Tunbridge Wells 0-1 St Ives Town - We gave everything, but they got lucky, says Martin Larkin

TUNBRIDGE WELLS  0-1  ST IVES TOWN
The FA Carlsberg Vase Fourth Round
Saturday 21^st January 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Culverden Stadium

TUNBRIDGE WELLS manager Martin Larkin says he feels devastated after his side suffered a heart breaking FA Carlsberg Vase exit at the hands of robbers St Ives Town.

The Cambridgeshire outfit went into the Fourth Round tie sitting in fourth place in the United Counties League table, having won 21 of their last 24 league competitive games.

They brought with them around 150 supporters, who gave their side vocal support, which appeared to intimidate the home side early on, but they progressed into the last sixteen courtesy of Stuart Cobb’s bundled effort from two-yards with only eight minutes left as luck deserted the Kent League hosts.

“We’re devastated!” said Larkin, after he emerged from the shell-shocked home dressing room.

“They were at us in that first 10-15 minutes, they looked a really good side, they are a very good side, very powerful, very quick.

“We repelled everything they hit us in that first 15 minutes and when we got into that first half I thought we played quite well.  I thought it was very even.

“Second half we’ve dominated them.  We absolutely dominated them for 45 minutes and it’s the simple things, isn’t it?”

St Ives started the opening fifteen minutes on the front foot, as the home players appeared to be intimidated by the vocal travelling support and passes kept going astray.

Larkin agreed, saying, “There were a few nerves in there.  It’s a big, big game, that’s why.  We’re used to playing big games in the last couple of years and there being noise here but maybe not to that extent.

“The way Lewis Mingle played in front of them second half, he was incredible today and it didn’t affect him.

“It spurred us on to get into the game.  They just started very, very well and a couple of ours weren’t quite at the races but after fifteen minutes we grew into it and we dominated the whole game after that really.”

St Ives created their first chance inside the opening seven minutes.

Ozie Foster played the ball into striker Junior McDougald’s feet, who cut the ball back to Foster, on the edge of the corner of the penalty area,  and the left-sided midfielder unleashed a low right-footed curler from 20-yards, which forced Nash to get down low to his left to parry the ball away.

But Tunbridge Wells weathered the early storm and created a couple of half-chances.

Andy McMath spread the ball to winger Ryan Rook, who found space in between Jamie Alsop and Dan Newman inside the box and whipped in a cross, which target man Andy Irvine looped his header over from six-yards.

McMath then played a free-kick out to right-back Jason Bourne, who had time and space to float in a cross into the penalty area and the ball was knocked down by Scott Whibley into McMath’s path, but Whibley stole the ball off the midfielder’s feet and produced a typical central defender’s finish, lashing the ball into the stanchion behind the goal.

St Ives’ second chance fell to Foster in the 24^th minute, but once again Nash produced a fine save.

Right-back Scott Everdell floated a cross into the Tunbridge Wells penalty area and Arron Last used his aerial presence to knock the ball down for Foster to drill a right-footed shot towards goal, which Nash leapt to his right to palm the ball away with his right hand.

“Dean’s made a fantastic save from that effort, apart from that, that’s what they had,” said Larkin.

Tunbridge Wells striker, Jack Harris, received the ball at his feet from Bourne’s low pass, turned Newman but his right-footed shot took a deflection and trickled into Niall Conroy-Owen’s gloves.

Tunbridge Wells ended the first half on the front foot, although their chances were not clear cut.

Rook, who had swapped flanks with Jon Pilbeam, got in behind Alsop to reach the right by-line and clipped a cross towards the near post, where Irvine’s flick from six-yards looped into the keeper’s hands.

Gary Clarke’s free-kick was headed out by the St Ives defence and the ball dropped to McMath, whose first touch brought the ball under control with his left foot, whilst his right-foot sent the ball flying over the crossbar from 22-yards.

Tunbridge Wells defender Scott Whibley did an excellent job to marshal St Ives striker, Conor Washington, who has scored 24 goals in 29 games, during the first half.  The striker switched position during the second half, playing wider to the left, but Larkin was delighted how his players kept the prolific striker quiet.

Larkin said: “For all their superstars, they’ve got some very, very good players like (Conor) Washington and Junior (McDougald) has played in the Football League and for Scott (Whibley) and Drew (Crush) to keep them quite as they did was very, very good.

“We worked on certain things in training about closing gaps and making sure he (Washington) wasn’t given space to move in to and that worked really well. 

“Defensively as a group we were fantastic.”

St Ives should have done better with a corner inside the opening 70 seconds of the second half.  Cobb swung the ball in from the left and Last peeled off his marker but could only loop his header comfortably wide.

Drew Crush played the ball out of defence into Irvine’s feet, who cut the ball back to McMath, who laid the ball off to an unmarked Pilbeam, but the winger scuffed his left footed shot and Conroy-Owen comfortably gathered at his near post.

Harris made ground down the right hand side and cut the ball back to Clarke, who drilled a first time shot with his right-foot, which screamed past the keeper’s right-hand post, which woke up the home fans on the crowded bank of terracing.

But the home side’s best chance to break the stalemate came in the 52^nd minute.

Irvine shrugged aside St Ives’ right-back Scott Everdell and burst down the left channel and whipped in an excellent cross with his left foot to find Pilbeam, who cracked a powerful right-footed angled drive, which was palmed up by Conroy-Owen and the keeper was relieved to catch the ball on its way down.

Washington’s first shot on goal, wasn’t great as his shot from inside the D trickled into Nash’s gloves just past the hour-mark.

Tunbridge Wells went agonisingly close halfway into the second half, as luck eluded them.

Bourne floated in a cross from the right and McMath and Irvine leapt like salmon to head the ball towards goal from inside the penalty area.  McMath fell over but still managed to hook a right-footed shot across the keeper and the ball trickled just past the foot of the far post.

Yet another chance fell the Kent side’s way when Pilbeam cut the ball back to the supporting Bourne, who delivered a first time cross but substitute Nick Nowotny couldn’t keep his looping header down from the penalty spot.

Washington issued the hosts a warning when he was released in behind the Tunbridge Wells defence for the first time, but cracked an angled left-footed drive over with Nash struggling.

And the striker drove a right-footed shot just past the left-hand post from 25-yards.

It was obvious that the battle would be settled by the one goal – unfortunately it was St Ives who snatched victory.

It appeared that Bourne did enough to force Alsop harmlessly towards the left by-line, but the left-back managed to get his foot around the ball and his cross sailed over Bourne and looped off Whibley’s head, looped over Nash and Cobb ghosted in unmarked at the far post and bundled the ball over the line from two-yards to score an ugly winner.

Cobb celebrated his 12^th goal of the season by sprinting towards the jubilant travelling contingent and the shell-shocked home fans suffered that sinking feeling.

Larkin asked: “Could we defended the cross a bit better? Possibly!  The guy’s crossed it from the left hand side, it’s flicked off one of our guys head, it’s looped over our goalkeeper and they’ve got a runner at the back post and that’s where we are unfortunately and then they then killed the game pretty well for a couple of minutes after the goal.

“It’s so late in the game it’s devastating.”

Larkin added: “There’s an element of luck to it.  Eight times out of ten Scotty clears everything.  There’s no blame attached to it.  It’s hit him and it’s looped over Deano in goal.  Dean was incredible today and he didn’t deserve to have goals go in against him.

“It’s a hell of luck to it and that’s what they did.  Second half when we absolutely dominated they stuck in, defended with their lives and when the chance has come they’ve taken it.  That’s the difference.”

Foster tried his luck from outside of the box, unleashing a low right-footed drive, which was spilt by a diving Nash, who grabbed the ball before it spun towards the corner of his goal.

St Ives handed famous midfielder Scott Minton a five-minute cameo at the end for his debut and his vast experience came in handy to run the clock down.

But Tunbridge Wells had five minutes of stoppage time to force extra time – but Pilbeam fluffed his big chance.

Harris’ low shot was blocked inside the box and the ball fell to Pilbeam, who wriggled his way through the St Ives defence and smashed his right-footed shot straight at Conroy-Owen, who blocked the shot at his near post and the ball came out to Clarke, who sent a right-footed follow-up shot sailing over the bar.

Larkin added: “The one he had in injury time is one we work on training quite a bit.   Jon’s created so many goals for us this year and scored some as well over the last eighteen months.  He’s fantastic so there’s no blame attached to it whatsoever.”

The Tunbridge Wells boss had initially emerged from his dressing room, walked past the celebrating St Ives supporters to stand in front of his dug-out to reflect on the robbery.

He later said: “We sat down after and said no-one could’ve given any more.  Everyone’s given 100%.  We’re very, very proud of that fact.  They just got the luck when the luck came around and that’s disappointing.”

Herne Bay are now the sole Kent League survivors as they went up to Northern League side Newcastle Benfield and claimed their place in the last sixteen with a 2-1 win, courtesy of an 88^th minute winner from Rhys Lawson.

“Herne Bay are an exceptional side at this level and they’re a very, very good team.  Long may their run in the Vase continue.

“To be honest I’ve said all along I don’t understand why other managers and other coaches don’t like teams doing well.   You want the Kent League teams to do well.  It raises the profile of the league, which is a very strong league, I think so hopefully they go all the way.

“If they go all the way (to Wembley), they might take their eye off the league and we’ve got games in hand over them and we have to play them twice.

“We wanted to go as far as we can but it wasn’t to be, but no-one could’ve given any more.  That’s the fact of the day.  Everyone is absolutely knackered and can’t run anymore.  We’ve worked very hard, moved the ball well, we created half chances and when the full chances have come round we just haven’t taken them.

“We’re very, very proud of our players.”

Tunbridge Wells: Dean Nash, Jason Bourne, Lewis Mingle, Gary Clarke, Drew Crush, Scott Whibley, Jon Pilbeam, Andy McMath, Andy Irvine, Jack Harris, Ryan Rook (Nick Nowotny 65).
Subs: Andy Boyle, Sean Johnson, Darren Nash, Michal Czanner

Booked: Lewis Mingle 83, Jason Bourne 90

St Ives Town: Niall Conroy-Owen, Scott Everdell, Jamie Alsop, Dan Newman, Jordan Lambert, Arron Last, Ozie Foster, Lee Ellison, Conor Washington, Junior McDougald (Scott Fielding 61), Stuart Cobb (Jeff Minton 85).
Subs: Grant Robbins, Will Fordham, Paul Reason

Goal:  Stuart Cobb 82

Attendance: 404
Referee: Mr Benjamin Knight (Waterlooville, Hampshire)
Assistants: Mr Andrew Parker (Stanford-le-Hope, Essex) & Mr John Sandlin (Dunmow, Essex)
Fourth Official: Mr Stephen Tate (Leigh-on-Sea, Essex)