Kentish Football 
Erith & Belvedere 3-0 Lordswood - We're not going to make it easy for them, says Jason Lillis
Tuesday 05th March 2013
ERITH & BELVEDERE 3-0 LORDSWOOD
Macron Kent League Cup Semi-Final First Leg
Tuesday 5th March 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Park View Road
TREBLE chasing Erith & Belvedere boss Micky Collins says his side will not underestimate Lordswood after beating them comfortably 3-0 in the Macron Kent League Cup Semi-Final First Leg.
Collins will take his side to Martyn Grove next Tuesday with one foot in the final after Orlando Smith, Richard Davies and Richmond Kissi scored to give the Deres the advantage at half-time.
In tonight’s other semi-final, Matt Longhurst’s Corinthian came away from Deal Town with a 3-0 victory, courtesy of goals from Alfie May, Adam Marsh and Charlie Burgess.
Lordswood, who won 2-1 at Deal Town at the weekend to reach the Kent Senior Trophy Final and will face the winner of Saturday’s game between Tunbridge Wells and Erith & Belvedere, were never likely to spring a surprise victory over the current Kent Hurlimann Football League leaders.
Collins said: “Half a job done. A very professional performance.
”We played Lordswood last week and to be fair they were the better team. We drew 3-3 on the night and they were far better than us on the night and should’ve got three points against us. We showed a lot of character to come back and I think it done us the world of good going into tonight’s game because we knew we couldn’t underestimate them at all.
”We’ve come out of the blocks well, the same as we did Saturday (winning 6-0 at Fisher) with a great result.”
Lordswood boss Jason Lillis blamed individual mistakes for his side’s downfall.
He said: “I’m disappointed, but I’m not disappointed with my players at the end of the day.
”They only got three goals by three mistakes. They never cut us open. They haven’t done anything in the game. All they’ve done is what they do. They just knock it forward.”
Reflecting on the goals, Lillis snapped: “Our goalkeeper dropped one. We lose the ball in the middle of the park and they leave us three against two and then we go diving in at the near post for one of them and they score another. Apart from that what else did they offer? You watched it. You tell me. I don’t think they did!”
Erith & Belvedere created the first opening inside the opening eight minutes when 26-goal striker Andy Constable – who hasn’t scored in this Cup this season – unleashed a right-footed drive from 22-yards, which took a deflection and looped into Matt Byott’s gloves.
Lordswood’s best chance of the game arrived shortly after.
Mark Murison sprung the offside trap to latch onto a ball over the top of a flat-footed home defence to cut into the penalty area but he was denied his 24th goal of the season by Jack Bradshaw, who made a fine block from the right-footed effort from ten-yards.
Lillis believes Erith & Belvedere can give his side chances during next week’s second leg.
He said: ”They’re always vulnerable through all that, if we get our act together. We came here to do a set plan and to be fair it worked apart from the three mistakes.”
Collins said: “Jack’s been immense for us. He’s a good keeper and he’s been a massive positive for us and that’s what he does week in week out. He’s really good at one-on-one’s and he’s pulled that one out and we’ve managed to grab the initiative and take it from there really.”
Lordswood were to rue that golden opportunity because Erith & Belvedere opened the scoring with their next opportunity in the sixteenth minute.
Skipper Jamie Wood swung in a corner from the right which was headed away by Adam Hooper beside the near post and Smith took a touch before cracking a right-footed angled drive towards goal from sixteen-yards, the ball screaming past the diving keeper to clip the inside of the near post before finding the back of the net.
Collins admitted the former Bromley winger can easily return to play Conference South football.
He said: “Great finish! That’s a great strike! Good first touch, but Orlando Smith is not a Kent League player. He’s here because he’s my pal and he enjoys the ethic that we put together. We all know he could play two, maybe three league’s higher, but the last three or four games that he’s been playing he’s been absolutely fantastic for us.”
The Deres went close to increasing their lead when Smith reached the by-line to clip the ball back for Constable to strike a first time left-footed volley, which looped over Byott’s crossbar – Smith kicking the advertising boards in disgust as the chance went begging.
Lordswood linked up well down the right in the 24th minute and right-back Joe Kane played the ball inside to Jordan Wells, who steered his left-footed angled drive from 20-yards, which bounced just past the foot of the far post, before Erith & Belvedere doubled their lead seven minutes later.
Jamie Wood swung in another corner from the right and Lordswood keeper Byott inexclicably dropped the ball, which caused a goalmouth scramble and the ball came out to right-back Davies to slam his right-footed shot through a crowd of players to find the bottom far corner from eight-yards.
Collins said: “The keeper’s made a bit of a clanger aint he. He’s dropped one and we’ve reacted. That’s what you’ve got to do in the box and I tell them that time and time again and he’s reacted well and he’s got his toe to it and fair play to him. Richard’s been quality for us. He’s only a young lad. Another good finish.”
Lordswood, who featured with five defensive players, were punished for a third time when Erith & Belvedere scored their third with exactly five second half minutes on the clock.
Kissi began the move inside the Lordswood half and linked up well with Smith in the middle, who played the ball outside to the unmarked Constable inside the penalty area. The striker cut inside before rolling the ball inside for Kissi to bring down with his chest before blasting his right-footed shot past the exposed Byott.
”Richmond’s been in fits and starts with us over the last couple of months,” admitted Collins.
”He’s managed to get a couple of starts. He started against Fisher on Saturday and scored and then tonight he’s got his goal. He’s starting to get a bit more to his game now. He offeres us a little bit more.
”We’re very strong going forward and that’s why we score a lot of goals and it’s nice to have some options to change it up.”
Lordswood were thankful to their goalkeeper for denying the home side a fourth goal just before the hour.
Left-winger Kieron McCann swept the ball down the line to release Kissi, who played the ball over to the unmarked Constable, who stroked his left-footed shot from 20-yards which was beaten away by Byott before he gathered at the second attempt.
McCann was to be denied by Byott later on, cutting in from the left before cracking a right-footed drive from 25-yards, which saw the Lordswood keeper tipping the ball onto the top of the crossbar and over for a corner.
Lordswood wasted a decent opportunity when left-back Hooper punted a long free-kick into the final third and the ball came out to 10-goal striker Jordan Wells, whose snap shot sailed over from 20-yards, but they were never going to get past a well drilled back four, with Drew Crush and George Benner giving nothing away as the Deres maintained their second successive clean sheet.
Collins was proud of that fact and said: ”We had one on Saturday and one tonight, which is good, but it’s something we’ve been working a bit harder on. We’ve changed things a little bit and it certainly showed fruition.”
Lewis Wood twice could have added to the scoreline inside the final five minutes.
Byott made a well-timed gathering at the substitute’s feet as it appeared the diminulative striker had rounded him inside the penalty box and inside stoppage time he swept his shot narrowly wide of the near post after Smith cut the ball back to him from the by-line.
Lillis added: “We came here to do a set plan and to be fair it worked apart from the three mistakes. Ok, if they went 1-0 I would’ve taken a 1-0 against us, but it’s never a 3-0!
”We got bodies behind the ball and we knew what we came here to do but a 0-0, a 1-0 (defeat) I would’ve bene happy with, but like I said, my boys did exactly what I asked them but three stupid mistakes cost me.”
Erith & Belvedere are six points clear of VCD Athletic at the top of the Kent League with eleven games left to play. They are in the Kent Senior Trophy Semi-Final, halfway to a Macron Kent League Cup Final and have scored 117 goals (conceding 52 goals) in 36 games. They have only lost three games in all competitions this season too.
Collins said: “Well maybe that’s me being a forward in my day and maybe concentrate on that (goalscoring) and Watsie (Grant Watts) concentrates on the defence, even though he was a forward and he reigns me in, but I just think if you can score two or three goals a game then common sense they’ve got to get three or four. We do leak them. We’ve scored 117 goals in all competitions this season. It takes some doing. I’ll stick with that ethic. I enjoy watching it.
”It’s a shame we don’t get a few more through the gate to watch it because again we’ve scored another three tonight andd the crowd’s low. What do we have to do to attract people? You can’t do any more than what we’re doing!
”We’ve got a great squad. We’ve got a great management team. The directors and chairman are fully behind us and the club’s in a fantastic place. The fact that we can’t put bums on seats I don’t know. Maybe we’re berated for sometimes our direct style. Hay ho. At the end of the day we’re still scoring on average three goals a game. It’s not like we’re fourth-from-bottom or we’ve not got anything to play for. We’re actually up there and we still don’t get them through the door. I don’t know the answer.”
Lillis, meanwhile, insists this tie is not over.
”It’s going to be hard, but I’ll never give it up,” he said.
”We score goals at home. We were 3-1 up here (in the league last Tuesday). They’re vulnerable. Don’t get me wrong. They’re vulnerable.
”All they offered, they got three mistakes and they punished us for three mistakes. That’s all they had.”
Eighth-placed Lordswood welcome second-from-bottom Fisher (two wins and four draws from 22 games) to Martyn Grove on Saturday.
Lillis said: ”It’s a very important game. We’ve got to get our points back on the table and finish as high as we can. We want a top five finish this year.
”We’ve got a nice Cup final but that’s finished. Like I said to the boys snow we want to get as high as we can in the league and I want to get to this Cup Final.
”If they (Erith & Belvedere) think it’s dead and buried in there they’ve got another thing coming because we’re not going to make it easy for them.”
Looking ahead to next week’s second leg, Collins said: “We’ve got to lose 4-0. It’s up to us to go there with the right mental attitude. If Lordswood score early it’s game on so we’re fully aware of that. We’ll definitely won’t be going there and underestimating them and we’ll be going there to put the tie to bed and hopefully get to the final.”
Erith & Belvedere: Jack Bradshaw, Richard Davies, Sam Groombridge, Paul Springett (Jan Skoniezcki 62), Drew Crush, George Benner, Orlando Smith, Jamie Wood, Andy Constable (Alex Waugh 76), Richmond Kissi (Lewis Wood 79), Kieron McCann.
Subs: Allan Matthews, Sean Johnson
Goals: Orlando Smith 16, Richard Davies 31, Richmond Kissi 51
Lordswood: Matt Byott, Joe Kane, Adam Hooper, Gary Cook, Peter Huggens, Dan Wells, Rob Newman (Stephen Munn 71), Lee Maskell, Jordan Wells, Mark Murison, Imran Englefield (John Huston 71).
Subs: Matt McHugh, Stephen Sage, Stephen Read
Booked: Jordan Wells 67, Joe Kane 90
Attendance: 45
Referee: Mr Elad Amir (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr Luke Challinger (Crayford) & Mr Oliver Fyff (Sidcup)
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