VCD Athletic 2-3 Harrow Borough - We knew it was going to be a hard job when we came in but I gave everything to the club, says relegated VCD Athletic boss Keith McMahon

VCD Athletic 2 – 3 Harrow Borough
Location	Oakwood, Old Road, Crayford, Kent DA1 4DN
Kickoff	02/04/2016 15:00

VCD ATHLETIC  2-3  HARROW BOROUGH
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 2^nd April 2016
Stephen McCartney reports from Oakwood

VCD ATHLETIC manager Keith McMahon says he gave everything to the club and worked hard to try to avoid suffering relegation in his first season in charge.

The Crayford-based club suffered relegation after two seasons in the Ryman Premier League after going down to a 3-2 home defeat to sixth-from-bottom club Harrow Borough in front of 106 fans at a warm and sunny Oakwood.

The Vickers remain rooted to the foot of the Ryman Premier League table, having won 7, drawn 10 and lost 26 of their 43 games, scoring 41, conceding 95 and were relegated along with Lewes, who drew 2-2 at Kingstonian today.

Harrow Borough raced into an early lead through left-winger Dylan Cascoe, before striker Marc Charles-Smith steered his shot into the bottom corner to give Steve Baker’s side a commanding lead.

McMahon revealed that he read his side the riot act during the half-time interval and his side responded by scoring twice inside 155 seconds through substitute Olalekan Bankole and Ricky Sappleton, as they came alive inside the final ten minutes.

But needing a win to keep their 5% hopes of staying up alive, they threw it all away when Charles-Smith tapped in from close range to win it for Harrow Borough, while Vickers finished the game with ten-men after substitute Lheureux Menga collected his second yellow card at the death.

“Obviously I’m gutted because it means the clubs got relegated today,” said McMahon afterwards.

“I thought our first half performance was appalling! Our second half performance, I thought we had a right go, but I thought two of our defenders, who have been our two better players over the course of the season had absolute nightmares, Frantz (Tchonang) and Joe Bruce.  I thought Ashley (Probets) and Ricardo Joseph were exceptional.

“Second half we had a go. I think the referee’s performance was appalling second half as well. The goal, disallowed.  We should’ve had a blatant penalty, but you can’t defend the way we defended, it sums us up!

“I didn’t expect that first half performance! A couple of them looked like they didn’t care and I told them at half-time and it’s not what I want to be doing. You don’t want to be screaming and think you’re going to have a heart attack when you’re fighting for your life. 

“I told the lads how much it cared (to me) and it’s not all of them to be fair, but it affects the side.

“If any plusses, the second half performance. I thought we could’ve won the game. If you’d had turned up at half-time, you might’ve thought that we’re 4-0 up. I don’t think they had anything. We were camped in their half.

“I wouldn’t say quality because we’re up against it, but I’d say a little bit of maybe better referring we’d maybe talking about a 3-2 win, 4-2 win.”

Harrow Borough bashed a nail into VCD Athletic’s relegation coffin by taking the lead with Cascoe scoring with three minutes and 41 seconds into the game.

Mark McLeod played the ball into Michael Bryan who swept the ball out wide to Cascoe.

Vickers right-back Frantz Tchonang put in a shocking defensive display as he allowed Cascoe to cut inside him before he drove his right-footed shot towards the centre of the goal, only for keeper Max Huxter to dive out of the way, to his left, as the ball flashed beside him.

It set the tone for an embarrassing first half performance from the home side.

“You might’ve had a better view but the first tackle, we should’ve tackled, it was a weak tackle by Alex (Kelly) and then Frantz let the fella come all the way inside without a challenge!

“At this level you let someone do that, it looked like he bent it past.  Again, I couldn’t see what Max could’ve done (from my angle), but he shouldn’t have got a shot off.  I’d rather someone gone smash the fella and brought him down for a penalty, not just jog alongside him and let him bend it in and that’s the game he had!”

When asked how he was felling at that point, McMahon admitted: “Like I wanted to kill a few people, if I’m honest.  I’m thinking we’re fighting for our lives and we said before the game and what hurts they’re a decent bunch of fellas in there and there’s some good lads and some blooming good players as well and I’m thinking what are we doing? We lost the plot and you’re just thinking it’s early enough, can we get a goal?”

Harrow Borough goalkeeper Joe McDonnell, whose handling was exemplary throughout, was called into action inside the ninth minute.

Alex Kelly and Ashley Probets went over for a short corner from the left, the ball was played in and cleared out to Derek Duncan, who teed up Richard Avery, who hooked his shot into the keeper’s hands from 25-yards.

Cascoe, who gave heartless Tchonang a nightmare, played the ball inside to striker Fejiri Okerabirhe, who hooked his right-footed shot on the turn from 25-yards into the hands of Huxter.

Harrow Borough squandered an excellent chance to deservedly double their lead after 15 minutes.

Left-back James Dobson swept a deep free-kick into the penalty area for Charles-Smith to plant his free header straight into Huxter’s hands at the near post from eight-yards.

McMahon said: “Again Brucey, just switched off! We’re shouting out, ‘any chance you could mark him!’ He’s run back and he’s too late! The cross has come in and he’s got it (on target). It’s just basic defending. I think it was a few attitudes.”

The impressive Cascoe then played the ball into Charles-Smith inside the penalty area, who twisted and turned only to roll his shot harmlessly across goal and past the far post.

VCD Athletic’s striker Sappleton should have done a lot better when he was given an opportunity to score in the 33^rd minute.

Tchonang collected a loose ball inside Harrow’s half, sped forward and whipped in a lovely pass towards the edge of the penalty area.  Sappleton, a big lump who fails to bring the ball under control on numerous occasions, failed to control the ball and was collected by McDonnell.

“To be fair, that was a little bit of a decent move. When we put deliveries into the box we looked like we were going to score and that’s what we kept saying,” said McMahon.

“We tried to keep playing through the middle. Frantz put in two great crosses.

“He (Sappleton) was on the edge of the box and he tried to take a touch. He could’ve volleyed it in first time just to make a little bit of an impression on the game.”

Harrow Borough doubled their lead with 35:57 on the clock through Charles-Smith.

Dobson hurled a long throw into his feet inside the Vickers box, the striker easily shrugged off Ricardo Joseph, to turn and stroke a weak shot across Huxter, the ball bouncing into the bottom far corner.

“Strength weren’t it?” McMahon said of Charles-Smith.

“It was just a ridiculous goal|! It’s something that we should’ve dealt with and it’s just basic defending.

“Ricardo’s had an absolute great game but today for the goal he held him off, no cover, it was just a bit of a weak shot across the goal and that’s it.”

VCD Athletic squandered an excellent chance to claw themselves back into the game just four minutes before half-time.

Kelly rolled the ball back to Tchonang,  who whipped in a first time cross from the right towards the edge of the six-yard box, only for Avery to direct his header across goal and past the left-hand post.

“He should’ve scored but to be fair to him it sums it up. He’s clashed heads with Frantz in the first ten minutes and he’s slightly concussed and that’s why he’s come off when he said he was struggling, obviously we found out at half-time and he should’ve scored and would’ve put us right in the game going into half-time.”

Tchonang, who was very lucky to last the entire game, gave the ball away to substitute Harry Newman, who played in Okerabirhie, but Huxter moved smartly off his line to smother the ball at the striker’s feet on the penalty spot.

VCD Athletic’s players showed no heart or desire during an appalling first half and McMahon was clearly mad!

“A lot of it I can’t even tell you because you can’t even print – just disgusted!

“The club deserve better! We’re in a fight and they’re embarrassing themselves, me, everyone and what happens they’re going to go and fight.

“We told a few people individually it weren’t good enough! We made two subs, we said ‘look, if we get a goal we could be back in it’ but I said ‘don’t you realise in 45 minutes time they’re going to get relegated! if they don’t pull their finger out.”

“I got a response, I suppose, that was the short version.”

Referee Jack Packman produced the worst referee’s decision of the season when he disallowed a perfectly good goal from VCD Athletic inside the opening four minutes.

Probets swung in their fourth corner of the game from the right, for once McDonnell failed to pluck the ball out of the air, and substitute Bankole planted his header into the back of the net from six-yards.

The Margate-based referee blew his whistle for an imaginary offence and disallowed the goal.

It would come as no surprise that there was an assessor sitting in the stand!

“Shocking! He’s whipped the corner in, the goalkeeper’s nowhere near it. He’s at the near post, it’s gone over the back post, he’s headed it past him. It’s a goal! Not one of their players has moaned, the keeper’s just nowhere. It’s just beaten him at the far post and he’s nodded it in. Shocking decision!”

Huxter made amends for his mistake for Harrow’s opener by keeping VCD Athletic breathing on the hour-mark.

Harrow produced a fine break down the middle and Charles-Smith and Okerabirhie linked up well to set up a chance for Cascoe, whose shot on the turn was blocked by Huxter’s knee.

McMahon said: “That was their only chance. We’re pushing forward. We went a bit more direct, we went three up front and we caused them problems. We were trying to chip away and put them under some pressure.”

Newman released Charles-Smith into the penalty area and his driven shot deflected just past the near post.

VCD Athletic only started to believe in the 66^th minute when Kelly’s left-footed free-kick from 28-yards was comfortably saved by McDonnell at his near post.

But Sappleton was denied by a world-class save from McDonnell as the second half reached its halfway point.

Joseph clipped a long ball out of the Vickers defence, Sappleton brought the ball down under control with his chest, turned and cracked a stunning right-footed volley towards the top right-hand corner from 25-yards but McDonnell dived high to his left to tip the ball around the post and behind for a corner.

McMahon said: “He made an unbelievable save from Ricky Sappleton that he’s pulled out of the air!

“He controlled it on his chest and turned the fella and to be fair the goalkeeper has made an absolute worldy save. That was bending right into the top corner.

“It was all us. It was like when are we going to score? We had corner-after-corner (VCD won the corner count by 10-2), we were starting to create chances when we got the ball in behind them.”

Sappleton knocked the ball down and former Thamesmead Town striker Tyrus Gordon-Young’s chip was instinctively caught above the onrushing McDonnell’s head.

Harrow Borough should have killed VCD Athletic off when McCleod cut in from the left and clipped the ball into Charles-Smith’s chest but Okerabirhie’s volley screamed across goal and ended up out for a throw-in beside the corner flag.

But VCD Athletic gave themselves a lifeline by what you felt at the time was a consolation goal, timed at 36:02.

Joseph’s long ball put Gordon-Young through on goal and McDonnell made a smart save when the striker only had him to beat.  The ball rolled across to Bankole who followed up to score.

“It gave us a lifeline,” admitted McMahon, who has now suffered relegation twice while managing in the Ryman Premier League.

“We started putting bodies forward. It was a matter of them we got a goal and they were hanging on.  We created chances and we got the equaliser soon after.”

It was ironic that two of VCD Athletic’s poorest players on the day combined to level things up, the goal timed at 38:37.

Tchonang advanced into the Harrow Borough half to deliver a hanging cross high into the blue sky, dropping into the penalty area for Sappleton to plant his header into the bottom left-hand corner from six-yards.

“Again we said about putting the ball in the box. Frantz has put it in and Ricky’s got up back post and headed it in, two-two,” said McMahon.

“It only looked one winner then. We’re going to win it. We’re showing some fight at last for 45 minutes, too late, we’re going to win it!”

But when you’re struggling, things conspire against you and Charles-Smith was the man to send VCD Athletic down with the winning goal on 40:14.

Okerabirhie’s progress was halted by Bruce on the edge of the penalty area, the ball came out to Cascoe on the right-hand side of the penalty area. He rolled a ball across Huxter towards the far corner, no flag was raised and Charles-Smith tapped the ball into the bottom left-hand corner from a yard out to break McMahon’s heart.

He said: “They got one ball forward and it’s four-against-one. Alright Joe Bruce has made a block and they get a lucky ricochet but the falla’s standing in the penalty area all on his own! Where’s Frantz? Where’s the right-back? He should’ve been tucked around him. Just summed him up. Unfortunately a player that’s been excellent for us and the geeza’s tapped it in and still then we try to get bodies forward to get an equaliser.”

To pile more misery on the Kent side, Menga collected his second yellow card for a foul on Taylor just in front of both dug-outs at the end.

“It’s a throw-in and it’s dropped and he’s stood right next to us. He hasn’t seen him go through and he’s tried to volley it and he’s kicked the player and the referee’s given the second bookable. There’s not much you can do about that!”

VCD Athletic travel to second-placed East Thurrock United next Saturday and eleventh-placed Wingate & Finchley (16 April), before completing their miserable campaign at home to 12^th placed Grays Athletic on 23 April.

“I’m gutted for the club and the chairman, the amount of work he’s done here, the support he’s given us,” said McMahon as he comes to terms with relegation.

“We knew it was going to be a hard job when we came in. We turned up a week before pre-season with no players, we knew that, but obviously the league table don’t lie. We’ve had a big turnaround of players (42 players have been used by the club this season) and we can’t say the team’s too good to go down because it has.

“Around Christmas we sorted it out and got a bit more of a settled squad.  I think we drew too many games, 10 draws and seven of them should’ve been wins. We’ve got to look at our defence, the goal record speaks for itself.  We keep getting punished and making mistakes, that’s why we’re down.

“I’m very low at the moment but we’ve just got to try to win the next three games and see what happens.”

McMahon faces talks with chairman Gary Rump about his future.

He said: “I don’t know where I stand next year here so it’s something that we haven’t spoken about, we’ve obviously got to worry about this year.

“I gave everything to the club and everything I can and worked as hard. I’ll just let them make that decision.”

VCD Athletic: Max Huxter, Frantz Tchonang, Ashley Probets, Richard Avery (Lheureux Menga 46), Joe Bruce, Ricardo Joseph, Alex Kelly, Derek Duncan, Ricky Sappleton, Tyrus Gordon-Young, Malachi Hudson (Olalekan Bankole 46).
Subs: Enosch Arbaut, Jeffery Imudia, Ritchie Graham

Goals: Olalekan Bankole 82, Ricky Sappleton 84

Booked: Derek Duncan 80, Lheureux Menga 82

Sent Off: Lheureux Menga 90

Harrow Borough: Joe McDonnell, Josh Webb, James Dobson (Joshua Webb 46, Michael Barima 84)), Tom Willment, Michael Peacock, David Taylor, Michael Bryan (Harry Newman 30), Mark McLeod, Marc Charles-Smith, Fejiri Okerabirhie, Dylan Cascoe.
Subs: Brendan Hazlett, Spencer McCall

Goals: Dylan Cascoe 4, Marc Charles-Smith 36, 86

Attendance: 106
Referee: Mr Jack Packman (Margate)
Assistants: Mr Ollie Butcher (Canterbury) & Mr Jack Fagg (Canterbury)

*Harrow Borough do have two different players called Josh and Joshua Webb