VCD Athletic 0-0 Herne Bay - We think we can sneak into that fifth-spot, says VCD Athletic boss Nick Davis

VCD Athletic 0 – 0 Herne Bay
Location	Oakwood, Old Road, Crayford, Kent DA1 4DN
Kickoff	19/02/2022 15:00

VCD ATHLETIC  0-0  HERNE BAY
Isthmian League South East Division
Saturday 19 February 2022
Stephen McCartney reports from Oakwood

VCD ATHLETIC manager Nick Davis says his side can still creep into the Isthmian League South East Division play-offs in their last 10 games of the season.

Fifteen-goal striker Youssef Bamba, who is under contract until the end of next season, has gone away on a family holiday at the wrong time as the Vickers were held to a goal-less draw at Faversham Town last weekend and suffered similar fate during his absence against play-off chasing Herne Bay at a windy Oakwood today.

Herne Bay were without goalkeeper Jordan Perrin, who is suffering from Covid-19, so Billy Johnson came in to make his debut while on a 28-day loan spell from National League South side Maidstone United.

“It was a game with not many chances was there to be honest,” admitted Davis.

“It was the same last week against Faversham but I think as possession goes and dominance of play we were by far the better side even though we’ve not had a load of shots on goal.  I don’t think Motty’s (Sam Mott) had a save to make today.

“We had this down as a draw to be honest but we know we can match anyone here, we’re as good as anyone in our league here on this pitch and it’s the first time we haven’t scored at home this season.

“Youssef had a family holiday. We always knew he would miss these two games and he’s been absolutely unbelievable for us. He’s the x-factor for us.  He’s back tonight so he’ll be back for the last 10 games and we’re going to need him.”

Herne Bay arrived in Crayford having picked up back-to-back wins over East Grinstead Town (4-0) and Chichester City (1-0), while their home game against Haywards Heath Town was abandoned at half-time last weekend after the match referee was injured, with Haywards Heath leading 1-0.

Herne Bay boss Ben Smith added: “A great point. A great point for us. A win would’ve been huge today.  I think you can count us out of any title race but we’ve got to look at the bigger picture.  If we can do what we done in the first half of the season and beat the teams that we should beat, we’ve got a great chance right now.

“Every game is going to be tough in this league because everyone’s fighting for something at the minute but we’ve got to back ourselves at the minute to go on.

“It was definitely a point gained. Our decision making in the final third wasn’t good enough today. Our plan was to stay in the game first half. We switched it up, we’ve played 4-4-2 all season, we’ve gone 4-5-1, packed the midfield out and let them have an onslaught at us and we’ve dealt with it.

“They started fast when we played them earlier on in the season for the first 30 minutes they were the best side we played all season football wise, they were really good. We showed them a little bit of respect, which sometimes I think you’ve got to do and we did that.

“We were solid. We’re the first team to come here and not concede. I think people need to give us a little bit of credit.  I think that’s a great point today.

“Let’s see if the other teams in the top five, let’s see if they can come here and they get a clean-sheet and I give them some respect for that because (two of) those teams (Cray Valley and Ashford) have got to play here.”

VCD Athletic were the better side and had more possession but couldn’t find the decisive touch in front of goal.

VCD Athletic won the corner-count by four to three and created their first opening following their first flag-kick in the 15^th minute.

Left-back Andrew Dythe floated in a deep corner from the right towards the back stick and centre-half Ben Gorham planted his header over the top of the left-hand post from inside the six-yard box.

Centre-half Kiki Oshilaja played a diagonal ball out of the Vickers’ defence out to right-winger Anthony Adesite, who easily cut inside Herne Bay’s left-back Jack Parter and once just inside the box his lashed his right-footed drive over the top of the near post in the 26^th minute.

“We said it was probably the first shot on goal, even though there were a good few crosses in the box which they defended well,” said Davis.

“Anthony hasn’t scored in seven games but he can be a real threat.  It just needed to hit the target. 

“We knew they had a keeper on loan from Maidstone today because their number one was missing. We just didn’t test him enough for me.”

Herne Bay’s only real goalscoring chance of this stalemate arrived in the 34^th minute.

Central midfielder Bode Anidugbe played the ball into deep Kieron Campbell, who released striker Zak Ansah down the left – in behind Chris Edwards and Gorham and the 15-goal talisman drilled his left-footed shot across keeper Johnson and the ball curled towards the base of the far post before finally ending up behind for a goal-kick close to the corner flag.

Smith said: “He had two like that when you’re thinking for that net to sort of russell and there was one where they got a block and where it was vintage Ansah to curl it in.”

Davis added: “That’s all they had for the whole of the first-half.  I don’t think we saw Sam Mott at all.

“I don’t know if they came here to get a point, any point away from home is a good point but we knew we had to keep that Ansah quiet because we know he can be deadly in and around. He shoots from everywhere, so we’ve done well with him because he doesn’t actually have a fixed position, I don’t think.  They sort of give him a bit of a free role.”

Herne Bay keeper Johnson made a comfortable save four minutes before the interval.

Dythe threw the ball into the box, the ball was cleared out to attacking midfielder Ayman El-Mogharbel, whose left-footed shot from 15-yards lacked power and conviction and was comfortably gathered by the keeper at his near-post.

“There were a few times when we were in a position to shoot when we should’ve done and we took a bad touch and we didn’t,” said Davis.

“But Herne Bay are up there for a reason. They’re well-organised, their two centre-halves (Laurence Harvey and Daniel Johnson) are very good, we knew that and they’re dangerous on the break and they’ve got dangerous players so we just needed to make the right decisions, which I don’t think we did at times today.”

Vickers centre-half Oshilaja put his body in the way of Ansah’s right-footed shot close to the by-line after Campbell drove straight down the heart of the pitch and played the ball to Ansah down the left-hand side of the Vickers penalty area.

Despite VCD Athletic enjoying more possession, both sides were to cancel each other out for large parts of this stalemate.

“I was pleased, as you can see we play football. We’ve got one of the best pitches in the league and we’ve got the players to do it,” said Davis.

“I don’t know if the wind had a factor or not. It was obviously going across so they seemed to think it was a factor.

“I just said (at half-time) can we continue to do what we were doing? We felt there was an outlet down the right-hand side, which we’ll get out quite quickly because they wasn’t pressing us and then it was just making the right decisions at the right time.  It just didn’t fall for us today but I was really pleased with our performance.”

Smith added: “At half-time I’m delighted especially we’ve had the wind in our faces and it was difficult and second half I thought ‘here we go’, and we just didn’t have that little spark.

“Plan A ticked off, now it’s the second phase.  Second phase was to have a bit more of a go at them. We changed, put another forward (Aaron Millbank) on. We didn’t quite get the right pass off at the right time to get something.

“Overall, they didn’t have gilt-edged chances. We were happy for them to have a bit more possession so I think a point is probably a fair reflection on the game and yes it sets us up nicely.”

Herne Bay were forced into making an enforced change at the interval with right-back Daniel Carrington being forced off with a knee injury and was replaced by Reion-Noel McFarlane, while VCD Athletic’s left-back Dythe also only lasted 45 minutes and was replaced by Theo McKenzie.

The second half stalemate lasted until the 24^th minute when VCD Athletic went direct in search of the breakthrough that their possession deserved.

Gorham often went wide to receive the ball before he hit a long ball down the right to release Edwards, who drove down the line and cut inside towards the corner of the box before he drilled a right-footed shot which was comfortably saved in Billy Johnson’s midriff at his near post.

“It was a long distanced shot. We didn’t work their keeper enough today,” admitted the Vickers manager.

“All the possession that we had and the good areas we had, we were getting a lot of joy down that right-hand side.  It was Courtney’s (Barrington) first start down the left and I thought he caused problems as well.

“We got a lot of balls from wide areas into the box but fair play to them, they defended them well and we just didn’t get across them and on another day we could’ve scored but we didn’t.”

When asked how former Rusthall keeper Billy Johnson did during his first game at this level, Smith replied: “He done really well Bill. It’s always hard to come into a side when you don’t know anyone.

“We got it (the registration) in a minute before the National League deadline. The deadline is five o’clock on the Friday, so we got his registration in at four forty-nine.  We couldn’t travel anywhere to get it signed because of the wind (storm Eunice). It was touch and go whether we had a keeper today.

“Billy came in and done a good job. Jordan Perrin has been good for us, Jordan’s got Covid. It takes a little bit of time to recover from Covid, he’s had it fairly bad as well so Bill’s come in and done a very good job for us today.”

The home side should have done better when another chance came their way just 164 seconds later.

Left-winger Courtney Barrington sprung into life for the first time during the game and sped down the left wing, rode a sliding challenge from McFarlane, before striding forward another 10 yards before playing the ball inside to the unmarked El-Mogharbel, who sliced a first-time right-footed shot harmlessly wide of the far post from 18-yards.

Davis added: “He maybe could’ve taken a touch and put his foot through it and hit the target but it was one of those days today. We weren’t going to score if we were out there for another 90 minutes!”

The last chance came the home side’s way less than three minutes later.

The threatening right-back Edwards drove down the right wing and hung over a great cross towards the near post where ineffective striker Jeff Duah-Kessie planted a free-header past the right-hand upright.

“He actually got across the man for once there and didn’t have the composure to get it on target but it is what it is,” admitted Davis.

“If we had a centre-forward who has got us 15 goals this season I think it could’ve been a different story but it’s all ifs, buts and maybe’s isn’t it?”

Smith added: “To be fair, he’s the wrong side of the goal post. If he does head it clean, if that makes sense, it’s going to be a very, very good header to glance that in from there.  If he’s in line with the post and he hits it well then it’s very, very difficult so I think Dan Johnson and Laurence Harvey dealt with him very well today.”

There was a five minute period when the game went end-to-end but both defences were on top as both sides lacked the required quality in the final third to claim the victory.

Hastings United look certain to claim the league title with 62 points from 28 games, with 10 league games remaining.

The four play-off places are occupied by Cray Valley (56 points from 28 games), Ashford United (52 points from 27 games), Ramsgate (50 points from 27 games) and Haywards Heath Town (49 points from 27 games).

Herne Bay remain in sixth-place with 48 points from 26 games, Burgess Hill Town are now in seventh with 44 points from 28 games, while VCD Athletic slip down a place into eighth with 43 points from 28 games.

Davis insists VCD Athletic have not thrown in the towel when it comes to sneaking into the play-offs.

“We’ve got a points target that we’re looking to get. We think we can sneak in that fifth spot,” said Davis.

“We need to go on a hell of a run but the next three games we’ve got East Grinstead away, two home games in Sittingbourne and Whitehawk and we’ll be going for nine points in those games. We go for three points in every game but there’s still going to be a few twists and turns in this league yet.”

East Grinstead Town went down to a 2-0 defeat at struggling Lancing today and have are in fifteenth-place in the table with 29 points from 27 games despite their set-back today.

“We’ve got to go to East Grinstead and take it to them, we’ve got to win games of football now,” said Davis.

“Everyone can beat anyone in this league can’t they, so who knows? Hopefully Herne Bay and Haywards Heath slip up but I think it’s a fight for the fifth spot.

“Haywards Heath lost (3-2 at home) to Three Bridges so it just shows you.  (We’re not giving up) until it’s mathematically impossible.

“We’ve targeted about 65-67 points, I think will get that fifth spot, we’ll see. We need another eight wins, I think, so Herne Bay will have to slip up because they’ve got two games in hand but Herne Bay have got a lot of midweek games coming up so it’s not going to be easy.”

On his side’s play-off aspirations, Herne Bay manager Smith replied: “We’re right in it, a great point today. We go away very happy and moving forward into the next game.  We’ve got 12 games now. I’ve set a points target for my players and today was a good start to that.

“We’ve just got to beat the teams we should beat. Beat the teams we should beat we’re right there, simple as that, so today is a bonus point away at VCD.”

Smith is up against former England manager Peter Taylor when he brings his struggling Welling United side to Winch’s Field for a Kent Senior Cup Second Round tie on Tuesday night, before it’s back to league action when Brighton-based Whitehawk visit next Saturday.

Welling United went down to a 2-1 defeat at Slough Town today and are second-from-bottom in the National League South with 25 points from 27 games, six points clear of a Billericay Town side that occupy the sole relegation berth.

Whitehawk, meanwhile, are under-performing in the bottom four with 27 points from as many games, only five points adrift of the relegation zone, occupied by Phoenix Sports and Whitstable Town, who are both on 22 points, having played a game more.

“Looking forward to it, ex England manager. Fair play to him, he’s done well in his field, he’s now where he is. I’ve done well in my field. This is not my proper day job, so it’s not about that.

“It’s a good opportunity to test ourselves.  An ex-player of mine, ex school student Bradley Stevenson, I’m up against him, so it’s nice to see him back at Herne Bay, he’s well liked at Herne Bay.

“Whitehawk, player-for-player they’ve got a really good side. It’s not working for them this season.  We’ve got to play well to beat them because they’ve got very good individual players. It’s all to play for.”

VCD Athletic: Sam Mott, Chris Edwards, Andrew Dythe (Theo McKenzie 46), Lea Dawson, Ben Gorham, Kiki Oshilaja, Courtney Barrington, Sonny Black, Jeff Duah-Kessie (Charles Etumnu 83), Ayman El-Mogharbel, Anthony Adesite.
Subs: Ashley Probets, Jamie Watson, Jason Williams

Booked: Lea Dawson 60, Sonny Black 77

Herne Bay: Billy Johnson, Daniel Carrington (Reion-Noel McFarlane 46), Jack Parter, Mobolaji Dawodu (Aaron Millbank 57), Daniel Johnson, Laurence Harvey, Kieron Campbell, Hamilton Antonio, Zak Ansah, Bode Anidugbe, Kane Phillip (Rory Smith 75).
Subs: Roberto Ratti, Adem Ramadan

Booked: Bode Anidugbe 90

Attendance: 102
Referee: Mr Peter Conn
Assistants: Mr Andrew Crossley & Mr Gary Baker