Erith & Belvedere 0-2 North Shields - We didn't really have a go, says disappointed Matt Longhurst

ERITH & BELVEDERE  0-2  NORTH SHIELDS
The FA Vase Quarter-Final
Saturday 28^th February 2015
Stephen McCartney reports from Park View Road

ERITH & BELVEDERE boss Matt Longhurst says he’s feeling disappointed that his side didn’t give it a go after their Wembley dream was shattered by North Shields in the FA Vase Quarter-Finals.



EXIT: This was Erith & Belvedere's longest ever run in The FA Vase, but they were knocked out by favourites North Shields

Competition favourites North Shields booked their place in the two-legged semi-finals courtesy of second half goals from midfielders Dean Holmes and Adam Forster.

Graham Fenton’s men will be joined in Monday’s Semi-Final Draw by AFC St Austell, who beat Ascot United 3-2.

Highworth Town – who ended Tunbridge Wells’ interest by winning a Fourth Round Replay at Culverden Stadium on penalties – must try again at Tadcaster Albion next weekend after a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of football, while Shaw Lane Aquaforce play Glossop North End tomorrow.

“Disappointed really that we didn’t have a little bit more of a go,” admitted Longhurst afterwards.

“It’s always difficult coming out and doing an interview after losing a game but my main disappointment was that we didn’t really have a go and that’s a little bit down to them because they’re a good team.

“I think we’re better than that and I think possibly it’s an opportunity a little bit wasted – but I’m over the moon with the players, I can’t fault them.  We just need to stick together now.  They’ve done brilliant. I’m not going to come out and criticise any of them, at all.

“I’ve just said to them, it’s vitally important now they manage their emotions correctly over the next couple of days’. It’s really easy to lose your head after losing a game.

“Realistically I felt we limited them to not loads of chances really but we didn’t create enough ourselves, which is partly down to them being organised and down to us not being brave enough on the ball, which is a little bit disappointing especially as we’ve scored a lot of goals lately as well. It’s not often we draw a blank, especially at home.

“It’s a little bit flat in the dressing room but I don’t normally talk afterwards in the dressing room after we’ve done the huddle outside but I’ve just been in there.

“We need to stick together now and learn how to deal with disappointment because it hasn’t come along very often. We’ve normally reacted in a positive way after losing a game and I expect the players to do the same.”

The Deres were watched by their largest ever crowd at Park View Road of 503, boosted by a large travelling contingent from the North East.

After a tight opening, Erith & Belvedere – second in the Southern Counties East Football League – created the first chance after fifteen minutes.

Central midfielder Colin Richmond played the orange ball into lone striker Adam Marsh, who hit a right-footed dipping drive from 25-yards, which forced Michael Robinson to dive to his right to tip around the post.

Longhurst said: “I think we had two or three efforts on target in the first half and I think they had none. That’s why I’m disappointed really because I thought we could get at them a little bit more really and we didn’t. We were a little bit tentative.”

North Shields, who arrived in Welling sitting in fourth-place in the Northern League, created their first chance two minutes later when Benjamin Richardson won the ball off Richmond to feed Michael McKeown, who cracked a left-footed drive sailing wide from 30-yards.

Midfield playmaker McKeown was impressing for North Shields and he received the ball from Richardson, but sent his left-footed drive from 25-yards sailing over.

McKeown then found himself down the left flank and he whipped in a deep cross towards the far post but James Luccock ghosted in behind Ben Wilson to sweep his shot over the near post from 12-yards.

North Shields were off-target again in the 32^nd minute when winger Holmes produced a cross from the left, which was headed back across goal by Luccock.  Richmond miss his attempted clearance in the middle and Bainbridge cracked his right-footed volley over the bar.

Erith & Belvedere left-back Wilson swung in a free-kick from the right which was headed out as far as Luke May, who looped the ball into Robinson’s gloves from 20-yards.

McKeown, who was bossing the middle of the park, played a sublime diagonal pass to release Holmes, who brought the ball under his spell to cut into the box before drilling his left-footed drive over from ten-yards.

Erith & Belvedere’s second shot on target, however, arrived in the last minute of the half.

Wilson threw the ball into Richmond’s path, who strode forward before drilling a left-footed shot from 20-yards, which stung Robinson’s fingers before the keeper gathered the ball at the second attempt.

A disappointing first half came to an end, but North Shields were there for the taking if the Kent side believed in themselves more and went for it.

Longhurst said:” The half-time team-talk was to take the shackles off and just have a little bit more of a go at them.

“Unfortunately I didn’t think we did that at all until the second goal went in and then we had a little bit more of a go. We were a little bit more adventurous.”

When asked whether his side froze on the big stage, Longhurst replied: “No I don’t think we necessarily froze. I just feel that sometimes when you’re playing the bigger games it’s about not being frightened of losing the game.  I don’t think we necessarily froze, but I think some of the players were more content of not losing than going out and winning and that’s what I said to them at half-time.

“We need to go to win the game! It’s a cup game, try and win the game! It’s not a league game where you can keep defending and settle for a point at the end of it.  You need to try to win the game and I don’t feel we did that well enough today.”

But Erith & Belvedere were always going to face an uphill struggle when they conceded the first goal, three minutes and 41 seconds into the second half.

Richardson’s flicked pass released Holmes through on goal, who easily danced past central defender Lee Craig before steering his left-footed shot into the bottom near corner from 12-yards to score his fourteenth goal of the season.

“I thought we’ve got to defend that better if I’m honest,” admitted Longhurst.

“I weren’t quite sure of the position of our right-sided centre half so I can’t really comment so it will be good to see it on the video but I thought we should have dealt with it as it came in behind.

“It’s not a particular clever ball. It’s probably got a little nick on it and it’s taken us by surprise a little bit.

“It was a good finish by the lad.”

Longhurst made a double substitution, handing former Hythe Town and Hastings United winger Taser Hassan, 23, his debut.

And Hassan cut in from the left before stroking his left-footed shot from 30-yards, forcing visiting keeper Robinson to make a comfortable low save to his right.

Longhurst said: “I brought Taser Hassan on as well, who’s a decent player and we’ve brought him in until the end of the season so it’s a great signing for us.

“He looks a threat every time he got the ball when he came on but we didn’t give him enough off the ball but that’s something that we can work on.”

But the Kent club’s Wembley dream was over as early as the 58^th minute when
Forster scored his fourth goal of the season.

Richardson sprayed the ball out wide to Forster, who cut in from the right flank into the penalty area before beating George Kamurasi at his near post.

Longhurst admitted: “We had the ball on the halfway line! It’s been set back. We’ve cleared it and we haven’t cleared it. It hasn’t got any height on it and they’ve blocked it and it’s rolled in and it’s been squared across.

“It’s a good finish from the lad. Maybe George can do a little bit better with it but he’s smashed it in the near post.  George was probably expecting it to go across the goal.

“We were in possession of the ball on the halfway line and we were starting to commit players forward and I think that’s got to be better so I don’t think that’s good enough from us.”

Erith & Belvedere showed more desire to claw themselves back into the game and forced Robinson into action 68 seconds after the killer goal when 33-goal attacker Alfie May’s right-footed dipping shot from 20-yards bounced off Robinson’s chest.

Robbins’ Marc Lancaster came up from left-back to play the ball inside to striker Richardson, who flashed his first time drive wide from 25-yards.

Richmond’s pass released Alfie May, who strode twenty-yards forward before cracking a right-footed drive from the edge of the box which forced Robinson to dive full-length to his right to push around the post.

“Once the second goal went in I thought we sort of came alive a little bit,” added Longhurst.

“We had a little bit of a go at them and it was a little bit better but I just felt Alfie done well, he was lively and got a couple of shots off but I thought at times we were probably a little bit intricate around the edge of the box, rather than getting our shots off.  I don’t think we’ve worked their goalkeeper enough!”

Marsh fed the ball to Richmond, who drove his shot over, as Erith & Belvedere failed to get in behind a solid back four, well marshalled by John Parker and skipper Kevin Hughes.

North Shields broke inside the final ten minutes but substitute Denver Morris lashed his left-footed drive high over the bar from 20-yards, before his inch-perfect cross-field pass put Leacock in behind and from a tight angle close to the by-line he cut in and flashed his shot across goal and past the far post.

The hardworking Alfie May set up a chance for Lee Hales, who from 25-yards drilled his shot just past the top of the right-hand post.

North Shields’ 34-goal striker Bainbridge went for a spectacular goal when he met Morris’ cross from the right with a powerfully hit left-footed hooked volley which screamed harmlessly wide of the left-hand post.

North Shields’ first shot on target – other than their two goals – arrived at the death.

Bainbridge’s right-footed free-kick went over the wall from 30-yards and was destined for the top right-hand corner, but Samurais dived high to his left to push the ball around the post for North Shields’ second and last corner of the game.

“I didn’t count all the stats, we have someone that does that for us, but if I was to say they probably had five efforts on goal today, one of them being a free-kick and two goals, possibly two others, although I can’t even remember, I’m being generous,” said Longhurst.

“I thought we just lacked that little cutting edge today and it was disappointing.”

But the vast number of travelling fans celebrated a professional display from their side and are now only 180 minutes of a dream date at Wembley Stadium as the Northern League continue their dominance of the competition.

But Longhurst hailed the club’s longest run in The FA Vase, by saying, “I’m not going to criticise the players at all because I think they’ve done fantastic, they’ve done brilliant.

“We’ve got fifteen games to go now and there’s plenty to play for so we need to go and carry on doing what we’re doing.

“I’m disappointed to go out of the competition without a doubt but if you said to me at the start of the season you’re going to be second with fifteen games to go and an opportunity to challenge for the league title and you’re going to get to a Quarter-Final of The FA Vase, then we would have taken that!

“I don’t think they were better than us but they’ve taken their two chances that we’ve sort of given to them and we haven’t created enough to score a goal against them. They’ve pretty much restricted us to shots from distance so fair play to them.

“It’s been a brilliant experience and we’ll all learn from it. We’ve had a massive learning experience this year. It’s just given everyone a massive incentive to try to get out of the league and for myself to try to manage at a higher level.”

Erith & Belvedere remain in second-place in the Southern Counties East Football League with 56 points from 23 games – 11 points adrift of unbeaten Phoenix Sports, who were held to a goal-less draw at Woodstock Sports today.

The Deres travel to Lingfield on Tuesday night and Longhurst said: “If it rains on Tuesday, we won’t play! This is where I’ve got to earn my little bit as a manager and pick the players up off the ground and they’ve got to rally round each other and they need to react well.

“Phoenix went out of the Vase to these guys (North Shields) and have reacted well in the league. They’ve dropped points today, which is good for us but they’re 11 points in front now. We’ve got two games in hand and we’ve got to play them. They’ve got some tough fixtures. We’ve got fifteen games, win as many games as we can starting at Lingfield on Tuesday night.”

Longhurst was delighted with the attendance today, which although high for the club, was the lowest of the three Quarter-Final ties today.

“When we came in (from Corinthian), the remit was to build a club, re-build it. The club had lost a lot of face (finishing bottom of the Ryman League Division One North) last year with what happened last year and stuff and we were tasked of coming in and rebuilding it and get the club’s name back out of the mud so to speak.

“We feel we’ve done that. From going back to having 30-40-50s watching them last year – I know we’ve had away support – to come up with over 500 fans at home is brilliant.

“It’s a work in progress and I think we’re ahead of schedule. We have to draw on listening to them celebrating, we need to draw on that and use that experience going forward so that we’ve still got a league championship that we didn’t expect to be fighting for.”

Erith & Belvedere: George Kamurasi, Allan Matthews (Paul Springett 87), Ben Wilson, Colin Richmond, Lee Craig, Ryan Johnson, Lee Hales, Luke May (Isa Hussein 53), Alfie May, Adam Marsh, Byron Walker (Taser Hassan 53).
Subs: Joe Minter, Joe Jackson

Booked: Adam Marsh 74

North Shields: Michael Robinson, Stuart Donnison, Marc Lancaster, Michael McKeown (Kieran Wrightson 87), John Parker, Kevin Hughes, James Luccock, Adam Forster (Curtis Coppen 75), Gareth Bainbridge, Benjamin Richardson, Dean Holmes (Denver Morris 69).
Subs: Dean Walker, Christopher Bannon

Goals: Dean Holmes 49, Adam Forster 58

Booked: Michael McKeown 44, Michael Robinson 75

Attendance: 503
Referee: Mr David Rock (Hertford, Hertfordshire)
Assistants: Mr George Sprague (Cambridge, Cambridgeshire) & Mr Mark Potkins (Woodbridge, Suffolk)
Fourth Official: Mr Alex Gray (Clapham, London SW4)