Kentish Football 
Tunbridge Wells 2-0 VCD Athletic - We're dreaming about Wembley, says Wells boss Martin Larkin
Tuesday 06th December 2011
TUNBRIDGE WELLS 2-0 VCD ATHLETIC
The FA Carlsberg Vase Third Round Replay
Tuesday 6th December 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Culverden Stadium
TUNBRIDGE WELLS manager Martin Larkin says he is dreaming about reaching a Wembley Final after booking a place in the last 32 of The FA Carlsberg Vase after grinding out a 2-0 win over a VCD Athletic side that finished the game with nine men.
VCD Athletic will be kicking themselves after throwing away a 3-1 lead in the first game on the exquisite Oakwood playing surface on Saturday.
The Crayford based visitors’ failed to adapt to a stodgy playing surface at Culverden Stadium and Tunbridge Wells, who had hit the crossbar on two occasions, booked their place in the Fourth Round, courtesy of defender-turned-emergency target man, Perry Spackman and impressive left-back Lewis Mingle, who both scored in the final twenty minutes.
Tunbridge Wells can now look forward to a visit from United Counties League side St Ives Town on 21 January, a side that have won sixteen of their last seventeen games.
VCD Athletic’s miserable night saw them lose defender Laurence Collins (who was also red-carded at Oakwood on Saturday) for a challenge on Tunbridge Wells’ substitute Sam Phillips and midfielder Billy Bennett was also red-carded for foul and abusive language directed at assistant referee Mark Scott immediately following the second goal.
Larkin admitted tonight’s win made up for their exit at this stage last season to Leverstock Green.
He said: “It’s massive for the club. We said before Saturday we’ve waited twelve months to put right what went wrong last year. We felt last year was taken out of our hands with the weather so we’ve waited twelve months to do it.
“Saturday was a really good game and tonight we played really well. It was quite even on Saturday. They had their time, we had our time, but tonight I think we played well the whole way through. They obviously had patches. They were a little bit more direct, I think, because of the pitch but you have to here sometimes and I just think we’ve played well for the whole ninety minutes and thoroughly deserved the win.”
VCD Athletic manager, Ricky Bennett, admitted you should take your chances of progression on home soil, especially as the club were knocked out of The FA Cup in the Second Qualifying Round by Blue Square Bet (Conference) South strugglers Thurrock after throwing away a two-goal lead in the first game at Oakwood.
“You only get one chance really in the big games and we had our chance on Saturday,” said a bitterly disappointed Bennett.
“We’ve come here and we’ve had a go but at the end of the day we’ve lost 2-0.
“It (the pitch) don’t suit my players does it? I’ve got a team full of footballers, rather than hoofers who want to play on a muddy pitch. I know you need all sorts to be successful but yes, there you go.”
In response, Larkin added: “That’s my biggest bug-bear! People can moan about the pitch, it’s not the greatest and that’s absolutely fair. It’s not the worst in the league but it’s not the greatest.
“Team’s often say it’s a massive advantage for us playing on that pitch – but it’s not! It’s a disadvantage to be honest. Our away record is better than our home record and we’ve got to play on it every week so if you’re not going to adapt that’s their own fault. They come down here, they know what it’s all about.”
Tunbridge Wells kept faith with the same starting eleven that took to the Oakwood pitch at the weekend, but Vickers made a couple of enforced changes as George Mitchell and Uche Ibemere came in for Gary Cook (who failed a pre-match fitness test due to a calf strain) and leading goalscorer Aiden Pursglove (back).
The first half was a cagey affair as both sides struggled to adapt to the poor playing surface at Culverden Stadium, with clear-cut chances at a premium.
Tunbridge Wells’ midfielder Gary Clarke got in behind the VCD defence and centred low across the face of goal where Collins blasted the ball high above his own crossbar in the thirteenth minute.
The home side’s best chance, however, came halfway through the first half. Mingle hurled the ball out of his hands from the left and Spackman flicked the ball on at the near post and Jon Pilbeam’s hooked volley brought a fine diving save from Vickers’ goalkeeper Darren Ibrahim, diving to his right to tip the ball around the post against one of his former clubs.
Vickers’ created their first chance ten minutes before the break when Billy Bennett burst through on a forty-yard run straight through the heart of the Tunbridge Wells defence but his right-footed drive from 30-yards was beaten out by goalkeeper Dean Nash.
Tunbridge Wells first struck the crossbar on the stroke of half-time. Ryan Rook swung in the home side’s fourth corner from the left, which was flicked on at the near post and Tom Davey came up from the back to send an over-head kick, which agonisingly bounced off the top of the crossbar.
Reflecting on the first half, Larkin said: “I thought we had quite a lot of the ball in and around the box. We couldn’t find that space to get a shot off.
“We just thought second half, going down the slope a little bit, we can get our wingers’ involved and exploit their space in between their wing-backs a little bit and that’s what we did. We gambled a little bit and pushed those two wingers’ on and it paid off because we’ve got the goals and we’re through.”
Bennett added: “First half was cagey. I thought we looked dangerous, if you like, on the break. Yes, not many chances either end. We had some good set-piece opportunities but not enough movement in the box. The deliveries could’ve been better as well. It’s about taking your chances, set-pieces are chances and we’ve got to do better with them but neither keeper was really tested to be honest.”
As Bennett admitted, VCD Athletic should have done better from free-kicks and George Mitchell sent in a free-kick from the half-way line which in the end fell to Karl Dent, whose low left-footed drive was comfortably gathered by Nash.
But VCD Athletic really should have broken the stalemate following their first corner of the game in the 56th minute.
Mitchell came up from the back and met Wheeler’s left-wing corner with a downward header from inside the six-yard box, which either side of Nash would have brought the game to life.
Tunbridge Wells hit the crossbar for the second time in the 59th minute when central midfielder Andy McMath sent a hooked left-footed volley looping high into the air, which caught out the stranded Ibrahim, who was relieved to see the ball drop down onto the top of the crossbar and Carl Cornell, who was following up, stumbled inside the penalty area with the goal at his mercy.
Ibemere’s strength enabled him to burst past a couple of Tunbridge Wells defenders on the hour mark and he stroked a low right-footed shot across Nash, which was destined for the bottom far corner, but the diving goalkeeper stuck out a left arm to push the ball away to safety.
Bennett praised the returning number 9, saying, “He’s a decent player. It’s unfortunate that he’s not match fit and needs must. We’re very depleted at the moment. We’ve got people out injured, people unavailable and we’re bare bones but that’s no excuse! Whatever eleven that goes out there, or sixteen I bring to a game, it’s good enough.
“Uche shouldn’t be playing at this level but he’s just coming back from a knee injury. We’re trying to nurse him back. He’s been training well. I was only looking to give him twenty minutes on Saturday but needs dictated he had to come on at half-time and to be honest he wasn’t really fit to start a game but he worked his nuts off tonight for me.
“It’s not a pitch to suit him but we’ve got players who are decent footballers but they’ve got to learn the horrible bits of the game and hopefully this will be another learning curve for them because it’s not all about pretty football. That’s nice and we’ll always want to play football but at times you’ve got to grind results out or play percentages and you’ve got to win ugly. Once we get that into our game I think we’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”
With Vickers’ pressing, they squandered another fine chance when Dent floated in a cross from the right and skipper Casey Scotter rose above Drew Crush to loop a header into Nash’s arms, who later dived full-stretch to his left to punch away Dent’s dangerous looking free-kick from the left.
But Tunbridge Wells grabbed the lead with a sweeping move with 73 minutes on the clock.
Mingle fed Rook down the left flank and Rook played the ball inside to McMath and Pilbeam swept the ball into the penalty area for Spackman to run on to. The big target-man turned and with his left-foot dinked the ball across Ibrahim into the VCD Athletic net from eight-yards.
Larkin was full of praise for Spackman, who has been operating at the other end of the pitch because of a long-term injury to target-man Andy Irvine.
He said: “He’s a good centre half but he’s played centre forward in his younger days when he was with Gravesend & Northfleet (Ebbsfleet United) so he knows what to do. He’s powerful and strong and you need that target man to hold things up and work off at this level.
“With Andy Irvine out for so long we had to do that. Full credit to him. It’s not something he wanted to do but he’s not moaned about it once. He’s attitude has been fantastic and he’s worked incredibly hard up there and I hope to think he’s enjoyed it a little bit. He’s been fantastic!”
Speaking about the home side’s breakthrough, Bennett said: “I really can’t remember too much about it to be honest but again it’s a decent finish in the end but I felt we could’ve got a bit tighter to the man but he’s turned well. Maybe the goalkeeper could’ve come out a bit quicker?
“It makes no odds to me whether he’s a centre half or not. He’s a big lump. He’s a handful and they play to that.”
Rook was then put through on goal and cut inside before poking the ball past Ibrahim, but Collins hacked the ball to safety on the edge of the six-yard box.
The introduction of highly-rated striker Jack Harris added more pace to the Tunbridge Wells attack and he was put through on goal in the 80th minute but Ibrahim made a fine block and Pilbeam was thwarted from the rebound.
Billy Bennett’s red-card offence on Phillips resulted in a 21-man melee, with the only player keeping out of it was visiting keeper Ibrahim, and once things calmed down, referee Mr Sam Purkiss sent Bennett off and booked four players for their part in the ugly flash-point.
Both managers’ were asked their thoughts on the challenge.
Bennett said: “Well, thirty seconds before that their substitute, I think it was Harris that came on, thrown an elbow going up for the ball with James Brown. He goes down. Nothing happens and then the ball’s played into midfield and I think Bill won the ball. I don’t think it was a red-card at all.”
Larkin agreed, adding, “Clarkey (Gary Clarke) has been sent off twice for us this year for tackles I think weren’t red cards.
“I didn’t think it was a red card. They’ve come together. You can’t really tackle any more. You only have to look at the Liverpool game last night. I don’t think that was a red card either. It seems to filter down from the Premier League that you can’t tackle anymore. It was a foul but I don’t think it was a red card!”
It proved to be a costly mistake by the manager’s son as Tunbridge Wells hit VCD on the counter attack to double their lead with 48:13 on the clock.
Mingle broke away at pace out of defence with the ball and his fine raking pass released Spackman through the heart of a troubled defence. Spackman intelligently spread the ball to an unmarked Phillips on the right-hand side of the penalty area, who clipped a cross towards the far post and Mingle’s looping header from six-yards dropped over Ibrahim to seal the home club’s progress.
Praising man-of-the-match Mingle, Larkin said: “I thought Lewis was brilliant the whole game. The runs he made was very, very good. It’s his first season of playing serious football. He’s very popular in the changing room and the lads’ love him and yes I thought he did very well.”
Bennett admitted he always knew his side could be hit on the counter attack late on as they went in search of extra time.
He said: “By then we’ve had to have a go. We’ve stuck four people forward. We had to have a go. It’s a Cup competition, it’s the biggest competition there is at our level. You have to take your chances that you’re going to get hit on the break and that’s football.”
Angered that an offside decision didn’t go his side’s way leading up to the second goal, Collins used foul and abusive language towards Mr Scott, who called over his colleague, and the referee showed his second red-card of the night.
Bennett claimed: “I’ve spoken to Laurence in the dressing room. What’s foul and abusive language? Calling him an “idiot” is that foul and abusive language? I don’t know!
“Laurence’s had a bad couple of days’. He’ll be glad to see the back of this week! I’m not condoning the fact that he’s been sent off for foul and abusive language, although he said he never, but there you go!”
Tonight’s result means that Tunbridge Wells have won two, drawn one and lost one of their four games against VCD Athletic this season.
Bennett said: “They seem to be a bit of a bogey team to me to be honest since I’ve been in charge they always upset me Tunbridge Wells!
“Any side in this league is a tough game. I don’t really know what to say to be honest. Tunbridge Wells seem to have a bit of a hoodoo over us. They’re a decent outfit, hard working. They get wrapped around each other and they’ve got a lot more experience than what we have and it showed tonight.”
Tunbridge Wells, meanwhile, face seven games before their FA Carlsberg Vase home tie against St Ives Town on 21 January and Larkin knows Wembley Stadium is drawing closer.
“We spoke about that a little bit because you’ve got to,” said Larkin.
“There’s no point not talking about it! We said when you get closer to that kind of thing you’ve got to think about it!
“I spoke to Tommy Sampson (who lead Deal Town to FA Carlsberg Vase glory with Deal Town in 2000) on Saturday and today as well and he said when you get to these sort of rounds that’s when you start thinking about it and start dreaming about it.
“St Ives have got a very good record at the moment, they’ve won sixteen out of their last seventeen games but not overly sure how strong their league is but they look a strong outfit on paper.
“We have to try and see if we can see them a couple of times. They were here tonight so we’ll make sure we’re set but we’ve got some very important league games coming up before then that we’ve got to be ready for.”
Larkin targeted earlier in the season to progress through to the national stage of the competition and he wants his side to make history for the club.
The club have reached the Fourth Round on five previous occasions, the last time being in the 1992-93 season.
“We’re very proud of our record in the FA Vase for the last two years’, said Larkin.
“We set out at the start of the season we wanted to be in the Vase in the New Year and that was a major target. The lads’ have brought into it and we’re very proud of the way they’ve gone about their business.
“We’re now going to take a step as a group of 20-22 of us. Can we be the ones to have gone the furthest for the club? That’s what we’re looking to do now.”
Tunbridge Wells: Dean Nash, Jason Bourne, Lewis Mingle, Gary Clarke, Drew Crush, Tom Davey, Jon Pilbeam (Sam Phillips 87), Andy McMath, Perry Spackman, Carl Cornell (Jack Harris 73), Ryan Rook (Nick Nowotny 87).
Subs: Scott Whibley, Michal Czanner
Goals: Perry Spackman 73, Lewis Mingle 90
Booked: Lewis Mingle 37, Jon Pilbeam, Dean Nash 90, Andy McMath 90
VCD Athletic: Darren Ibrahim, Daryl Wheeler (Tom Gamblin 83), Laurence Collins, George Mitchell, James Brown, Casey Scotter (Gary Cook 77), Karl Dent, Billy Bennett, Uche Ibemere, James Duckworth, Greg Benbow.
Subs: Jimmy Rogers, Jack Asbury, Liam Hickey
Booked: George Mitchell 90, Gary Cook 90
Sent Off: Billy Bennett 89, Laurence Collins 90
Attendance: 139
Referee: Mr Sam Purkiss (Highbury, London N5)
Assistants: Mr Chris Myatt (Dartford) & Mr Mark Scott (Swanscombe)
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