Ashford Town 2-3 Chipstead - Seanla keeps up his impressive goalscoring form

ASHFORD TOWN 2-3 CHIPSTEAD
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 30^th September 2008
Paul Parkinson reports from The Homelands

ASHFORD TOWN’S four-match unbeaten run came to an end tonight with defeat to Chipstead, who found themselves 3-0 up, before two goals from debutant Claude Seanla almost grabbed the promotion chasing Kent side a point.

Manager Steve Lovell was forced into one change for tonight’s Ryman Division One South match against Chipstead, from which a win could have seen the Nuts and Bolts climb to second in the table.

With Paul Jones sidelined by flu, Seanla was brought in for his debut after impressing in his two reserve outings with two goals. Saturday‘s hero Andy Doerr, who hit the 83rd minute winner to beat Met Police, has to be content with a place on the bench following his return from a year-long injury nightmare.

Despite a promising opening, when Mitchell Sherwood, Danny Lye and Daniel Brathwaite all went close for the home side only to find the outstanding James Wastell in their way, a disastrous five minutes saw Lovell‘s Ashford side torn apart twice by Chipstead.

The twin strike force of Danny Oakins and Dominic O‘Shea capitalised on some sloppy defending to give the visitors an advantage that they would hold to the end.

First Oakins, on 28 minutes, cutting inside a static Jimmy Elford, drove a right foot shot from the edge of the box inside Jamie Riley‘s near post.

Then, O‘Shea, steered a cross home from six yards, four minutes later after Reis Aslan had beaten two weak challenges as he made his way to the byline.

Despite the best efforts of Bradley Spice, whose left foot shot crashed against the outside of the Chipstead goal on the half, the Nuts & Bolts had already gone further behind to a moment of controversy.

As right midfielder Josh Smith cut inside and centred, the defence pushed out calling for an offside decision, leaving Oakins in acres of space to steer the ball past Riley.

With desperate measures required, Lovell made all three changes at the half, but it took a horrendous clash of heads between substitute Jimmy Bottle and Chipstead‘s Ashley Reid on the hour, that forced both players off and left Ashford with 10 men for the flow of the game to change.
The injuries seemed to have a greater effect on Chipstead, and Seanla showed the 237 present what he was capable off, with two quality strikes to bring the match to life with 15 minutes of normal time left.

His first, saw Seanla take a step back off his defender into space before glancing a back post header from a Ryan Briggs cross.

The second, from a Sherwood cross, was thanks to a great first touch with his back to goal, before spinning and driving a low shot into the corner of the net.

The ten minutes of stoppage time allowed by referee Mr Butler for the injuries, saw the Nuts & Bolts lay siege to the Chipstead goal.

Goalkeeper Wastell was grateful to see a Danny Lye header graze the top of the bar after one of many scrambles in the middle of the area, before Spice shot tamely into the keeper‘s arms, with team-mates queuing up calling for a cross.

As time ticked down, Ashford were presented with another opportunity thanks to a crude challenge from Andrew Wareing, who was given the only caution of the night.

Sadly for Ashford, Brathwaite‘s effort crashed into the wall and as the ball was cleared to the sound of Mr Butler‘s whistle.

Speaking afterwards to BBC Radio Kent after the game, Lovell was disappointed with the defensive errors that had cost his side the goals.

“It’s not like us at all,” he said. “We didn’t start very bright and it left us a mountain to climb.

“Saying that though, in the last quarter of an hour, we could have actually won the game. We’ve had two or three chances off the line and their keeper’s made saves.

“Credit to the boys after we’d made three changes at the break, but we can’t play like that (in the first half of the game).”

Looking forward to Saturday’s FA Carlsberg Trophy Preliminary Round tie at Ryman League Division One North side Great Wakering Rovers, Lovell said: “I don’t know much about them, but I remember playing against them (at Sittingbourne) when they were in the Southern League.

“They’ll be a strong outfit and it will be a tough game for us. We’ll be looking forward to that.

“The FA Trophy is a break from the League, but it would have been nice to be going into (the game) with a win tonight, after the one on Saturday, so the win on Saturday was tossed away with the defeat tonight.”

Ashford Town: Jamie Riley, Jimmy Elford (Andy Doerr 46), Robbie Ryan (Jimmy Bottle 46), Daniel Brathwaite, Sean Ray, Ryan Briggs, Tony Browne (Lee Hockey 56), Danny Lye, Bradley Spice, Claude Seanla, Mitchell Sherwood.
Subs: Josh Willis, Lee Farrell.

Goals: Claude Seanla 73, 75

Chipstead: James Wastell, Ashley Reid (Alec Brown 65), Chris Head, Nathan Campbell, Andrew Wareing, Daryl Coleman, Mark Wardell (Fred Fleming 85), Reis Aslan, Danny Oakins (Gavin Quintyne 76), Dominic O’Shea, Josh Smith.
Sub: Joe Grant.

Goals: Danny Oakins 28, 40, Dominic O’Shea 32

Booked: Andrew Wareing 90

Attendance: 237
Referee: Mr Stuart Butler (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr Saul Kay (Sittingbourne) & Mr Martin Peck (West Malling)