Aveley 3-1 Chatham Town - It's got to get better at some point, says Chatham Town boss Kevin Watson

AVELEY  3-1  CHATHAM TOWN
Ryman League Division One North
Monday 19^th August 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Mill Road

CHATHAM TOWN boss Kevin Watson says he is concerned with his side’s poor start to the new season.

The Medway-based side opened their new Ryman League Division One North campaign with a 1-0 win at Ware, before they suffered back-to-back home defeats to relegated Thurrock (1-2) and newly-promoted Barkingside came away from Maidstone United with a 3-2 victory at the weekend.

Aveley, meanwhile, opened their campaign with back-to-back wins over Wroxham (6-1) and Redbridge (2-1), before they lost top spot to VCD Athletic with a 3-1 defeat at Oakwood in the top-of-the-table clash on Saturday.

But the Essex side climbed up five places into second following their 3-1 victory over Chatham Town, who have slumped into the bottom five with three points from their opening four games.

Chatham Town opened the scoring inside the opening four minutes through Billy Bennett’s first goal for the club, before it started to go wrong for the Watson’s side.

Sosthene Yao found a gap at the near post to roll home the equaliser after seventeen minutes, before fellow striker Shane Oakley slotted the ball underneath the Chatham keeper within four minutes to give the Essex hosts the lead.

Chatham Town didn’t look like scoring during the second half and Aveley wrapped up a deserved victory when right-back Kallon Nurudeen added a late third.

Watson spoke to his players’ out on the pitch before walking up the steps towards the dressing rooms before expressing his disappointment of his side’s poor performance in his native Essex.

“Sorry, let me just compose myself,” he said.  “On that performance we probably deserved to lose the game.

“We was alright for about fifteen minutes and then on we wasn’t – that’s our poorest performance of this season definitely!”

When asked whether he’s concerned with his side’s start to the season, Watson replied, “Concerned yes, with the results. Like I say performances up until this point…  It was disappointing Saturday although I still thought there was some fundamental flaws but I still thought much of the performance was quite good, but I can’t say that about this evening!”

Chatham Town started well and took the lead with the first attack of the game, just two seconds shy of four minutes.

Midfielder Lee Hales played the ball into the penalty area, which was headed away by former Dartford defender Adam Flanagan and Bennett stroked a left-footed volley into the bottom right-hand corner from fourteen-yards.

“It was a good goal,” said Watson.  “We started quite well. We started quite lively, which was nice, but we didn’t kick on from there and we played into their hands.

“It’s a difficult place to come and even more difficult when you don’t play well.

“There’s not many players out there tonight that have done themselves any justice. A couple worked quite hard but there was no real quality this evening.”

Chatham Town almost doubled their lead when left-back Liam Hickey floated in a cross from wide on the left from 40-yards which forced back-peddling Aveley keeper Jack Giddens to raise his arms to tip the ball onto the crossbar before the ball bounced down and towards safety.

Aveley’s best player on the night was Danny Hopkins, who played at the top of a diamond formation, with skipper Billy Holland holding things together at the bottom, with their front three of Yao, Oakley and Junior Appiah causing Chatham’s defence problems with their pace.

Watson substituted both of his full-backs Hickey and Taylor McDonagh later on in the game.

Clinical Aveley doubled their lead with their second chance in the 21^st minute.

Yao picked up the ball out on the left and played the ball into Hopkins’ feet, who played Yao in behind the Chatham Town defence and the striker saw a gap left at the near post by Kidman, who went to his left, and Yao picked his spot with a right-footed shot into the bottom near corner from ten-yards out to score his second goal of the season.

But Watson refused to blame his goalkeeper, Lee Kidman, 19, who is on loan from Dartford’s Academy, for Aveley’s equaliser and second goal.

He said: “I wouldn’t say it’s Lee’s fault when he’s (Yao) six or seven yards out. They got in behind us for their first two goals so that was (disappointing). The sort of players they’ve got, you need to keep them in front of you. It’s disappointing that the players didn’t adjust and see that for themselves.”

Aveley produced another slick interchange of passing to double their lead with their second attack in the 21^st minute.

Oakley and Brian Okwera linked up well before man-of-the-match Hopkins dinked the ball forward for Appiah who cut the ball back for Oakley to sweep his right-footed shot underneath Kidman to also score his second goal of the season from 12-yards.

Watson added: “Yes, again the game was stretched by then so it was difficult.” 

Chatham Town created a couple of chances halfway through the first half.

Kieron McCann – who won the Kent League double with promoted champions Erith & Belvedere last season – played the ball into Alfie May’s feet and the former Corinthian striker floated in a cross from the right for striker Austin Gachero to glance his header wide of the far post.

Chatham Town’s hard-working skipper then turned to make space for himself before stroking a right-footed shot from 25-yards, which forced Giddens to make a comfortable low save to his left.

Watson added: “We made a couple of chances and we’ve got a chance but we didn’t really deserve to win tonight.”

Chatham forced a corner in the final five minutes of the half when McCann swung out a right-footed corner from the right towards penalty-spot range but Bennett’s header sailed wide of the far post.

Appiah hit a right-footed drive on the run from 25-yards, which was spilt by the visiting keeper, who gathered at the second attempt.

When asked what he told his troops during the interval, Brentwood-based Watson replied: “I don’t tell people what I say in the changing room. That’s personal to us really. They was aware that they needed to up their games!”

But what was said to rally his players had the opposite effect as much-fancied Aveley dominated proceedings after the break.

Watson said: “We didn’t create too much all evening to be fair, so that was disappointing.  We created quite a lot Saturday but didn’t this evening.”

Bradley Thomas’ diagonal cross sailed over towards the edge of the Chatham Town penalty area and Yao cracked a right-footed shot on the turn, which curled just wide of the far post inside the opening four minutes.

The noisy teenage home fans in the main stand were calling for goal-line technology to be introduced to the Ryman League nine minutes into the second half.

Hopkins played the ball into Oakley, who unleashed a powerful left-footed drive from 35-yards, which sailed over Kidman’s right shoulder and crashed against the crossbar and bounced out towards safety.

Watson made a double substitution just before the hour mark bringing on defender Drew Crush and winger Greg Benbow, but the spark was lacking.

Kidman made a morale-boosting save when he saved low to his left and did well to hold onto a low left-footed free-kick from 25-yards from Aveley left-back Teddy Nesbitt, who drilled a powerful shot following a long run-up to the ball.

Watson said of his goalkeeper: “It’s difficult for him.  It’s the first game that he started for us in the league. It’s a difficult game for him to come into. I’m not going to make judgements on individual players because collectively it wasn’t good enough! It wasn’t one or two that let us down. It was more than that apart from the subs, the subs done ok.  I feel for them more than the others that started.”

A right-wing corner from Benbow sailed over everybody inside the penalty area and was picked up by McCann, who had time and space to float the ball back into the area and May’s right-footed hooked volley from sixteen-yards sailed high over the bar.

News filtered through before the game that Aveley submitted a seven-day approach for the non-contracted player on the morning of the game.

May, 20, who scored 32 goals to help Corinthian finish in fourth-place in the Kent League last season, played on the right alongside Gachero tonight but found it hard going.

When asked about Aveley’s approach for Kent-based May, who scored his first goal for Chatham Town at the weekend, Watson said: “What can I say? Seven days and then they can speak to them, can’t they?

“It’s not my decision is it? I’ll be very naive if I said yes (he’ll stay) wouldn’t I and he turns round and goes there.

“I’ve spoken to him about the situation and I’ve got an opinion on it. It’s not worth publically saying it. I’ll be disappointed if he left, put it that way!”

Halfway through the second half, Hopkins played the ball through to Okwera, whose right-footed shot from 20-yards was blocked by Kidman’s right-foot.

But Aveley wrapped up the three points when they scored their third goal with ten minutes left.

Appiah picked the ball up in midfield and went on a 40-yard run on the break before spraying the ball inside to unmarked substitute Kadmir Jama, who clipped the ball across goal towards the far post for Nurudeen to hit a right-footed volley towards the near post. 

Kidmand dived to his left but the ball bounced off his body and crept inside the bottom near corner to inflict Chatham Town’s third defeat on the bounce.

Watson said: “Like I say the game was stretched at that point. I couldn’t tell.  Some of the players were contesting it was offside but the linesman said there was quite a few of them playing him on.”

Watson wants his side to pick up points when they travel to Erith & Belvedere on Saturday, before welcoming Tilbury to Maidstone Road on Bank Holiday Monday.

Erith & Belvedere co-manager Martin Ford was watching this game tonight and has seen his side collect six points from their first three games to be in tenth-place in a 24-club division.

Tilbury, meanwhile, have lost their first three league games of the season and have only Waltham Forest below them in the table.

Watson said: “To a certain extent it can’t get loads worse than this evening so it’s got to get better at some point, so let’s hope that’s the weekend.

“Home or away, I just want to pick up as many points as we can at the moment!

“Three points from four games is not anywhere near where it needs to be.”

Aveley: Jack Giddens, Kallon Nurudeen, Teddy Nesbitt, Adam Flanagan, Bradley Thomas, Danny Hopkins, Brian Okwera, Billy Holland (Anton Stephenson 84), Shane Oakley (Ross Wall 66), Sosthene Yao (Kadmir Jama 66), Junior Appiah.
Subs: Matty Bakare, Jake McIntyre

Goals: Sosthene Yao 17, Shane Oakley 21, Kallon Nurudeen 80

Booked: Shane Oakley 33

Chatham Town: Lee Kidman, Taylor McDonagh (Drew Crush 58), Liam Hickey (James Alderman 81), Matt Solly, Brad Potter, Corey Holder, Alfie May, Billy Bennett (Greg Benbow 58), Austin Gachero, Lee Hales, Kieron McCann.
Subs: Kes Metitiri, Kevin Watson

Goal: Billy Bennett 4

Booked: Matt Solly 45, Alfie May 47, Brad Potter 56
 
Attendance: 116
Referee: Mr Matthew Donohue (Manchester)
Assistants: Mr Rhys Battye (Grays, Essex) & Mr Kevin Nicholson (Hornchurch, Essex)