Dorking Wanderers 1-2 Faversham Town - You have to trust your players at this stage of the season. I knew they were going to come through for me, says proud Faversham Town boss Ray Turner

Dorking Wanderers 1 – 2 Faversham Town
Location	Westhumble Community Ground, London Road, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6AD
Kickoff	26/04/2016 19:45

DORKING WANDERERS  1-2  FAVERSHAM TOWN
Ryman League Division One South Play-Off Semi-Final
Tuesday 26^th April 2016
Stephen McCartney reports from London Road

FAVERSHAM TOWN manager Ray Turner says his side have reached the Ryman League Division One South Play-Off Final by doing it the hard way.

 

The Lilywhites gate-crashed the play-off party by snatching fifth-place after Corinthian-Casuals were deducted three points on Friday afternoon, which gave fifth-placed Hastings United a chance to claim a play-off place going into the last round of games.

But Hastings United suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Herne Bay, while Faversham Town took full advantage and grabbed the final play-off place by beating Hythe Town 4-0 at Salters Lane on Saturday.

Folkestone Invicta claimed the league title over Easter and finished their 46-game campaign on 114 points.

Seventeen-year-old outfit Dorking Wanderers finished their debut Ryman League campaign as runners-up on 90 points.

Worthing finished third on 88 points, Hythe Town fourth on 87 points, with Faversham Town qualifying with 83 points.

When Luke Hackett hooked home his fourth-goal of the season to give Dorking Wanderers an early lead, it appeared that Marc White’s side were heading to the Ryman Premier League with Neil Cugley’s Folkestone Invicta.

However, the Lilywhites started to dominate towards the end of the first half and deservedly equalised through John Scarborough, 36, who waited until tonight to head home only his second goal of the season after 57 minutes.

Dorking Wanderers kissed the top of the crossbar through 37-goal hitman Tom Tolfrey, before Faversham Town dominated for the rest of the game.

Despite finishing 17 points behind Dorking Wanderers in the table, Faversham Town deserved to win the game on the night, winger Charley Robertson, 20, drilling in a dramatic winner, timed at 43 minutes and 11 seconds.

“I’m just delighted with the standard of the performance,” hailed Turner after his side pulled off a shock result in Surrey.

“It’s a difficult place to come, they’ve got a squad of high quality players at this level and above.

“We’ve matched them, we’ve had to go a goal behind. Everything we’ve done this season we’ve had to do the hard way.

“Second half we were outstanding and just really proud, a proud manager of Faversham Town and we go into the Final on Saturday.”

Turner admitted his side were out of the promotion race after losing 2-1 at relegation-threatened East Grinstead Town in their penultimate league game of the season.

“We was out of it.  I’m a manager who stays very level in terms of my emotions but I was at a very low point after the East Grinstead game. It wasn’t because we didn’t play particularly badly, we just didn’t get the result then it’s suddenly out of your hands.

“By a twist of fate 24 hours before the Hythe game there was just a little glimmer of hope and we were outstanding on Saturday against Hythe and we took our chance and Herne Bay did a job on Hastings and here we are. 

“This has been an incredible season, extraordinary and we find ourselves in the Final.”

Faversham Town enjoyed the early possession but Dorking Wanderers created the first chance inside the opening seven minutes when Kevin Terry floated in a cross from the left and Tolfrey glanced his free header across goal and past the far post from 16-yards.

Dorking Wanderers goalkeeper Gary Ross was called into action following Faversham’s first corner of the night.

George Monger’s delivery had Ross flapping and his defence failed to clear their lines and Monger played the ball into Liam King, whose right-footed drive was blocked by the keeper’s right leg.

Dorking Wanderers went up the other end to open the scoring with the clock showing 08:51.

Jake Beecroft’s free-kick from the left came out to left-back Chris Boulter and Wanderers’ captain floated in a cross from the right into the box where Hackett nipped in front of his marker to hook his volley across Will Godmon into the far corner.

“You always try to teach your defenders to defend the near post area but the forward’s done really well and to be fair I thought it was a really good finish,” said Turner.

“You always like to stop crosses coming into your box because they’re always dangerous but the guy’s taken it really well.

“You’ve got to stay calm in these games. You’ve got to be prepared for a long night.  Tactically you’ve got to be good and you’ve still got to be able to have the freedom of expressing yourself and not freeze on the night.

“There’s a lot of young players in that dressing room and the side’s gone through a massive transition this year and that’s the culmination of their work tonight and the maturity was outstanding.”

Dorking Wanderers central defender Jerome Beckles was keen to play the ball out of defence and he reached the Faversham half before pinning a delightful diagonal pass out to Jake Hill on the right wing.  He whipped in a cross for central midfielder Anthony Oakes to send his diving header sailing over the crossbar.

But Faversham Town weathered the storm against a side that lost six of their 10 league games at home and created an opening after 21 minutes.

Monger played the ball out to right-back Ryan Cooper, who played the ball inside to Josh Stanford, who took the ball on and clipped his left-footed shot from 22-yards straight at Ross who made a comfortable save.

Beckles once again played the ball forward and danced past three yellow shirted players before stinging Godmon’s hands with a right-footed drive from 35-yards.

Turner added: “They had a bit of possession at times, which is the way they set-up.  The systems we play are different and every now and then they have a bit of ball and you have to accept that. It’s just a case of staying organised but as the half went on we got stronger and stronger.”

But Faversham Town started to take control of the game after the half-hour mark.

Stanford, who scored at Wembley Stadium for Kent League side Tunbridge Wells in the 2013 FA Vase Final, whipped in a teasing cross from the left, which flashed past Luke Harvey, King and Scarborough.

Tolfrey issued Faversham a warning, though, when he cut inside from the left but scuffed a poor shot into Godmon’s hands for a comfortable save from 25-yards.

Faversham Town should have gone into the break on level terms when Robertson let the home side off the hook.

Central midfielder Daniel Carrington started the move by feeding King down the right and he played in Robertson, who dinked his right-footed shot towards the near post, the ball being caught by Ross as he went to ground as he advanced.

“I think that was really good link up play with Liam King as well, he flicked it around the corner,” said Turner.

“We were just starting to work our way into the game. You could tell that the last 15 minutes of the first half we were very good. We were working our way back into it.

“It would’ve been nice to go in level but it wasn’t to be and we’ve turned it around second half.”

Robertson turned provider with a great cross form the right and Carrington slid in unmarked in the box to poke his shot past the post.

Turner said he was a happy man at the break.

He said: “We finished ever so well, you wanted to continue that form and at the start of the second half and we did that. We was on the front foot very quickly.”

Dorking Wanderers created the first chance of the second half after 217 seconds.

Terry swung in their first of three corners and Hackett rose to direct his header towards his team-mate rather than the goal and the ball bounced behind for a goal-kick.

Faversham Town deservedly equalised through Scarborough’s timely header, timed at 11:21.

Monger whipped in a quality free-kick with his left-foot and Scarborough rose to glance his header across the keeper into the far corner from 12-yards.

The goal came out of (assistant manager) Clive Walker’s coaching manual.

Turner simply smiled and said: “What can you say? Delivery and the execution. Simple as that. Simple goals are good goals aren’t they?”

This was the moment that Faversham Town sensed blood and King shot into the ground from the right-hand side of the penalty area and this allowed Ross to make a comfortable save.

Faversham skipper Cooper launched a trademark through into the penalty area, which was cleared out to Robertson on the edge of the box and his ball back in was flicked across goal and past the far post by Luke Harvey.

Dorking Wanderers were cursing their luck in the 69^th minute.

Beckles once again broke with the ball without any challenges being put in and his cross was sliced across his penalty area by Scarborough. The ball fell at Tolfrey’s feet, who saw his right-footed drive skim the top of the crossbar and behind for a goal-kick.

“Yes, we maybe got a bit fortunate there,” admitted Turner.

“He’s very prolific at this level. We had a few little scares. We had to defend well but you have to in these games.”

This was a good five minute spell by the home side and they wasted an even better chance exactly two minutes later.

Terry made progress down the left before he swept the ball out wide to Hill down the right.  He floated in a cross where an unmarked Tolfrey could only head straight at Godmon from 10-yards.

Harvey’s last contribution to the game was to lay the ball inside to Stanford, who stung Ross’s fingers with a left-footed angled drive.

Turner said: “We just kept going. The legs that we’ve got in the side and the energy we’ve got in the side - and we just kept on getting stronger and the longer the game went on I was convinced we was going to win the game.”

Turner replaced King and then Harvey within a minute for pacy pair Dean Grant and Kieron Campbell.

Turner said: “They’re ideal substitutions. They’re both good players. The front two worked themselves into the ground so it was an ideal time to do it and it flipped it back in our favour in terms of the energy levels at the top end of the pitch.”

Faversham Town were still the better side going into the last ten minutes of the game as the hosts just seemed to run out of ideas.

Robertson rolled the ball out to Stanford, who took a touch but his angled shot lacked power and rolled into the hands of the Dorking Wanderers keeper.

Faversham Town went agonisingly close inside the final six minutes when Monger’s great pass released Grant, whose drive flashed across the diving Ross and bounced agonisingly past the foot of the far post.

Dorking Wanderers fashioned their last chance of the night when Terry’s right-footed angled drive from 25-yards bounced harmlessly into Godmon’s hands.

Faversham Town sealed a deserved victory on the night through Robertson’s 12^th goal of the season.

Monger whipped in a cross from the right, the ball was flicked on by Scarborough and dropped at Robertson’s feet and the Maidstone United Academy product cracked his right-footed drive past Ross into the far corner to break Dorking Wanderers’ hearts.

“He was disappointed, I told him not to be after missing one in the first half but Charley got better and better,” said Turner.

“He’s one of the players I’m most proud about in terms of I’ve got a good relationship with Jay (Saunders, Maidstone United manager).

“Charley’s taking a bit of time developing and he’s getting better, better and better and he looks a strong player and he’s going to have a fantastic career.”

Faversham Town travel to Worthing to contest the winner-takes-all Ryman League Division One South Play-Off Final on Saturday.

Worthing humiliated Hythe Town 7-0 on the artificial pitch at Woodside Road tonight in front of 948 fans.

The Rebels were 2-0 up inside the opening 19 minutes through goals from Omar Bugiel and Jordan Maguire-Drew.

Worthing added second-half goals from Zack Newton, player-manager Gary Elphick and Ben Pope scored from a penalty after Nick Reeves was sent-off for Hythe Town.

Maguire-Drew and Bugiel added their second goals of the night to shatter Hythe Town’s promotion aspirations.

Faversham Town will be the underdogs going into the Final, but so were Hayden Bird’s Merstham when they came away from runners-up Folkestone Invicta with a 3-0 win at Cheriton Road in last years’ play-off final.

Turner, who was congratulated by Bird who was at the game tonight, said: “We’re going to do it! We’re on an incredible journey this season and we’re going to do it the hard way but I’ve got full faith in these boys to just keep doing what we’re doing, nothing more, nothing less. Turn up on Saturday, express ourselves and believe in ourselves.”

Turner who has only just celebrated his fifth year in charge of Faversham Town, is relishing the underdog tag.

“Three times out of the last four seasons (we’ve reached the play-offs), a fantastic achievement for a club of our side.

“We’re taking on big budgets in Dorking and we’re taking on huge towns in Worthing. You know, it’s tremendous for a town the size of Faversham.

“You have to trust your players at this stage of the season. I knew they were going to come through for me.”

Dorking Wanderers: Gary Ross, Luke Hackett (Dean Gunner 79), Chris Boulter, Ben Dyett, Jerome Beckles, Anthony Oakes, Jake Beecroft (Dan Evans 90), Jake Hill (Bertie Brayley 90), Matthew Briggs, Tom Tolfrey, Kevin Terry.
Subs: Tom Familton, Slavomir Huk

Goal: Luke Hackett 9

Faversham Town: Will Godmon, Ryan Cooper, Renford Tenyue, Daniel Carrington, John Scarborough, Matthew Bourne, Charley Robertson (Bola Dawodu 90), George Monger, Liam King (Dean Grant 78), Luke Harvey (Kieron Campbell 80), Josh Stanford.
Subs: Ashley Brown, Jamie Maxted

Goals: John Scarborough 57, Charley Robertson 89

Booked: George Monger 9, Luke Harvey 45

Attendance: 316
Referee: Mr Paul Forrester (Luton, Bedfordshire)
Assistants: Mr Robert Trinder (Dunstable, Bedfordshire) & Mr Lee Martin- Cramp (Lewes, East Sussex)
Fourth Official: Mr Graham Kane (Brighton, East Sussex)