Thamesmead Town 2-1 Whitstable Town - Ryan Briggs can only get better, says McMahon

Saturday 24th July 2010

THAMESMEAD TOWN 2-1 WHITSTABLE TOWN
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 24th July 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Bayliss Avenue

THAMESMEAD TOWN got their pre-season campaign underway with a deserved win over Whitstable Town, which pleased manager Keith McMahon.

McMahon was without first team regulars Lewis Tozer, Scott Mulholland, Bradley Spice, Lea Dawson, Danny Moore and Peter Smith, but summer signing, striker Alex Tiesse netted two goals in 204 seconds - either side of half-time - to seal an impressive win.

Whitstable Town, meanwhile, were without the holidaying Dan Wisker, Sam Denly and Jon Neal, but they also picked up knocks to Gary Sayer and goalscorer Clint Gooding, who had grabbed the Oystermen the lead against the run of play earlier in the game.

McMahon, who was speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards said: “Excellent! A lot of new lads to look at, quite a few bodies out. Hot conditions, first run-out, really good! I’m really pleased we’ve come away with no injuries as well, so (it was) a good run-out for us.”

Whitstable boss Mark Lane, who confirmed he will miss the club’s opening three games to the new season due to his summer holiday, spoke about his disappointment with his side’s defending at Bayliss Avenue.

“I think, yet again, I’ve taken some positives and some negatives out of the game,” Lane told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“I think we started ok. We were playing against a different formation that we haven’t played against before - Thamesmead play 3-5-2, which brings its own problems for us and we couldn’t match them really because I haven’t got natural wing-backs but I thought the players played really well.

“We changed the team around in the second half. We didn’t really show as much as we should’ve done, gave away another silly, sloppy goal away for the second goal.

“We’re still not learning at the moment in terms of defending correctly and we’re letting stupid goals in at the wrong time.”

With talented 29-year-old Ryan Briggs pulling all the strings from the middle of the park, taking the majority of Thamesmead’s SIXTEEN corners, the former Ashford Town star called Kevin Fewell into action early on, the Whitstable keeper palming over the dipping 40-yard effort.

Briggs’ right-foot was causing Whitstable all sorts of problems and his swung-in corner was met by Rob Tarrant, who was also denied by Fewell from close in.

But Whitstable grabbed the lead, against the run of play, after 21 minutes, through player-assistant manager Gooding.

A cross from striker Charlie Partridge, who only lasted 36 minutes, was flicked on by striker Stuart Vahid and Gooding applied the finish, which was adjudged to have crossed the line, despite goalkeeper Sam Mott’s desperate attempts.

Thamesmead squandered an excellent chance to level after 29 minutes, but Tiesse skied a right-footed penalty over the crossbar.

And the former Maidstone United controversially opened his goalscoring account for his new side just before the break.

Briggs once again showed his class by playing a delightful chipped ball over the top of the Whitstable defence and Tiesse brought the balll under control with his hand, rounded Fewell and slotted the ball into an empty net much to the annoyance of the visiting side.

Fewell made yet another fine stop on the stroke of half-time, when he beat out a volley from 16-year-old Thamesmead left wing-back Ben Wilson, following another corner from Briggs.

Lane substituted Fewell for trialist Sean Smith (who played for Kent League neighbours Herne Bay last season), but insisted Fewell’s number one status is safe.

“Kevin’s been consistent all the time I’ve been here and at the moment Sean Smith has done really well on the games that he’s played, but Kevin Fewell, at the moment, will be the number one,” Lane confirmed.

“I think it’s down to me to get the four or five other keeper’s, who are vying to be understudy at the moment.”

Mead boss McMahon also made a change at the break, bringing on last season’s number one Steve Northwood for summer signing Sam Mott, who spent one season at Ramsgate following full-time football at Ebbsfleet United.

“I’ve signed Sam with a lot of reputation and John Macrae at Dartford recommended him,” explained McMahon.

“We had no real competition for Northy and we’ve got competition all over the place and I need a goalkeeper and Steve won’t mind me saying I’ve got to look for the future as well.

“Sam’s very young and I’ve just said to them they’ll both get an equal share of games and I’ll make a decision come a week or two before the season and say whose going to be number one.

“There’s nothing between them so it’s in their hands and today wasn’t the best because neither of them had a huge amount to do so we’ll go on to Dulwich and they’ll do a lot more.”

Smith didn’t have too long to wait before he was picking the ball out of his net - as Tiesse’s clinically taken chip from the edge of the penalty area dropped into the back of the net, after Thamesmead punished slack defending from Whitstable.

The introduction of raw right-winger Raphael Momondu at the break tormented Dan Scorer (who dropped back to left-back for the second half) and Stephen Lloyd, on many occasions during the second half.

On one occasion, Momondu’s cross on the run was knocked down by fellow teenager Callum MacGeegan, but Marcus Perona was denied a goal against his former club, as Smith saved his left-footed volley.

Whitstable’s best goalscoring chances came towards the end of the game as Thamesmead clearly wilted.

Dave Cory (a striker, who was playing on the right-hand side of midfield) rode a challenge from Wilson in the 70th minute and his cross was met by Stuart Vahid’s powerful header, which cleared Northwood’s crossbar.

Six minutes later, Gareth Cornhill’s free-kick was met by another header, this time by substitute Dan Williams, but this was off target.

But Whitstable’s best chance to grab an equaliser should have been taken with three minutes remaining.

Substitute Craig White played the ball from midfield over the top of the Mead back three for Cory to latch on to and he slipped the ball past Northwood but the ball rolled agonisingly wide of the far post.

The striker was forced off through a shoulder injury, after colliding with the Mead keeper, but both managers were pleased with the day’s work-out in warm conditions at Bayliss Avenue.

Briggs was clearly the best player on the pitch - and McMahon insists there is more to come from the midfield play-maker, who hasn’t lost the skills that enabled him to play for West Ham as a youngster.

“Ryan’s a good signing, we new that,” said McMahon. “I’ll be honest, I think there’s a bit more to come from him. He’s a good link-up player for us, he’s linked up in training really well with Marcus (Perona), Scotty Mulholland and Robbie Tarrant.

“He’s such an intelligent footballer, he’s played at a good level. The way we play will suit him down to the ground. He was exceptional. Again, he’s match fitness will come and we’ll see the best out of him.”

McMahon also praised two-goal hero Tiesse.

“He’s done well, he played alongside AC (Andy Constable) first half and then Callum (MacGeehan) for a little bit in the second,” he said. “He gives us something different and he works hard. He’s got a lot of pace, very sharp around the box. He’s had a good pre-season so we’ve got a lot of competition up front this year.”

On the game, McMahon added: “We could’ve won the game by four or five to be honest with the amount of shots and corners that we had and possession of the ball.

“But it was a good proper work-out. It wasn’t a training game, both sides wanted to win.

“It has given me a chance to look at a few new lads and it just shows what a good strong squad we’ve got.”

Lane admitted he wasn’t happy with Alfie Munday’s challenge that forced Gooding out of the game.

Speaking about the 16-year-old’s strong challenge, Lane said: “Clint’s injured the back of his knee. It was one of those tackles that people do in pre-season. I don’t think he’ll be badly injured. He’s got some ice on it now.”

Reflecting on the game itself, Lane said: “I was pleased that a lot of lads got 90 minutes in today. I’ve got two or three trialists, who did ok.

“At the end of the day results do matter. I would like to win games of football, whether it’s pre-season or not. You don’t set out to lose games and when it comes down to it, I’ll sit at home tonight and tomorrow and take the plusses and negativs and we’ll try and work on them in training.”

Thamesmead officials said afterwards that they will be more than happy to travel to The Belmont to play Whitstable in a friendly match next summer.

But after reading an interview with former Maidstone United defender Chris Smalling, who signed for Manchester United for a reported £10m during the summer from Premier League rivals Fulham, it seems that Smalling didn’t enjoy his trip to friendly Whitstable Town three summers ago.

Speaking about his previous pre-season experiences with The Stones, Smalling told Chris Wheeler in today’s Daily Mail, “With Maidstone, we just kept to Kent and there were no luxurious trips. We played Whitstable, who are even lower than Maidstone and that’s definitely a complete change to what (Manchester) United are doing.”

Thamesmead Town: Sam Mott (Steve Northwood 46), Ben Yiadom (Raphael Momondu 46), Ben Wilson (Rob Tarrant 76), Alfie Munday, James Campbell, Richard Styles, Ryan Briggs, Marcus Perona, Andy Constable (Callum Macgeehan 46), Alex Tiesse (Abas Conteh 63), Rob Tarrant (Dennis Le’meanse 63)

Goals: Alex Tiesse 43, 47

Whitstable Town: Kevin Fewell (Sean Smith 46), Kieron Morris (Andy Foster 46), Gary Sayer (Dave Soutan 20), Tom Parker, Stephen Lloyd, Alex Hossick (Dan Williams 57), Gareth Cornhill, Clint Gooding (Craig White 39), Charlie Partridge (Dave Cory 36), Stuart Vahid, Dan Scorer.

Goal: Clint Gooding 21

Attendance: 61
Referee: Mr Paul Beadle (Sevenoaks)
Assistants: Mr Tim Burman (Welling) & Mr Will Sanderson (Margate)