VCD Athletic 3-2 Tilbury - I have so much belief in the boys, says Tony Russell

VCD ATHLETIC 3-2 TILBURY
Ryman League Division One North
Tuesday 13^th August 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Oakwood

VCD ATHLETIC manager Tony Russell says his side are nowhere near to where he wants them to be at this early stage of the season.

The Vickers’ extended their impressive unbeaten league record to 21 games after twice coming from behind to beat Tilbury 3-2 at Oakwood in their second home debut in Ryman League Division One North.

Last season’s promoted Kent League runners-up opened their campaign with a 5-0 win over Waltham Forest on Saturday in what was the hosts’ first game back at Wadham Lodge.

But VCD Athletic remain in second-place in the table after winning their second league game of the new season.

Tilbury grabbed the lead through striker James Pinnock (not the one that played for Maidstone United and Margate), before VCD Athletic equalised through a quality strike from James Duckworth.

However, Tilbury regained the lead for a second time just 71 seconds later when Lee Weemes finished off an ugly build-up with a fine low strike into the bottom far corner.

VCD Athletic kept plugging away and equalised for a second time when Nick Reeves made amends for his penalty miss away to Lordswood which cost the club the Kent League title on a dramatic final night of last season by holding his nerve from the spot with twelve minutes remaining, before left-back Lee Craig produced a cheeky flick to find the bottom corner to win it for the Crayford-based side just five minutes later.

Reflecting on his side’s start to the season, Russell, 34, said: “Two completely different games.  Saturday it was almost too easy!  They (Waltham Forest) wasn’t the best with all due respect to them, but today was what I expected coming to be a manager in the Ryman League, hard-work, patience and I enjoyed it.”

Russell added: “If you look at the facts of the matter is they really had two half chances bobbling in the box and they scrambled them in. Apart from that I thought we battered them, especially for long periods of the first half and all of the second half we dominated them.

“We was knocking on the door. You thought it was one of those days where we weren’t going to score, but in terms of possession and chances created to be honest with you there was only one side in it.”

VCD Athletic relied on the pace of right-winger Ola Rabiu, 18, on many occasions during the game and he played a part in the home side’s opening chance inside the opening three minutes.

Rabio played the ball to Duckworth, who clipped the ball into the penalty area for striker Sherwin Stanley to knock down and Vences Bola smashed his shot across the keeper and wide of the far post under pressure from a strong but fair challenge.

Rabiu gave Tilbury left-back Rimmel Daniel a headache all evening and he whipped in another cross towards the near post which was directed towards his own goal by central defender Ben Crooks, which forced visiting keeper James Marrable to dive low to his left to save.

Rabiu fashioned another chance for the home side when he played the ball inside to Karl Dent, but the midfielder’s right-footed drive sailed over the Tilbury crossbar.

Halfway through the first half, Peter Smith spread the ball out wide to Rabiu, who burst forward and ignored right-back Barney Williams on the overlap to cut in and send his left-footed shot sailing over the bar from 25-yards.

Tilbury’s opening chance, however, came in the 26^th minute when Rabiu was penalised for handball and Sam Cutler’s stroked right-footed angled free-kick from 25-yards was comfortably saved at the near post by goalkeeper Nick Blue.

But the Essex visitors’ grabbed the lead in the 32^nd minute.

Skipper Aaron Waters swung in a free-kick from the right and Ashley Taylor-Forbes drilled his low shot across goal and the ball was cut back to Daniel who had time and space to float his cross back into the box and VCD Athletic had a couple of chances to clear the ball but didn’t and allowed Pinnock to stroke his right-footed shot across the keeper to find the bottom far corner of the net with a fine finish from fifteen-yards

Russell said: “From our point of view, poor.  The ball came in the box, half clearances and someone’s slashed it in and it’s bobbling around. Someone’s got to take control of that situation!  The ball’s dropped in the box. As a defender you have to have desire and to go and just clear the ball.  Sometimes when you’re too rash you lose your shape and you’re slicing it. It dropped to the geezer and the boys say it was offside but it was a neat enough finish but the build-up to it wasn’t very good!”

When asked how he was feeling at that point, Russell replied: “I know it sounds silly, I try not to focus on the scoreline. I try to focus on the game, on what’s going on in the game and we were controlling the game.

“I have so much belief in myself and the boys that if we just wear them down.  We worked in the first half and we were moving them about and they were trying to press us high and I know at this level of football you just haven’t got that level of fitness, so I said to them we’ve done all the hard work. We were just going to pick them off second half. They’ve worked so hard to shut us down. I didn’t panic. I’ve got a lot of belief.”

But VCD Athletic equalised in the 39^th minute with a contender for goal of the season.

Stanley – who misses Saturday’s home top-of-the-table-clash against Aveley because he is away on a stag-do – cut the ball back from the left and Duckworth allowed the ball to cut across him before he looked up and cracked a world-class right-footed shot from 25-yards, which curled into the top far corner of the net.

Russell was full of praise for the club’s longest serving player, who has now clocked up 172 appearances for the club, this being his 47^th goal, since making his debut back in September 2007.

Russell paid tribute to his prized asset.

“Oh mate, the kids unbelievable! To be fair he’s technique is a joke!  That ain’t a fluke, I’ll be honest with you. He does that for fun. He’s technique striking a football is the best I’ve ever seen at this level!”

However, all of their work was undone as Tilbury took the lead for a second time only 71 seconds later.

Once again Russell wasn’t best pleased with his side’s woeful defending as Waters whipped in another dangerous delivery and Weemes’ hooked flicked finish looped into the right hand corner from inside a crowded penalty area.

He said: “It’s so frustrating!  We’ve gone 1-0 down and then we’ve re-grouped, we’ve worked so hard and you scored a great goal bending it into the top corner and you think here we go and another nothing ball into the box, Craigy heads in on to the back of their geezer and it drops, someone slices it and the geezer loops one in.

“You’re standing there as a manager and things like that drives you mad!”

When asked what he told his troops during the half-time interval as they found themselves 2-1 down at the break, Russell said: “I said to them we’re actually playing well! Take the goals out of it our actual performance was good. They worked so hard in the first half I knew if we kept doing it they could’ve live with us. I knew if we increased the tempo a little bit with the passing they would’ve live with us and to be honest they didn’t live with us!”

VCD Athletic created the first chance of the second half when Crooks was penalised for handball and Duckworth whipped in a quality ball and Stanley looped his hooked volley over the bar.

But a brilliant piece of goalkeeping from Blue denied Tilbury a third goal in the 49^th minute.

Tony Jacobs was given time and space to unleash a speculative right-footed drive towards goal from 30-yards, which must have swerved because Blue dived to his right but the former Beckenham Town stopper prevented a goal by hooking the ball off the line with his left leg.

Dent played the ball to Rabiu, who was closely marked by two Tilbury defenders and not for the first time in the game the VCD Athletic winger cut inside before flashing his shot across keeper Marrable, which bent just past the foot of the far post.

The last time that VCD Athletic suffered a league defeat was in their 3-0 defeat away to Canterbury City on 17 November 2012 in the Kent League and Russell admitted he thought his sides’ impressive run was coming to an end as another chance was squandered in the 66^th minute.

Stanley used his long throw well to launch the ball towards the far post where the unmarked Smith cracked his first time shot on the turn over the bar, leaving his head in his hands in despair.

A break from Tilbury saw Waters play the ball forward to Weemes, whose shot took a kind deflection for Blue to make a comfortable save.

A cross from the right from Duckworth should have been finished off by Stanley in the 73^rd minute but his shot on the turn was blocked by the legs of the diving Tilbury keeper.

Russell added: “Sherwin missed an absolute sitter!”

However, VCD Athletic kept composure from the spot to claw themselves back into the game with 12 minutes left.

Right-back Williams clipped the ball forward to release Stanley through on goal who was brought down by a clumsy sliding challenge from Tilbury defender Sam West and referee Mr Lee Dyson pointed to the spot.

Russell explained why he gave the penalty to Reeves, who clipped his right-footed penalty over the diving keeper to find the left-hand corner of the goal.

Russell is not renowned for going route-one but needs must on this occasion.

“One thing I’ve revolved as a manager is you can’t pass, pass, pass, going nowhere.

“As soon as the centre half gets hold of him in the box I knew what was coming. Sherwin’s leaning on him and just rolled him and it was definitely a pen.  I can’t believe their bench was even moaning about it. It’s embarrassing to be fair!”

Reflecting on Reeves’ penalty kick, Russell added: “I wish he done that at Lordswood a few months ago when we had one last game of the season and he missed it!  He took a bit of stick from the boys. 

“Good penalty. He’s got a good technique but I knew Sherwin wanted it because it’s against his old club and he was getting a bit frustrated but he did just miss a sitter and I said he wasn’t in the right frame of mind.”

Tilbury almost equalised when Waters swung in another free-kick into the penalty area for central defender Crooks to plant his towering header just wide of the near post.

VCD Athletic ensured Tilbury remain pointless from their opening two games by scoring the winner with seven minutes left.

Duckworth swung in a free-kick with his right-foot which Marrable stretched high to his right to push away and substitute Greg Moorse-MacDougall cut the ball back and Craig flicked his shot across the keeper and watched it trickle into the bottom far corner.

Russell said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes, to be honest with you!”

“He always stays back for corners but I just wanted to go for it so I said stay up!  He’s a good player Craig but flicks and tricks ain’t him!

“I thought we’d be lucky to get a free-kick out of him but the ball came over and I saw him flick it! I had to look twice! I couldn’t believe it! 

“The only problem with Craig, I’m going to hear it for the next year now, every time I come training!”

VCD Athletic received a huge slice of luck inside stoppage time when former Welling United midfielder Cutler teed up a chance for Weemes, who cracked a first time swept right-footed hooked volley looping towards goal from 22-yards, which only just dipped over the crossbar.

Russell admitted: “The geezer has just come inside, you’re hearts in your mouth. I’m right behind it and I thought it was in. I’ve got to be honest with you. I thought oh no but happy to see that go over!”

Russell is proud of his 21-match unbeaten league record.

“You don’t have to tell me about stats. I know them!  Just in the Kent League one I know we scored 68 and let in 12 and now we’ve scored eight since then and let in two so the stats are decent. I love a stat.

“The pleasing thing is we’re nowhere near to where I want to be.

“It just tells me that I’m doing alright because I was fortunate enough at Erith Town even before I left them. It was like snakes and ladders. I got to the top and got a lead and I joined another team and slipped right back down and gave Micky (Collins at Erith & Belvedere) a head start and nearly chased him down. 

“I’ve gone on and the boys have gone on. This is two and a bit years into it. I’m getting better as I go.”

Meanwhile, VCD Athletic lost out on local support because a crowd of 88 watched this game but a crowd of 133 watched Phoenix Sports’ 3-2 win over Corinthian in the Southern Counties East Football League over the road. 

Club officials at Oakwood may need to rethink the idea of playing on the same midweek match night because of the lack of local support.


VCD Athletic: Nick Blue, Barney Williams, Lee Craig, Nick Reeves, Ben Payne, Peter Smith, Karl Dent, James Duckworth, Sherwin Stanley, Ola Rabiu, Vences Bola (Greg Moorse-Macdougall 62).
Subs: Stephen Okoh, Ryan Mahal, Ashley Sains, Jamie Humphris

Goals: James Duckworth 39, Nick Reeves 78 (penalty), Lee Craig 83

Tilbury: James Marrable, Conor Mead, Aaron Waters, Sam West, Ben Crooks, Rimmel Daniel, Tony Jacobs, Sam Cutler, Lee Weemes, James Pinnock (Kevin Malthouse 66), Ashley Taylor-Forbes (Daniel Francis 75).
Subs: Joe Christou, Elliott Johnson

Goals:  James Pinnock 32, Lee Weemes 40

Attendance: 88
Referee: Mr Lee Dyson (Gravesend)
Assistants: Mr Jason Down (Sittingbourne) & Mr Andrew Cutting (Gillingham)