Whitstable Town 0-5 Croydon Athletic - It was men against boys, admits Munday

Wednesday 19th August 2009

WHITSTABLE TOWN 0-5 CROYDON ATHLETIC
Ryman League Division One South
Wednesday 19th August 2009
Mike Green reports from Belmont Road

“It was men against boys,” admitted Whitstable Town’s rookie manager Mark Munday, after he had seen his side humbled and taken apart by Croydon Athletic.

Big-spending Croydon Athletic arrived at the KRBS Belmont Stadium in the England team coach and certainly looked the part as champions, although some of their on-field antics left the locals somewhat bemused.

Munday admitted to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game that, “We know the side’s that we can compete with and those who are out of our reach. Croydon definitely fall into the second category.”

The new Whitstable boss went on, “Apart from tonight, we have a start which includes more winnable games than not and anything tonight would’ve been a bonus.”

Munday and his assistant Paul Lamb would have learnt a lot about their players, as from start to finish the visitors’ literally battered them into submission.

And it was little surprise that they took the lead early on and by the half-hour the game was over as a contest.

Croydon Athletic went in front after seven minutes when a brilliant diagonal ball from Chris O’Flaherty found Tom Bolarinwa and the winger sped past Gary Sayer before unleashing an unstoppable drive into the top left corner of the Whitstable net.

And to be fair to Whitstable keeper Kevin Fewell, he could have had his “twin brother” standing next to him - such was the velocity of the shot that no goalkeeper would have saved it!

The lead was doubled on 13 minutes and this time it was O’Flaherty who turned poacher.

A flick by Scott Forester released O’Flaherty beyond the Whitstable defence and Fewell was beaten by a neat flick into the net.

Two became three just before the half-hour as Gary Noel (who had scored five of the Rams’ seven goals against Ashford Town on the opening day of the season) ghosted past three defenders and gave Fewell no chance from the edge of the box.

On 33 minutes, only the width of the crossbar stopped the visitors’ increasing their lead as O’Flaherty’s free-kick from the left was met by a thumping Jeremy Williams’ header and the ball crashed down off the underside of the bar and away to safety.

O’Flaherty himself then missed an golden opportunity to net his second, but after being played in by Noel, snatched at his shot horribly and the ball flew well wide of the left post.

The second half began with a curious incident involving striker Forester and referee Andy Mead.

The Croydon player was adjudged to have fouled Dan Tanner, but showed so much dissent to the decision, that first his skipper, Justin Gregory and then Noel had to calm the former Metropolitan Police striker down before the card was administered.

Forester was clearly unhappy and many in the crowd were appalled by the language that he used presumably towards the Orpington official.

The burly striker was to have the last laugh, however, as on 66 minutes he made it 4-0 from close range.

Noel’s mazy run down the right was pulled back and Foresters’ outrageous flick flew into the net.

Whitstable’s humiliation was complete on 76 minutes when substitute Goma Lambu picked the ball up on the left, cut inside and sent an unstoppable curling drive beyond Fewell and into the net.

As Munday admitted afterwards, “Despite getting the ball in good areas, we didn’t create much, and that has got to be a worry!”

The rookie manager was more upset with the red card shown to substitute Tom Parker late on, than his team’s performance.

He said: “The two booking’s Tom received were, to put it politely questionable, particularly the first one, but I suppose when you’re down, you’re most definitely down!

“We were found wanting in the first half, but I was pleased with the fight that we displayed in the second, and but for an outrageous bit of luck and an incredible strike, we have to be pleased with the improvement.

“In a way, it’s a good job that this was only the second game of the season,” he continued, smiling for the first time, “At least we’ve got another 40 (games) to put it right!”

On Saturday, Whitstable host Merstham at Belmont and Munday will be keen to see his side’s response to this defeat.

“How we bounce back is now the important bit. If we had got a point tonight I would have been over the moon. We’ve got to pick it up on Saturday and get the three points and make sure that tonight is well and truly out of our system.”

Whitstable Town: Kevin Fewell, Greg Smith, Gary Sayer, Dan Tanner, Alex Hossick (Dan Wisker 66), Steven Lloyd, Gareth Cornhill, Jake Gess (Tom Parker 46), Stuart Vahid, Dominic Elmes, Dan Dolton.
Subs: Mark Morrison, Ian Batten, Dylan McVicar.

Booked: Gareth Cornhill 32, Tom Parker 64

Sent off: Tom Parker 84

Croydon Athletic: Ross Flitney, Joe Howe, Justin Gregory, Karl Murray, Richard Blackwell, Jeremy Williams, Tom Bolarinwa, Daniel Waldren (Chris Piper 76), Scott Forrester (Goma Lambu 69), Gary Noel, Chris O’Flaherty (Jonathan Munday 69).
Subs: Adam Peck, Ben Godfrey.

Goals: Tom Bolarinwa 7, Chris O’Flaherty 13, Gary Noel 27, Scott Forrester 66, Goma Lambu 76

Booked: Scott Forrester 47

Attendance: 130
Referee: Mr Andy Mead (Orpington)
Assistants: Mr Martin Lehane (Bexleyheath) & Mr A Francis