Kentish Football 
Tunbridge Wells 3-4 Erith Town - Good sides find ways of winning, says Tony Russell
Monday 03rd January 2011
TUNBRIDGE WELLS 3-4 ERITH TOWN
Safety Net Associates Kent League
Bank Holiday Monday 3rd January 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Culverden Stadium
DARK HORSES Erith Town climbed into second place in the Kent League table - courtesy of a tactical masterstroke from rookie manager Tony Russell.
Despite playing their first game since they were beaten by Hythe Town on 27 November, The Dockers appeared to be dead and buried, as Tunbridge Wells were enjoying a 3-1 lead with only sixteen minutes to go, but the home side couldn’t cope with the pace of substitutes Alex Tiesse and Jamal York and three late goals sealed a dramatic 4-3 victory for Erith Town, a result that takes them to within four points of in-form leaders Herne Bay.
Tunbridge Wells handed a debut to youth team keeper Callum Hampson, as Michal Czanner failed a fitness test with a knee injury, and the sixteen-year-old was beaten after just 187 seconds when former Sevenoaks Town central defender, Malik Fofanna, scored on his debut.
But the home side levelled through Carl Cornell after 19 minutes, before the returning Tom Davy flicked home a second just before the break.
And when Cornell scored his tenth goal of the season, Tunbridge Wells were in complete control just before the hour-mark.
But Chris Walker began the dramatic fight-back when he headed home a 75th minute corner, before Frenchman Fofanna fired home an equaliser ten minutes later and debutant right-back, Joe Foster, 18, smashed home a late winner to stun the home side.
Russell, 32, felt the Culverden Stadium playing surface as not up to standard.
“What a game! It was not a good game for us in respect that we gave away three sloppy goals but to be fair when you come on a pitch like this, it’s just ridiculous.”
The former Thamesmead Town coach added, “The league should encourage people to have a groundsman and try and keep the pitch up to a decent standard because you have a responsibility to entertain people, that’s why you want people to come through the door. You just can’t do it on that pitch!
“I must admit, when I turned up and saw the pitch I was really, really disappointed. I’m not expecting Wembley, but just look after it a little bit, that’s all I ask for!”
The home side were also without suspended pair, Perry Spackman and Drew Crush, so Andy Boyle partnered Scott Whibley at the heart of defence.
Erith Town were also without influential pair, skipper Dean Kearley, and five-goal all-action central midfielder Lee Morgan, also through suspension.
Erith Town were lethal with corners, winning the corner count by 10-2, and they opened the scoring through this method inside the opening four minutes.
Liam Burgess delivered an in-swinging corner from the left and Hampson flapped at the ball at the near post and the ball dropped to Fafanna, who cracked a left-footed half-volley into the roof of the net.
Erith Town had won another four corners by the time Tunbridge Wells levelled, through a sweeping move.
Cornell started the move when he swept the ball out to the right to release Jon Pilbeam and after cutting inside he centered the ball to Andy McMath, who cut the ball back to Cornell, who drove a right-footed shot across Tim Roberts into the bottom far corner of the net.
Hampson made amends when he smothered the ball from Walker’s feet after the pacy striker was released through the heart of the Tunbridge Wells defence.
The home side then seized control for the rest of the first half.
McMath released Pilbeam and after cutting inside Foster, the midfielder rolled his shot comfortably into Roberts’ gloves at the near post.
Tunbridge Wells took the lead for the first time after 40 minutes, with a goal from a set-piece.
McMath’s corner from the left found it’s way to Cornell on the edge of the box and his low right-footed drive headed towards a crowd of players and left-back Davey flicked the ball towards the bottom left-hand corner, keeper Roberts could only watch as the ball trickled past him.
Erith Town were desperately unlucky not to level in the 51st minute.
Burgess swung over a free-kick towards the far post, which was headed across goal by Ben Payne, and a shot looped off the underside of the crossbar, in what was a crowded goal-mouth scramble, and Walker smashed a shot into Hampson’s grateful arms.
But when Tunbridge Wells made it 3-1 after 58 minutes, no-one watching this game would have predicted what was to follow later.
Davey punted a free-kick up field and McMath released Cornell, who looped an effort over Roberts into the near corner of the net.
Tunbridge Wells squandered a gilt-edged chance to wrap up the game when McMath’s ball over the top released Keelan Mooney down the left and after cutting inside he played the ball across the box to Pilbeam, who drove an angled right-footed drive towards the near post, but Roberts got down low to make a comfortable save.
Erith Town appeared to be out of the game, but after discussions with his assistant manager Lew Watts, Russell added pace to his team with York joining Tiesse up front, with the ineffective Michael Power struggling with his niggly knee injury.
Power has failed to make the grade at Blue Square Bet South struggling side Thurrock, having played for a number of Kent clubs including Thamesmead Town, Cray Wanderers, Tonbridge Angels, Margate and Bromley.
“I was at Cray for four or five years and I was with him at Thamesmead so we’re old mates,” explained Russell.
“I spoke to him and he was playing for Thurrock in the Conference (South). He’s got a slight knee problem so it’s hard for him to play that many games so this will be ideal for him.
“He’s going to have it looked at in the summer but he’s ok to play one game a week. He knows me, he knows what I’m about. He’s not 100% fit but he’s getting there.”
Erith Town converted from a second corner after 75 minutes, a goal that should have been a consolation.
Burgess delivered a corner from the right and Walker wasn’t picked up by the slack home defence at the near post and he nodded the ball down and into the bottom right-hand corner with Hampson stranded.
At the other end, substitute Ben Palmer released McMath, who was forced wide and the angle was too tight for him to beat Roberts at his far post, the Erith keeper diving low to his left to save comfortably.
Erith Town stunned Tunbridge Wells when they levelled in the 85th minute, as the home side failed to clear following yet another corner, and Burgess centred low for Fofanna, who swept a fierce left-footed drive past Hampson, who didn’t even see it as the ball whistled past him to his right.
Praising his two-goal hero, Russell added, “He was making his debut today. We’ve signed him from Sevenoaks and he played us the other week and I thought he done really well.
“He had a mixed day, I thought! He scored two goals but maybe where he was new and he’s a French boy (he struggles with) communication, but he’s raw and we’re going to coach him and see if we can make him into a better player.”
Erith Town sensed that Tunbridge Wells were struggling to cope and grabbed the points in dramatic style when substitute Harry Montgomery whipped in an in-swinging corner from the left, which caused an almighty scramble and Sittingbourne cast-off Foster smashed the ball into the net from close range.
“It was just one of those games, the pitch dictated that,” reflected Russell. “They play it well, Tunbridge Wells, it’s a slope and they know it.
“They were 3-1 (up) and they had a couple off chances. The game was so stretched so my aim was to just plug the holes before we could worry about scoring at the other end.
“I made a couple of subs and tactical changes and the moment we got a foothold in the game we got a goal from a corner and I could see them wobbling. I fancied us from there to be fair.
“I said to them, I can coach all you want and I can scream and shout and talk about team-talks and tactics, one thing you can’t coach is desire. When you’re 3-1 down away at Tunbridge Wells and the pitch is not what we hoped for, you have to roll your sleeves up and find a way of winning and we done that today. That’s what good sides do, good sides find ways of winning.”
Russell said that he asked Tiesse and York “to get around the side of the two centre halves with their movement to draw them into wide areas.”
Erith Town’s win was down to the tactically nouse of their management team.
Russell aid: “The moment we done that holes started to appear and I just thought when we went to 3-2 you could see it (the winner) was coming.
“I’ve done my coaching badges and really enjoyed the coaching side of it. The managing fell on my lap really (when Steve O’Boyle resigned earlier in the season). It wasn’t something I really wanted, I must admit.
“I’m learning, I’ve done all the coaching courses, I knew about coaching but managing, you don’t know until you’re in that situation how you’d react. When we played Hythe at home I didn’t react when we were 1-0 down with 15 minutes to go and I always look at myself after a game and I thought to myself I need to be pro-active during the game.
“When we went 3-1 down I had a chat with Lew and we bounced some ideas of each other and we came up with let’s get the two quick boys on, lets’ take big Shaggy (Power) off and give them different problems with pace and movement.”
Russell was delighted that Foster came up trumps, having been rejected by Gary Abbott at Sittingbourne at the start of the season.
“I see him in training and I just fancied it. I like what I see him in. He’s got a good attitude,” said Russell.
“I spoke to Abbo because he was at Sittingbourne in pre-season. He said ‘maybe he’s not quite ready yet’ so we’ve had a look at him. He’s been out injured, it’s his first game. If he keeps his head down and keep working hard in training, he’s going to be a really, really good player.”
Defeated Tunbridge Wells manager, Martin Larkin, meanwhile, refused to point the finger of blame at keeper Hampson, who despite leaking four goals on his debut was named sponsors’ man-of-the-match, winning a bottle of champagne.
“I didn’t throw him in, it’s a little harsh (saying that),” said the Hove based manager. “Michal’s woken up a week ago with a knee injury, he slept awkwardly, had a slight tendon strain. He had a fitness test today, he’s just failed it.
“Callum’s our youth team goalkeeper and he’s the Kent under 18 goalkeeper so he is someone who is going to be very good. First half he played very well, he came out and took the ball at the feet of a couple of centre forwards’ through balls, pulled off a couple of good saves.
“He’s a biggish lad, he’s 16 and he’s probably eighteen months away from being a top notch Kent League goalkeeper and probably higher. He’s had trials with a number of League clubs but unfortunately he’s not experienced as Michal. You take Michal out of our set-up, it’s a huge loss, both vocally, size and presence.
“There’s eleven people that defend corners, so I wouldn’t put the blame solely on him. I certainly wouldn’t do that because he’s an important part of our set-up and he trains with us, he’s a first team squad member but as a whole team we’ve not defended those corners properly. It’s such a shame because that is something we do very well normally.”
Reflecting on the game, the disappointed Wells boss said: “We were in complete control of that game for 75 minutes,
“I thought we played really well; we were rusty; a very bad start; we grew into the game; we scored three very good goals and we were in complete control.
“Second half, I thought we defended very well as a unit - but we conceded three goals from three corners and that’s what’s killed us at the end of the day. Three corners, all of which were errors from players involved in the set-up and that’s what we have to live with. That’s what’s turned the game because we weren’t in any bother whatsoever.
“I don’t think they had a corner until 15 minutes from the end and once they did they capitalised on the fact that Michal’s not playing and they’ve done really well, but we were in complete control of that game and it should’ve been closed off.
Larkin was concerned with the way his side capitulated under pressure from Erith’s pacy attack.
He said: “At 3-1 up I expected to win the game! That game was won! It should’ve been closed down. It’s as simple as that!
“I don’t think they had a shot on target in the second half until those corners came round in the end.”
With 54 goals for his side and 31 against in 21 games in all competitions so far this season, Larkin wants to become more solid at the back, like they were during the first six games of the season, where they only conceded three goals.
“We’ve conceded too many at the moment, it‘s something to address,” Larkin said.
“We had that change of style after four or five games, we’re a bit more open. We need to drag it back a little bit because we are letting in far too many goals. We will always score because of the firepower, there’s a lot of pace there but we have to just close games out.”
Tunbridge Wells: Callum Hampson, Jason Bourne, Tom Davey (Steve Ashmore 77), Sam Phillips, Scott Whibley, Andy Boyle, Jon Pilbeam, Andy McMath, Keelan Mooney (Ben Palmer 71), Carl Cornell, Alex Rich.
Subs: Rob Wells, Jack Harris, Michal Czanner.
Goals: Carl Cornell 19, 58, Tom Davey 40
Erith Town: Tim Roberts, Joe Foster, Lawrence Collins, Ben Payne, Malik Fofanna, Darren Nash, Liam Burgess, Peter Smith (Harry Montgomery 66), Michael Power (Jamal York 75), Cris Borcescu (Alex Tiesse 66).
Subs: Calum Comerford, Martin Chirmutta
Goals: Malik Fofanna 4, 85, Chris Walker 75, Joe Foster 89
Booked: Harry Montgomery 90
Attendance: 149
Referee: Mr Paul Yates (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr Danny Roberts (Maidstone) & Mr Josh Rudd (Dartford)
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