Faversham Town 0-1 Erith & Belvedere - This result has hurt me a lot because I quietly thought that we might be able to have a little go of getting quite far in The FA Vase, says devastated and apologetic Faversham Town boss Tommy Warrilow

Faversham Town 0 – 1 Erith & Belvedere
Location	Salters Lane, Faversham, Kent ME13 8ND
Kickoff	07/12/2024 15:00

FAVERSHAM TOWN  0-1  ERITH & BELVEDERE
The Isuzu FA Vase Third Round
Saturday 7 December 2024
Stephen McCartney reports from Salters Lane

FAVERSHAM TOWN manager Tommy Warrilow issued an apology after his side suffered a FA Vase shock after losing to an Erith & Belvedere side that arrived at a windy Salters Lane with only 12 fit players.

The Lilywhites went into this Third Round tie sitting in second-place in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division table, having picked up 11 wins, four draws and one defeat.  They are currently one point behind VCD Athletic, who came away from here with a deserved 1-1 draw last weekend.

Faversham Town have beaten Fisher (1-0), Sheerwater (6-0), British Airways (1-0) and Billingshurst (4-1) in the competition but they crashed to only their third defeat in 28 completed games in all competitions this season.

Erith & Belvedere arrived here in ninth-place in the table with 23 points (six wins, five draws and six defeats) from their 17 league outings – and they reached the Last 32 for the first time since reaching the Quarter-Finals 10 years’ ago.

The Deres have held their nerve in three penalty shoot-outs to reach this stage of the competition, beating Godalming Town (0-0, 4-3 on penalties), Frimley Green (1-0), Wallingford & Crownmarsh (1-1, 2-0 on penalties) and Bearsted (0-0, 4-2 on penalties).

Left-winger Tyller Davis-Whitlock, 20, scored his fourth goal of the season in the 80^th minute to produce one of the biggest shocks of the season.

Erith & Belvedere joint-manager Billy Hamlin described today’s win as his best ever in management.

“That there is the best, from a manager’s point of view, I speak for Jamie (Phipps) as well, that’s our best ever win, that’s our best ever win!

“I’m so lost for words.  I’ve never, ever been prouder of that group in there, they’re unbelievable! I could go on about the players’ we’ve lost. Rob Curtis pulled out in the warm-up, we had Luca Sanford up front, 17, he’s run his absolute nuts off, the boy. I’d love to have a heat map on him and see how much he’s run because he’s stepped in today.

“Sometimes (when you’ve got your) backs against the wall, the boys know we’ve got no one on the bench. We’ve got Billy Ford, bless him. It’s hard to put Billy on in a game like that. That changing room is just phenomenal in there.

“I said to them before the game ‘right, we’ve taken our eye of the ball’, over the last three weeks because we’ve got so many injuries. People have been playing a little bit half-pace. I don’t want to knock the boys and their minds have been on this game for the last three weeks and training has been a bit tippy-tappy because no-one wants to go for a tackle because the injuries have just been mental!

“I said to them before the game, I said, ‘don’t let the last three weeks because we’ve let ourselves down a little bit,; don’t let ourselves down today and they were phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal.”

When Warrilow was told that Hamlin was feeling cock-a-hoop during the post-match press conference, the Faversham Town boss replied: “They should be, they should be, that’s a great result.

“Obviously I’m frustrated but that’s what happens. It’s quite an old cliché in football, if you don’t take your chances, there’s always a chance of something happening and today it did.

“They came with a game plan. They killed the game with the timewasting. Listen, I’m not moaning about it. It’s what you’ve got to do but overall I thought we’ve created enough chances to win the game.

“Listen, it was never going to be a pretty game with the wind and everything like that but really we’ve had some really good chances and not took them and they’ve cashed in with, fair play to the lad, a good goal.”

Hamlin and Phipps built their Stansfeld sides over the years’ with the attributes that Erith & Belvedere showed today in abundance.

Hamlin said: “No one gave us a chance did they? No one gave us a chance but I’ve been here before. A few years’ ago, no one gave us a chance! One thing I said to the boys in there, you can have all the money in the world, you can have this and you can have that. If you haven’t got togetherness, you haven’t got team spirit, then you ain’t got nothing and they showed great togetherness, the team spirit is phenomenal!

“They gave absolutely everything. Do you know what, if there’s another word above ‘everything’, then they gave us that. It’s phenomenal and I’ve just said to them in there, that’s my, that’s my best moment in management. When that final whistle went, that was just unbelievable.”

Faversham Town were without cup-tied pair Jarred Trespaderne and Bradley Schafer, while Ian Draycott was nursing a groin problem and 19-goal striker Tashi-Jay Kwayie complained of a knee injury during the warm-up.

Hamlin and Jamie Phipps were dealt a blow when they lost centre-half Rob Curtis, who failed a fitness test before the game due to a calf injury, while strikers Tunde Aderonmu (knee and cup-tied) and Dieko Falade (cup-tied and suspended) were also ruled-out.

Dan Parkinson has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle, sustained very early on at Bearsted in the last round but Danny Lear (ACL) is expected to return ‘this side of Christmas,’ along with five-goal striker Aderonmu.

Rob Strachan (knee), Ronnie McClean (knee), Ross Morley (broken back) and Frederick Baker was ruled out through work commitments, despite being named among the six substitutes, with only 17-year-old Billy Ford available to take to the field if called upon, as Erith & Belvedere were literally down to the bare bones, which makes this result even more remarkable.

Faversham Town missed their first opportunity of the game with only 169 seconds on the clock.

Left-back Bradley Simms – who launched 11 long throws into the away side’s penalty area – threw it short to holding midfielder Frannie Collin, who wasn’t pressed and a recycled ball found Kwayie at the back post but he drove his shot past the near-post from three-yards, as the outstanding Charlie Cottrell narrowed the angle.

Faversham Town missed a glorious chance to change the outcome of the game with only three minutes and 37 seconds on the clock.

Johan Caney-Bryan’s header released his strike partner Kwayie through on goal but Cottrell raced off his line and smothered the shot low to his left.

“He’s done two because Johan got put in not long after. Johan had a one-on-one with him as well,” recalled Warrilow.

Erith & Belvedere’s first opening came with nine minutes and 44 seconds on the clock, following their first of five corners.

Ladic Melconian swung the ball in, the ball was punched away by Faversham keeper Jacob Russell and left-back Anthony Morrison took a touch before hitting a poor left-footed shot which went harmlessly wide of the left-post from 25-yards.

Hamlin said: “The wind! We couldn’t get out of our own half! Charlie kicks the ball as good as anyone and it was just hanging up. It was like a kids’ game, it was unbelievable. But we knew that was going to turn in the second half and we knew we could put a lot of pressure on them.

“We knew it was a game of two halves. I know it’s an old cliché but the wind, I hate it! Anyone who plays football, the wind is the worst things to play in.”

The home side were bossing possession and Erith & Belvedere’s pink kit wearing players didn’t press the home side as they played out from the back but the away side were a hard nut to crack in the windy conditions.

With Curtis ruled out, Frederick Cray dropped from the middle of the park to partner Donnell Anderson as an emergency centre-half and Cray picked up the man-of-the-match award.

Hamlin revealed: “Fred was centre-midfield until about 20 minutes before the game when Rob pulled out in the warm-up but how good was he? How good was he? I can’t speak highly enough of Fred – he was brilliant!”

Faversham Town couldn’t get through the makeshift defensive pair and were forced to often shoot from distance.

Caney-Bryan played the ball along the deck to feed right-winger Nathan Wood, who used the outside of his right-boot to stroke his 18-yard shot flashing past the foot of the near-post.

Simms’ fourth long throw was headed away by Davis-Whitlock. Collin played a 10-yard onside pass to Samuel Hasler, who cut onto his right-foot before flashing a 35-yard drive flashing past the left-hand post.

Cottrell launched a free-kick towards the right-channel, the ball was cleared out to Whitnell, who cut on to his left-foot and his drive from a central position from 18-yards took a deflection off a pressing Matthew Newman and looped over the Faversham crossbar.

Faversham Town went close in the 27^th minute, following a well-worked three man move within the final third.

Hasler hooked the ball forward into Kwayie, who laid the ball off into Billy Bennett - who jumped out of Ryan Fowler’s pocket – to stroke a right-footed drive flashing past the foot of the right-hand post from 35-yards.

“It’s silly things like our shooting. We’ve got a gale force wind going down the pitch and I don’t think we’ve hit the target with any of our shots,” complained Warrilow, after his side failed to score for only the third time this season.

Erith & Belvedere were feeling quite comfortable as shots reigned in past their right-hand post from 35-yards.

Morrison launched a long ball up the line, the ball was headed out by Faversham’s right-back Ben Gorham, before Caney-Bryan collected the ball in the final third and stabbed the ball into Hasler, who unleashed a left-footed drive flashing past the right-post from a central position.

“They got a bit excited,” claimed Hamlin.

“If it goes in the bottom corner, it’s a good goal but we’ve got Charlie in goal and it takes a lot to beat them.  They’ve got to beat him to goal. It’s a standing joke in my changing room, if he was six foot two, if he’s that tall, he plays League football – he’s that good!”

Erith & Belvedere’s attacking midfielder Melconian took a quickly-taken free-kick and switched it over to Davis-Whitlock, who cut inside and his low drive was blocked inside the box and the ball came out to central midfielder Whitnell, who swept his first time shot harmlessly wide of the left-hand post in the 34^th minute.

Hamlin was impressed with the defensive play from 36-year-old Whitnell.

“Tommy’s made three or four defensive headers in our box.  Everyone knows how good Tommy was back in the day. He’s a centre-forward but defensively Tommy’s so good, he’s really good Tom. They were fantastic centre-half headers in the swirling wind.”

Samuel Smith drove forward and no one came out to press him so the Erith & Belvedere right-back tried his luck with a right-footed drive from 35-yards, which was comfortably caught by Russell, stepping to his left, to prevent the ball sailing into the top right-hand corner.

Hamlin said: “They play two up front and Billy Bennett was drifting in the hole and Ryan Fowler done a great job on Billy. He tracked his runner all the time.

“We really had to dig deep. They’ve got some cracking players, they are a really good team and we had to dig deep.”

When asked about the away side’s lack of goalscoring threat in the first half, Warrilow replied: “They wouldn’t do because there was that wind but second half we got at them again.  Second half, we always knew we’d be vulnerable, but we knew they were (dangerous) on the counter-attack.”

Bennett sprayed the ball out to an unmarked Hasler, who pinged in a deep cross from the left wing and Caney-Bryan’s initial header was blocked before the former Hythe Town striker swept his shot into the base of the side netting from six-yards.

But Erith & Belvedere were a well-organised outfit and Faversham failed to break them down as both sides went into the break on level terms.

Hamlin said: “As soon as I knew we had 12 men today, I knew we’d win and that’s their mentality, that’s the mentality in the changing room. When their backs are against the wall, that’s when we’re at our best.

“I said before the game, we go in 0-0 at half-time, we’ll win the game and you know they’re going to create chances because they’re a good side.”

Warrilow added: “We’ve had quite a few shots in the first half. Also, I said to the boys, I thought our set-piece deliveries were brilliant today, very, very good and we’ve not got on the end of any of them!  You put all of that together, then you’re making life hard for yourself.”

Faversham Town created the first chance of the second half (4:03) when Newman clipped a long ball out of defence, the ball was chested by Kwayie, who then swept the ball out to Hasler on the left and he whipped in a cross towards the near-post which was met by Caney-Bryan, who looped his header just over the crossbar from 10-yards, beating Cottrell to the ball as he came off his line to punch the ball.

Cottrell was winning his dual with Hasler, who whipped in a couple of deep deliveries from the left, which were beaten away by the diminutive but highly-rated Erith & Belvedere goalkeeper.

Fowler played the ball out wide to winger Joe Chalker, who put in a cross but his former Erith Town team-mate, Melconian, but his 16-yard right-footed drive deflected wide of the right-hand post in the 58^th minute.

Faversham Town winger Wood gave the ball away to Chalker, who lacked composure and his right-footed shot from 22-yards was hit harmlessly wide of the right-hand post, as a penalty-shoot-out was the most likely outcome at this point of the game.

“Chalks has been unbelievable for us. He’s gone in at right-back when Sam Smith’s (partner) had a baby recently, so Chalker has played right-midfield and he’s been a great signing for us to be fair,” added Hamlin.

Erith & Belvedere produced a sweeping move inside the Faversham Town box and called Russell into making a comfortable save at the second attempt (26:15).

Fowler and 17-year-old striker Luca Sanford linked up before the ball was worked out to Davis-Whitlock, who cut inside before stroking a right-footed shot from just inside the box, which was comfortably saved low down by the 23-year-old goalkeeper (26:15).

“We targeted Tyller, we wanted to get the ball out to Tyller as much as possible and I think in the second half he cut in and he had (a few) shots,” added Hamlin.

Warrilow added: “The lad has cut in and got a shot-off just before he scored but that was literally a minute after Nathan Wood squared the ball all the way across the front of goal and no one’s there to tap it in.”

Kwayie started the move from inside his own half and clipped a 40-yard diagonal to Caney-Bryan, who switched the play and found Wood in space on the right-hand side of the penalty area and he cut the ball along the 18-yard line for Kwayie to sweep his first-time shot past the post (27:15).

Faversham Town missed a glorious chance to claim the victory with 30:21 on the clock, as Cray made his only mistake of the game.

Kwayie turned the emergency centre-half some 35-yards from goal and charged into the penalty area but Cottrell made a big save in a one-v-one, smothering the ball low to his left and grabbing hold of the ball in a game defining moment.

Hamlin said: “And he held it as well, didn’t he. I don’t know if you noticed but as Tash was taking the shot, Tyller and Freddie Cray were in and around him and he didn’t have a free hit.  We’ve run our nuts off. We could’ve just put our hands up and we’re not chasing it back. The boy’s chasing it and Charlie does what Charlie does.”

Warrilow added: “It’s the same thing. He’s got to do better! It’s a one-on-one. All the one-on-one’s we’ve done, we’ve hit it straight at him. We’ve not tried to lift it, we’ve not tried anything different.

“I think he’s got to square for a tap-in for Johan, it’s decision-making but listen I’ve just put the lad (on a two-year contract). I’m not slaughtering Tash – I am a little bit – but I’ve said to them (Kwayie and Caney-Bryan), I love them to bits. I wouldn’t swap them for anyone but sometimes you look back on why we didn’t win the game.

“Listen, I’ll give you the plaudits every week. I dig my defenders out quite a lot – being an ex-defender – and we didn’t take our chances today full stop and that’s why we’ve lost a game of football.”

Erith & Belvedere snatched the victory with 34:39 minutes on the clock, with the often frustrated Gorham opening the gate in this clinical counter-attacking raid.

Melconian played the ball in behind Gorham to put Davis-Whitlock through on goal, the winger cutting into the box and holding his composure to curl his right-footed shot across Russell to find the bottom far corner from 12-yards on the angle.

“I looked at the clock, that big (stadium) clock and when you’re winning that clock does half go slow but we got to about 73 minutes – when did we score? We got to about 73 and I said to Tyller before the game, listen, I’m no Mystic Meg, but I went to him ‘you’ll win us this game for us.’

“We started to get more and more into Tyller and they were on us a little bit and when we had that long ball over the top, because of the wind, I just felt they’re quite brave as a team. They’ll go one-v-one at the back sometimes, probably because they dominate the ball in most of the games they play, which is the way they play, then fine, but you put Tyller one-on-one, he’s going to cause you problems.

“We just felt that Ladic and Tommy, it’s risk and reward. We didn’t want them to go further forward. Faversham were leaving a big gap between their midfield and their centre-halves and we knew if we could get Tommy or Ladic on the half-turn, with Tyller’s or Chalker’s pace, if we could just get a nice ball in behind, we’d get in there – and it worked!”

Warrilow refused to throw Gorham under the bus for his costly part in the only goal of the game.

Warrilow added: “He’s had the shot, he’s curled the shot in, so good finish, fair play to the lad. He was in before that not long and he’s come inside and cut the shot off.

“But I thought Ben Gorham had an excellent game today.  So, listen, I’m a defender, if they go ‘that’s a c**p goal to let in’, sometimes it is and sometimes it aint.

“Hang on a minute! We shouldn’t even be in this position. We should’ve had the game out of sight and we’re not – but like I said you win together, you lose together. It stops with me and all that but that’s hurt today!”

Warrilow threw on attackers Daniel Thompson then Kieron Campbell in an attempt to salvage matters but Erith & Belvedere kept bodies back and managed to hold out for a famous win.

The Lilywhites created a couple of late chances.  Kwayie dropped deep before feeding Wood, who hit a low 30-yard drive which was meat and drink for Cottrell, who displayed a clean pair of hands to comfortably gather as the bouncing ball nestled into his midriff down on his knees.

Gorham then fed Campbell, who cracked a right-footed drive from 22-yards, which was tipped onto the top of the crossbar by Cottrell and dropped behind for a corner, although the referee Daniel Ripton awarded a goal-kick instead.

Warrilow added: “Listen, that was the story of the day. Nathan’s had a shot straight at the goalie but again good hands. I thought he was excellent for them today, even the way he controlled the time. But listen, fair play to him (Cottrell). I’d do the same if I was them and him and I thought he was excellent for them today.”

Hamlin added: “It was the longest six minutes (and 18 seconds) in the world! It weren’t a moment where you go ‘oh, no.’ It was all pretty long range. I can’t speak highly of him (Cottrell). Immaculate, superb.

“At the final whistle, Rob Curtis just grabbed me and I’m lost for words. It’s the best win we’ve ever had, in the circumstances. We’ve come here, no-one’s given us a chance did they? There were 20 people in the country who gave us a chance. No one fancied us. No one thought we would win.”

Reflecting on reaching the last 32 of The FA Vase for only the second time in his club’s history, Hamlin said: “Great! It’s great for the club, it’s great for the board, it’s great for the chairman, it’s great for the boys in there. 

“Listen, I don’t know where it will take us but no one will have a better team spirit than us, I tell you that now!

“The injuries are just shocking but their togetherness. Let’s be honest, could we have a harder draw today? Probably not, not in the South East. We’re through, we’re still in it and we’ll have a go mate, we’ll have a go.”

Erith & Belvedere at Wembley?

“When I wake up on the day of the Final, then I’ll get excited but there’s still a long way to go. There’s still a lot of good teams left in it. Let’s see where it takes us,” came Hamlin’s reply.

With VCD Athletic (38 points from 17 games) at the summit, and the play-off zone holding Faversham Town (37 points from 16 games), Fisher (35 points from 19 games), Larkfield & New Hythe (31 points from 19 games) and Punjab United (31 points from 18 games), Erith & Belvedere are eight points adrift of the play-off zone and welcome bottom three side Snodland Town (17 points from 18 games) to Park View Road on Tuesday night.

Hamlin said: “We’re going to ring and ask if they want to play five-a-side. Listen, we’ve got to get a team out for Tuesday. I think everyone’s alright in there. Donnell’s (Anderson) saying about his ankle and calves but he says it after every game so we’ll strap him up and get him going.

“Hopefully we’ll have Freddie Baker (who is away with work) back.

“If we can add one or two. We’ve got some good contacts who have really tried to help us out this week but it was a case we just couldn’t get them done in time, so we might call upon a couple of loan players if we can.

“But I don’t want to bring too many in because I don’t want to be horrible in six to eight weeks’ time and go ‘thanks but no thanks.’  I don’t think that’s the right way to go about things personally.

“Other teams have probably got more money than us and can be a little bit more cut-throat but it’s not the way that we like to do things so it’s a balancing act because come February, we’re going to be doubly strong.

“I’ve said to the boys if we can stay in and around it (the play-off zone), then we’ll see where it takes us.”

Faversham Town were expected to go a very long way in The FA Vase this season.  Yes, I’m talking about winning the whole thing at Wembley Stadium, so this was a shock win for Erith & Belvedere today and Warrilow and his coach, Alex O’Brien, told their players what they thought of their performance out on the pitch after the final whistle.

“Of course if is, of course it is. I’m not being funny, every time we lose it’s (a shock),” admitted Warrilow.

“I don’t take nothing for granted in football. I tell you that now. I said to the boys, I don’t care who we play, or whatever. Football’s not a hard game to understand. If you don’t take any of your chances, you’re always going to be vulnerable. If you defend poorly, you’re always going to let goals in, so today I thought we defended very, very well. We didn’t take our chances and we’ve come off and we’ve lost 1-0 and that’s happens and it happened today.

“We’ve just got to get back in on Tuesday and it’s going to take a long time to lick our wounds but we’ve got to lick them but we haven’t got a divine right to win a game of football.

“I know a few of the Erith & Belvedere people and I just wish them all the best in the next round.”

Kevin Stevens brings his Bearsted side to Salters Lane next Tuesday.  Bearsted are underperforming this season and arrive here in the bottom five with 17 points from 15 games, one point clear of the relegation zone that contains Hollands & Blair and Lydd Town.

“Just another tough game. We went there, you were up there (for our 5-1 win) and they knock the ball around well and whatever. The most important thing is to bounce back and get three points on the board,” added Warrilow.

“Listen, I’m not going to blame the weather. One thing I won’t do, is blame the weather or the conditions because it’s the same for both teams, so I’m not making that as an excuse.

“All I’m saying, it was never going to be a pretty game of football today but hopefully next week is better.

“I put seven-days in for someone last week and I’ve spoken to them and I’m waiting for a response so that might put to bed the myth of me offering massive great big deals – so I’m waiting for him to come back to me.

“The one thing I won’t do is having a knee-bolt reaction to the result today. I’m fuming and I’m angry and I’m hurt but it happens in football and you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth. We’ve just got to get a level head on it, think about things and address it and go again (at training) on Tuesday.

“I just apologise for the fans. I’m so gutted for them and I’m gutted for (chairman) Gary Smart and the board because I know what this competition, they got slung out of it last year early doors.

“I’m not arrogant. I thought we might have half a chance to going a little bit further in this when we started it. I fancied us to go a little bit in the Vase but cup football especially – you see it at the highest level – this is a shock result like you said and of course it is but I’m like it happens and unfortunately for us, we’re on the end of it.”

When asked about the injury situation, Warrilow replied: “Pride, apart from that, them, f***ing hell, I could kill them! Listen, they’re devastated themselves. I’m not going to stamp all over them.

“Obviously I’ve had a couple of words with them, so has OB (O’Brien) but we’ve just got to get back in and go again Tuesday. They’re going to be gutted as well.”

Warrilow recalled when he played for Hythe Town in their FA Vase Semi-Final two legs against Yeading back in 2000, winning the First Leg 3-2 at Reachfields Stadium, before losing the Second Leg 2-0 at The Warren.

“It’s hurt me. I was 10 minutes from going to Wembley in the Vase as a player, so it sort of hurt me but it hurt me more when I looked back and thought ‘I was 10 minutes away.’

“You didn’t want to be in our changing room after the (Yeading) game. It was, we were all fighting with each other and everyone was devastated.”

Back to the present day, Warrilow added: “I’ve always said the league is the priority but I’m not even thinking about that now. I’m devastated about this result. I’ve been in football management a long, long time and it’s up there with the results that really hurt and I’m like it’s a missed opportunity to progress and that’s no disrespect to Erith & Belvedere.

"It's just annoying because of all the games to not sort of take your chances and put to bed it's the FA Vase and everyone knows what The FA Vase means to everyone in non-league football.

"This result has hurt me a lot.  I've been a manager a long, long time and this one will be right up there because I generally thought quietely that we might be able to have a litlte go of getting quite far in this competition and that was before the draw, before we drew Erith & Belvedere and we've gone out of it and it's hurt a lot.

“I thought we had enough chances to win the game, let’s be honest, but we haven’t so it’s done  - but it makes me even more determined on the other side of things.”

Faversham Town: Jacob Russell, Ben Gorham, Bradley Simms, Frannie Collin (Daniel Thompson 83), Callum Davies, Matthew Newman, Samuel Hasler, Billy Bennett, Tashi-Jay Kwayie, Johan Caney-Bryan (Kieron Campbell 85), Nathan Wood.
Subs: Tariq Ossai, Jack Piper, Lewis Briggs

Booked: Nathan Wood 68

Erith & Belvedere: Charlie Cottrell, Samuel Smith, Anthony Morrison, Ryan Fowler, Frederick Cray, Donnell Anderson, Tyller Davis-Whitlock, Tommy Whitnell, Luca Sanford, Ladic Melconian, Joe Chalker.
Subs: Rob Curtis, Billy Ford, Macey Malyon, Dane Luchford, Frederick Baker, Peter Springett

Goal: Tyller Davis-Whitlock 80

Attendance: 225
Referee: Mr Daniel Ripton
Assistants: Mr Nicholas Bone & Mr Reece Cahalane