Sittingbourne 1-0 Walton Casuals - Lovell not pleased with performance as his side go joint top

SITTINGBOURNE 1-0 WALTON CASUALS
Tuesday 31^st October 2006
Ryman League Division One South
Stephen McCartney reports from Bourne Park

Sittingbourne manager Steve Lovell blamed the weather conditions for his side’s poor performance - despite stretching their unbeaten run to eight games tonight.

Lee Browning’s third goal of the season, six minutes into the second half, helped Lovell’s side move into third place in the Ryman League Division One South table, sharing 23 points with Dulwich Hamlet and Fleet Town.

But had Walton Casuals taken their chances then it would have been the Surrey side that would have won this first contest between the two clubs.

However, Sittingbourne’s lowest crowd of the season, were clapping their side off the pitch with another three points in the bag.

Sittingbourne goalkeeper Steve Williams made the first save of the match inside four minutes when he denied Kris Webb, after a cut back from the left by-line by Jack Watkins.

Browning’s ball over the top carved open a good chance for the north Kent side after 13 minutes but former Lordswood striker Andy Doerr, whose scored ten times this season, lifted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper and wide of the left upright.

Good defending from Paul Ainsworth at the other end prevented Watkins’ getting a decent shot on goal and Williams was able to make a comfortable save, following Webb’s right-footed cross.

Mark Lovell went close for Sittingbourne after 20 minutes when Doerr’s cross from the right caused panic in the visitors penalty area, but Lovell drove a shot agonisingly past the foot of the left post from 18-yards.

Both sides created chances but were unable to break the deadlock in the first period.

Anthony Gale’s hanging free-kick was met by a towering header from John Ambridge, which was wide of the near post and at the other end Sittingbourne skipper Kieran Marsh’s long-range shot was too comfortable for Matt Reed.

On the half-hour mark Jamie Crowe’s cross from the left was met by Webb, but he powered his header just wide.

Browning’s angled right-footed drive from 30-yards flew straight down Reed’s throat at his near post.

Marsh whipped in a cross from the right but Lovell’s header looped wide but Walton Casuals squandered an excellent chance to score after 36 minutes when nine-goal top-scorer Craig Carley flashed a shot agonisingly past the foot of the far post.

Doerr fired a couple of chances over the bar before Reed did well to spread himself as he rushed off his line to prevent Lovell scoring his ninth goal of the season from the left-hand side of the penalty box on the stroke of half-time.

But the 121 fans that braved the windy and cold conditions were celebrating when Browning’s angled low drive crept inside the foot of the near post, in off the goalkeeper.

Williams, who later turned his ankle, which prevented him taking goal-kick’s, made a fine save from Watkins’ long range shot, before another shot from the same player dropped over his crossbar.

The Sittingbourne goalkeeper then pulled off an acrobatic save when he tipped over Ambridge’s 30-yard effort.

Sittingbourne were unable to get the ball out of their half as Walton Casuals played three men up front, but despite their pressure the Surrey side were unable to find a way through.

Their best chance falling to Kris Sedgwick, who drilled a shot past the far post with five minutes remaining.

But boss Lovell was not very pleased with his side’s performance, as they look forward to Bath City’s visit to Bourne Park in the second qualifying round of the FA Trophy on Saturday.

“A good three points,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk:  “Not the best game in the world. I think the people who didn’t turn up here tonight made the right decision because it wasn’t a very good game of football.

“The weather and the wind and everything spoilt it but we didn’t play well and still won.

“As I say, it helps to get the three points but I’m a bit disappointed with the way we played especially with the way we’ve been playing in the last three or four weeks.

“But never mind I had players out through injury and the boys that came in did a very good job and we got the three points.”

Lovell is, however, confident his goalkeeper will recover from the turned ankle he picked up tonight.

The Welshman has spoken to his former Gillingham team-mate Peter Beadle as he looks forward to playing Bath City on Saturday.

“I spoke to Peter Beadle, the Newport (County) manager and he knew a little bit about them,” revealed Lovell.

“They’re a good footballing side. They will come here and they’ll give us a very good game and hopefully we’ll give them a good game.

“We’re the underdogs and we’ll go into it with hopefully 11 fit players, because I’ve got quite a few injuries now.

“So hopefully a few of them will clear up by the weekend and I can put a team out that can do us proud.”

But the Bourne Park outfit go into the game flying high in the Ryman League Division One South table.

“It’s a nice position to be in,” said Lovell. “But I’m disappointed, you always look at the performance. Tonight we weren’t very good because we just couldn’t get out of our half second half.

“But we defended well so that’s the main thing, another clean sheet and that’s something to be positive.”

Lovell admitted his side played a lot more better during their 3-1 win at local rivals Chatham Town at the weekend.

Praising Walton Casuals, Lovell said: “Most of the teams we’ve played his year have been very good footballing sides.

“Tonight was no exception. I thought they played very well. They knocked the ball around, especially second half when they had the wind up their backs and they weren’t a bad side at all.

“These are the kind of results people will dig out and win, rather than draw or lose them so three points tonight, it helps towards our cause.

“I still believe we have been playing very well and Saturday against Chatham we were brilliant.

“Tonight we were just as bad as we were good on Saturday but that was nothing to do with us, it was to do with the conditions.

“The wind absolutely spoilt it for us. We couldn’t get the ball down and do anything but hopefully the wind will die down Saturday and we’ll be able to get it down and pass it.”