that under Mike Robbins is preparing for Combined Counties League football, to sign for the Dockers, Yiadom said: “It’s been great, you only have to come down there and see the talent that they’ve got.

“It’s obviously helped me sign for them because you want to play for the best of the crop really. They’ve got talent down there.”

But the former Greenwich Borough player hasn’t ruled out a move to Sittingbourne, who play one league higher.

“The only issue that I’ve had in the past was travelling, family commitments and work, but I would like to stay close to home.

“But if the opportunity came along, I’m sure Erith will give their blessing (for me) to step it up, proving the circumstances fit, then why not?”

The least said about the first half the better, as both sides could only muster one chance between them.

It arrived in the 13th minute when Hythe striker Pat Kingwell slid the ball through to strike partner Aiden Pursglove, a summer signing from Erith & Belvedere, who rounded Ibrahim and rolled his shot towards goal but Sittingbourne’s impressive right-back, Femi Omogbehin was on hand to clear the ball off the line.

Thankfully, the sparse Bourne Park crowd only had to wait 46 seconds of the second half for what turned out to be the winning goal.

Hythe defender Gavin Ransley was adjudged by referee Mr Simon Finnigan to have tripped striker Hicham Akhazzan and midfielder Colin Richmond, 28-yards from goal, slid a right-footed pass into the box for Yiadom.

Yiadom turned and slammed the ball past goalkeeper Danny Twyman, who got his left-hand to the shot but couldn’t prevent the ball finding the back of the net.

Ibrahim, meanwhile, made his one and only save of the game moments later.

A move involving Pat Kingwell, and substitute Marcus Hodges, released Dave Cook, who turned his marker but was thwarted by Ibrahaim, who advanced quickly off his line to block with his legs.

Movement to and from both benches gave both team’s managerial staff a chance to assess players, and even Brickies boss Gary Abbott refused to name a trialist that had replaced Yiadom in the 64th minute, because that was his last outing for the club.

With more Sittingbourne trialists now on the pitch, Hythe did dominate the game towards the end of this dull encounter.

And they almost grabbed a leveller in the 86th minute when Cook’s right-footed volley from 30-yards flew agonisingly wide of the foot of the far post, with Ibrahim rooted to the spot.

Substitute goalkeeper Tony Allen kept the hosts at bay when he dived to beat out a right-footed drive from substitute Joe Horlock, which flew through a crowded penalty box, after Richmond cut a left-wing corner to him.

“Today was a bit frustrating to be honest with you,” admitted Sittingbourne boss Gary Abbott, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“We’ve gone from playing Dover, when everyone was brilliant and we deserved our (1-0) victory, and obviously we’ve gone to Erith Wednesday (and won 3-1), the first half wasn’t the best and obviously come today, I don’t know, I think we were a little bit off the pace first half to be honest with you.

“We weren’t getting close enough in midfield, didn’t really move the ball as quick as I wanted to, so yes, it was quite frustrating really.”

Abbott wants his side to make Bourne Park a fortress this season, considering their form on the road was much better than on home soil.

“We’ve got to try and keep this as our fortress and not get beat,” he said.

“Our system that we’re playing, although we did change it around after twenty minutes as it didn’t seem to work. We’ve got to compact the midfield and we want to keep our home form (by) winning because last year it let us down big time (and) we’ve got to work on that.”

Abbott, who lost the services of Matt Reed at the end of last season, wants Ibrahim to solve his goalkeeping crisis.

“He knows we want to keep him, we’re just having a little bit of trouble with Dartford at the minute,” revealed Abbott.

“But we know he’s not a Dartford player, he’s not signed anything. As far as I’m concerned he’s a free agent but he wants to clear it with them because he’s (being) coached down there, which is fair enough. We want him to still go down there and do his coaching.

“But he wants to play first team football, he isn’t going to get that at Dartford and he isn’t going to get it at Dover, who called him last week as well.

“He’ll get that here so hopefully that is the main factor on making him sign here. He’s already told me that he wants to sign. The balls in his court and I think 100% sure we’ll get him.”

Dartford boss Tony Burman, meanwhile, told www.kentishfootball.co.uk on Thursday night, “He’s our player and we want to look after him and we’ll do what’s best for the lad and for the club to improve him.

“We’ve all of a sudden got four good goalkeeper’s here so we’ll have to sit down and talk to Deren.”

Abbott faces another fight to persuade Yiadom to play his football in the Ryman League this season.

“He’s going to start with them (Erith Town) on the 8th is he?,” he asked. “It’s two different leagues, you could sort out a (dual-registration) deal, but you can’t play Saturday’s (for both teams).

“I don’t really know really about that one. As far as I’m concerned he wants to sign for us, obviously we’ll have to wait and see on that one.”

Hythe Town went into this game, having scored five goals in both of their opening two friendlies against Vandanel Kent County League opposition in Hollands & Blair (5-1) and Lydd Town (5-0).

But with a trip to Ramsgate to come on Monday night, chairman Paul Markland, who was speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk , as manager Scott Porter was not at the match today, admitted the players in blue came up short against higher league opposition.

When asked that it took Hythe over an hour to get a foothold in the game, Mr Markland, who revealed that his club are debt-free added, “I tend to agree with you, we played it around better (towards the end of the game).

“One-nil’s not a bad result against a very good club in Sittingbourne, one league higher.

“I said today would be our first real test, of course Monday’s (game at Ramsgate is) our second one so I’m pleased with the way it’s shaping up.”

Sittingbourne: Deren Ibrahim, Femi Omogbehin (Ellis Munday 53, Billy Newman 64), Joe Dowley, Matt Bourne (Liam Wybrancia 70), Nick Reeves, Martin Henry (Ben Staples 53), Pat Bissenden (Andre Marques 50), Billy Manners (Joe Horlock 75), Hicham Akhazzan (Jon Neal 49), Colin Richmond, Ben Yiadom (trialist 64).

Goal: Ben Yiadom 46

Hythe Town: Danny Twyman (Tony Allen 83), Tommy Adlington (John Walker 59), Mark Bond (Joe Bullard 75), Sam Marsh (Roy Guiver 70), Gavin Ransley, Gary Clarke (Barry Beaney 65), Dave Cook, Kieran Bryne (Adam Hooper 59), Aiden Pursglove (Marcus Hodges 65), Pat Kingwell (Scott Punton 77), Lee Winfield.

Booked: Tom Adlington 22

Attendance: 64
Referee: Mr Simon Finnigan (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr Chris Myatt (Dartford) & Chris Clarke (Aylesford)