Sittingbourne 2-3 Whitstable Town - Lane: I have no idea where that start came from!

Tuesday 06th April 2010

SITTINGBOURNE 2-3 WHITSTABLE TOWN
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 6th April 2010
Mike Green reports from Bourne Park

An incredible start, a pulsating game and a result that throws matters at both ends of Ryman League Division One South into yet more confusion!

All in all arguable, from neutral point of view, one of the best Kent derbies that this division has produced all season long.

The game swung massively both ways as Whitstable charged into a three goal lead inside 13 minutes only for Sittingbourne to respond with two goals in 90 seconds around the mid way point of the second half before laying siege to the Oystermen’s goal desperately trying to get on level terms.

The defeat for Sittingbourne leaves Gary Abbott’s side six points out of the play-off places (as Leatherhead beat the Met Police 2-0 on Tuesday), and the three points takes Mark Lane’s side level with Ashford and establishes a three point cushion over the bottom two.

“I’m still shell shocked that we’ve lost,” Abbott told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“Whitstable are struggling and yet again we’ve lost to a struggling side. We handed them three goals on a plate in the opening 15 minutes,” the Brickies boss shrugged, “How do we expect to get anything out of the game?

“We had enough chances to get the win, but I honestly can’t believe that we’ve given them three goals with defending that kids football would be ashamed of.

“The boys weren’t at it first half – I was embarrassed and the players must be to on the first half display, but to be fair we knew that they would work hard, but I’m just so annoyed.

“We’re back to the same scenario as last season with the last 10 games when we missed out. We’ve just got to keep going and win every game.

“We missed Tom Bradbrook tonight – hopefully he’ll be fit for Ashford on Saturday – and Joe Horlock will be back from suspension, but I’m just so gutted tonight.

“No one more than me wants to get in those play-off’s more than me but it’s going to be really hard from here.

“It’s not been a good day for us really as I’ve found out that Jimmy Bottle’s torn his ligaments in his knees although he assures me that it’ll only be a week out, Karl Dent’s come off injured and both Elie (Kayembe) and Bourney (Matt Bourne) have hamstring problems.”

Whitstable Town boss Lane was equally as bemused as he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk, ”I’ve no idea where that start came from, but in all honesty in the last two or three games, we’ve played in just one half.

“But tonight I think a lot of the lads were up for the game. We always tend to do well here, but never a start like that – two up in seven minutes and then another early goal to be three up. And what pleased me was that the goals were pretty good football and we could have had more by half time.

“The problem then was keeping our feet on the ground. We knew that we’d have a battle on our hands and that’s exactly what happened – we couldn’t get out of our own half.

“We had some big performances from our defender’s tonight – they were winning headers and putting their bodies on the line – Sam Denly and Steven Lloyd were fantastic at the heart of the defence and Gary Sayer did well sweeping up as we changed our formation tonight.”

Lane also admitted that the final quarter of the game hadn’t been “fun”!

He said: “When the first one goes in you hope that the second doesn’t until the last five minutes, but with 23 minutes to go and we’re hanging on at 3-2 and its all hands to the pump.

“I can’t ask any more of the players than what they did tonight. At the end of the day Sittingbourne absolutely battered us for 20 minutes but we held on.”

It really was a game that both sides could be proud to have been a part of, but the start has got to be one of the most explosive seen at this level all season.

Just 86 seconds had elapsed when a clumsy Billy Manners tackle on David Cory presented Ian Pullman the chance to open the scoring from 12 yards – an invitation he duly accepted sending keeper Deren Ibrahim the wrong way from the spot.

Incredibly, it became two less than three minutes later, when the home defence failed to clear a right wing cross and the ball dropped to Pullman who drilled the ball high into the roof of the net.

Still, worse was to follow before the quarter hour for Sittingbourne. Gareth Cornhill’s free kick from fully 45 yards was allowed to bounce through the penalty and into the net despite the keepers despairing dive to his right.

And whilst the home side could have got back into the game before half time with Elie Kayembe inches away from sliding home Manners’ driven cross; Karl Dent being denied by a smart save from Kevin Fewell in the Whitstable goal and he Whitstable keeper denying Hitcham Akhazzan with his left boot, its also true to say that the visitors could have gone in with five against their name, as twice Ibrahim produced stunning saves to deny Tom Parker's low drive and Cornhill – this time with a free kick from 25 yards that was curling towards the top corner until Ibrahim produced a stunning finger tipped save.

The home side were stung into life after the break thanks for the ear bashing that they must have received from Abbott, and almost immediately, Fewell was called on to bravely deny sub Ryan Golding after Bourne’s driven free kick had been spilled.

Akhazzan then seemed to be obstructed right on the edge of the box by Parker and despite loud home protests, referee Mr Phillip Knight waved the appeals away.

Then just as Whitstable looked to have weathered the storm, Manners ghosted in behind Cornhill to head home past a motionless Fewell to give the home side hope.

Hope that increased just a minute later as Ryan Andrews through ball to Golding saw the substitute tripped, and Nick Reeves stepped up and drilled home the penalty.

All of a sudden half way through the second half there was just one goal in it, and Sittingbourne went for the jugular.

Thing is they found a Whitstable defence (unlike a few occasions this season) who were determined not top be breached again.

Manners was denied by a stunning Sayers tackle; Colin Richmond had a low drive brilliantly turned round the post by Fewell; Akhazzan was denied by Denly after Manners fine cut back, and then in stoppage time Richmond’s flick found Golding but he couldn’t get a decent contact on the ball and almost apologetically it bounced into Fewell’s arms and the chance – and the points – were gone.

Sittingbourne: Deren Ibrahim, Ryan Andrews, Joe Dowley, Matt Bourne, Nick Reeves, Billy Manners, Karl Dent (Jamie Nuttall 46), Steve Marshall, Elie Kayembe (Ryan Golding 35) Colin Richmond, Hicham Akhazzan.
Subs: Richard Brady, Alec Hollywood, Joe Foster.

Goals: Billy Manners 67, Nick Reeves 69 (pen)

Booked: Joe Dowley 5, Karl Dent 33

Whitstable Town: Kevin Fewell, Gareth Cornhill, Gary Sayer, Scott Heard, Steven Lloyd, Sam Denly, Clint Gooding, Tom Parker, Dave Cory (David Stubbs 90), Ian Pulman (Stuart Vahid 84), Alex Hossick (Dan Wisker 72).
Sub: Ben Smith.

Goals: Ian Pulman 2 (pen), 5, Gareth Cornhill 13

Booked: Scott Heard 51, Alex Hossick 68, Alex Hossick 68, Ian Pulman 81, David Stubbs 90

Attendance: 169
Referee: Mr Phil Knight (Canterbury)
Assistants: Mr Craig Wood (Gravesend) & Mr Lee Dyson (Gravesend)