Whitstable Town 0-1 Sittingbourne - Pulman will get us the goals, insists Munday

Tuesday 16th February 2010

WHITSTABLE TOWN 0-1 SITTINGBOURNE
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 16th February 2010
Mike Green reports from Belmont Road

A GOAL from birthday boy Karl Dent sealed the three points for Gary Abbott’s promotion chasing Sittingbourne, whilst breaking the hearts of Mark Munday’s Whitstable Town, as the Oystermen sunk to another defeat that leaves them deep in trouble at the table’s foot.

The home club had worked miracles to get this game on - there were four inches of snow on the pitch on Saturday. However, the pitch was still very soft in places and playing good football was tricky.

Sittingbourne suffered a late problem when captain Joe Dowley injured himself in the warm up and Billy Manners, still suffering from a bad cold, took his place at the back.

The home side had that best early chance when Tom Parker sent a header crashing against the Sittingbourne bar after a fine cross from Gareth Cornhill, whilst the visitors best early chance saw a Jimmy Bottle run and cross caused mayhem in the home box before the ball was scrambled clear.

On the half hour, Brickies defender Matt Bourne appeared to handle the ball as a ball crashed into the box, but referee Mr McCoy was perfectly placed and deemed it ball to hand rather than the other way around and waved aside the appeals.

The second half was equally as frustrating as both sides were denied the ability to gin any real rhythm by the quagmire that was getting worse by the minute.

On 52 minutes, Clint Gooding and Parker combined for Sam Denly to shoot just over the bar from 30 yards, before Sittingbourne keeper Deren Ibrahim denied Gooding with a fine save from a free kick.

The visitors were enjoying much more of the play and did create chances particularly through the powerful running of Ellie Kayembe, but Whitstable keeper Kevin Fewell dealt with most of it very comfortable indeed and when he didn’t on 75 minutes – the keeper could only parry Joe Horlock’s drive, Denly was on hand to deny Colin Richmond with a block that sparked a 15 man brawl from which Gary Sayers for the home side and Horlock and Tom Bradbrook from the visitors were shown yellow cards – it was alleged by some fans closer to the incident than this reporter that Bradbrook was extremely lucky “only” to get a yellow card!

The goal that broke the home side’s resistance came just eight minutes from time and gave Dent an 18th birthday to remember.

A corner wasn’t properly cleared and the young midfielder blazed the ball into the corner of the net from the edge of the box before being buried in the mud by jubilant teammates.

Try as they might the home side couldn’t find a way back into the game leaving boss Munday in a sombre mood when he spoke to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game.

He said: “We’re bitterly disappointed with the result. Yet in the same breath I’m pleased with the response after our mauling at Leatherhead (the oystermen lost 7-1) in our last game.

“We haven’t played for 10 days, but a few more performances like that over the coming weeks and we may well do enough to do what we have to.

“We don’t want to be where we are, but we were actually worse off last year – if we’d have lost to Croydon at the end of January last year we’d have gone rock bottom, but if we can hopefully repeat performances like tonight then there’s no reason that we cant survive.

“I think tonight we’ve been hit by the sucker punch if I’m honest and it is a bitter pill to swallow.

Needless to say, Bourne boss Gary Abbott was delighted when he spoke to www.kentishfootball.co.uk shortly afterwards.

He said: “We knew it was going to be tough tonight and it was, but it was also important that we bounced back after losing at Croydon at the weekend.

“We got the one goal and that’s all we needed – we dug in and I though we had a few half chances, but if their early header goes in it’s a different game, but to get the three points is what we came for and that’s what we’re going home with!”

The Brickies recent charge up the table is down as far as the boss is concerned down fairly and squarely to hard work.

He admitted: “it’s down to the boys who have worked hard, and we’re on a good run, but hopefully tonight we’ll go on another good run.

“When we’ve got teams at the bottom they’re battling for their lives and its tough to get the ball down and play football.”

Some good news for the home side came when Munday confirmed that striker Ian Pulman has finally received his international clearance from the Australian FA to resume his playing days at the Belmont.

Munday said: Ian just thinks goals. We’ve got too many unselfish strikers and Pully is what I would call a selfish striker so hopefully we can start turning the chances that we make into goals.

“A couple of balls in the first half tonight bounced through the box and we could perhaps have done with him in there.

“His international clearance has taken forever and some blame must go to Ian, as he should have applied for it when he came back in December but he wanted to try and play higher. But when that didn’t come off he’s resigned for us and I’m delighted obviously.”

Whitstable Town: Kevin Fewell, Gareth Cornhill, Garry Sayers, Steven Baines, Stephen Lloyd, Sam Denly, Tom Parker, Clint Gooding, Stuart Vahid, Dave Cory (Dave Stubbs 66), Dan Dolton.

Subs: Joe Hitchings, Mark Munday, Dan Tanner.

Booked – Gareth Cornhill 80

Sittingbourne: Deren Ibrahim, Joe Horlock, Billy Manners, Matt Bourne, Nick Reeves, Karl Dent, Hitcham Akhazzan, Colin Richmond, Tom Bradbrook, Ellie Kayembe (Barney Abbott 83), Jimmy Bottle.

Subs: Matt McHugh, Richard Brady, Ryan Golding, Steve Williams.

Booked: Joe Horlock 80, Tom Bradbrook 80

Goal: Karl Dent 82

Attendance: 119

Referee: Mr Mick McCoy (Herne Bay)

Assistants: Mr Robert Ailing (Dover) & Mr Keith Stone (Manston)