Thamesmead Town 3-1 Romford - I thought we were a bit unplayable at times, says Keith McMahon

THAMESMEAD TOWN  3-1  ROMFORD
Ryman League Division One North
Tuesday 21^st August 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Bayliss Avenue

THAMESMEAD TOWN manager Keith McMahon says it was good to bounce back from their opening day defeat and to beat a direct and overly-physical Romford side at Bayliss Avenue tonight.
 


McMahon’s men were defeated by newly-promoted side Witham Town 2-1 at the weekend – Romford went down to a home defeat to Redbridge by the same score too – but they impressed during their comfortable home win over a Romford side that kept the ball in the air and kicked anything in a green shirt.

Thamesmead left-back, Ashley Probets, who scored from the penalty spot on Saturday, continued his rich vein of goalscoring form by converting two penalties tonight after Romford singled out Thamesmead’s highly-talented winger Enoch Adjei.

The pintsized quick seventeen-year-old, who has come off the conveyor belt at Welling United’s Academy, caught the eye and he gave the home side a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes with a quality strike.

With his side 3-0 down, Romford manager Paul Martin made a brave triple substitution after 63 minutes and they threw three men up front and they were rewarded when striker Nick Reynolds opened his account for the new season by pulling a goal back with four minutes left.

McMahon hailed their first win of the season as a “great result.”

He said: “Good bounce back from Saturday’s defeat where to be fair we didn’t play particularly well especially for the first hour, but we set about our game plan well tonight and we looked a handful for the first 35 minutes of the first half and maybe the first 25 of the second half.

“I thought we were a bit unplayable at times so really pleased to get up and running.

“A win is always good,” he added. “We were saying Saturday this is our fifth year in the Ryman League and we’ve never taken a point from the first game of the season.

“If we can put the same run together as we have done in the last few years we’ll be ok, but it gives us confidence going into the weekend’s two fixtures that come in a short time.”

Romford, who should have played with seven players as they by-passed their midfield at any given opportunity, created the first chance of the game inside the opening ten minutes.

Thamesmead midfielder, Lea Dawson, lost possession to Andy Oxby and he threaded the ball through to Reynolds, who cracked a speculative right-footed drive over from 35-yards.

The home side created their first chance within three minutes when Rikki Cable cut the ball back to midfielder Danny Kerrigan, whose speculative left-footed drive also sailed over from 25-yards.

But Thamesmead were awarded their first penalty when striker Rob Carter’s dinked through ball released Sean Roberts, who was tripped by Matt Toms and referee Simeon Potter pointed to the spot.

Probets stepped up and lashed an excellent left-footed penalty high over the diving keeper Atu Ngoy, who stuck out his arm but couldn’t prevent the ball finding the top right-hand corner to give Thamesmead Town a fifteenth-minute lead.

McMahon said: “Two great pens tonight and a great pen on Saturday as well!

“Listen, Ashley’s got a great left foot anyway so if he hits it no-one’s going to save it.

“It’s just the way we’re creating penalties. When you’ve got players in our side that can run at you and the pace we’re going to get pens and the three penalties – we should’ve had another one Saturday as well.”

Thamesmead doubled their lead just five minutes later and the florescent orange shirted visiting keeper was beaten at his near post.

Sean Roberts picked the ball up inside the centre circle and played an excellent diagonal pass to release Adjei – and Romford left-back Bobby Port was left chasing shadows as the teenager drilled a low right-footed drive into the corner.

Adjei, who has the nickname Eggie, left Port scrambled during the time that he tormented the Romford left-back with electrifying pace and skill.

McMahon said: “We’ve got him over from Welling. He came down pre-season and he’s added some life into us.  He’s got unbelievable ability and he’s an absolute character in the changing room. He’s fitted in really, really well.

“There’s a reason why we call him Eggie, but he loves it. He’s adapted to it and he enjoys it.

“I was really pleased with him tonight because on Saturday he didn’t have the best of games.  The last two or three pre-season games, that’s all he’s been here for a few weeks, he was outstanding. I don’t know whether it was the heat or maybe a little bit of nerves, first game of the season for him and playing senior football, but tonight he was outstanding!”

McMahon admitted Adjei, who was making his home debut, relished his battle with Port.

He said: “He terrorised him all night didn’t he? One way or another the bloke was absolutely scared of him!  When he got injured, Eggie said he wasn’t used to some of the things that the full-back was saying to him what he was going to do to him.  He was trying to psyche him out but he kept his head. It didn’t faze him and he’s going to get that as a youngster, but they tried to kick him and he took a few whacks and he got back and he kept going.

“He scored. He got the penalty.  He really had a good game.”

Thamesmead were in full control and Adjei released Carter in behind the Romford defence and his cross was retrieved by Cable at the far post and the striker cut in and unleashed a right-footed drive which only just cleared the crossbar.

Ngoy then made a comfortable save to thwart Dawson, who hooked a shot towards goal from 20-yards from near to the corner of the penalty area, before he got down low to his right to keep out Roberts’ low right-footed drive, which was destined to flash into the bottom left-hand corner.

McMahon said: “Sean’s made his debut for us tonight.  He’s eighteen. He was at North Greenford last year. He comes from West Ham. He asked if he can come over for a trial. We had a look at him.  His attitude is brilliant.  He’s a left-back.  We’ve had a look at how we played and we was lacking that little bit of bite on Saturday and he came on and changed the game for us. 

“He really put some life back and he’s got a bit of ability as you can see. He’s done really, really well. Another great performance for us tonight.”

Romford went close following a 34^th minute corner, which was swung in from the right by Oxby and Reynolds peeled away from his marker to find space on the edge of the box and sent his header sailing just wide of the far post.

Thamesmead Town created another chance when Probets pointed to Carter to where he wanted him to stand and precisely found him at the near post and the striker looped his header into the air before nodding the ball into the keeper’s gloves at the near post.

Romford finally called Thamesmead’s keeper Rob Budd into action inside injury time when Oxby stroked a right-footed free-kick around the four-man wall and the former Ilford stopper made a low save after the ball bounced in front of him.

Referees should protect talented players against tough footballers and referee Simeon Potter failed to do so when Romford central defender Matt Toms went in two-footed to bring down Carter on the stroke of half-time, producing a yellow card for an outrageous challenge.

McMahon said: “You could say there was a couple of x-rated challenges.  There was a couple of off-the-ball on Lea Dawson in the first half as well.

“I’ve never had an issue with Romford. I think when you’re losing and you’re trying the exuberance – it’s a great word – just maybe got to them a little bit and when those two are running at you with pace it’s so easy to mistime a tackle and it does look reckless.

“One of them on Rob Carter was a bad, bad tackle and could’ve done him some damage to be fair and that could’ve warranted a red card.  I’m just glad we’ve come through with no major injuries.”

McMahon felt his side handled themselves well against a nasty Romford outfit.

He said: “I think at this level you expect to compete and they did and so did we, but we showed that we can also mix it if we have to.

“We’ve got some outlets that we try and get the ball down and play if we can but there was a few funny challenges and a few off the ball incidents maybe as well.  I thought we handled it well. We kept our discipline really well as well with some of the silly challenges.

But Thamesmead did their talking on the pitch and Adjei was brought down by Port after he cut in from the right and Mr Potter pointed to the spot again in the 52^nd minute.

Probets stepped up and scored his third goal of the season by sending Ngoy the wrong way to find the bottom right-hand corner with another left-footed effort.

Romford were awarded a free-kick just inches outside the Thamesmead penalty area and Reece Hewitt curled his left-footed free-kick narrowly over the crossbar.

Thamesmead defender, James Donovan, who was immense alongside Lewis Tozer at the heart of defence – and the pair of them must be both suffering from neck ache tonight due to the amount of headed clearances that they had to do during the 90 minutes, should have scored just before the hour.

Probets’ diagonal picked out Adjei out on the right and he whipped in an excellent cross which found Donovan inside the penalty box but he planted his header over from ten-yards.

Romford made their triple change and Port was withdrawn after being run ragged by Adjei and the Essex side pressed Thamesmead with three men up top.

But it was Thamesmead who looked more likely to adding to their scoreline, with Roberts and Cable flashing shots wide and substitute Ryan Flack stroking a right-footed shot which was comfortable saved by Ngoy and the keeper was forced into making a near post save after Flack, another Welling United youngster, tried to beat the keeper at his near post from 30-yards.

Romford did rally late on and Chris Sullivan’s right-footed drive was caught by Budd at his near post after a spell of pin-ball inside the Thamesmead penalty area, before Romford scored a good goal, a late consolation.

Sullivan’s through ball was latched onto by Reynolds, who drilled a shot across Budd to find the corner but despite the striker picking the ball out of the net and trying to quickly re-start the game, Thamesmead snuffed out any unlikely fight-back.

McMahon said: “They threw three or four bodies forward.  They’re always going to have a little bit of pressure with their long ball.  We just switched off a little bit and let him come inside. 

“I think, if I’m right, that’s their only shot on goal.  Rob’s got a few crosses and punched a few crosses really well today but they didn’t really have any great shots or Rob making any saves.   We had a few blocks or whatever. 

“I’m disappointed to concede the margin of three, maybe a little bit more could’ve been right but I was more worried about three points and we got that and that’s got us on our way.”

And it was the home side that were more dangerous going forward and after a move involving Kerrigan and Roberts, Flack left-footed angled drive crashed against the near post with Ngoy well beaten.

Other than Romford’s goal, McMahon said he was really pleased with the way his side defended against a constant aerial threat.

He said: “Our defenders stood solid.  Five minutes to go you’ve got confidence and belief in your defence that they’re going to hold out. They didn’t have a problem whatsoever.  Romford didn’t look like they were going to score and they didn’t in the last five minutes after they did. If anyone was going to score was us – we hit the post straight after they scored.

“You just want to keep your head, keep your discipline and nothing silly, don’t get sent off and I thought they were looking at that a little bit and we showed good discipline in the end and held out really well.”

Thamesmead Town: Rob Budd, Jack Hopkins, Ashley Probets, Danny Kerrigan, Lewis Tozer, James Donovan, Sean Roberts, Lea Dawson, Rob Carter (Ryan Flack 72), Rikki Cable (Richard Butler 82), Enoch Adjei (Adriano Lawson 76).
Subs: Tom  Nyama, Saleem Masari

Goals: Ashley Probets 15 (pen), 52 (pen), Enoch Adjei 20

Booked: Lewis Tozer 33

Romford: Atu Ngoy, James Ishmail, Bobby Port (David Ottley 63), Jack Barry, Matt Toms, Paul Clayton, Andy Oxby (Joe Turner 63), Billy Radley, Chris Sullivan, Nick Reynolds, Reece Hewitt (Lewis Francis 63).
Sub: Michael Sammut

Goal: Nick Reynolds 86

Booked: Matt Toms 45, Paul Clayton 51, Reece Hewitt 55

Attendance: 70
Referee: Mr Simeon Potter (Sutton, Surrey)
Assistants: Mr Karl May (Gillingham) & Mr Ryan Whittaker (Bexleyheath)