Three Bridges 4-1 Sheppey United - You have to aim for something, you have to aim for the play-offs. You don't want to get into the start of April with nothing to play for, that's just a horrible position, says Sheppey United boss Jack Midson

Three Bridges 4 – 1 Sheppey United
Location	Jubilee Walk, Three Bridges, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 1LQ
Kickoff	28/02/2023 19:45

THREE BRIDGES  4-1  SHEPPEY UNITED
Isthmian League South East Division
Tuesday 28 February 2023
Stephen McCartney reports from Jubilee Field

SHEPPEY UNITED manager Jack Midson says he will rally his players to get on the winning streak again after being thrashed by Three Bridges.

The Ites extended their winless run to four games and have slipped down to tenth-place with 43 points on the board from their 29 games, although they are only four points adrift of the play-offs with nine games of their maiden Isthmian League South East Division campaign left to play.

Jamie Crellien kept faith with the same starting eleven that came away from Hythe Town with a 1-1 draw at the weekend, playing with a more attacking 4-3-3 formation, while Midson (bruised foot) made a couple of changes from the side that lost 2-0 at Whitehawk at the weekend.

Warren Mfula replaced the nine-goal Midson in attack, while Bradley Schafer started while Eddie Allsopp impressed after coming off the bench. Holding midfielder, Richard Hamill, meanwhile, remains on the sidelines with an ankle ligament injury.

Three Bridges were clinical in front of goal, while Sheppey United were often guilty of naïve defending, especially when they were playing out from the back.

Three Bridges striker Noel Leighton clinically dispatched his tenth goal of the season to give the home side the lead.

The second half started later at 21:05 due to a medical emergency inside the match officials room during the half-time break, with Daniel Cooper being treated by the home clubs medical team and Tom Howard answering an appeal to run the line during the second half.

Sheppey United came out with all guns blazing but they fell behind through another clinical finish from Leighton.

The returning Mfula headed in his 22^nd goal of the season from a corner to bring Sheppey United back into the game but a controversial penalty decision gave a chance for Brannon O’Neill to tuck home his sixth goal of the season from the spot to kill off the game.

The home side slotted in a fourth goal through defensive midfielder Michael Wilson at the death.

“The scoreline suggests it’s a thumping, there’s areas where it could’ve gone either way,” said Midson, 39.

“We had a chance early on to score a goal and they get the first goal and that’s happened too much. If you get the first goal, especially in this league, it’s hard to get back.  You’ve got an uphill battle.

“We’ve played some good stuff second half, we took it to them early but the goals we conceded were very poor.  They’ve got a couple of good players and if you give them a chance, they score.

“I’ve just said to the boys (in the changing room after the game), people are questioning their experience and their naivety.  We have got a very young team, a young squad but it was alright for the five games we won and the 10 unbeaten and now all off a sudden it’s not alright.

“They’ve got to prove that they can do it consistently because I know they can but we were very naïve in certain situations and we need to learn very quickly.”

Sheppey United should have taken the lead after only 104 seconds, following a long throw from left-back Frankie Del Morgan.  The home side had a couple of chances to clear their lines but Mfula’s right-footed half-volley sailed harmlessly over the crossbar from 15-yards.

“I’ve been waiting for Warren to come back,” said Midson.

“The idea of myself is to come back and help out when Jake Embery was suspended and Warren was injured and that dragged on and on and on.  I’ve got a bruised foot and tried to get through that from the weekend and I’ve been waiting for Warren to come back.  He’s a top goalscorer and it makes sense to bring him back in.

“He’s a striker that needs it in and around the box, that’s his forte, around his feet, getting in behind.  That will come good.  Just in that transition of him coming in and trying to get that relationship with Jake that they had before.”

Mfula has only started three games in 2023 due to injuries to his knee and groin and Midson is delighted with his goalscoring return in Crawley tonight.

“He’s the type of player who wants to be at every training session and every match and when he’s injured, it’s very hard to take,” added Midson. 

Three Bridges worked the left-channel well during the first half and 13-goal Kieron Pamment was a threat for Sheppey United’s right-back Connor Wilkins.

The impressive Pamment reached the by-line and played in a low cross towards the far post for Wilson to cut the ball back for O’Neill who placed a first-time left-footed drive flashing past the right-hand post from 25-yards inside the opening five minutes.

Shafer won the ball in midfield and fed right-winger Danny Leonard, who cut inside and his shot was blocked.  Wilkins latched onto the ball and chipped the ball back into the box and home goalkeeper Leo Anderson failed to gather and let in Mfula but he failed to stab the ball into the bottom left-hand corner when well placed.

Three Bridges’ first corner came in from the right by O’Neill and Curtis Gayler found a pocket of space in the box and drilled a first time shot past the far post from 15-yards.

Both sets of players started to feel frustrated as the first half wore on, a chilly and wet night in Crawley.

Sheppey United enjoyed the more possession but playing out from the back is usually a costly experience if teams give the ball away.

Three Bridges grabbed the lead with 30 minutes and 50 seconds on the clock.

Right-winger Gayler poked the ball inside some 10-yards into Leighton, who easily cut inside Sheppey United’s centre-half Olamilekan Majoyegbe and clinically placed his left-footed shot across the keeper to find the bottom far corner from 10-yards.

Midson said:  “They’ve got some good players up there and we need to prevent them getting in those areas in the first place.  We didn’t do that well enough today.

“We have been solid at the back but you can’t turn it into a tennis game where it’s backwards and forwards and if we’re going to get bodies forward, we still need to be secure at the back and not a team looking to score with every attack.”

Three Bridges were to be denied a second goal through direct approach play in the 41st minute.

O’Neill’s fine forward pass released Pamment, who cut inside before cracking a right-footed drive towards the roof of the net from 30-yards, forcing goalkeeper Aiden Prall to dive high to his left to push the ball over the crossbar.

Midson said: “He’s a good player, he’s going to shoot while their confidence is up, he’s going to cut in and shoot.  I thought Pamment was very sharp but Aiden’s a good goalie so he was ready for that one.

“It would be nice for us to try a few things like that but when your confidence is slightly low, we don’t try those things which they tried today.”

Three Bridges’ centre-half Joe Tennent picked up a yellow card for fouling Mfula as he cut inside him on the stroke of half-time but Sheppey United’s holding midfielder Josh Wisson’s resulting right-footed free-kick from within the left-channel sailed over the crossbar, as a frenetic first-half that often lacked quality came to an end.

“That’s the difference in the game mate,” said Midson.  “If you go in at nil-nil or we go 1-0 up, it's a completely different game. That’s the thing’s were finding at the minute, other teams are punishing us and we’re not punishing them at the other end. It’s very fine lines.

“We had a longer delay than expected because the linesman passed out.  We were literally ready to come out and the ref announce the linesman had passed out so they were trying to find someone else.  I think the had a couple of staff who were Level Five, Level Seven, so ideally you want a neutral person but I thought he done a good job.”

Sheppey United started the second half on the front foot and called Anderson into making a comfortable save after only 24 seconds.

Mamadou Diallo picked the ball up and drove forward and once inside the box, Jake Embery poached the ball off his feet and swept a first time shot towards the bottom right-hand corner, only for Anderson to dive low to his left to hold.

“I thought we started really well, getting the ball forward, a ball in the box, had another couple of chances and if we put one of them away, it’s a completely different story,” said Midson.

“I think it was good to get Mamadou out on the left to give us that threat on the left, as well as Danny Leonard out on the right.  I think we are a threat there  but we need to get in better situations to get the ball in the box.

“We can have some good runs and some good situations but unless you put it in some good areas and finish, it’s irrelevant.”

Embery and Leonard then linked up well down the right and put in a low cross towards the near post, but Mfula stabbed his shot just past the foot of the upright.

Three Bridges grabbed their second goal in the 54^th minute, after the Kent side gave the ball away inside their defensive third and Pamment played the ball in from the left and Leighton clinically hit a first time left-footed drive on the turn into the roof of the net.

“We want to play out from the back,” said Midson, whose side were caught out, instead of hitting the ball long and out of danger.

“That’s the situations you have to find the balance of play and put it in.  We played some good football in areas but then again the ball’s there to be won, their player wanted it more and they pop out and score another goal.

“It’s just that desire and people have questioned our inexperience. We have a lot of lads in there who are 21-22. Sam Gale is even 18, only a couple of months ago, so that does show and it was alright for the long 10 games unbeaten run but at the minute they’re showing the inexperience so the only way is to crack on and get it sorted.

“When the chips are down, the chips are down but now it’s a test for everyone and the staff to rally everyone and get on the winning streak again.”

Sheppey United responded swiftly, however, scoring following their seventh of nine corners, pulling a goal back just 145 seconds after falling further behind.

Leonard took all six of Sheppey United’s corners in the first half but this time it was down to Schafer to float an excellent delivery in from the left and Mfula jumped up at the far post to guide his flicked header into the top far corner from inside the six-yard box.

“That’s another thing to organise with corners,” added Midson.

“Richie Hamill normally takes them, he’s out injured, we do miss him a bit with his holding play and playing the good balls but then you trust the players we’ve got to do that.  Brad put a good ball in and we have to look at that again.  I thought they were very creative with their corners and we need to look at that and be more creative from ours, I think.

“It’s good to have Warren back. He gets you goals. It’s what made sense for him to start and hopefully he can get fitter, sharper and he’ll definitely help us through the rest of the season.”

Three Bridges then created the game’s next three chances.

O’Neill’s corner from the right was pulled back for Gayler, whose shot from eight-yards was blocked from within a crowd of players and in came their eighth corner from O’Neill and was met at the far post by a free header from right-back Billy Irving, who steered his header straight at Prall, who made a comfortable catch.

“I thought their right-back was good. He’s got a long throw.  We gave them limited chances but most of their chances came from us giving the ball away, not clearing our lines at times and choosing the wrong options, so we need to choose better options and be a bit wise in our heads to limit other teams chances and then we’ll be alright,” added Midson.

The home side then went close to scoring in the 65^th minute when Leighton and Pamment both linked up within the final third and O’Neill cut the ball onto his left-foot and drilled his shot just past the top of the left-hand post from inside the D.

The introduction of Eddie Allsopp gave Sheppey United a shot in the arm and the midfielder pulled the strings and raised the tempo for Midson’s men.

“It was harsh not to play him but obviously we wanted Warren and Jake to create that relationship that they had before they were suspended and injured, not 100% clicking,” revealed Midson.

“Jake was disappointed to come off but I think Eddie did really well in there.  We don’t want to change our shape but we’ll have to have a look at certain positions to cater for him in the team.”

Left-back Del Morgan fed the ball into Diallo, who unleashed a right-footed dipping drive from 30-yards, which brought a comfortable save out of Anderson, smothering the ball and holding it low to his right.

“We had chances, that’s the cutting edge, which is to put teams to bed.  We’re not doing that but other teams are doing that to us, so we need to learn very quickly,” added Midson.

Allsopp then laid the ball off to Del Morgan, who hit a first time left-footed dipping drive from 35-yards, which flashed across Anderson and past the far post.

The home side then killed any momentum that Sheppey United had gained with Leighton and Pamment going down for treatment.

Gayler scuffed a right-footed free-kick towards the bottom left-hand corner from 35-yards, which was comfortably gathered by the former Corinthian goalkeeper, before Three Bridges were controversially awarded a 79^th minute penalty.

Pamment drilled in a cross from the right by-line and Del Morgan raised his arm and the ball came off his leg and onto his arm and referee Ciaran Fidler consulted assistant referee Oliver Westgate and then pointed to the spot.

O’Neill drove his left-footed penalty clinically into the bottom right-hand corner, despite Prall diving the same way, to put Three Bridges in the driving seat.

“I did try to ask the linesman but he just seemed to sort of palm me off and he didn’t even answer the question so I had to ask the referee, so I only asked him why he gave it for?

“In some tense it’s hit his arm but I think the guy was very close.  I think the ref was even closer than the linesman and then there was a delay and then he gave it.

“They shouted the loudest and they got it.  Unfortunately, that’s what you get but Frankie said it hit him on the way back but it was very close.  It’s hit his leg and then hit his arm.  I’m not 100% on the rules….  When it’s not going your way, it's not going your way.”

O’Neill tried to score from the half-way line but the attempt was certainly ambitious and rolled into Prall’s gloves, before the home side rattled in a fourth goal 185 seconds into stoppage time.

Their manager Crellien was heard shouting “corners” as Gayler picked up the ball inside the final third but he ignored those appeals and fed Wilson, who took a touch before placing his right-footed shot across Prall to find the bottom far corner with another clinical finish.

“Very similar, the ball pops out with us giving the ball away.  There’s a tackle to be won, they won it and escaped and played it through.  Again, it could’ve been avoided. It was a great finish from the lad but we need to avoid that and prevent that from happening,” added Midson.

Three Bridges have climbed up to 12^th place in the pecking order with 34 points from their 27 league games and are now four points clear of the relegation play-off zone, which is currently occupied by Sittingbourne (30 points from 28 games) and Haywards Heath Town (29 points from 28 games).

Corinthian (19 points from 28 games) and big-spending Faversham Town (18 points from 29 games) remain rooted in the relegation zone.

Ramsgate, meanwhile, are at the summit with 58 points from 29 games.

The four play-off places are occupied by Chatham Town (54 points from 28 games), Beckenham Town (52 points from 29 games), Whitehawk (49 points from 28 games) and Ashford United (47 points from 29 games).

Tommy Warrilow was in attendance tonight and brings his Ashford United side here on Saturday.

Sevenoaks Town (47 points from 28 games), Cray Valley (46 points from 28 games), Chichester City (46 points from 28 games), Hythe Town (45 points from 28 games) and Sheppey United, also have a say in the promotion race.

Thirteenth-placed East Grinstead Town (34 points from 28 games) suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Cray Valley tonight and come to Holm Park on Saturday.

Midson scored the only goal of the game when the two sides met each other on 17 September, which was Sheppey United’s first league win of the season.

“They’re going to be similar (to Three Bridges).  They’re going to be a group of men.  They’ve got some good players at the back and they’re going to man up and bring it to us.

“I don’t think their last result was very good but we won’t take that for granted because our recent results have been even worse.

“We’re at home, we’ll have to try to get it down on our nice (artificial) surface and play.  The last few games we’ve come away from good football and we need to find the right balance of passing and keeping it in good areas.”

Midson, meanwhile, insists he hasn’t given up on grabbing a top-five finish.

“Going from fourth or fifth down to tenth, it all happened in a week.  I think we didn’t get enough points. We should’ve beaten Ramsgate and we ended up drawing 3-3 and the teams around us won midweek and put us down to tenth since then we haven’t wracked up any points so you can drop very quickly.

“We went on a really good run and we went up the table very quickly.  I did warn the lads that can happen the other end just as good.  You can say we’re too good for that but we need the points on the board.  We’ve got good players, good togetherness but that needs to transfer into points on the pitch.

“There’s some really good teams that have been in and around the play-offs all season and they do it every year.  I’m not saying we can’t do it but we’ve got to be a lot better than we were today and learn very quickly.

“You have to aim for something, you have to aim for the play-offs.  You don’t want to get into the start of April with nothing to play for, that’s just a horrible position. 

“You have to start wracking the points up now because it will be too late. That was the aim and we were in 20^th position and we got to where we wanted to be.  It will be sad to drop off now but if we’re wracking up the points and learn very quickly then we should be playing for the play-offs at the end of the season, with something to play for.”

When asked whether he is looking to bring in fresh blood for the business end of the season, Midson replied: “Potentially but I did say to them in there that I’m not the type of guy that gets rid of four because they are good players and they are for the next season.  We’ve got to transfer that togetherness and what we’ve been working on into points.

“I believe in them. There may be one or two but I’m in no rush to sign anyone but I know there are a few sniffing around, so we’ll have a look at it but I think we’re good enough with what we’ve got to be better than today.”

Three Bridges: Leo Anderson, Billy Irving, Giani Ashley (Joe Stone 80), Michael Wilson, Tad Bromage, Joe Tennent, Kieran Pamment, Bryan Villavicencio, Noel Leighton, Brannon O’Neill, Curtis Gayler.
Subs: Mitch Bromage, Regan Jeffery, Camron Lawson, Harvey Woollard

Goals: Noel Leighton 31, 54, Brannon O’Neill 79 (penalty), Michael Wilson 90

Booked: Joe Tennent 45

Sheppey United: Aiden Prall, Connor Wilkins, Frankie Del Morgan, Josh Wisson (Luke Frost 88), Olamilekan Majoyegbe, Sam Gale, Mamadou Diallo, Bradley Schafer, Warren Mfula, Jake Embery (Eddie Allsopp 65), Danny Leonard.
Subs: Jonathan Richardson, Bailey Catherick, Jack Midson

Goal: Warren Mfula 56

Booked: Connor Wilkins 48, Warren Mfula 63, Olamilekan Majoyegbe 76, Sam Gale 81

Attendance: 76
Referee: Mr Ciaran Fidler
Assistants: Mr Daniel Cooper & Mr Oliver Westgate
Replacement Assistant: Mr Tom Howard