Thamesmead Town 1-2 Sittingbourne - I want to win the league on the smallest budget, says Matt Wyatt

THAMESMEAD TOWN  1-2  SITTINGBOURNE
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 19^th July 2014
Stephen McCartney reports from Bayliss Avenue

SITTINGBOURNE manager Matt Wyatt says his aspiration is to win the Ryman League Division One South title on one of the smallest budgets.
 

The Brickies have played five pre-season friendlies and today’s 2-1 win away to Ryman League Division One North side Thamesmead Town was their third win on the bounce.

After last night’s electrical storms, the home club decided to play their third friendly on their 3G pitch adjacent to the main stadium at Bayliss Avenue, although the game was played in glorious hot sunshine.

Sittingbourne, who utilised 20 of their 21-man squad, took the lead courtesy of an own-goal from Richard Butler, who was one of four Thamesmead players to get through the entire game.

Stuart Zanone drilled home his second goal in pre-season since his move from Southern Counties East Football League side Greenwich Borough for an undisclosed transfer fee to bring Thamesmead Town level.

Sittingbourne clinched victory when substitute Elie Kayembe powered his shot into the corner in the final four minutes.

“Highly delighted. Except for the first 20 seconds and maybe a little bit after that we played very well, better side,” said Wyatt afterwards.

“We started to form a new formation, which was very good. We had two or three players missing.

“It’s not about the result. The performance was very good.  The nice thing is we made nine changes today and we still done very well so it shows the strength-in-depth that we’ve got as well.”

With manager Keith McMahon away on holiday, player-coach Simon Glover, 32, opted to watch the game from the sidelines today.

The Mead have lost two of their three opening warm-up games to the season after suffering relegation after their only Ryman Premier League campaign.

“Not too worried really, it’s just a pre-season game,” said Glover.

“People need to get minutes under their belts. People have had holidays.  We’ve had to look at six, seven, eight players so thoughts really, positives are people got some fitness. Good in patches.

“Result doesn’t mean a lot to us really. It’s all about seeing where people could fit in, where we want to play, seeing what players could do what and who needs minutes really.”

When asked how it felt being in charge in McMahon’s absence, Glover admitted: “I prefer Keith being here! Of course we’re going to miss Keith, he’s the number one man. It’s an enjoyable experience for myself as well, good experience I guess.”

Thamesmead Town striker Kembo Darboe will go down for the miss of the season so far, only ten seconds after Sittingbourne kicked off the game.

Justin Ascheri – who has signed from Corinthian – broke down the left and curled the ball past visiting goalkeeper Adam Molloy towards the far post and Darboe somehow hooked the ball over an empty goal from two-yards.

Glover said: “I don’t know how he missed it! It was harder to miss it! I don’t know what he’s seen.  He reckons he had a headlight in the daylight, who knows?

“It’s one of those things. Again, I’m not really worried. I think he missed two good chances.  I think we had seven good chances in that game really to score goals so it was good that we’re getting chances.  It’s just our finishing was a bit poor.”

Wyatt added: “To be honest with you, I told the players to keep it tight for the first 20 minutes.  Obviously they’ve listened to everything that I said because within the first ten seconds from our centre they nearly scored!”

Relieved Sittingbourne were to be denied too, after only 71 seconds when striker Daniel Hughes got in behind the defence and his right-footed shot was beaten away by goalkeeper Rob Budd low to his left.

Sean Roberts played the ball up to Richard Butler in midfield, who swept the ball out wide to Kerry Kedze, who cut inside and his low curling left-footed drive was parried by the Sittingbourne keeper, diving low to his right.

Sittingbourne striker Stephen Okoh was released through on goal and stabbed the ball past the onrushing Budd, but Butler chased back and managed to clear the ball off the line.

Thamesmead Town left-back Ashley Probets floated a cross into the Sittingbourne penalty area, which was cut back by Darboe for central midfielder Ross Murphy to blast his first time volley over the bar from 25-yards.

All those chances came in a frenetic opening 16 minutes, before the game started to settle down.

Sittingbourne keeper Molloy, one of three players to get through the entire game, made a comfortable save after Roberts failed to get power behind his left-footed shot from 20-yards after he received the ball from a square pass from right-back Michael Azayia.

Sittingbourne boss Wyatt was furious when he lost central midfielder Nick Dunsdon through injury – before losing Akhazzan later on in the game.

He said: “I think if that was a normal game he would’ve got sent-off (for the foul on Dunsdon).  I don’t know. Definitely a booking a two-footed tackle I thought.

“Hich has just gone over on his ankle.  I don’t think that was much of a foul to be honest with you but they’ve gone off for cautious really. 

“I think Dunsdon will maybe be out for a few days and Hich.”

But Sittingbourne took the lead after 34 minutes, courtesy of Butler’s own-goal.

Brickies’ right-back Tom Brunt made progress down the right before whipping in an excellent cross which curled around Budd and Butler stretched in an attempt to clear his lines but steered the ball into the top left-hand corner instead.

Wyatt said: “That’s quite funny because my partner works in the same school as Richard Butler! She works in the same class as Richard Butler in the same primary school.

“We’ve tried to do a new formation and getting wing-backs pushed on and we’re trying to teach the players to put the ball in the right area and I think Tom done it very well, listened and put the ball in the right area so it was good.”

Glover added: “Good finish! Did he put it in the top corner Buts? Good finish. Wrong end!  I think he was over stretching to clear it. Sometimes those things happen, never mind!”

Referee Steve Bates called the first of two water breaks in the 38^th minute, before four chances were created before half-time.

Derek Duncan, who started in the midfield before slotting in at left-back during the second half, sent his left-footed curling free-kick just over the Sittingbourne crossbar from the edge of the D.

Sittingbourne wasted some decent chances when Okoh cut the ball back and Akhazzan looped his first time shot wide with his left-foot.

Okoh was released down the right and floated in a cross where the unmarked Akhazzan glanced his header wide.

But Sittingbourne produced a brilliant move which should have doubled their lead at the end of the half.

The diminutive Gary Webb released Okoh down the right and the striker whipped in a quality cross into the area where the unmarked Hughes hooked his right-footed volley agonisingly over the bar.

It was a clear cut chance that must be taken in the Ryman League.

Wyatt said: “What we’ve got to maybe do is when we’re on top is to finish our chances off a little bit more but that will come with experience but overall we done very well.”

Glover made four changes during the interval while Wyatt made his second substitution with Kayembe entering the fray.

Wyatt went on to make a further seven changes during the second half.

Sittingbourne created the first chance of the second half in the 56^th minute following a short corner.

Dan Keyte played the ball to Webb and Keyte swung in a cross into the box where Kayembe drifted away from his marker to glance his header past the far post.

Thamesmead Town substitute Lesley Thompson exchanged a one-two with Roberts but his shot brought a fine save out of Molloy.

The impressive Webb charged down the left hand side before he cut the ball back to the unmarked Kayembe, who blasted his left-footed shot high over the bar from eight-yards.

But Thamesmead Town punished Sittingbourne’s profligacy by levelling in the 61^st minute.

Zanone picked the ball up outside the box, cut inside and drilled a low right-footed shot from 22-yards, which nestled into the bottom left-hand corner.

Glover said: “We’re trying to get minutes under his belt. It’s a good finish.

“I hope he’s alright for Tuesday (when we’re at home to Leatherhead). He’s picked up a little ankle knock. I thought it was a good finish.  I think he just needs minutes. I didn’t want to kill him on the Astroturf because sometimes it’s quite hard on your joints, some of the older boys have to be aware of that.”

Wyatt added: “Stuart’s a very, very good player.  I used to coach him at Rochester. You give him a chance to finish, he will finish.  Fair play to Stuart, I wish him all the best.”

Thamesmead Town could have won it inside the final eighteen minutes following a good move involving four substitutes.

Josh James played the ball into Zanone’s feet and he spun the ball to Ryan McFarlane who played in Adem Ramaden, who was denied by quick thinking from Sittingbourne keeper Molloy.

Sittingbourne substitute Zimba Nyanbauka fluffed his lines when he was played in behind the Mead’s back-four but lacked composure and scuffed his shot into the gloves of substitute keeper Vincent Francis.

Molloy made a comfortable save to thwart McFarlane, before Sittingbourne won it on the break.

Ethis Izokun played a sublime diagonal pass in behind Duncan and Lewis Tozer for Kayembe to latch onto and the striker drilled a low left-footed shot past Francis for the ball to nestle sweetly inside the bottom right-hand corner.

Wyatt said: “Ethis has just signed today. He’s just been on trial from Romford.

“The boy Elie is always scoring goals but he needs to get fit so he’s going to be a handful at this level.”

Glover added: “The goal’s just from our mistakes really. The ball’s gone inside and we’ve got caught on the break. Tired legs. It was always going to be one of those. They were going to nick it or we were going to nick it, but good finish!”

Both Glover and Wyatt were asked about the positives and negatives from today’s work-out, which came three weeks before the start of their league campaigns.

Glover said: “Positives? Minutes. Negatives? Again it’s a positive that we’ve got to work on. I got to see a lot of players today, a lot of people got minutes. I got to see what people can do and I think it’s good room to work on.”

When asked which of the new faces impressed, Glover hesitated for a bit before replying, “I think Justin Ascheri worked hard first half. I thought he done alright.

“It’s just fits and starts really. I think there was no real outstanding performances for me today if I’m brutally honest.

“I think a few people have got to improve.  There was no outstanding performances to be fair.

“The young lad Ryan (McFarlane) who came in had good spells, quick, agile.  Adem (Ramadan) done alright when he came on.  That’s as much as I can say really. Stuart (Zanone) took his goal well.”

Wyatt added: “I thought the back four was outstanding. I thought David Fleming whose just turned 17 a couple of weeks ago came on and done very well. 

“Oliver Brown, George Crimmen, Jono (Richardson), (Adam) Molloy.

“Overall I thought there was a lot of positives for us, a lot of positives.”

Wyatt said he was pleased with his three wins on the bounce.

“It’s nice to win but results do not matter to me but to win three games on the trot is very nice.”

When asked if he knows his starting XI for their league opener at Corinthian-Casuals in three weeks’ time, Wyatt revealed: “No! I would say if I’m being honest with you now, I probably know six, maybe seven, who I would be looking to in my head.

“The others, I’ll probably think that there’s probably five shirts up for grabs between thirteen players.”

Wyatt made a bold statement when he was asked his aspirations for the season ahead.

“Win it! I’m not going to say I’m going to do it. That’s what we’re aiming to do.  That’s what I’d love to do.

“We’ve got one of the smallest budgets in the league so the aspirations is to win it.

“I’d love to get in the play-offs but we’ve got to be realistic and not get carried away.

“We’re on the smallest budget, we’ve got one of the inexperienced sides so can we win it? Probably not! That’s what I’m setting out to do.

“I would like the club to be midtable with a good cup run. That’s probably like a realistic target but we are going out to try to win the league because I think if you’re not going out to try to win it, you might as well not be in it!”

Glover, meanwhile, explained why the match was switched on the artificial surface next door.

“It would have been nice to be on the pitch but we’ve got to go on the air of caution.   These are only friendlies and the season’s coming up. It’s important the pitch holds up for the whole year so it’s been a good choice.”

Thamesmead Town: Rob Budd (Vincent Francis 46), Michael Azayia (Ryan McFarlane 46), Ashley Probets (Josh James 57), Richard Butler, Lewis Tozer, Ross Murphy (Alhassan Ali 70), Sean Roberts, Derek Duncan, Kerry Kedze (Lesley Thompson 57), Kembo Darboe (Stuart Zanone 46), Justin Ascheri (Adem Ramaden 46).

Goal: Stuart Zanone 61

Booked: Derek Duncan 33

Sittingbourne: Adam Molloy, Tom Brunt (Cameron George 70), Gary Webb (Ethis Izokun 63), Oliver Brown (Daniel Fleming 49), George Crimmen, Jono Richardson, Nick Dunsdon (Beau Taylor 28), Dan Keyte (Stefan Wright 66), Stephen Okoh (Joe Lester 58, Zimba Nyanbauka 76), Daniel Hughes (Elie Kayembe 46), Hicham Akhazzan (Curtis George 54).
Sub: Sean Bazell

Goals: Richard Butler 34 (own goal), Elie Kayembe 86

Attendance: 50
Referee: Mr Steve Bates (St Albans, Hertfordshire)
Assistants: Mr Jack O’Here (Brentford, Middlesex) & Mr Jamal Horne (Croydon, Surrey)