Thamesmead Town 3-2 Whitstable Town - We're trying to get the club back on its feet, says McMahon

THAMESMEAD TOWN  3-2  WHITSTABLE TOWN
FA Carlsberg Trophy Preliminary Round
Saturday 8^th October 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Bayliss Avenue

THAMESMEAD TOWN manager Keith McMahon says the £2,000 prize money from their FA Carlsberg Trophy win over Kent rivals Whitstable Town will keep the club going for an extra few weeks.

The poorly supported Ryman League Division One North club had banked £4,500 from their two wins in The FA Cup, but their run came to an end in a Second Qualifying Round replay defeat by Margate in midweek.  Chris Kinnear’s side came away from Bayliss Avenue with a 6-1 win after both sides played out a goal-less draw on the Kent coast.

Whitstable Town, with only nine points out of the 30 available in Ryman League Division One South, have now been defeated at the first hurdle in both The FA Cup and The FA Carlsberg Trophy.

“The most important thing for us today was to get back to winning ways after Tuesday night’s exit in The FA Cup,” said McMahon, who revealed the finishing date of redevelopment of Bayliss Avenue is now expected to be on 28 January 2012, instead of next month.

“It’s massive, especially for a club like ours at the moment with what is going on here.  We’re all just forking out money left, right and centre and trying to get the club back on its feet. 

“We’ve got a nice home tie against Enfield Town (in the first qualifying round in two weeks’ time), which will be difficult.  We played them in the league, a great game and came out 2-0 winners but if I’m being honest, they’re the best side we’ve played this year so it’s going to be difficult.

“The money’s a major bonus and it just keeps the club going for an extra few weeks.”

Whitstable Town boss Peter Nott, who saw his side lose a 1-0 lead at the break to find themselves 3-1 down before scoring a second late on, felt his side should have had a second bite of the cherry.

“I don’t think the result was the correct result,” said Nott, whose side have not drawn any of their thirteen games so far this season.

“I thought it was the minimum, we done enough to get a draw.  I’m not too sure if I’d be happy with a draw to be honest!” 

Nott is concerned that after losing to Worthing in The FA Cup and here today is a blow for chairman Joe Brownett.

He said:  “It is crucial and you feel for the chairman because they work hard all season trying to operate on a week to week basis.  A few cup runs will be the difference between a profit and a loss, so yes we’ve let them down today.”

Whitstable Town started well and should have taken the lead after just 65 seconds.

Winger Marvin Okundalaiye played the ball forward from inside the Whitstable half and striker James Simmons knocked the ball down and his low centre was driven towards goal by Stuart Vahid’s left foot and Thamesmead keeper Sam Mott dived to his right to parry.

Seconds later Vahid hooked the ball just wide of the far post after his strike partner Simmons had knocked the ball down.

Thamesmead Town’s first chance swiftly followed as after Whitstable left-back Ashley Ulph’s hesitancy allowed Jack Hopkins to play the ball inside to Theo Fairweather-Johnson, who teed up central midfielder Lea Dawson, who swept a right-footed shot just past the right-hand post.

Trademark trickery in and around the edge of the penalty box from Thamesmead striker Rikki Cable saw him create a chance out of nothing, which was parried at the near post by visiting keeper Scott Chalmers-Stevens.

Whitstable went close in the 12^th minute when winger Ryan Rook won himself a free-kick on the very corner of the Thamesmead penalty area and his right-footed curling free-kick was heading towards the top far corner, but Mott stretched to tip the ball away with an outstretched left arm.

Whitstable, however, took the lead seven minutes later, through skipper Peter Hawkins, who formed a solid partnership alongside Steven Lloyd at the heart of defence during the first half, before dropping their standards in the second half.

Ulph’s right-footed free-kick was pumped into the penalty area and the ball was cleared out to Okundalaiye on the right and the winger had time and space to float a left-footed cross which was knocked down by the battling Dan Wisker and Hawkins was left unmarked and nodded the ball into an empty net from just four yards out.

Nott said: “I think the first half we were in control.  Disappointed we only went in 1-0 and we could’ve been a couple of goals ahead.  We missed a couple of good chances very early doors and I said to the boys in there we have to kill games off when we’re having a good spell.”

McMahon said: “A little bit disappointed defensively to be honest with you.   We’ve been excellent all season.  We patched (central defender) Lew Tozer up to play and he really shouldn’t have played at all and you could see that.

“I don’t think we defended balls in the air that well, but we’re outstanding doing that, but it was maybe a little bit against the run of play.

“I thought every time we went forward in the first 15 minutes it looked like we were going to get a goal.  Theo on the right hand side and Rikki on the left were causing a few problems.  We showed a bit of character the fellas to turn it around at half-time and really take the game away.  I know we could’ve got a couple more, I think.”

Thamesmead’s set-piece specialist, Ashley Probets, wasted a free-kick from 28-yards, which he swore at himself as he smashed the ball over the four man wall and over the crossbar, hitting the fencing above the terrace cover at the flyover end of the ground.

Whitstable should have doubled their lead in the 24^th minute when Wisker (who edged his midfield tussle with Lea Dawson) stroked a right-footed curler into Mott’s gloves after a sweeping move involving Vahid and Alex Brown.

Thamesmead felt they had levelled when a combination of Chalmers-Stevens and post saved Whitstable in the 37^th minute.

Striker Danny Penny cut the ball back to Probets who had time and space to whip in an excellent cross from the left to find Fairweather-Johnson at the far post and the winger was destined to score with a header from just four yards out but Chalmers-Stevens clawed the ball out and the ball appeared to bounce over the line as it caressed the inside of the post.

The Thamesmead boss said: “You normally look at players’ reactions and when a couple of theirs and the goalkeeper and Danny Penny, he said it was over the line!

“What can you do?  The lino? Difficult!  He’s 50-60 yards away, the referee was a distance.  It didn’t matter if he was two yards away but it’s one of them.  You have to pick yourself up.  Unless the ball smashes the back of the net you can’t be guaranteed anything.  It’s one of them things.  Hopefully it will happen at the other end and we get away with it!”

McMahon threw on substitute David Noel for an unfit Penny at the interval and the former Sunday League striker proved to be a nuisance for battered Hawkins and Lloyd.

McMahon said: “It wasn’t just a tactical switch.  Danny Penny again was struggling for the game.  We’ve got to sort of look at long-term with Dan coming back from his cruciate at such short notice.

“We just thought with Dave’s pace we were causing problems with Theo’s and Rikki’s pace and Dave would just unease them and he did that to be honest.  He’s a bit of a handful even through he’s very raw but there is something about him.”

However, Whitstable went close to doubling their lead inside the opening three minutes of the second half.

Alfie Munday (on his return to Bayliss Avenue) threw the ball short to Okundalaiye who still managed to whip in an excellent cross from the right by-line close to the corner flag and Rook’s left-footed hook from an acute angle bounced agonisingly past the foot of the far post.

But a blunder from Whitstable keeper Chalmers-Stevens gifted Thamesmead a 52^nd minute equaliser.

There seemed to be no apparent danger when Fairweather-Johnson shrugged off a challenge and stroked a weak, speculative right-footed daisey-cutter from 30-yards, but the visiting keeper, a full-time coach in his daytime job, inexplicably allowed the shot to slide underneath his diving body and into the net.

“I thought we were having a good spell,” said Nott.  “We started the second half well and when you concede a goal like THAT, that’s a massive blow to the boys.  Heads did go down for five minutes and we lost our way a bit but you have to deal with that.

“He’s an experienced keeper.  It happens in one in 100 shots and it’s happened.  You’ve got to feel for keeper’s when it happens because if they make a mistake that’s what happens and there’s no-one there to help them out.

“It was an awful goal to concede and gave them a lift.  They had to come at us in the second half but we were having a good spell until that happened.

“It was a speculative shot, we was happy for him to shoot from there, scrappy shot along the floor and it squirmed under him and gone in.

“In fairness to him (Chalmers-Stevens), he’s done a tremendous save in the first half.  He’s plucked one off the line in the first half.  He could’ve given up on it so he’s saved a certain goal and he’s let one in like THAT!”

McMahon added: “Obviously the keeper’s going to be a bit disappointed with that but I think the goal was coming.  Obviously you take anything and it gave us a little bit of a lift just after half-time to get us into the game.

“It wasn’t Theo’s best games today after the first 15 minutes but he’s been excellent for us all season.  He’s goal record has been excellent as well (this was his sixth goal of the season).  He took a pop shot and like I said I suppose the keeper is going to be disappointed but it just got us back into the game.”

The goalscorer tried his luck again, this time a right-footed shot which once again lacked power, but this time the visiting keeper collected the ball at his near post.

Thamesmead created a couple more chances either side of the hour mark.

Probets whipped in another left-footed free-kick and Dawson glanced his header wide at the far post and then Cable’s left-footed shot took a deflection before being comfortably saved to Chalmers-Stevens, diving low to his left.

An inspired substitution from McMahon, bringing on Bradley Killick for Fairweather-Johnson, saw Killick give Thamesmead a 65^th minute lead with only his third touch of the game.

Whitstable’s defence came rushing out to try to catch Cable (who was running back) offside but Danny Moore played an excellent inch-perfect through ball in between Lloyd and Hawkins to release Killick through on goal and with his third touch stroked a right-footed shot past an exposed Chalmers-Stevens.

“It’s the second time he’s done it.  I brought him on against Enfield (Town) and he scored with his first touch,” said McMahon.

“I just thought their left-back (Ulph) was struggling and Theo was causing them problems and to be fair to Brad he’s been alight for us when he comes on.  He’s goal record per minute is outstanding for what he’s been on for us. I think it’s his third goal, I’d be surprised if he’s played 60 minutes! 

“He’s a great lad and I’ve had him here since he was a youth team player and he was a prolific goalscorer for me and he went off to America and he’s come back.  We’ve got a lot of competition up there and Brad just gives us that direct and a little bit of injection in enthusiasm that seemed to spread through the team.”

Nott said: “Second half the sub’s (Killick) came straight on.  He’s taken the ball really from our left back position into the centre of midfield laid it off then done a bendy run straight down the middle of our two centre halves.  The two centre halves was distracted, one of the centre forwards (Cable) was in an offside position so they were pushing up to catch him offside and he’s run through the middle of them.  It was a poor, poor goal to give away.”

Whitstable wasted a good chance halfway through the second half when Simmons and Ulph combined down the left and Vahid headed wide of the near post from an acute angle when left unmarked inside the Thamesmead penalty area.

Noel’s strength saw him steamroll past Lloyd before teeing up Killick, who curled a right-footed shot over from the edge of the Whitstable penalty area.

But Thamesmead booked their place in the next round with fifteen minutes remaining through Noel.

Whitstable lost possession high up the pitch and Thamesmead counter attacked and Noel released Killick down the right and he played the ball across the face of the penalty area with his right-foot and Cable’s dummy set up Noel who slammed a low, first time left-footed shot into the bottom near corner.

“It was a great goal to be honest,” said McMahon.  “I think we played some great football to get there.  We did hit them on the break, again, Brad got away, played a ball and the dummy from Rikki Cable  in the box – you wouldn’t see me doing that, I’d take a touch and scored myself – and I think it just upset them and Dave Noel at the back stick from an acute angle (scored).”

Nott was unhappy with the way Thamesmead scored their vital goal.

He said:  “The third goal we’re just about to make a sub to liven it up, freshen it up a little bit as I thought there was some tired legs out there and we got further and deeper in their half,  lost possession and they’ve got on the end of the ball before we could get back.”

Noel then got in front of Ulph to guide a header across goal and wide after Moore did well to retrieve an over hit pass.

But Whitstable rallied and pulled a second goal back in the final six minutes through Simmons’ first goal for the club.

Okundalaiye released Wisker down the right and his excellent cross found Simmons at the far post, who nipped in front of Hopkins to send a glancing header across Mott and the ball dropped into the far corner.

Nott said: “We had a go at the end and pulled one back.  I thought we caused them problems up front all day, the movement between Stuart Vahid and the speed of Simmo up front really did cause them problems.

“I feel for the boys because we haven’t been on a good run but if we play like that week in week out then we’ll win more than we’ll lose!”

Whitstable keeper Chalmers-Stevens came up for a last-gasp corner, which was swung in by Rook, but substitute James Morrish slumped to his knees after he directed a near post header over.

The Whitstable manager was disappointed with his side’s second half performance which sent them crashing out.

“I thought we defended very well in the first half,” said Nott.

“First half defensively we were very, very sure.  We won every header, they had one real chance in the first half I thought when Scotty plucked it off the line but second half they pulled us around a little bit.  They’ve got options up front, some really good individual players up there.”

McMahon added: “They had a little go in the end and fair play to them.  They had a spirited side here today.  I thought Dan Wisker in midfield played well for them and they battled well and the lads’ up front was a bit of a handful.

“I thought maybe it could’ve been a little bit easier with our second half performance than it was but we’re pleased.”

Thamesmead Town: Sam Mott, Jack Hopkins, Ashley Probets, Danny Moore, Lewis Tozer, James Donovan, Scot Mulholland, Lea Dawson, Danny Penny (David Noel 46), Rikki Cable (Jake Burman 80), Theo Fairweather-Johnson (Bradley Killick 63).
Subs: Danny Beazant, Cory Walters-Wright

Goals: Theo Fairweather-Johnson 52, Bradley Killick 65, David Noel 74

Booked: Danny Penny 45, Lea Dawson 53, Lewis Tozer 54, Scot Mulholland 67, Jake Burman 90

Whitstable Town: Scott Chalmers-Stevens, Alfie Munday (Scott Heard 77), Ashley Ulph, Alex Brown, Steven Lloyd, Peter Hawkins, Marvin Okundalaiye, Dan Wisker (James Morrish 87), Stuart Vahid, James Simmons, Ryan Rook.
Subs: Gary Sayer, Dale Davis, Giga Zulmatashvili

Goals: Peter Hawkins 19, James Simmons 84

Booked: Dan Wisker 53

Attendance: 53
Referee: Mr Lloyd Wood (Dagenham, Essex)
Assistants: Mr James Pope (Braintree, Essex) & Mr Anthony Pope (Braintree, Essex)