Canterbury City 5-1 Greenwich Borough - To go round kicking our players is a disgrace, blasts Austin

CANTERBURY CITY  5-1 GREENWICH BOROUGH
The FA Carlsberg Vase First Qualifying Round
Sunday 2^nd September 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Winch’s Field

CANTERBURY CITY boss Simon Austin criticised the antics of shameful Greenwich Borough, who had three players red-carded for reckless tackles during the second half of this one-sided FA Carlsberg Vase tie.
 

Full marks must go to Maidstone based referee David Smart for brandishing deserved red-cards to shameful Greenwich Borough trio Cedric Abraham, Sam Ryan and substitute Kris Hollidge, as Canterbury City romped to a 5-1 victory to win this First Qualifying Round tie at Herne Bay’s Winch’s Field.

Canterbury City dominated proceedings throughout, but they found themselves 1-0 down at the break when Ryan scored his first goal of the season with a 39^th minute penalty, which was against the run of play.

But each of Canterbury City’s four goalscorerers all opened up their goalscoring account for the new season as Greenwich Borough lost it.

Greenwich Borough, who welcome Ryman Premier League neighbours Cray Wanderers to Oakley Road for a FA Cup First Qualifying Round tie in seven days’ time, lost central defender Abraham for a two-footed lunge which led to referee Smart to point to the spot and Ryan Moreby scored to restore parity in the 49^th minute.

Justin Ascheri tapped home Canterbury’s second in the 54^th minute, three minutes before Ryan was sent off for his horrific two-footed lunge, which sparked a melee and fury from Canterbury’s bench.

Canterbury City skipper Kane Rice exploited space and scored a fine solo goal in the 61^st minute, before Ascheri and substitute Luke Webb scored, before player-coach Hollidge followed down the tunnel of shame for kicking out at Webb in the final four minutes.

We will never know the feelings of Greenwich Borough manager Gerry Cox because he has made it clear that he no longer fulfils his obligation of speaking to the press, but he can expect an inquisition from the football authorities as to why he had three players red-carded today.

But Austin made his feelings quite clear after the game and lambasted Cox over his side’s pub-football approach.

“I’ve played football, Jim (Strouts, my assistant) has played football. We know there’s tackles but to just go round and just kick players off the ball, it’s an absolute disgrace!

“It’s just a lack of discipline.  They didn’t have no control, no leader or discipline on the bench and it was just poor to see.

“We’re all here to do a job to play football, to enjoy it. We’ve all got to go to work on Monday morning. To see that kind of behaviour, not for me.”

Greenwich Borough, who can expect a welcomed £2,750 in prize money from their FA Cup run, showed no signs of their ugly streak during a frenetic opening 15 minutes.

They created their first chance with only 50 seconds on the clock following a poor clearance out of defence from Richard Atkins was picked up by Mark Okoye, who ran forward before playing the ball inside to skipper Nathan Gee, who took a touch before unleashing a right-footed drive from 30-yards which forced Kieron Mann into making a low save.

Visiting keeper Mike Adkin collected Kane Rice’s low right-footed drive at his near post after Alex Waugh slipped the ball to Michael Smissen, who twisted and turned his marker before laying the ball off to the Canterbury City winger.

Greenwich Borough ventured forward and Mann caught the ball as he dived to his right at his near post to thwart striker Andrew Williams after his strike partner Billy Jolley played the ball in.

But Canterbury City started to dominate after fifteen minutes and Ascheri issued the away side a warning when he blasted a left-footed volley over the bar from fifteen-yards.

Canterbury City were denied by some brilliant goal-line defending from Ryan in the 20^th minute.

Left-back Christopher Elliott whipped in a cross with his left-foot, which sailed over everybody inside the penalty area and Jake Gess retrieved the ball and clipped the ball back across the face of the penalty area and Atkins’ powerful header from six-yards sailed across keeper Adkin and Ryan volleyed his goal-line clearance up and  against the crossbar.

Elliott was seeing plenty of the ball and he played another ball into the penalty area where leading goalscorer Alex Waugh held off right-back George Jones before cutting the ball underneath Smisson’s legs and Ascheri blasted his right-footed angled shot over from the very edge of the box.

Abraham escaped a yellow card when he brought down Smissen a couple of yards outside the penalty box in the 27^th minute but Rice’s resulting right-footed free-kick was comfortably collected by Adkin beside the foot of his near post.

Greenwich Borough wasted a gilt-edged chance when Williams played Okoye in behind the Canterbury defence but his stroked left-footed shot forced a smart save from former Hythe Town stopper Mann, who dived to his right to parry.

The impressive Elliott whipped in a high bouncing ball into the box where Waugh improvised and looped his header over the Greenwich Borough crossbar.

After squandering all of those chances, it was inevitable that Greenwich Borough would grab the lead – and they did just that six minutes before the break.

Austin admitted Kane’s challenge on Williams was a penalty and the skipper was booked for the foul and right-back Ryan Andrews also picked up a booking for dissent.

Ryan stepped up and stroke his right-footed penalty towards the bottom left-hand corner and the diving Mann got a hand to the ball but couldn’t prevent the ball spinning underneath his body and his desperate attempt to grab the ball before crossing the line proved to be in vain.

Austin said: “I think it was a penalty. He did win the ball but we spoke to the ref and it was his trailing leg that came round and caught him so fair enough.”

And reflecting on Mann’s efforts, the manager added: “That’s what Kieron does, he’s a great goalkeeper, that’s why I got him down here.  Keeper’s aren’t expected to save it but he got across, got his hand on it and it just trickled over the line.  I think Kieron was frustrated.”

Austin was pleased with his solid back four, who protected Mann throughout.

He said: “We defended very, very well.  The centre halves and full-backs did exactly what we wanted.  The shape’s been good. The hardest part in football is to get your defence organised.  We’re new. I don’t think we’ve played a double number of games together yet so we’re working on it week in, week out in training so it will come but I guess up front we’ve got a bit of flare but at the back you need to be organised so that was pleasing.  It wasn’t a clean sheet but it was a great performance.”

Canterbury didn’t allow that blow get to them and they created a couple more chances before the break.

Long-throw specialist Elliott hurled the ball towards the near post and Atkins’ back-header was caught by Greenwich’s man-of-the-match Adkin.

Greenwich Borough had their keeper to thank when he initially punched Rice’s in-swinging corner from the left and recovered to dive full-length to his left to prevent the unmarked Ascheri scoring with a rasping right-footed volley from the edge of the box.

Reflecting on the first half, Austin said: “Frustrating and pleasing really.  Frustrating because we didn’t score. It’s sods law that they’ve had one break and got a penalty and they scored and we were 1-0 down at half-time.

“But it was pleasing how we played through the whole game, the whole first half.

“At half-time I didn’t need to say too much to the boys. We just needed to make sure we went out there second half and did exactly the same.

“We told them once they get one – and they would get one – two will come, three will come, four will come and it would follow to be our game and it was pleasing and I think that would happen if they had eleven men on the pitch - if they still had eleven men on the pitch the same thing would have happened.”

Greenwich Borough faced an uphill struggle when the slow man mountain Abraham was guilty of a two-footed lunge inside the penalty box.

Andrews played the ball down the channel and Moreby laid the ball off for Ascheri, who was on the end of Abraham’s two-footed lunge and already on the booking the former Fisher, Maidstone United and Sittingbourne defender, who ended last season with Kent County League Division One outfit Coney Hall, collected a deserved red-card.

Austin said: “It was a foul.  He was lucky not to get booked, in my opinion, before he did in the first half when Buster (Smissen) was through on goal so I think he’s had three bad challenges throughout the whole of the game and he’s got sent off for it, so fair enough.”

Moreby stepped up and slotted his right-footed penalty into the right-hand corner, sending Adkin the wrong way.

Austin added: “It was good that we got a goal straight away.  Like we said to them at half-time as soon as we’d get one, two will come, three would come.  We knew they would come at us for the first ten minutes.  We told the boys what they needed to do to see that out and after that it would be our game.  It was good to get a goal so early on. I thought it settled them down.”

Jamie Linnett volleyed Elliott’s brilliant in-swinging free-kick off the line before Canterbury City took a deserved lead in the 54^th minute.

Elliott played an excellent 60-yard diagonal ball to release Waugh down the right and he played the ball across the face of goal and Ascheri had the task of side-footing the ball into an open goal from six-yards with his left foot.

Austin added: “It was a great, quick break away.  Billy’s got the ball, I think from a corner or a free-kick. He’s seen Alex’s run, played a 50-60 yard pass over the top. Alex has used his strength, got past the defender, drilled it across the face of the six-yard box for his striker mate to tap it in.”

Greenwich Borough were gifted with a chance following another poor ball out of defence by Atkins but Linnett failed to capitalise on that and flashed his left-footed drive wide from 25-yards.

There were ugly scenes in the 57^th minute when Ryan was guilty of a horrific two-footed lunge on Elliott, which sparked a melee, which saw members of both technical areas enter the field of play. 

Ryan deservedly collected a red-card and Jones picked up a yellow for his part in the coming together of angry players.

The football authorities must impose heavier penalties on players who commit such vile challenges on a football pitch.

Austin blasted: “It was a disgraceful tackle!”

Greenwich Borough were then ripped apart by a Canterbury City side that had the intelligence to exploit the space left on the pitch.

Rice did exactly that in the 61^st minute when he ran through the vacant midfield and clipped a fine right-footed drive from 22-yards, which gave Adkin no chance.

Austin said: “Once they had a couple of players sent off we knew there would be space in the middle of the park, so we got across to the boys to keep the ball and keep it moving which they did.  We knew there would then be gaps. We knew we’d had to be patient.

“Kane’s come through the middle, spotted the gap, ran through and unleashed a shot from 25-30 yards and it’s gone in the corner.”

Adkin produced an excellent save half-way through the second half when Elliott swept the ball over to right-back Andrews, who had time and space to float in his cross towards the near post and Waugh was denied his seventh-goal of the season when Adkin’s knees thwarted the striker scoring with a downward header from eight-yards.

Ascheri intercepted a square pass from Scott Hillyard and went through on goal and stroked an excellent right-footed curler around the exposed Adkin to find the far corner of the net with thirteen minutes left to please his manager Austin.

“Great finish!  Pleased with Justin. He’s been beating himself up a bit because he ain’t scored yet but from a manager’s point of view he’s been doing a lot more for the team.  Yes, he hasn’t scored but he’s set up three or four goals already. His work rate is next to none. He’s a very, very good team player but as all forwards want to score. Now he’s scored two he will settle down and he’ll bang in more for us.”

Canterbury City substitute Samuel Baker was forced off with a broken wrist but he did play a part in the fifth goal with eight minutes left.

Moreby played the ball over to Baker on the right flank, who exchanged passes with Ascheri, before playing the ball inside to Smissen at the near post, who slid the ball across the face of goal and Webb side-footed the ball past Jones on the line to score from six-yards.

“Unfortunately he broke his wrist in doing that,” confirmed Austin, who were forced to play with ten-men themselves for the final eight minutes as the substitute received treatment beside the perimeter fence behind the by-line.

“It’s a fine because he didn’t celebrate, but he’s gone to hospital so best wishes to Sam.  I’ll see how he is tonight.

“Webby has come on and done absolutely fantastic. He’s a great player to have around. His attitude is absolutely brilliant and he’s come on and done very, very well and deserved a goal.”

There was a touch-line bust up after Hollidge was sent-off for kicking out at Webb after the Canterbury substitute glided past him in the 86^th minute.

Strouts stormed out of his technical area, walking towards the Greenwich technical area,  to voice his disproval at Cox and the calming influence of Borough’s assistant manager Owen Jones prevented a further flashpoint.

Ascheri was denied a hat-trick when Adkin made another save and Canterbury had a sixth-goal ruled out for offside when Webb flicked the ball into the net after Gess, who had now slotted in at right-back, pumped the ball into the box.

Austin added: “Very pleased with the performance and the result.  Yes, it was great to score goals, but it was all about winning the game, whether it was 1-0 or 5-1 – it’s a win!”

Canterbury City will now travel to their Kent League rivals Fisher in the next round on Saturday 15 September.

Austin added: “We’ll do our research on them. We know what we need to do and we’re looking forward to the game.  We just need to make sure we keep doing our jobs and we keep drilling that at training because we’re still a very new squad.”

Canterbury City: Kieron Mann, Ryan Andrews (Samuel Baker 81), Christopher Elliott, Jake Gess, Steven Baines, Richard Atkins, Kane Rice (Alex Nelson 73), Ryan Moreby, Alex Waugh (Luke Webb 77), Michael Smissen, Justin Ascheri.
Subs: Jimmy Strouts, Simon Austin

Goals: Ryan Moreby 49 (pen), Justin Ascheri 54, 77, Kane Rice 61, Luke Webb 82

Booked: Kane Rice 38, Ryan Andrews 38, Christopher Elliott 54, Steven Baines 71

Greenwich Borough: Mike Adkin, George Jones, Akim Hanson, Scott Hillyard, Cedric Abraham, Mark Okoye, Sam Ryan, Nathan Gee (Ian Humphries 76), Billy Jolley (Kris Hollidge 62), Jamie Linnett.
Sub: Joe Sutti

Goal: Sam Ryan 39 (pen)

Booked: Cedric Abraham 32, George Jones 60

Sent Off: Cedric Abraham 48, Sam Ryan 57, Kris Hollidge 86

Attendance: 73
Referee: Mr David Smart (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr John Quirke (Maidstone) & Mr Danny Geary (Maidstone)