Fisher 0-2 Hythe Town - I'm sure there's many more goals to come from Brendon Cass, warns Porter

Monday 07th March 2011

FISHER 0-2 HYTHE TOWN
Safety Net Associates Kent League
Monday 7th March 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Champion Hill Stadium

HYTHE TOWN manager Scott Porter refused to discuss the exciting Kent League title race after his side extended their lead to three points after their victory at Fisher tonight.

The Reachfields Stadium club reached the summit for the first time this season at the weekend, following their 3-0 win over ten-man Deal Town (their seventeenth league game of the season), and they moved three points clear of both Erith Town and Herne Bay - who lock horns at Winch’s Field on Wednesday night - after prolific striker Brendon Cass twice scored from close range during a high-tempo first half at Champion Hill.

“They came out of the blocks very sharp and we knew they was going to come at us,” Porter said afterwards.

“Teams are going to come at us but we dealt with the pressure and we’re always going to score goals with the players that we’ve got going forward and that’s what Cass is here for.

“I signed him at the start (of the season) and he said he’ll get me goals and he’s proved me right. He’s a good lad, a great trainer and I’m sure there’s many more goals to come from him.”

Fisher boss Gary Lisney remained upbeat, despite suffering their sixth home league defeat of the season. They kept their first clean sheet in 16 games at the weekend, when Lordswood were defeated 1-0.

“Hythe aren’t where they are in the league by coincidence,” he said. “They’re a good, strong, powerful team, very direct, put you under lots of pressure, made your defence work very hard. I thought we did, to be fair.

“We gave them a game, probably more of a game that they thought they was going to get. I can’t fault my players.”

Hythe could have broken the deadlock when an error from Jimmy Beachamp allowed striker Craig Thompson to send a right-footed volley over the crossbar from the corner of the penalty box before the deadlock was broken inside five minutes.

The impressive Gary Mickelborough was fouled by Fisher left-back Mark Lewis just outside the corner of the penalty box and Kieran Byrne whipped in an inch-perfect free-kick with his left-foot and Cass touched a glancing header into the top corner from a couple of yards out at the far post.

Lisney was full of praise for right-winger Dexter Babalola, who gave full-back John Walker nightmares during the first half with his pace.

“Dexter’s on a good run of form at the moment, he’s been decent in the last three or four performances,” said Lisney.

“I say to him week in, week out, if he wants to progress in his football career to a higher level - and I think he has the ability - he has to perform like that week in week out.

“Dexter’s been with us for, I don’t know, roughly eighteen months, something like that. For people to be singing his praises now, he’s probably twelve months later than he should’ve been.

“Dexter has got so much talent, so much pace, maybe the changes in personnel have helped. We’ve got a few new lads in that have done alright for us.”

Fisher should have done better when Beachamp delivered a free-kick from the right and after a spot of pin-ball the ball inside the box the ball fell to Ernest Simon, but the central midfielder swept a left-footed shot which rolled into Kieron Mann’s gloves.

A delightful diagonal ball out of defence by Pat Kingwell presented Hythe with another chance after 21 minutes when Mickelborough was picked out on the right and his cut back set up Thompson, but his right-footed angled drive was never going to trouble former Cray Valley goalkeeper, Daniel Teeley.

The 20-year-old goalkeeper picked up Byrne’s rolling shot after the winger cut in from the right but although Fisher were playing well, they fell further behind on the half-hour mark as the game went from one end of the pitch to the other.

A clearance from Teeley released Babalola through on goal, but he dragged a low shot across goal, which Mann comfortably picked up at the far post.

Mann’s clearance was allowed to bounce inside the opposite penalty area by Beachamp and Thompson turned and cracked a fierce left-footed drive, which was beaten away by Teeley, but the ball spun towards the far post and poacher Cass nipped in front of his marker to stab the ball into the back of the net from two yards to score his 26th goal of the season.

All that Fisher need is a player of Cass’s quality up front, but those players do not come cheap.

Simon St Aimie wriggled his way clear and centred low for lone striker Steve O’Donnell, who stabbed his low shot agonisingly wide of the foot of the near post from a good position, before his looping header was plucked out of the air from underneath the crossbar by visiting keeper Mann after Babalola’s pace got him to the by-line before looping a cross over.

Cass, who dropped down two leagues to sign from Folkestone Invicta at the start of this season, squandered good opportunities to score his first hat-trick in Hythe’s colours.

A fierce drive inside the opening two minutes of the second half was superbly turned around the post by portly Fisher shot-stopper Teeley, before he blasted over after being fed by a ball down the middle by strike partner Thompson.

Fisher’s lack of quality up front meant their good play in the middle of the park went unrewarded.

“It’s been a funny one that, because we started off the season scoring quite a few,” added Lisney.

“Let’s not kid yourself, you have a run of results that don’t go your way, confidence suffers. People in front of goal are less confident than if you were on a run of wins so I think the two go hand in hand.

“First and foremost we need to get the performances right. In fairness to my players we’ve had five very good performances now in the last six games and if we keep playing like that goals will come and results will hopefully change around for us but we’ll get on with it in the meantime.”

Babalola was felled in a central position, but Luis Rozan’s left-footed free-kick from 25-yards dipped narrowly over the crossbar, just before the hour-mark.

Hythe brought another fine save out of Teeley after 68 minutes when Byrne cracked a fierce left-footed drive from 35-yards, which took a wicked deflection of Beachamp but the keeper dived to his right to superbly turn around the post.

Fisher rallied late on but their killer instinct in front of goal, once again, proved to be their downfall, as on tonight’s performance they didn’t appear to be a side that are third-from-bottom in the table.

Their only clear cut-chance fell to substitute Juan Ramirez, who beat the offside trap down the inside left-channel and after cutting in the diminutive Colombian striker’s effort was deflected wide via defender Kingwell, who was partnered by skipper Dave Cook at the heart of a solid defence.

Porter admitted he is “keeping a low profile,” as he aims to guide the club into the Ryman League at the end of the season - and he chose not to say much following his eighth successive win.

Porter said: “We defended well, we kept another clean sheet and that’s what it’s all about and if we keep clean sheets, I always promise we’ll go down the other end and score goals.”

Hythe now face three sides in the top six, welcoming VCD Athletic to Reachfields Stadium on Saturday, before travelling to Greenwich Borough (15 March) and then Beckenham Town (19 March).

Porter added: “There all big games in this league and like I say, I’ll take each game as it comes. I’m not saying nothing mate! I don’t want to be involved with all the others. I just want to keep plodding on, keeping a low profile. That’s all I’m saying to you!”

Therefore, the Fisher manager was asked who he thinks will be crowned Kent League champions at the end of the season.

“Who do I think will win it - or who I want to win it?

“I think Hythe will be there or there abouts because they are very direct, they put teams under a lot of pressure and if you don’t deal with that you’re going to be in trouble, very much similar to my view to how Faversham won the league last year.

“From the footballing perspective, I hope Erith Town win it because in my view the are the best footballing team in the league. They play football the right way, in my opinion. I very much want teams to get the ball down and play so for a footballing perspective I hope Erith do well.”

When asked about Herne Bay‘s chances, Lisney replied, “We’ve played Herne Bay, obviously. I think Herne Bay are a little bit of a cross between the two to be fair. They’re not as direct as Hythe, they’re not as good footballing wise, in my view, as Erith Town but they’re a very, very good team in their own right. They mix it up a little bit and they create chances by being direct and they also create chances by playing football.

“I think it will be between them three. I’m not sure exactly how the table stands because I don’t look at league tables too often, most managers in my position don’t, but it will be between one of them three.

“All I’m saying is from what I’ve seen and it’s not a criticism against any of the teams at all. From what I’ve seen Erith played really, really good football when they came down to us. I hope they do well, but I hope they all do well.”

Whilst Cass demands a few pound notes to turn out for Hythe, Lisney can only dream about attracting such a quality player to the club, who fork out £300 per game to groundshare Dulwich Hamlet’s Champion Hill Stadium.

“I don’t know what Hythe’s wage bill is, I don’t know what Herne Bay’s wage bill is. I think everyone knows what our wage bill is - exactly zero!” said Lisney.

“My players’ all know that, it doesn’t stop them coming and competing or stop them from trying. It doesn’t stop us, as a management team, wanting to improve the team.

“Nobody’s under no illusions. If you haven’t got a playing budget, you’re going to struggle.

“I was having a fairly lengthy conversation with the Erith Town manager. He hit the nail on the head - there’s three leagues really within this league.

“There’s the “Haves” - you know where they are in the league - there’s the “Have a Little Bit” and you know where they all are in the league, around midtable, and there’s the “Have Not’s” and you know where we are in the league so it’s about can we break out of the “Have Not’s” into “Have a Little Bit” and those that “Have a Little Bit” are trying to break into the teams that “Have quite a lot“.

“It’s all about money! Let’s not kid ourselves. If I had a wage bill of 500-800 pound a week, I could get players in who have played at this level, have got the experience, could make a massive difference to our team, but the trouble is they’re playing for other club’s that do pay them.”

Fisher: Daniel Teeley, Tamba Ngongue (George Savage 78), Mark Lewis, Isa Bangura (Marco Bianchi 63), Jimmy Beachamp, Marc Hughes, Dexter Babalola, Simon St Aimie, Steve O’Donnell, Ernest Simon, Luis Rozan (Juan Ramirez 75).

Subs: Dwayne Cowan, Louis Sprosen

Hythe Town: Kieron Mann, Greg Smith, John Walker, Pat Kingwell, Nick Barnes, Ronnie Dolan, Dave Cook, Kieran Byrne (Dan Scorer 86), Craig Thompson, Brendon Cass, Gary Mickelborough (Sam Conlon 83).

Subs: Gavin Ransley, Dan Cook, Ben Humphrey

Goals: Brendon Cass 5, 30

Booked: Craig Thompson 90

Attendance: 105

Referee: Mr Karl May (Gillingham)

Assistants: Mr Mike Ingram (Chatham) & Mr Killian Troy (Lee, London SE12)