Whitstable Town 1-2 Eastbourne Town - Mark Lane suffers heartbreaking defeat

Tuesday 07th September 2010

WHITSTABLE TOWN 1-2 EASTBOURNE TOWN
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 7th September 2010
Mike Green reports from Belmont Road

A goal by Ashley Robinson in the 90th minute denied Whitstable Town a point after Mark Lane’s side had staged a sterling second half fight back to get back on level terms against a much improved Eastbourne Town.

The men from Sussex, who remember finished bottom of the Ryman One South table last season, look a far more dangerous outfit this time round and in Robinson had the player of the match. He dominated the middle of the park, as the Oystermen struggled to get a hold of the game in midfield, and was instrumental in Eastbourne’s first goal and then of course scored the winner as the clocked ticked from 89 to 90 minutes.

“It was heartbreak for us tonight there’s no other word for it,” Whitstable boss Lane told www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game.

“We put in a good shift tonight, we got back to one each but yet again we failed to close the game out! We get ourselves a goal behind and chase the game; eventually score and then have five or six minutes to hold out, but we don’t for some reason!

“We showed some good resilience tonight, and I know that we’ve got that. We showed at (Horsham) YMCA at the weekend that we could do it; I just wish we didn’t have to keep fighting back from a goal behind.

“To score the first goal in this League is oh so important. That first goal gives you a firm footing to get on, and apart from our FA Cup tie with Croydon, we haven’t scored the first goal,” a frustrated Lane admitted.

“These lads really want to win, but at the moment things are conspiring against us. And at the end of the day if we have to bring more players in we will do.”

But as the manager himself admitted, the Oystermen really were the architects of their own downfall as after dragging themselves level, to let the visitors take all three points shows that perhaps Lane hasn’t quite yet got rid of all of last seasons bad habits!

It started brightly for Whitstable too, with Gareth Cornhill firing wide early on after a good ball from Stuart Vahid, and the young Scott Heard’s cross was only fractionally too far in front of the lunging Vahid and David Cory.

That seemed to kick start the visitors and on 12 minutes home keeper Kevin Fewell pulled off a fine block to deny Charlie Farmer’s downward header.

The visitors went even closer moments later when Robinson players Brad Manton through one on one with Fewell, but the Oystermen’s keeper did just enough and the shot went wide of the left post.

Cory then saw a header flicked by his own post by Dean Brooks after the Eastbourne defender had so very nearly sliced the ball into his own net, and the Eastbourne keeper Kieron Thorp did just enough to tip over Dan Wisker’s whipped corner.

The second half started disastrously for the home side as Eastbourne took the lead on 52 minutes with a break that left the home defence for dead.

Robinson threaded the ball through to Sam Crabb who escaped down the left and his pinpoint ball across the six-yard line was slid home at the far post by Brad Manton.

At that point Lane introduced Ian Pulman into the game (in place of a frustrated Cory), and within minutes Pulman had managed to wriggle free of the attentions of Dean Brooks, but couldn’t hit the target.

The game now ebbed and flowed as a fascinating spectacle – Evan Archibald should be quizzed as to why he tried to shoot when confronted by an increasingly acute angle following Robinson’s quick free kick, before Whitstable had the first of two loud penalty appeals waved away as Whisker’s run into the box was blocked by Adam Davidson.

Crabb was then denied by a fine near post save from Fewell, before referee Harris waved away a second strong appeal for a home penalty as this time Davidson clashed with Vahid. Indeed so incensed were the home players that both Wisker and Pulman were booked for dissent.

Eastbourne should have sealed the points on 81 minutes but incredibly they failed to score from a four against one breakaway, which was led by Crabb, and it was substitute Medi Koroma who failed to get the shot away.

The deserved equaliser came with just 90 seconds left in the 90 minutes as Pulman was on hand to sweep home a right wing cross after the ball had eluded three defenders.

But just as Lane and his troops thought they’d secured the point, Robinson struck beating Fewell with a brilliant low drive low to the keepers right, leaving the Belmont faithful shaking their heads wondering what might, and in all truth should have been.

Whitstable Town: Kevin Fewell, Kieron Morris, Tom Parker, Alex Hossick (Clint Gooding 60), Louis Smith, Sam Denly, Gareth Cornhill (Dan Scorer 75), Dan Wisker, Stuart Vahid, David Cory (Ian Pulman 52), Scott Heard.

Subs: Steven Lloyd, Craig White

Goal: Ian Pulman 89

Booked: Stuart Vahid 52, Kieron Morris 71, Dan Wisker 78, Ian Pulman 78

Eastbourne Town: Kieron Thorp, Charlie Farmer, Matthew Carruthers, Greg Manton, Dean brooks, Adam Davidson, Brett Patten, Sam Crabb, Evan Archibald (Medi Koroma 82), Bred Manton (Ryan Storrie 86), Ashley Robinson.

Goals: Brad Manton 52, Ashley Robinson 90

Attendance: 105

Referee: Mr Paul Harris (Maidstone)

Assistants: Mr Martin Peck (West Malling) and Mr Karl May (Gillingham)