Whitstable Town 3-0 Ashford Town - We lacked fight, bemoans Langton

Saturday 28th November 2009

WHITSTABLE TOWN 3-0 ASHFORD TOWN
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 28th November 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Belmont Road

WHITSTABLE TOWN manager Mark Munday praised the heroic performance of his captain Sam Denly, as his side climbed off the foot of the Ryman League Division One South table, condemning their Kent rivals to the relegation zone.

Denly’s second and third goals of the season during the first half sent Whitstable on their way, before midfielder Joe Hitchings added more salt into the wounds of his former club in the second half as Whitstable take Ashford Town’s place in the table (third-from-bottom).

Whitstable had picked up only two points out of 36 available before Gareth Cornhill’s late free-kick sealed a morale-boosting 1-0 home win over fellow struggling side Eastbourne Town in midweek.

Ashford Town, meanwhile, went into this relegation dog-fight on the run of eight competitive games without any win and with strikers Joe Fuller (foot) and Paul Jones (groin) on the sidelines.

The only team that were “up for it” were the Whitstable players who won their battles all around the pitch and were in determined fashion, as they tasted back-to-back wins for the very first time this season, boosted by the club’s highest crowd of the season.

“Very pleasing result,” a satisfied Munday told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards. “A result that, I think, the performance deserved over the ninety minutes. I thought in this game we were the better side and deserved it.

“It does take more pressure off when you convert those chances and when they go in.

“Very pleased with two consecutive wins (and 2 clean sheets) and they’re have been four or five very good performances in the last four of five games and that’s all we can build on.

“As I’ve said to them, if we play like that more often than not, we’ll win football matches more often than not.”

Whitstable started on the front foot and apart from the final twenty minutes (following a triple substitution from the visitors) were in the mood.

Starting with a 3-5-2 formation, Tom Parker lashed a left-footed drive over the crossbar after his initial cross from the left sailed over Darren Ibrahim and was retrieved by Dan Wisker, and the striker whipped in an inch-perfect cross.

Ibrahim was forced into making a fine save inside the opening five minutes when he beat out Ben Smith’s driven shot on the angle, following a move involving Parker, Wisker and Dave Cory.

Whitstable deservedly broke the deadlock (with blue skies above The Belmont) in the 22nd minute.

Cornhill swept in a corner from the left and there was Denly who epitomised the character shown from his team-mates by going in where it hurts and planting a header past the stranded Ibrahim and into the bottom left-hand corner from six-yards out.

Fired-up Whitstable had a second goal ruled out just 90 seconds later when Cory slammed the ball past Ibrahim (after he received the ball following Ben Smith’s driven shot through the heart of Ashford’s defence) but the offside flag had been raised.

Poor Ashford created one decent effort during the first half; central defender Laurence Harvey came up from the back to head weakly into Kevin Fewell’s arms following Lee Hockey’s predictable trademark long-throw from the left.

Whitstable didn’t have to wait long for their second goal as Denly was in the right place at the right time in the 43rd minute.

This time it was Parker who swung in a corner from the right and the ball dropped at Denly’s feet at the far post and he enen had time to compose himself before blasting the ball into the roof of the net from six-yards.

“It was a super header to begin with and then something happened that hasn’t happened a lot - it’s broken in the box and it’s fallen to one of us,” said Munday.

“It’s fallen at his feet and he’s finished it like a centre forward and Sam has solidered on. He’s a battler, as is the rest of the team. He’s played virtually every game this year so I’m delighted for him and delighted for the group of players that we’ve got here.”

Ashford did, at some stages of the second half, show some fight, but they came across a resilient Whitstable side that were focused.

Whitstable keeper Fewell, ensured he kept only his third clean sheet of the season, when he got a strong hand to send Nick Smith’s drive over the crossbar and just before the end, made a comfortable save from Ryan Brigg’s 30-yard drive.

To their credit, the long-suffering Ashford fans kept their vocal support up throughout their side’s abject performance and when the third goal went in on the hour-mark, they chanted “always look on the bright side of life!”

Fewell’s clearance down the middle of the pitch was held up well by Cory and as players battled for the ball just outside the box, Hitchings wriggled his way through and comfortably slotted the ball past Ibrahim into the bottom far corner.

Ibrahim made an excellent flying save to his right to prevent Hitchings scoring with a curling right-footed effort from 22-yards in the 71st minute (referee Mr Neil Baker strangely awarding Ashford a goal-kick).

Ashford finally upped the tempo and started playing but apart from Briggs’ late effort, they were never going to beat Fewell as the Oystermen deserved their three points.

Munday is therefore delighted that his side have climbed off the foot of the table and go into Wednesday’s return at Homelands Stadium above their Kent rivals in the table.

“There’s pressure that comes with sitting bottom,” added Munday. “This year we’ve been there for a few weeks, as a club we’ve experienced it before.

“I always believed that we would (climb off the bottom of the table), we’ve got the nucleolus, the basis, of a side there that will be competing in football games at this level more often than not.”

Unfortunately, Ashford Town manager Steve Lovell declined our request for an interview, so www.kentishfootball.co.uk was grateful to assistant manager Hugo Langton for his views on the game.

“Disappointing? Yes! Understatement of the year!,” said an unhappy Langton.

“Pretty straight forward, we play again on Wednesday and let’s put it this way, if we play like we did today, certainly for the first seventy minutes, then Whitstable will turn us over again, it’s as simple as that!”

This game was billed as a dog-fight before hand, but Langton acknowledged that his side lacked any fight.

“It wasn’t a dog-fight though was it?“ added Langton. “There was one team out there that was competing for every thing and one team that wasn’t and it was as simple as that!

“The team that went out and competed for every thing, played as though their lives depended on it, worked so hard for each other was the team that won today.

“The team that didn’t do that, lost!”

When asked that he demands a reaction at Homelands on Wednesday night, Langton replied, “As I said to you before, Steve and I can take the players onto a training ground and we can show them how to defend, we can show them how to press a ball, we can show them how to pass a ball, but we can’t physically make people go out and do it - it also has to come from within.

“These players should know better, so yes, we do expect a reaction on Wednesday night!”

The opening line of Ashford Town’s history inside today’s match day programme claims that “Ashford Town Football Club is arguably in it’s best ever state”.

Supporters, however, disagree! Keep up this form and the club will be welcoming the likes of Sporting Bengal United to Homelands Stadium in the Bulmers Cider Kent League next season!

Whitstable Town: Kevin Fewell, Gareth Cornhill (Dean Grant 37), Gary Sayer, Tom Parker, Stephen Lloyd, Sam Denly, Joe Hitchings, Clint Gooding (Dan Dolton 79), Dave Cory, Dan Wisker (Stuart Vahid 67), Ben Smith.
Subs: Paul Axon, Mark Munday.

Goals: Sam Denly 22, 43, Joe Hitchings 60

Booked: Stephen Lloyd 16

Ashford Town: Darren Ibrahim, Carl Harold, Steve Springett, Lee Hockey, Lawrence Harvey, Ryan Briggs, Mitchell Sherwood (Dan Scorer 67), Danny Lye (Sam Conlon 67), Mark Lovell, Ronnie Dolan (Matt Newman 67), Nick Smith.
Subs: Bryan Pearce, Dan Mason.

Attendance: 195
Referee: Mr Neil Baker (Welling)
Assistants: Mr James Macey (Bexley) & Mr A King