Kentish Football 
Cray Valley (Paper Mills) 1-3 Sittingbourne - I was worried about today. Listen, if you'd had given me a point I would've snatched your hand off for it so to get all three, I'm absolutely delighted with that, says Sittingbourne boss Nick Davis
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Cray Valley (Paper Mills) 
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3 
Sittingbourne |
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| Location | Badgers Sports Ground, Middle Park Avenue, Eltham, London SE9 5HT |
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| Kickoff | 11/10/2022 19:45 |
CRAY VALLEY (PAPER MILLS) 1-3 SITTINGBOURNE
Isthmian League South East Division
Tuesday 11 October 2022
Stephen McCartney reports from Middle Park Avenue
SITTINGBOURNE manager Nick Davis heaped praise on his depleted squad as they climbed into second-place in the Isthmian League South East Division table with a professional performance at Cray Valley (Paper Mills).
The Brickies extended their unbeaten run to five games in all competitions and have picked up 14 points from their eight league games, three points behind Ramsgate.
This was a game of very little chances but Sittingbourne were clinical in front of goal, against a Cray Valley side that lacked quality in the final third against a well-drilled Sittingbourne defence.
Frank Puemo gave Sittingbourne a deserved lead seven minutes before the interval, which saw Millers’ manager Kevin Watson ditched his three-at-the-back defensive line.
Donvieve Jones notched his sixth goal of the season to double Sittingbourne’s advantage before winger Henry Dasofunjo gave the visitors’ a three-goal lead.
Cray Valley’s holding midfielder Hassan Ibrahiym notched his fifth goal of the season with a 40-yard strike but the 86th minute consolation proved too little, too late.
“Delighted, absolutely delighted (to beat) a very, very good side,” said Davis.
“We’re absolutely depleted today. We had eight players’ missing and the last two days have been stressful trying to get players in. I haven’t seen three lads play before and to be fair to Harry Sikirwayi, he’s come in there, an 18-year-old centre midfielder and he’s been excellent. I got him in from Dover.
“I’m just absolutely delighted with the win. I thought we were very professional and our shape was spot on and we restricted them.”
Davis was without suspended trio Alex Addai, Lewis Chambers and recent recruit from South Park (Reigate), striker Mario Quiassaca, Bagusan Graham and Harrison Pont were both on holiday and Kieron McCann was injured and Jason Banton has moved on.
The game was played at a frenetic pace and both sides enjoyed passing it on the deck but chances were at a premium at Middle Park Avenue tonight.
Cray Valley’s main pattern of play was playing it around the back and Connor Dymond launching long diagonals but often these were straight down the throat of Sittingbourne’s two resilient centre-halves Puemo and Ben Gorham.
Cray Valley’s left-centre-half Antone Douglas – who was sacrificed at the interval – found himself in acres of space some 35-yards from goal but his speculative left-footed drilled shot took a deflection and went behind for the first of seven corners.
Sittingbourne’s first opening arrived in the 12th minute, which was comfortably caught at his near post by ever-present goalkeeper Chris Lewington.
Left-back Andrew Dythe swung in a deep left-footed corner from the right towards the back post where an unmarked Abdul-Huq Osman steered his header straight at the keeper.
“There weren’t many chances at all, was there, we could’ve done better, maybe, with that,” said Davis.
“We knew they would have a lot of the ball. We were going to catch them on the counter-attack. That was the plan with our pace that we’ve got outside and Donvieve is on good form and he scored again, didn’t he.”
Lewington made a comfortable save as Sittingbourne shot from distance in the 21st minute.
Right-back Theodore McKenzie threw the ball to Daniel Taylor, who fed striker Reece Deakin who strode forward some 10-yards before hitting a left-footed drive from 30-yards, which bounced once and was comfortably gathered by Lewington in the centre of his goal.
Sittingbourne took the lead with 37 minutes and 5 seconds on the clock, however, as Cray Valley switched off at a set-piece.
Taylor drilled a right-footed free-kick from 35-yards, which swerved and dipped over Lewington’s head and cannoned back down off the crossbar and Puemo was the first to react to sweep the ball into the centre of the goal to cap off an impressive night’s work with his second goal of the season.
“I thought it was too far out. I don’t know if it was a shot or he crossed it but he’s got that technique in him. It’s hit the bar and a couple of our players were quickest to it weren’t they and then he put it in. I’m just delighted, fantastic goal,” said Davis.
Cray Valley created one worthwhile first-half chance, coming from their fourth corner of the night, on the stroke of half-time.
Seven-goal attacking midfielder Daniel Bennett floated in a corner from the right with his right-foot and Dymond found a pocket of space on the edge of the six-yard box but steered his header past the right-hand post.
“He had a free header, didn’t he? Deakin, I think, was marking him and he said he got blocked so he should’ve done better with that. I thought we defended brilliantly all night really,” said Davis.
“I thought our shape was bang on. We let them have the ball in areas that weren’t hurting us and we knew we couldn’t press them too high with the personnel that we had available to us.
“I think it was Deakin’s first game for us and I thought he was outstanding up top and I’m literally scrambling around to get 11 players.
“I had to get Theodore McKenzie from Punjab, who played right-back. We had to get Elliott Sartorious back in from Punjab, who is on dual-registration with us as well and bring in Harry Sikirwayi in the middle, whose never kicked a ball for us and I’ve never seen him play.”
Watson was forced into making a tactical change at the break with Tom Chambers replacing Douglas and slotting in at left-back, with Dymond and Kiki Oshilaja at the heart, with Barney Williams switching from left-wing-back to right-back.
Chambers offered width during the second half as Cray Valley were a threat down the left but Sittingbourne’s defence were resilient and outstanding and they often kept 11 men behind the ball and Cray Valley lacked the quality needed to break them down.
Sittingbourne were kicking down the slope for the second half and they created an opening after 70 seconds.
McKenzie whipped in a cross and Jones found space in the middle to loop a header which was comfortably caught by Lewington.
Adam Coombes came off the bench and with his first touch almost grabbed the home side an equaliser in the 64th minute.
The 31-year-old striker drilled a right-footed free-kick screaming past the left-hand post from 35-yards.
Davis added: “He’s got that technique hasn’t he to shoot from distance. It looked close to me. I think Cafer had it covered, not the next one though!”
However, Sittingbourne doubled their lead with 20 minutes and 8 seconds on the clock, courtesy of Jones’ header.
Taylor hit a deep free-kick from midfield, Gorham’s towering header knocked the ball across the penalty area and Sittingbourne recycled the ball back into the box.
Osman delivered the second-phase cross towards the corner of the six-yard box for Jones to stoop his header across the keeper to find the bottom far corner.
The right-winger is topping the goalscoring charts at Woodstock Park this season, but that doesn’t concern Davis.
“He just wants to score goals. He’s got that hunger to want to get on the end of things.
“He said in pre-season ‘can I just get in the box for corners?’ I said, ‘No Don, you’ve got to stay back,’ he’s such a good defender but he keeps scoring. We threw him up there because he’s looking likely to get on the end of something and he did again.
“It doesn’t really matter (who scores our goals), if people score it doesn’t really matter. We have got players who will score goals for us once we get everyone back.”
Watson’s depressing night worsened when Sittingbourne produced a clinical finish on the counter-attack to seal the deal with 23 minutes and 33 seconds on the clock.
Elliott Sartorius impressed when he came on for the final 22 minutes, playing in the number 10 role behind Deakin and when he was replaced in the 80th minute, behind fellow substitute Joseph Chidyausiku.
Sartorius played the ball into Dasofunjo in the final third and the winger easily skipped past three Cray Valley players before clinically placing his left-footed shot in off the base of the left-hand post from 18-yards, the ball rolling along the goal line and nestling inside the opposite corner.
“Elliott was a pro at Lincoln and he’s still young. He done well. He’s got a great touch, very technical so when it comes to him, it stuck to him and he’s a clever footballer,” said Davis.
“I was a bit shell-shocked. I couldn’t believe we were 3-0 up in all fairness but it was a very good gaol. He deserves his goal. He works so hard for us and I’m pleased for him.”
The Brickies’ almost scored a fourth goal as the game approached the 80th minute when Sartorious laid the ball off to Chidyausiku, who controlled the ball with his chest and then turned before drilling a low right-footed drive towards goal from 20-yards, which was comfortably saved by the busier of the two goalkeepers.
The home side showed some desire in attack when Sittingbourne were content to sit back and put bodies behind the ball.
Right-winger Denzel Gayle played the ball in to isolated striker Ade Adeyemo, whose shot on the turn from 18-yards failed to trouble visiting goalkeeper Matthew Cafer.
Cray Valley scored a consolation, with 40 minutes and 46 seconds on the clock, when Ibrahiym stepped aside Sartorious just over the centre-circle and drilled a stunning right-footed shot towards goal from a central position 40-yards out, which crashed in off the underside of the crossbar, leaving Cafer rooted to the spot, to deny Sittingbourne their fourth clean-sheet in a row.
Davis said: “We clapped it as well, in off the underside of the bar. It’s an unbelievable goal, wasn’t it? If they’re going to score goals like that, you’ve got to put our hand up sometimes and say, fair play, it’s a great finish!”
Steve Lovell’s Ramsgate lead the way, while the four play-off places are currently occupied by Sittingbourne, VCD Athletic (14 points from eight games), Ashford United (13 points from six games) and Whitehawk (13 points from seven).
Cray Valley are now in eleventh-place in the pecking order on nine points from seven league games.
“Our shape is unreal. We were backs against the walls today and I’m going to be honest, I was really worried about today,” admitted Davis.
“Listen, if you’d had given me a point I would’ve snatched your hand off for it so to get all three I’m absolutely delighted with that!
“We’ve been like that a couple of times this season, it shows great character. We’ve dug in, we’ve really dug in, so it shows the great characters that we’ve got amongst the group and baring in mind the players we’ve got missing, we should have four back on Saturday, the suspended lads and the two on holiday.
“I don’t think we were nowhere near full throttle. Today we just had to set-up with our strongest 11 that were fit and available, against a very good side.”
Three Bridges are in the bottom six having picked up two league wins from their opening six games and they welcome Sittingbourne on Saturday (15:00).
“There’s no easy game. They’ve done really well in The FA Cup. It’s going to be a tough game regardless. Every game is tough away from home but we’ve just got six points away from home. That was our fourth away game on the bounce.
“The league is tough, personally I don’t think there’s going to be a runaway winner so 15 teams will think they can get into that top five.”
Milers boss Watson, meanwhile, seemed reluctant to reflect on his side’s first home league defeat of the season.
This was Cray Valley’s first league home game since drawing 2-2 against Whitehawk back on Saturday 27 August.
“I thought we deserved to lose. I thought they carried out their game plan really well and we as a collective unit and individuals were nowhere near where we needed to be,” admitted Watson.
When asked what was missing from his side, Watson replied: “I don’t think I can answer that question at this moment in time. I think it’s a little bit fresh. I need to digest it and reflect, watch the game back before I can give you that appraisal. I don’t think it was that obvious.”
Reflecting on the four goals, Watson replied:
“It was a good strike by the lad and we didn’t respond to it,” the Millers boss said of Puemo’s tap-in.
“Barney (Williams) slipped. He was marking him (Jones). The lad jumped to head it. Every goal we concede is disappointing.
“You said he (Dasofunjo) skipped past three of our defenders, so that shouldn’t happen should it? A good goal from their perspective, poor from ours.”
And on his side’s consolation strike, Watson replied: “Yes, it’s a shame a goal like that doesn’t get you something out from the game.”
Reflecting on his side’s performance, Watson said: “If I’m honest with you, I didn’t see it coming, so question mark management why I didn’t see it coming? Which again, I’ve not come to a conclusion. The game’s just finished, just had a bit of a debrief, need to digest it. The poorest performance of the season and we got beat. I thought they were a really good and a really organised Sittingbourne and credit to them, they deserved to win the game.
“They deserved to win the game and did. We got what we deserved out of the game as a collective unit.
“I don’t feel angry about it because I don’t think we deserved to win the game, so there’s no point being bitter is there?
“It’s a reality, we just need to reflect and try to improve and trying to get points on the board in the league.”
Watson wants a reaction from his side when they come against Tommy Warrilow’s Ashford United at Homelands Stadium on Saturday.
“Ashford, so games don’t get easier,” said Watson.
“It will be a tough game. We need to approach the games in the same manner and we need to start winning games in the league.
“We’ve had some good results in the cups but when you’re sitting on the position we are in the league, with the number of points, we’re nowhere near where we need to be but we mustn’t dismiss the season as a whole, so far has been lots and lots of positives.
“Look, the league table probably hasn’t taken shape. I hope it hasn’t taken shape looking at our league position but we’ve got to win some games. Performances as a whole this season have been very good, tonight wasn’t. Let’s hope it was a bit of an one-off!"
Cray Valley (Paper Mills): Chris Lewington, Denzel Gayle, Barney Williams, Connor Dymond, Kiki Oshilaja, Antone Douglas (Tom Chambers 46), Hassan Ibrahiym, Sonny Black (Adam Coombes 63), Ade Adeyemo, Daniel Bennett, Kershaney Samuels.
Subs: Cem Tumkaya, Ayomide Majekodunmi
Goal: Hassan Ibrahiym 86
Booked: Kiki Oshilaja 45, Daniel Bennett, Connor Dymond 84, Adam Coombes 90
Sittingbourne: Matthew Cafer, Theodore McKenzie, Andrew Dythe, Harry Sikirwayi, Frank Puemo, Ben Gorham, Henry Dasofunjo, Abdul-Huq Osman, Reece Deakin (Joseph Chidyausiku 80), Daniel Taylor (Elliott Sartorius 68), Donvieve Jones.
Subs: Finlay Whitton, William Horley
Goals: Frank Puemo 38, Donvieve Jones 66, Henry Dasofunjo 69
Booked: Frank Puemo 30, Daniel Taylor 31, Abdul-Huq Osman 52
Attendance: 120
Referee: Mr Craig Charles
Assistants: Mr William Donnelly & Mr Jordan Rant
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd