Whitstable Town 0-2 Dulwich Hamlet - I need more quality in my team, admits Seager - EXCLUSIVE

WHITSTABLE TOWN 0-2 DULWICH HAMLET
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 10^th November 2007
Stephen McCartney reports from The Belmont

Whitstable Town boss Marc Seager feels he needs to bring some “quality” to the club, after losing to a very quick Dulwich Hamlet side today.

Goals from Dulwich Hamlet skipper Shawn Beveney and former Greenwich Borough star, Mescach Nugent ensured that it was the south Londoners that won the first ever Ryman League game between these two clubs.

It was a case of the new kids on the block meeting established Ryman League giants Dulwich Hamlet, whose first ever visit to The Belmont attracted a decent crowd of 250.

Whitstable went into the game without Josh Maine (knee), Rob Thomas (badly sprained ankle), Alex Hossick (groin) and Clint Gooding (calf), but Seager kept faith with the same starting eleven that earned an impressive 4-2 win over Croydon Athletic in midweek, a side that defeated big-spending Ashford Town
2-1 today.

Dulwich Hamlet, however, have recently lost the services of a couple of players, who have joined Kent clubs.

Central defender Steve Aris, who was Tonbridge Angels’ skipper for past two seasons, has signed for Cray Wanderers, whilst lightening quick winger, Phil Williams, 21, signed for Dartford just a couple of days ago.

And it was the Kent side that created the game’s first chance inside the opening five minutes.

Left-back Danny Tipple threw the ball to his skipper Marcos Perona, who sent an angled right-footed hooked shot over the bar from twenty-yards.

Perona should have done better with his long-range shot soon after, but screwed his right-footed shot towards the corner flag, following Sam Denly’s pass.

Striker Beveney, 25, who hails from Guyana, caught the eye throughout with his pace and power and blazed his first shot over from the edge of the penalty area, whilst under pressure.

Another player who caught the eye was, Sebastian Schoburgh, 21, but the right-sided winger blazed over from six-yards, after Beaveny knocked down Benson Paka’s cross.

Then just nineteen seconds later, Whitstable striker Jon Neal drilled a shot just past the right upright, after Sheikh Cessay dropped a cross.

Whitstable goalkeeper Kevin Fewell, however, was called into action after sixteen minutes when he made a smart save to prevent Schoburgh scoring following a fine solo run.

And at the other end, Danny Stubbs’ right-footed volley was driven well wide of the target after 22 minutes, following a square pass from Perona, after Fewell launched a clearance up field, following Tipple’s back pass.

Former Herne Bay left-sided midfielder Denly drilled a left-footed shot from 35-yards, which bounced once before flashing past the right-post.

But Dulwich Hamlet took the lead with 28 minutes and 19 seconds on the clock, courtesy of Beveney.

Beveney’s showed his skills when he cut the Whitstable defence to shreds before exchanging passes with Schoburgh and then unleashed a fierce right-footed shot, which rocketed into the roof of the net.

Whitstable’s best two chances, however, came later in the first half.

Right-back Jake Gess whipped in a far-post cross and this was met by Denly’s looping header from eight-yards, which dropped onto the roof of the net.

Fewell then kicked Stubbs’ back pass up field, and this was latched onto by striker John Akinde, whose left-footed drive rolled across the face of goal and agonisingly just past the foot of the far-post.

Beveney almost doubled Hamlet’s advantage on the stroke of half-time, drilling a right-footed shot from thirty-yards, which left Fewell rooted to the spot as the shot bounced off the foot of the left-post.

With Seager’s half-time words still ringing in their ears, Whitstable’s first chance of the second half, however, arrived pretty swiftly.

Denly played the ball inside to Tipple, and the former Greenwich Borough full-back cracked a left-footed curler, which Ceesay tipped into the side netting.

Dulwich Hamlet striker Scott Edgar’s only chance of the game arrived after 57 minutes, but he glanced Jermaine Hinds’ free-kick well wide from sixteen-yards.

But Ceesay was called into action again on the hour-mark.

The former Tooting & Mitcham United goalkeeper was alert to pluck Akinde’s rasping shot out of the air above his head, as the fierce shot was rocketing towards goal.

Schoburgh, meanwhile, had a goal ruled out for offside after 63 minutes, after latching onto a ball over the top from defender Steve May.

The flag had already been raised as Schoburgh picked up the ball down the right-flank before racing into the penalty area and rolling his shot into the bottom far corner.

And half-way through the second half, Whitstable Town called Ceesay into action again.

Tipple’s ball over the top of the Hamlet defence was knocked down by Akinde, but Perona’s half-volley was comfortably saved by the goalkeeper.

Whitstable were given a life-line with 12 minutes remaining when Beveney latched onto another through ball.

The talented striker drew Fewell off his line before rounding the goalkeeper and with an open goal at his mercy, he sent his right-footed shot bouncing off the near-post.

Whitstable defender Steven Lloyd made a heroic last-ditch penalty box saving tackle with eight minutes remaining as the south Londoners used their pace to catch the Kent side on the break.

Lloyd was beaten by Beveney’s electrifying pace but the former Herne Bay defender did ever so well to thwart the hesitant striker, with a fine tackle.

Minutes later, Schoburgh cut inside both Tipple and Lloyd on his way towards goal, but was denied by Fewell’s legs at the near-post as Dulwich ran riot.

Dulwich wrapped up their sixth league win of the season to climb up to tenth place by scoring the second just one second into stoppage time.

Paka latched onto another defensive splitting ball and after drawing Fewell off his line, unselfishly squared the ball to substitute Nugent, who had the easiest of jobs of rolling his shot into the bottom far corner of an empty net.

Seager, speaking EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk felt his side should have bagged a point, but admitted the Oystermen have to do better in the final third.

“I thought on the possession side of it, I thought we did (deserve a draw) but that final bit of quality let us down and that’s what you get in this league,” he said.

“If you haven’t got that final bit of quality, you find it hard to score goals.

“We had quite a bit of possession, without really hurting them.

“I know we had a couple of chances in the second half but we didn’t really open them up at all and that’s disappointing because I think our quality in the final third let us down today.”

Seager, who lead Whitstable Town to the Kent League double last term, admitted Dulwich Hamlet exploited his side with their lightening quick pace.

“When you look at both their goals, it come from us actually being in possession and they broke away,” he said.

“Dulwich are a very quick side, hit teams on the break and with the pace they’ve got, they’re going to do that.

“But I think it was a game, when you’re looking at it, that we should be looking to win and I’m disappointed that we haven’t got anything from today.

“I’m disappointed to be honest with you, because I thought we played some good stuff at times.

“But we played good stuff to the final third and it looks like we’ve run out of ideas but it’s not a case of that because I know we have got the ideas, it’s just that lack of quality.

Seager’s side are without a midweek game, but will return to the training ground as they prepare for a busy week, starting with next Saturday’s trip to Worthing.

“It’s going to be nice to get back onto the training pitch,” he said.

“We’ve been (playing) Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday for the last month (so) it’s hard to train.

“Worthing away, Cray away and Kingstonian at home. It’s a tough week but they’re fantastic fixtures (and) we’re looking forward to it, and we’ll be looking to bounce back.”

He added: “When when you look at the game today, I thought it was a flattering two-nil, but what I did think of today was I thought it looked like two Ryman League sides out there.

“It was a game, I’m disappointed with because of lack of quality that has lost us the game.”

Whitstable Town: Kevin Fewell, Jake Gess, Danny Tipple, Michael Adcock, Steven Lloyd, Tommy Martin, Danny Stubbs (Steve Marshall 83), Marcos Perona, John Akinde, Jon Neal, Sam Denly.
Subs: Daniel Lawrence, Gary Sayer, James Duffy, Joe Smith.

Dulwich Hamlet: Sheikh Ceesay, Jermaine Hinds, Ricky Dobson, Benson Paka, Shayne Mangodza, Steve May, Shawn Beveney, Sebastian Schoburgh (Gbenga Sonuga 90), Scott Edgar (Mescach Nugent 76), Sol Patterson, Billy Chattaway.
Subs: Junior Adeniyi, Helder Valdez, Nej Hussein.

Goals: Shawn Beveney 29, Mescach Nugent 90

Booked: Seb Schoburgh 86
Attendance: 250
Referee: Mr Paul Harris (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr Nolan Wilde (Maidstone) & Mr Mark Huggins (Tunbridge Wells)