Glebe 3-0 Deal Town - It's a great achievement to get through to the next round, says Glebe boss Ben Young

Glebe 3 – 0 Deal Town
Location	Foxbury Avenue, off Perry Street, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 6SD
Kickoff	22/08/2017 19:45

GLEBE  3-0  DEAL TOWN
The Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round Replay
Tuesday 22^nd August 2017
Stephen McCartney reports from Foxbury Avenue

GLEBE manager Ben Young says winning their second FA Cup tie is a massing thing for the club.

The Chislehurst based club will travel to Combined Counties League Premier Division side Banstead Athletic in the first qualifying round on 2 September after this flattering 3-0 win over Deal Town at Foxbury Avenue.

Three of Glebe’s strikers got on the scoresheet. Adam Marsh opened the scoring inside the opening 24 minutes, before Bryan Zepo and substitute Fred Obasa notched in the second half.

“We went down there Saturday to play a very good Deal side, organised, we were lucky to get it back to 2-all in the end. We probably could’ve nicked it but we had to go back to today so I’m pleased with the attitude and performance from them all,” said Young.

Deal Town assistant manager Steve King, admitted his side blow their big chance to progress on the Kent coast at the weekend.

“Very disappointed!  Fair play to Glebe, they played well and they’ve taken their chances but I don’t think it was a 3-0 game,” said King.

“We’ve chased it in the last 10-15 minutes and they’ve hit us on the counter. I think they got their goals at important times.  I think the second one we were probably getting on top of the game at that point and if we had brought it back to one-all we probably looked a little bit fitter and stronger and may have gone on to win it but they’ve got dangerous forward players and the boy who took the second goal, took it well.

“From 2-0 it’s a mountain to climb. We still had chances, I thought and if we got it back to 2-1, we hit the post and a couple of others where we should’ve hit the target, you just never know.

“But fair play to them, they came back well on Saturday when we should’ve had the game won at half-time. Ben’s done a decent job getting them set-up for tonight. They’re probably deserved winners whereas tonight I couldn’t fault our boys in terms of application and effort. I just think it was just a little bit of quality.

“I think we did switch off at half-time on Saturday. We were 2-0 up and Glebe were coming off their result at Beckenham last week. We certainly weren’t stressed in the dressing room but I think sub-consciously on Saturday maybe a couple thought it was done and we got stung there. That’s ultimately why we’re here tonight and why we’ve ended up going out. It was more Saturday then it was probably tonight.”

Glebe opened their campaign with a 1-0 home win over Lordswood in the extra preliminary round, before they suffered league defeats to Whitstable Town (1-3) and Beckenham Town, which puts them at the foot of the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division table at this early stage after winning the First Division title last season.

Deal Town, meanwhile, needed two games to get past their league rivals Corinthian (2-2, then 4-1) in The FA Cup, before losing 2-1 to Crowborough Athletic in Maidstone, before being held to a goal-less draw at home to Sheppey United in the League.

Deal Town were 2-0 up at the break on Saturday, before Glebe fought-back in the second half to have a second bite of the cherry and they claimed a morale boosting victory going into the Bank Holiday weekend.

A crowd of 136 witnessed a game where both teams played direct football and got the ball from back to front as quickly as possible.

Deal Town started with three centre halves, two wing-backs, three in midfield and two up front, but Derek Hares side changed to 4-4-2 and then 4-2-4 in the second half as they pushed players forward but they found the Glebe back line well marshalled by captain Steve Springett and Tolulope Jonah.

Deal Town were a threat from set-pieces and Dan Adams swept in a free-kick from the left but Kane Smith came up from the back to send his downward header wide after only 37 seconds.

Glebe called visiting keeper James Tonkin into action inside the opening 10 minutes.

Midfielder Malik Ouani, who was soon to be withdrawn through a hamstring strain, went on the outside of Lee Scott, who poked his clearance short to Glebe right-back James Sutherland, whose cross was headed out to left-back Jeffrey Allen, who took a touch before drilling his right-footed shot towards goal from 25-yards, which was palmed over by the keeper.

Young said: “Again, a good move. We ask our full-backs to get up and play into our front three and they got a cross over and done well.  We followed it in, had a good shot and a good save from the keeper.”

King added: “James is only a young goalkeeper, he’s only 19.  He did well for us in the pre-season friendly against Margate. He’s a good goalkeeper and he made two or three good saves in the end as well at 2-0 to keep us in it as well. Yes, it was a good save.”

Walsh launched 12 long throws into the Glebe penalty area on the night, Sam Wilson’s near post header skimmed off his head and sailed past the near post.

King said: “To be fair, we nearly scored off the first one and we maybe over-used it a little bit after that but I think once you get a bit of joy early, you keep going for it.  They defended it pretty well and when it did bounce in and around the box it just never seemed to fall to one of our guys.  We do score a fair amount of goals off it but it weren’t to be tonight.”

Glebe went route-one when they took the lead with 23 minutes and 50 seconds on the clock.

Goalkeeper Dean Nash launched a big kick straight down the middle of the pitch.  Zepo jumped up with Scott and Glebe got the lucky break as Marsh cracked his volley over the keeper’s left-shoulder to find the top right-hand corner.

Young said: “A great goal!  That’s something that we talked about. We’ve got to compete to get the second balls and Bryan’s won a great leap. We talked about anticipation, Marsh has anticipated and took a great left-foot volley and drilled it in so I can’t grumble with that, very happy.”

King added: “I think it was a bit unlucky because I think Lee Scott actually won the header originally for us and it hit their lad on the back of the head and popped in but we’ve got to react!

“When the balls dropped we haven’t got around it. It was a good finish from their lad.  He’s been around a long time Adam and he took it well but obviously disappointing from our point of view because they’ve had five corners early but they never really got in behind or tested us a huge amounts so it was a bit of a blow really.”

Walsh drilled in a free-kick out on the right in midfield and Smith came up from the back again to plant his free-header over the Glebe crossbar from 12-yards, much to King’s frustration.

“If the keeper’s tipping out a top corner and putting it over the bar you’ll say fair enough but we’ve got to hit targets. It was a great ball in and Kane’s good in the air.  He’s had three tonight and he hasn’t hit the target with any of them and I know he’ll be really disappointed with that.  At this level it’s those margins, those fine margins that turn these games.

The Glebe manager added: “We know they’re capable of causing trouble and we know what they can do.  We can’t afford to switch off in this league as you can see from our previous results.

“It’s from our laziness, switching off and not organising quickly and then dealing with it, being there for the second balls and that’s something that we’ve got to improve on for the season.”

Smith, who was keen to punt 60-yard balls upfield at every given opportunity, then steered his header into the side netting after meeting Stephen O’Brien’s corner from the right, as Deal Town finished the first half on the front foot, having won the first five of their nine corners in the final four minutes of the first half.

“We wanted to press the ball, we knew we went very direct in the first half, not meaning to. We’ve got Sam Wilson up front who likes to get in behind but we just said put a foot on it,” said King.

“I think until we went 2-0 down we got our feet on it and we started playing out from the back a little bit and started causing them problems and we just wanted them to go and do that.”

Wilson’s flicked pass played in Ryan Philpott, who released Adams, who cut in after riding Jonah’s strong challenge, but his weak shot lacked conviction and was picked up by Nash.

At half-time, Young said: “We had a good chat, we said make sure we kept the pressure on second balls, make sure we kept turning and when we get on the ball can we play in the final third? That was what we were looking to do second half.  I said be confident, we’re on the front foot and that’s what we’re looking to do, take the game to them!”

King added: “We really stressed the importance of getting the next goal. When it went 2-0 down we started changing it and it turned into a Cup tie really rather than being a little bit more patient, which in hindsight I don’t know, it’s difficult.   If you don’t give it a go, everyone says ‘why didn’t you give it a go?’

“We stuck bodies forward and we got the ball to them but it just didn’t drop for us.”

Deal Town started the second half on the front foot and right wing-back Liam Hark advanced in the final third to play the ball inside to Miller, who dragged his shot past the far post from 22-yards.

Glebe’s finishing on the main was poor but they doubled their lead against-the-run-of-play with seven minutes and 48 seconds on the clock.

Substitute midfielder Harry Harding found himself in the final third down the left and cut the ball back to Allen, who swept in a cross into the penalty area from the left-wing.  Zepo chested the ball, controlled it, turned Scott to make space before stroking his right-footed drive past Tonkin from 16-yards.

Young said: “Bryan is a lad that we’ve brought in. We know he’s got all the ability in the world but we’re just trying to get him to do simple things. It was a very good turn and the finish, so he got away with that!

“Two-nil, it could go either way! We have got mistakes in us at times and we are trying to iron them out as quickly as we can.  It’s fine margins in this league and if you give another team a sniff, they can get in there.  The boys defended well and dug-in.”

King added: “From their point of view they’ll say good touch, good turn and good finish. From our point of view when Zepo’s facing away from goal and we are marking him, Lee’s done brilliant for us to be fair but he’s just got a little bit too tight. He rolled him and it was a good finish so from their point of view they’ll take it as a good goal but let’s be fair to the boy, we didn’t hit the target in those situations and he has but defensively Lee could’ve been a little bit better, I think.”

Deal Town went agonisingly close to pulling a goal back within a couple of minutes when Walsh looked up in the dark sky in despair after curling his free-kick just past the near post from 25-yards.

King said: “He’s excellent on those free-kicks, Charlie.  If we had got that one that and got straight back into it, it would’ve given us a long time. We know what’s it like having a 2-0 lead and how it can be difficult and having spoken to Ben at the end of the game they were a bit worried, even at 2-0.  If we nicked it to 2-1, it’s a different situation but side netting, about two yards out being in the top corner, the keeper’s nowhere near it!”

Marsh swung in a deep corner on the hour-mark from the right which was met by Zepo’s header at the far post, which he steered wide.

Walsh, who by this time was playing in a holding midfielder role, called Nash into making a fine save inside the final 17 minutes.

Springett made the foul and almost paid the ultimate price as Walsh got his right-footed free-kick over the wall from 25-yards, the ball was curling towards the far post and Nash dived to his left to tip the ball onto the far post and Glebe got their lucky break at a vital time in the game.

King said: “We need it to go in, didn’t we?  If it goes in we’ve got 15 minutes to go at them, they were still being a threat on the counter so I’m not saying we would’ve got back in it but I think they would’ve started dropping deeper and deeper and we could’ve put a lot of pressure on.

“But fair play to the keeper, that’s what their there to do. He’s tipped it onto the post.  If it goes in, we fancy it but it didn’t.”

Young added: “A great save from Nashy, a great free-kick as well.  He had a sighter earlier as well and it just went side so it’s a dangerous area. Dean Nash is a great keeper, great save so I can’t grumble.”

Deal Town pressed bodies forward and produced a sweeping move which resulted in Wilson teeing up Hark, who lashed his shot over the bar when he was in acres of space on the right-hand side of the Glebe box.

Deal keeper Tonkin pulled off a fine diving save to his right to prevent Harding planting his header past him after meeting Allen’s superb cross from the left.

“We were hitting them on the break and it was a great delivery, their keeper’s made a fantastic save!  If that goes in, it just gives us a little bit of a resting bite as well. A great save from H and a great header,” said Young.

King added: “Good save!  He set himself well. We needed it at that time. At 2-0 we’ve got to try to save everything and we knew at that point we basically went 4-2-4. We were leaving four players up the pitch, they were always going to get chances, you have to accept that and James did well.”

Deal Town missed a glorious chance to grab a goal inside the final 10 minutes.

Miller swung in their eighth corner of the night and Smith planted his free-header over the crossbar from six-yards.

Right-back Sutherland got in behind the Deal defence to cut the ball back to Zepo who set up Gunner, who shot straight at Tonkin as Glebe created chances to kill the game off.

“Everyone was going for it and that’s what you expect from The FA Cup,” said Young.

“You don’t expect either team to give up, that’s the thing.  If we made a slip up, 2-1, we’re back in it.  Personally, I thought we had chances to put it to bed and we didn’t take them!”

Glebe were dangerous on the counter-attack.  Obasa rode Hark’s sliding challenge down the left and then put Zepo through on goal but Tonkin came off his line to make a vital block.

Young said he wants his strikers to be more clinical in those situations.

“That’s the difference, if the game is 0-0, we need to put one of them away. We’ve got to be more clinical.  We can’t from what I see people’s (lacking composure on) the ball, step up and put it in the back of the net!

Tonkin then charging out of his penalty area but failed to stop Sutherland in his tracks and the full-back’s attempted chip was blocked by the visiting keeper, but Harding played as pass inside to Gunner, who teed up Obasa to drill his left-footed shot into the top left-hand corner, despite Tonkin’s attempt to block the shot with his outstretched right-hand, as Glebe scored their flattering third goal one minute and 36 seconds into time added on.

“Deal were going for it as well so we knew it was late on but we knew we should’ve finished it off before that and then fortunately we got us the third, just to give us a little bit of a rest so good move, good following up and a good finish from Fred,” added Young.

King was silenced at that point during the game after barking out instructions for the whole game as he stood alongside Hares in the technical area.

King said: “At 2-0, 10 minutes left in the FA Cup, you might as well lose three or four-nil and have a real good go.  Goal-difference is not important so I’m not going to have a go at the boys for that.  I think anyone at the same will say ‘we did have a go’.  We didn’t go 2-0 down and rolled over. We kept going and that’s what you’ve got to do in The FA Cup.”

Without a win in the League, Glebe’s two victories have come in The FA Cup, which has banked them £3,475 in prize money, while Deal’s exit has given them a £1,500 cash boost.

Young said: “It’s a massive thing for the club, we’re on the up! We’re looking to improve game by game and for the club it’s a great achievement to go through to the next round so they’re happy and I’m happy.”

Young takes his side to face Erith Town (at Oakwood, Crayford) on Friday night (19:45) and host Cray Valley on Bank Holiday Monday (15:00).

Young said: “I’d rather have the wins in the League. It is fine margins in this league. Fortunately, enough we’ve had a lucky Cup run but we need to put that that right in the league.  We’ve got some very, very tough games coming up over the weekend, Friday and Monday. Every game we play, none of them are easy and you’ve have to be in for a battle so that’s something we need to turn our attentions to, in the league.

Erith Town are managed by the man that won Glebe the First Division title last season, Adam Woodward, and the Dockers side are made up with lots of former Glebe men.

“Erith are a good club, we know a lot of people there and I’m looking forward to it. It’s a little bit tougher for them because they’ve got to play Whyteleafe in their FA Cup replay on Wednesday and it’s a bit silly in my eyes because it’s a bit of an unfair advantage but we’ve just got to get focused now because everyone worked their nuts off, so it’s time to recover and switch on for Friday.

“It’s a great achievement that we’ve got into the next round. We’ll give it our all and I’m enjoying it but now we’ve got to switch my head to Erith Town.”

Deal Town, meanwhile, host leaders Beckenham Town on Saturday, while tenants Canterbury City have home advantage at the Charles Sports Ground on Monday afternoon (both kicking off at 15:00).

“Tonight has been a bit of a kick in the teeth and now we’ve got two big games at the weekend,” said King.

“We’ve got Beckenham on Saturday, they’ve started on fire. I went to watch their game last week when they beat Glebe and then we’ve got (second-placed) Canterbury on Monday. It’s a big local derby away but obviously it’s a home game effectively. They’re two sides that have won their games so far but at this level, I think especially now, it’s getting stronger and stronger.  I don’t think you can look at any fixture and say we should turn up and win that one.”

Glebe: Dean Nash, James Sutherland, Jeffrey Allen, Romeo Ugbene, Tolulope Jonah, Steve Springett, Jonny Murray (Fred Obasa 71), Daniel Gunner, Adam Marsh (Tom Hammond 81), Malik Ouani (Harry Harding 18), Bryan Zepo.
Subs: Joe Hill, Jamie Wood, Sean Heather

Goals: Adam Marsh 24, Bryan Zepo 53, Fred Obasa 90

Deal Town: James Tonkin, Liam Hark, Stephen O’Brien, Luke Bigginton, Kane Smith, Lee Scott, Charlie Walsh, Andy Miller, Ryan Philpott (Connor Coyne 60), Sam Wilson, Dan Adams (Harry Alexander 56).
Subs: Kristian Gregory, Kyran Connolly, Amir Zereiqi, Stefan Lawrance

Booked: Luke Bigginton 72

Attendance: 136
Referee: Mr Rhys Battye (Grays, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Mark Edwards (Sutton, Surrey) & Mr Jide Ogunba (Tottenham, London N17)

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