East Thurrock United 2-0 Tonbridge Angels - This hurts more than anything that I've had in my footballing career, says Tonbridge Angels coach Justin Luchford

East Thurrock United 2 – 0 Tonbridge Angels
Location	Rookery Hill, Corringham, Essex SS17 9LB
Kickoff	28/04/2016 19:45

EAST THURROCK UNITED 2-0 TONBRIDGE ANGELS
Ryman Premier League Play-Off Semi-Final
Thursday 28^th April 2016
Stephen McCartney reports form Rookery Hill

TONBRIDGE ANGELS coach Justin Luchford says losing to East Thurrock United in the Ryman Premier League Play-Off Semi-Final was the hardest night of his footballing career.

Around 350 Tonbridge Angels supporters’ battled their way through traffic chaos to Corringham only to see their side suffer a 2-0 defeat at East Thurrock United, who now host Dulwich Hamlet in the Play-Off Final on Bank Holiday Monday.

John Coventry’s side started on the front foot and they took an early lead through central defender Rickie Hayles.

The Angels kept 45-goal striker Sam Higgins relatively quiet but it was to be right-winger Ben Marlow that sealed Tonbridge Angels’ fate with a killer goal on the stroke of half-time.

Hampton & Richmond Borough claimed the league title on 95 points from 46 games and are promoted to the Vanarama National League South.

Bognor Regis Town finished runners-up on 94 points, East Thurrock United in third on 91, Tonbridge Angels finished in fourth on 85, while Dulwich Hamlet finished in fifth on 81.

Dulwich Hamlet won the other semi-final courtesy of a last-gasp free-kick from Ashley Carew, scoring his 19^th goal of the season.

Luchford summed up the mood inside the green portacabin, the away dressing-room after the club’s third defeat to East Thurrock United this season.

“Gutted! Every single person in the dressing room are gutted, distraught,” he said.

“We’ve worked hard this season, like we’ve said all the way through, it’s about improving on last year.  We kept on going on about fifth-from-bottom last year and how we’ve come on and you are given that little bit of a carrot, you think the dream might become reality, right.

“We came up here tonight in good spirits. We were confident right. The weather (wind) played its part, made it a game of two halves in a way.

“If I’m honest the first ten minutes set the tone. They got on the front foot, they scored a goal and that gave them the impetus a little bit.

“In hindsight. I think their keeper’s made one save from us tonight, that’s about it. Being in hindsight second goal was right on the stroke of half-time. That’s the sucker punch. We’re thinking on the side line we’re thinking 1-0, we’ll take that with the wind, get them in at half-time and we’re confident about getting a goal but gutted, gutted!”

A crowd of 849 crammed into Rookery Hill and referee Neil Davies kicked off this game seven minutes late to get everyone through the turnstiles.

East Thurrock United start the game on the front foot and visiting keeper Anthony Di Bernardo dived to his right and used his right hand to push Marlow’s left-footed drive from 25-yards around the post.

Luchford said: “They started bright first ten minutes. They were bright, wind behind them. We made a conscience decision to go against the wind first half. Is it the right decision or the wrong decision? In hindsight if you can hold it to 0-0, go in at half-time you’re in the driving seat so it could’ve gone either way.”

But 65 seconds later, East Thurrock United opened the scoring through Hayles, timed at seven minutes and seven seconds on the clock.

Right-back Ryan Sammons launched a long through into the penalty area, Tonbridge failed to clear and Hayles was given time to turn and stroke his shot across the keeper into the bottom far corner from eight-yards.

Luchford said: “I’d like to see the video again. I think a couple of our players might’ve gone for the same ball from the throw and it’s just bounced up and they’ve reacted first, exactly the same for the second goal.”

When asked his thoughts after going a goal down so early in a big game, Frant-based Luchford replied: “Not to concede again! Go 20 minutes, don’t concede again. Stake a foot hold in the game. For the next five or six minutes they were putting the pressure on but then we killed the game. We started to come back into the game. We started keeping the ball better, we were moving the ball better. As little football that was played, we played the better football.”

Tonbridge Angels started to get themselves back into the game after a shaky first 15 minutes.

But the Kent side’s first chance should have been taken with the next chance in the 32^nd minute.

Central midfielder Luke Allen’s chip forward released striker Nathan Elder, who shrugged off central defender Joe Ellul and stroked his right-footed shot across the keeper Lukas Lidakevicius and just past the foot of the far post from 12-yards.

“We had two or three chances first half. We went in behind them three times and caused them havoc and we didn’t do it enough,” admitted Luchford.

Allen blazed his shot over the Rooks’ crossbar, before Blewden cut the ball back to right-back James Folkes to put the ball into the box, which Bradley Woods-Garness’s shot was blocked by Lidakevicius at the near post.

Hayles clipped a free-kick into the Tonbridge box from the half-way line but Ellul’s header looped into Di Bernardo’s hands for a comfortable catch.

Tom Parkinson, who was deployed at the heart of the defence, only to return to the middle of the park when Laurence Ball replaced quiet striker Woods-Garness with fourteen minutes remaining, slipped the ball to Allen, who dribbled the ball some 60-yards, before cutting inside and stroking his left-footed shot into the hands of Lidakevicius.

Parkinson and Jerrome Sobers had Higgins at arms’ length until the stroke of  half-time.

Strike partner Kye Ruel, who was later helped off the pitch through injury, swept the ball into Higgins’ path, who received the ball just after Sobers lost his footing on the bobbly pitch and the hit-man drilled a right-footed daisy-cutter just past the foot of the left-hand post from 25-yards.

On Higgins, Luchford said: “We kept him very quiet tonight. I thought we did a job on him. He’s always going to get a chance, he’s a very, very good player.

“He’s the top scorer in the league. He’s a very good player. They’re not lucky to have him, it’s great for them to have him. Everyone wants a striker like that but I thought Parky and Jerrome handled him well. We did the job, we just switched off on two occasions.”

But Tonbridge Angels were facing a mountain to climb when East Thurrock United went into the break with a 2-0 lead, the goal timed at 46:22.

Left-back Sammy Knott launched a long throw into the box, the ball was headed away by Sobers and came out to Marlow, who drove his right-footed drive underneath Di Bernardo’s body into the bottom left-hand corner from 20-yards.

Luchford said: “A comedy of errors right! It’s a throw-on to us right outside our dug-out, the referee’s given it to us, the linesman’s given it to them so then all of a sudden for the first time and the only time in the game the linesman over-rules the referee.

“The referee then gives it to them. They throw it down the line, they cross it in, Jack Parter heads the ball out of play.

“They take a throw in and we don’t react and they score. A comedy of errors.

“We haven’t tracked the runner, I don’t know if it’s Nick Wheeler or Jack Parter on the far side.

“It’s dropped for them. It’s been a bit of a story of the last quarter-of-the-season. Things have been dropping for other teams and they’re punishing us. 

“We said three weeks ago, myself and Barry (Moore) and the gaffer (Steve McKimm), we said when we get to the play-offs, we’re confident of getting to the play-offs, when we get into the play-offs we can’t keep giving teams leads because someone’s going to shut up shop and they did tonight, very well I may add.”

When asked what was said during the interval, Luchford revealed: “We just said to them ‘you’ve got 50 minutes to get yourselves through to a Play-Off Final!’

“You can’t at this stage of the season, you can’t give a brilliant tactical move to go out. We’ve got to do everything we’ve been doing all season, try to get the balls wide, put the ball in the box, back them up, win the second ball. We didn’t win a lot of second balls first half and come out and give it a go!

“You’re in a Play-Off Semi-Final. They did give it a go, they huffed and puffed without any, East Thurrock look after themselves.”

Tonbridge Angels have been renowned during this campaign to be the comeback kings – but they wasted a double glorious chance inside the opening minute.

Allen released Elder, who once again used his strength to shrug past Ellul and his shot was blocked by Lidakevicious, low to his right.  The ball came to Blewden, who was deployed wide on the right, and his right-footed chip was palmed away by the keeper’s outstretched right hand.

Luchford admitted: “Half chances right? Half chances. We haven’t made gilt-edged chances. We haven’t really made the keeper work and we haven’t had a corner in the whole game.”

East Thurrock United then went close when Ruel hooked a ball down the line to release Higgins down the left and his speculative shot sailed over Di Bernardo and only just cleared the crossbar from a long way out.

But the longer the game went on, the less likely Tonbridge Angels were going to stage another comeback.

Sammons stopped the supply chain of crosses coming into the box by Tonbridge Angels left-winger Nick Wheeler and Rooks defenders put their bodies on the line.

Luchford said: “We knew at some point we can’t keep doing that comeback kinds. We can’t keep doing it because someone is going to turn around and….

“Their team-talk at half-time, I could’ve gone in there and tell them exactly the same as John probably said to them.  You’re 2-0 up, they want to come back, they’re good at it, shut up shop! Put your body on the line, don’t let them score a goal!

“Then if we get a goal is it a different game? Possibly because we get our tails up and the fans get behind us but we never really looked like scoring.”

Despite their fans giving their side great vocal support, Tonbridge could only muster a couple of chances.

Allen drilled his shot just past the left-hand post from 30-yards and a slip from the keeper gave Elder an opportunity, but he lacked composure and hooked his shot harmlessly wide from the corner of the penalty area.

Luchford added: “Again, nothing gilt-edged. We didn’t really make the keeper work. What they did well they shut off the supply. We didn’t put the crosses into the box.

“They’re just effective in what they do.  They’re so effective and it’s not just how effective they are, they’re intelligent, intelligent footballers because they put balls into areas that we’re asking our players to do but we didn’t do it and they did!”

East Thurrock created a couple of chances inside the final ten minutes, as Tonbridge Angels’ promotion bid died in a heart breaking fashion.

Higgins pinged a sublime diagonal pass, which was controlled by substitute Brendon Scott on the right hand side of the pitch and after a few step-overs as Jack Parter stood off, the striker cracked his rasping drive that stung Di Bernardo’s fingers, the keeper plucking the ball out of the air above his head.

Wheeler managed to whip in a low cross from the left but Blewden’s first time flicked shot at the near post flashed just wide.

East Thurrock United were to be denied a third inside injury time.

Left-winger Tom Wraight played the ball to Higgins, who laid the ball out to an unmarked Scott, who was denied by a fine parry by Di Bernardo and the ball was hacked towards safety.

Luchford said: “A good save by Tony. Tony had done not a lot wrong tonight and he’s made one save, that’s it. That was the story of not many chances. I think it was a cagey game. It was always going to be mistakes and at the moment unfortunately for the last quarter-of-the-season we’ve made mistakes.

“If there’s one disappointment that will be for the last quarter-of-the-season we’ve made too many mistakes. Its mistakes have cost us not teams beating us and that’s disappointing and that’s why we’re gutted in there.”

Luchford gave this message to the travelling fans, whose support both vocally and in numbers was excellent and deserving of promotion.

“It’s hard clapping them at the end. You’re gutted for them. The support has been absolutely top drawer all season. All we can ask now is they go and have a nice holiday and they come back reinvigorated for the new season because the gaffer will dust himself down so will Barry, so will I and we’ll have a look at ourselves, what went right, what went wrong.

“We’ll sit down and we’ll say who we want for next year and what we’re going to do and what we’re trying to get in but come August we’ll be ready to go and watch out for us right because we’ve got the tail behind us now.

“We’ll hurt today, we’ll hurt Saturday when we’re in to sort the training kit out and the last day as a team together on Saturday. We’ll shake hands, we’ll go into the summer and we’ll be back next year and hopefully back with a bang.

“This hurts. This is the hardest night of my footballing career. I’ve been very fortunate in some of the stuff that I’ve been involved in and unfortunate as well but this hurts more than anything that I’ve had in my footballing career.

“I’ll be at Tonbridge for as long as the gaffer wants me. It’s a cracking club, he’s a cracking gaffer with Barry as well and the other coaching staff.

“It’s a fantastic place to be. I know the chairman (Steve Churcher) will be hurting tonight but I also know the chairman will be proud for what we’ve achieve this year and we should be proud.

“Let’s not get away from that, we should be proud of what we’ve done this year to go from fifth-from-bottom to in the play-offs, we should be really proud of ourselves and so should the lads in there and we can’t forget that.

“As much as it hurts we cannot forget how proud we should be and we’ll take that into the summer with our chins up and we’ll go again next year with pride and with desire, hopefully go that one step further.”

East Thurrock United: Lukas Lidakevicius, Ryan Sammons, Sammy Knott, Joe Ellul, Rickie Hayles, Ben Wood, Ben Marlow, George Craddock, Sam Higgins, Kye Ruel (Kris Newby 58, Brandon Scott 79)), Tom Wraight.
Subs: Daryl Robson, Simon Peddie, Harry Honesty

Goals: Rickie Hayles 8, Ben Marlow 45

Booked: Sammy Knott 20, Kris Newby 68, Ben Marlow 73

Tonbridge Angels: Anthony Di Bernardo, James Folkes, Jack Parter, Tom Parkinson, Jerrome Sobers, Bradley Woods-Garness (Laurence Ball 76), Anthony Riviere, Luke Allen, Nathan Elder, Luke Blewden, Nick Wheeler.
Subs: Jack Brivio, Stevie Panayi, Royce Greenidge, Laurence Ball, Aaron McGuigan

Booked: Tom Parkinson 37, Jerrome Sobers 73

Attendance: 849
Referee: Mr Neil Davies (West Hampstead, London NW2)
Assistants: Mr Ivan Gelov (Canterbury) & Mr Jack Owen (Sevenoaks)
Fourth Official: Mr Simon Finnigan (Maidstone)