Tunbridge Wells 0-2 Herne Bay - We've got to stay focused and disciplined, says Simon Halsey

TUNBRIDGE WELLS  0-2  HERNE BAY
Kent Hurlimann Football League
Tuesday 3^rd April 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Culverden Stadium

HERNE BAY manager Simon Halsey praised his players’ character for putting behind their FA Carlsberg Vase Semi-Final heartbreak at the weekend by moving to within eight points of clinching the Kent Hurlimann Football League title.

Halsey’s side made the long trip up to the North East at the weekend, but suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat up at Northern League outfit West Auckland Town, going down 4-3 on aggregate and missing out on the club’s first Wembley Final in their 125-year history.

But tonight’s game away to fifth-placed side Tunbridge Wells came at the right time to get their massive disappointment out of their system.

Two costly errors from Tunbridge Wells’ nineteen-year-old goalkeeper Dean Nash were gleefully taken by Ashley Baverstock and Michael Jenner – who scored a 40-yard free-kick – as Herne Bay moved a step closer to staging Ryman League football at Winch’s Field next August.

“That game couldn’t come quick enough!” admitted Halsey afterwards.   “I said after Saturday’s exploits they needed that game on Tuesday.  Hopefully that will put a stamp on the rest of our season.  The boys’ have done very well, yes, a couple of little mistakes from their goalie, but we’ve created those mistakes.  We’ve played on a really, really awful pitch to be honest.”

Halsey added: “They’ve come back from a poor Saturday to a nice evening I think they had.  They drowned their sorrows, come back fully charged believe it or not and it was a great exploit.  There’s nothing we can do about that.  That’s forgotten.”

Tunbridge Wells boss Martin Larkin, whose side went into the game with only one defeat in their last six games added:  “I thought we played as well in the first half as we did in the second half to be honest.   I thought we played well in both halves.  They played well in both halves.  It was a very close, tight game.”

Tunbridge Wells had the better of the first half of a feisty encounter at a wet Culverden Stadium, a match that saw Sevenoaks based referee Mr Paul Beadle hand out seven yellow cards.

But it was Herne Bay, who made four changes from their trip to the North East, who created the first chance, inside the opening eleven minutes.

Tom Parker swung in a corner with his left boot from the right and left-back Tom Bryant – who gave his side a 12^th minute lead at West Auckland at the weekend – rose above his marker to plant his header just wide of the near post from six-yards.

Tunbridge Wells created many first half chances to stun the league leaders on a difficult playing surface.

Winger Ryan Rook cut in from the right and played a low centre into the middle where Andy Irvine’s right-footed shot on the turn deflected off Jamie Maxted and flashed wide of the right-hand post.

Herne Bay keeper, Dan Eason, made a flying save to his left in the 18^th minute to thwart Irvine from scoring with a left-footed shot on the turn after Tom Davey clipped the ball towards the edge of the Herne Bay penalty area.

Herne Bay hit the hosts on the break soon after when Rhys Lawson sprinted forward before laying the ball off to Baverstock, who chipped the ball forward for Lawson, who ghosted into the Tunbridge Wells penalty area, but he could only steer his header across Nash and wide of the post.

Tunbridge Wells should have done better when Gary Clarke played a shot free-kick to Andy McMath, who floated the ball over to Irvine on the right-hand side of the Herne Bay box.  The big target man hooked the ball across the box towards the far post and all Clarke could do was head weakly at Eason.

Herne Bay winger, Lawson, scuffed a poor, rolling shot into Nash’s gloves, before Tunbridge Wells really should have drawn first blood by taking a 31^st minute lead.

Irvine slipped the ball to Jack Harris, who was forced wide by Herne Bay right-back Toby Ashmore, but Harris cut the ball back to left-back Lewis Mingle, who picked the ball up nearer to the halfway line.  Mingle sprinted forward 30-yards before cutting inside and clipped a left-footed cross towards the far post, where Rook ghosted in at the far post and smashed a right-footed volley agonisingly wide of the near post from six-yards.

Tunbridge Wells went even closer when Irvine cracked a left-footed shot, which deflected off a defender and looped up and hit the underside of the crossbar before being hacked away to safety.

Halsey was pleased with debutant Simon Austin, who was playing his first game for the club since his move from Ryman League Division One South side Folkestone Invicta.  His debut was delayed because of the club’s four semi-final ties in the Kent League Cup and FA Vase recently.

“Simon Austin and Ashley Baverstock combined quite well up front.  I thought Simon, on his debut for us, got a good 80-85 minutes under his belt and he looked lively to be fair.  If we can get him a little bit fitter he’ll definitely be the answer for the last seven games.”

Both managers were asked what they told their players during the half-time interval.

Larkin said: “I said to them at half-time, when we came in are we happy with that?  Some said they were, some said they wasn’t.

“I said we mustn’t be satisfied with coming in at 0-0.  We played well in the first half.  We want to test ourselves against the best and they are quite clearly the best in the league because they’re top.”

Halsey added: “We tried to play football in the first half and we stopped and I said to them at half-time when we try to play out there it weren’t bad to be fair so let’s get back in trying to play football.

“I wanted to defend that half in the first half so I was glad we went that way.  Get the ball down more, get it down and enjoy yourselves.  It is hard, the pitch, but you’re good enough footballers to deal with it.   They stuck to it and carried on playing second half.”

Austin also cracked a shot on the turn, which looped over a stranded Nash and dropped just over the crossbar, before Herne Bay were gifted a 55^th minute lead.

Ashmore pumped a diagonal ball from close to the halfway line and Nash came a long way out to try to catch the ball but he inexplicably dropped the ball at Baverstock’s feet and the striker accepted the gift and swept a left-footed shot into an empty net, the ball nestling into the bottom far corner.

Halsey said: “He’s a fox in the box and he’s got on the end of it and he’s put it away for us!”

Herne Bay sealed the victory, just 166 seconds later.

Michael Jenner, who was wearing the captain’s armband, clipped a right-footed free-kick from 40-yards towards goal, but all Nash could do was stick out his left arm and failed miserably to prevent the ball dropping into the top right-hand corner.

Halsey added: “He’s put it in and around the goal area and the goalie’s not dealt with it, so we’ll take that all day”

Larkin, as expected, refused to blame Nash for gifting Herne Bay their nineteenth league win of the season.

He said: “Dean’s been magnificent for us this year.  He’s won us many games, saved many penalties and he kick-started our Vase campaign this year with a penalty save.  He’s been fantastic all year.   He is going to be an exceptional goalkeeper.  He’s made mistakes. He’s nineteen-years-old.  I’ve got no issue with Dean whatsoever, none whatsoever.”

However, Nash made amends when he made a low save to prevent Lawson from scoring with a right-footed shot after the winger cut in from the left just past the hour mark.

Austin then sensed the home keeper wasn’t having the best of nights and the experienced striker drilled a low right-footed angled drive, which Nash initially spilt before picking up the ball.

But Tunbridge Wells almost clawed themselves back into the game, courtesy of substitute Carl Cornell.

The striker raced forward and his right-footed shot on the angle rolled across Eason and flashed agonisingly wide of the foot of the far post in the 75^th minute.

But Eason pulled off a world-class save to deny Cornell his tenth-goal of the season, just four minutes later.

Rook delivered a hanging free-kick from the right which was flicked on by Tom Davey at the near post and Cornell’s close-range right-footed volley was somehow blocked by Eason.

Halsey said: “That’s just an unbelievable save to be honest.  That’s what Dan’s about.  I’ve said time and time again he’s the best goalkeeper in the Kent League.  Some of the saves he’s pulled off and that one tonight was most probably his save of the season I’d say, apart from the penalty against Canterbury, their second one.”

Larkin, meanwhile, said he was pleased with his side’s performance.

He said: “I thought we played well, created some half chances. We created more half chances than they did. 

“At the end of the day you can see why they’re top of the league.  They play very well, a good unit, they’re very physical, very powerful and they’ve taken their bits of luck when they came around and that’s the difference.

“I thought we created more half chances than them but they’ve scored two goals and they’ve won the game and they’ll continue their quest towards the Ryman League, which is fully deserved over the last two or three years, they’ve built their club up.

“We pushed them really hard tonight.  I thought we played really well.  We’re missing a couple tonight and we’ve competed against them and that’s all you can ask for.

“Two mistakes by Dean, which is unfortunate and he’ll bounce back.  The lads’ got around him straight away and we’ll go again.”

Larkin says he wants to win their last remaining five games, their next one being the return game at Winch’s Field on Easter Monday.

He said: “We want to win all five.  Every game we play in we want to win.  It’s the mentality we try to drive into them.  That’s the mentality Herne Bay have.  They didn’t panic at any time we were really on top. They kept their shape and worked well and they took their chance when it came to them.

“That’s what we want to drive into our guys’.  Talent wise tonight I really don’t think there was too much between the sides.  Experience and that winning mentality is what Herne Bay have got. That’s all credit to Simon and his coaching staff for driving it into them and that’s what we need to do here. If we do that here we’re not far away.”

Wins over the Easter period, at home to Fisher and Tunbridge Wells could see Herne Bay clinch the Kent Hurlimann Football League title away to Corinthian on Saturday, 14 April.

Halsey said: “It’s a nice position to be in. Nine points from 21.  Happy days!

“We’ve got Fisher Saturday and obviously these are coming back to us on Monday and they’re going to put that right on Monday and we have to make sure, as I said to the lads, they have to look after themselves.  We’ve got (games on) Saturday and Monday so it’s very important being a Bank Holiday.  They can go and celebrate any other week.  This weekend is very important.  They look after themselves after Saturday’s game.”

Halsey added: “We’re not over there yet.  There’s still a way to go.  We’ve got to stay focused, stay disciplined on the pitch and organised and to be fair we’ve done that all season so let’s get Saturday and Monday on.”

Herne Bay could have so easily suffered a defeat here tonight if they dwelled on what might have been in the FA Carlsberg Vase.

Halsey said: “That just shows the character of my players.  They could’ve rolled over and died tonight and feel sorry for themselves but they puffed their chests out, lifted their shoulders up and went in for a battle.”

Tunbridge Wells: Dean Nash, Jason Bourne (Nick Nowotny 86), Lewis Mingle, Gary Clarke, Andy Boyle, Perry Spackman, Tom Davey, Andy McMath, Andy Irvine (Carl Cornell 72), Jack Harris, Ryan Rook.
Subs: Scott Whibley, Charlie Ottway, Michal Czanner

Booked: Andy Boyle 45, Jack Harris 45, Andy Irvine 63

Herne Bay: Dan Eason, Toby Ashmore, Tom Bryant, Jamie Maxted, James Campbell, Michael Jenner, Dan Lawrence (Ollie Bartrum 73), Tom Parker, Simon Austin (Joe Kennett 87), Ashley Baverstock (Luke Harvey 81), Rhys Lawson.
Subs: James Turner, Brad Ashmore

Goals: Ashley Baverstock 55, Michael Jenner 58

Booked: Tom Parker 26, Ashley Baverstock 37, Jamie Maxted 44, Tom Bryant 62

Attendance: 205
Referee:  Mr Paul Beadle (Sevenoaks)
Assistants: Mr Stephen Cole (Borough Green) & Mr Leigh Judd (Tunbridge Wells)