Herne Bay 2-0 Ashford United - It was like we were waiting for them to score and then we wanted to get in the car and quickly get home and we never gave them a fight and I can only apologise, says Ashford United assistant manager Alex O'Brien

Herne Bay 2 – 0 Ashford United
Location	WW Martin Community Stadium, Prices Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 0AN
Kickoff	18/09/2022 15:00

HERNE BAY  2-0  ASHFORD UNITED
The Emirates FA Cup Second Qualifying Round
Sunday 18 September 2022
Stephen McCartney reports from Prices Avenue

ASHFORD UNITED assistant manager Alex O’Brien has apologised for the manner that his side crashed out of The FA Cup to the side that cost them promotion at the end of last season.

Just like the Isthmian League South East Division Play-Off Final on 30 April 2022, two second half goals saw Herne Bay claim the victory, as this time they progressed through to the Third Qualifying Round for the first time in five years.

Left-winger Kieron Campbell and left-back Jack Parter scored the goals for a dominant Herne Bay side during the second half, as Herne Bay bounced back from their sorry 4-0 thrashing at neighbours Margate in midweek.

Herne Bay went into their last home game in Ramsgate sitting second-from-bottom in the Isthmian League Premier Division with four points from six games - and they pulled off a morale-boosting 2-1 win against Horsham in the last round.

Ashford United arrived here in fifth-place in the Isthmian League South East Division table with seven points from four games and this was the current club’s longest run in The FA Cup.

Tommy Warrilow’s side have beaten Sutton Athletic (2-1) and Hanworth Villa (2-1) to reach this stage but offered very little during the second half and put in a disappointing performance after the interval.

The Nuts & Bolts arrived on the Kent coast on a three match unbeaten run and last time out they needed penalties (5-4) to beat AFC Sudbury at home after The FA Trophy First Qualifying Round tie finished 3-3 after 90 minutes.

Herne Bay manager Ben Smith said: “It was a scrappy first half and then I think that’s the hangover from (the 4-0 defeat at Margate) Tuesday night and lacking a bit of confidence.  I think it knocked a bit of stuffing out of us.  I thought we were very good in the second half.

“I wanted a reaction from Margate.  It’s a long old season with a lot of games. You can’t think about one performance but you could tell there was a hangover from that.

“The fact that we haven’t been able to train with the pitch works and getting a facility to train over the last nine days.  You can tell that’s had an impact on us.  I wouldn’t have used that as an excuse after Margate.  Our (artificial) pitch is done now, so we’ll be training twice a week at home and get some real consistency on what we’re doing.”

O’Brien said: “Do you know what, at half-time I was really positive. We were really positive. We thought we’ve done alright. We’ve battled in the first half, we wanted us to get at them more in the second half and roll reversal they got at us, they kept the ball well, they worked harder.

“They pretty much, if I’m honest, taught us a lesson in the second half.  They’re a fantastic side, good players. We just didn’t match them and the frustrating thing for me is it’s a one-off game, it’s The FA Cup – give everything you’ve got! Forget what’s going on next week.

“Today we needed to work header than that in the second half and we didn’t and that’s the biggest disappointment for me and for Tom and the players.  I’m sure they’ll be getting in their cars gutted they couldn’t have done a little bit more.

“I’m sorry for all of the people that came and watched because the first half we had done alright. We huffed and puffed and we got in and around them.  Second half, we let them do whatever they wanted and they done it well.  We never really gave it a go in the second half and it’s hugely disappointing.”

Ashford United started the game on the front foot, creating a couple of half-chances inside the opening four minutes.

Former Corinthian centre-half Ryan Sawyer hit a long ball towards the edge of the Herne Bay box for returning striker Luke Burdon to nip in front of Lexus Beeden only to hit his first time drive sailing over the top of the near post from the corner of the area after 96 seconds.

Ashford United’s right-back Bradley Simms (who threw the ball into the box on eight occasions) hit a long diagonal over the head of Herne Bay’s right-back Keano Robinson and Charlie Dickens cut the ball into the area where striker George Nikaj swept his first time shot over the crossbar at the near post.

“We caused problems, we caused their back-line a little bit of a problem.  We started well. We were quite good on the ball,” said O’Brien.

“We had half-chances and it put them on the back foot a little bit but with them we know if you give the ball away, they’re going to get up the pitch within three or four seconds they are in and around the penalty area and they caught us in the first half a couple of times and we dealt with it.”

Herne Bay played out from the back and the first 35 minutes was played at a frenetic pace with both sides guilty of treating the yellow football like a hot potato and giving possession away both swiftly and often.

Smith said: “I’m not going to say we stooped to their level because that’s disrespectful but I think we played their style of football if that makes sense?

“We matched what they were doing, which to be honest with you, matching other teams styles we’re going to come off second best.

“We did have chances. We did have some good chances.  There were a few passages where we looked very good and we cut them open but it wasn’t sustained enough for my liking. It was too inconsistent.”

O’Brien added: “It was a little bit like the Play-Off Final if I’m honest.  We’ve been here before. I’m sure anyone who saw that or were involved in that, it was the same thing.  It was hot potato. We had it and gave it to them, they had it and gave it to us. It was end-to-end and then unfortunately we couldn’t capitalise on any of it.”

This period produced very poor quality football but Herne Bay produced the first real chance in the 24^th minute.

Parter and the always impressive attacking midfielder Michael West linked up inside the Ashford final third and Campbell’s low right-footed drilled shot from 22-yards should have been gobbled up by goalkeeper Jacob Russell, while diving to his left.

However, the former Ramsgate goalkeeper allowed the ball to go underneath him but he recovered just in time and pounced on the ball just before it trickled over the line with Sawyer and West in close attendance.

“You just want someone to react and someone to go and get a tap-in there really but not to be,” added Smith.

O’Brien added: “We thought ‘cor, a bit of luck,’ I thought it was a good save in the end.

“But listen, Westy and Campbell would walk into any side and if you’re going to let them have shots then you’re doing to need a decent keeper to save it and luckily Jacob for us is the best goalkeeper in the league and he was tested today and he done well.

“He comes away from it being an eight or nine out of 10 week-in-week-out.”

The game started to liven up going into the final 15 minutes of a poor first half.

Ashford United took 33 minutes to create their first opening when Nikaj helped the ball on for Burdon to unleash a stinging right-footed drive towards the centre of the goal from 22-yards, which was beaten away at head height by Herne Bay goalkeeper Jordan Perrin.

O’Brien said: “Luke done ok. Luke’s a good player. He is a good player and I think today he found it difficult but you are playing against Isthmian Premier League players but we needed a player and Luke was brilliant. He turned up and got on with it. He's still signed to us, which is great and it would’ve been brilliant for him to get a goal, that would’ve been amazing.

“Like I said, we huffed and puffed, worked hard.  I just think their back line today, they showed their quality, they showed why they’re in a league above.”

Smith added: “I expect Jordan to deal with that, it was straight at him, so I expect him to deal with that but they were certainly a threat going forward in the first half.”

Russell was called into action within three minutes as Herne Bay produced a well-worked attacking move.

West skipped past Mamadou Diallo in midfield and fed Kymani Thomas, who cut inside before slipping the ball to Hamilton Antonio, who laid the ball off for Thomas, whose left-footed rasping drive was heading towards the roof of the net, only for Russell to push the ball over with his outstretched right arm.

Sawyer kept Campbell in his pocket whenever Simms was pushed up more as a right wing-back rather than a full-back.

Smith said: “I thought today it was a rare occasion was where our joy was coming down the right hand side of the pitch (rather than Campbell down the left).

“Kymani Thomas, at 18, put a very good performance in, very lively and very difficult to play against.”

Ashford United went close to grabbing the lead and smashing the deadlock just 50 seconds later.

Mamado released Burdon on a counter-attack and the ball was worked to Nikaj, whose low left-footed drive from 22-yards flashed just past the foot of the right-hand post.

“George hit it early, normally we ask him to get him nice and composed but that caught them and that was a chance for us because that was from their corner.  Another day that goes in and it’s brilliant and we go again. It was just unfortunate that it went wide,” added O’Brien.

Herne Bay finished the first half on the front foot and created a couple of goalscoring chances and were once again thwarted by Russell.

Thomas’ driving run was ended by a challenge from Diallo and West was faced with a three man wall poisoned just outside the D and his drilled right-footed free-kick was beaten away by Russell, low to his left.

West played the ball out to Robinson, who was some 35-yards from goal and he cut inside towards the edge of the Ashford United box.

The ball clipped Antonio’s heel before he recovered a split open the defence and played a 10-yard through ball to put Thomas in on goal but Russell rushed off his line and smothered the ball in a one-v-one situation.

Smith said: “We started getting a bit more joy. I thought a lot of our good stuff came from Thomas in the first half and Westy, he was opening them up.  We did not quite have that confidence in the final third to go and get a goal.”

When asked what was lacking from his side during the first 35 minutes, Smith replied: “I just think a little bit of belief to be honest.  We had it sucked out of us.  We’ve been playing well, Tuesday aside, we’ve just lacked that real cutting edge to believe that we’re going to go and hurt someone.

“It was just a case of playing our game. We don’t need to change our style of football. Our style of football is our style of football. Just play with our identity.  I didn’t say an awful lot to be honest.

“Second half we came out and we looked a league above.”

When asked what was discussed within the away dressing room, O’Brien admitted, “Well, it didn’t work! It didn’t work!

“We just got them in and told them their work-rate off the ball needed to be better because Herne Bay’s movement was growing into the game.

“We told them just stop giving the ball away, to work harder, to try to create in front of their goal and if I’m honest, we didn’t do any of that second half!

“What we were telling them at half-time, it didn’t happen second half. It’s really frustrating because there’s been games where we’ve done really well for one half and then we were poor second half. I want to get us out of that routine because it happened again today.

“I thought we done alright first half, I thought we coped and second half we just didn’t turn up so it was a bit of a worry.”

Ashford United’s left-back Dickens put his body on the line to block Antonio’s drilled shot and after receiving treatment, his game ended after 50 minutes and the first Herne Bay goal came down the Ashford left.

O’Brien revealed:  “He cracked his hand (against Hanworth Villa) and he thought he broke it. He had an X-Ray saying it wasn’t broken but there’s still something not right with his hand. 

“He had a challenge in the first half that bent it back and then second half he was charging down a shot and it just hit it again and he was just in a lot of pain and we just thought ‘enough’s enough’.  I don’t think he wanted to come off but the boy’s in a lot of pain.” 

Herne Bay smashed the stalemate by taking a deserved lead with seven minutes and 19 seconds on the clock.

Robinson threw the ball to West, who played in a low cross from within the right channel for Thomas, whose shot was blocked by the impressive Russell, low to his right and a composed Campbell placed his left-footed shot into the bottom far corner from 12-yards to score his second goal of the campaign.

Smith said: “Really well-worked goal. We did say to the players was to have a bit more composure. It was 100 mile per hour in the first half. We were literally mirroring what they were doing and I said, ‘go out and have some composure on the ball.  You’ve got more time than you think on it.’

“The experience of West, most players would’ve crossed that first time.  He skips around the guy on the outside and he picks out the man.

“It was probably Kieron’s quietest game for us but he was still a threat and still an influence.

“Teams have to have a plan for him and he takes other players out so I’m really happy.  I know he scored the goal but really happy he can have a quietest-ish game for his standards and still get on the scoresheet.

“If he scores, often it’s got to be a worldie so we want him in double figures this year and he’s on his way to do that.”

O’Brien added: “We were sloppy from the throw on. We lost the runner, he came short, popped it in behind, carried on with his run. They’ve had a shot and the first one to react is a Herne Bay player.  Again, frustration, we could’ve maybe dealt with it better on the dead ball 40-yards further up the pitch but we didn’t. We allowed it and we didn’t react to the goalkeeper save.”

They went close to doubling their lead, courtesy of their talisman striker Zak Ansah, who had a quiet game.

Campbell played the ball out to Parter, who made a run into the channel and his low cross was controlled by Ansah and with his second touch, hit a left-footed drive screaming just over the crossbar from 15-yards.

Smith said: “Second half, we started playing well and Zak was starting to get a bit more space.  There’s a few runs he made that we’re quite picked out, which was frustrating for Zak but he occupied two centre-halves today.  He didn’t win everything in the air etc.”

Herne Bay sealed the deal by notching their second goal with 22 minutes and 26 seconds on the clock.

Parter and Campbell once again linked up well down the left before the ball was worked into Ansah inside the box and he laid the ball off for Parter, whose right-footed angled drive took a deflection and nestled past the flat-footed goalkeeper inside the bottom near corner.

“Really good attacking play, quick passing football and a good finish from Parts,” said Smith.

“It was just a case of seeing the game out, which I thought we did. We were excellent seeing it out and kept possession and made them chase it and when they were chasing it, the gaps were just opening up.”

O’Brien added: “it looked like it caught Jacob unawares.  We’ve been in games where it deflects and goes the other side of the post and unfortunately today it wrong-footed Jacob.”

O’Brien was clearly upset that his side offered nothing in response, as Herne Bay created further chances during a dominant second half performance.

This was very unlike Ashford United and not something you expect from a side put out by Warrilow and O’Brien.

O’Brien said: “I’ve told them, it’s not like I’m talking behind their back, it was like we were waiting for them to score and then we wanted to get in the car and quickly get home and then worry about Wednesday.

“We never gave them a fight and that worried us and that’s not us, that’s definitely not me and Tom. Most people who have played against our teams know we’re going to give it our all so the second half I can only again apologise and just hope we get a reaction on Wednesday.”

Herne Bay substitute Mason Henry-Saunders skipped past Sawyer on the halfway line and broke away down the right before finding an unmarked substitute striker Marcel Barrington inside the box and his flick was comfortably gathered by Russell.

Ashford United were awarded a free-kick 30-yards from the Herne Bay goal where Adem Ramadan put in a quality delivery with his right-foot into the corridor of uncertainty and none of his team-mates gambled and the ball bounced once and was comfortably gathered by Perrin.

O’Brien sald: “You know your football and you know players aren’t really fighting to go in to the area.  I can’t keep saying it because one thing that we do is work hard and we didn’t in the second half.  We didn’t do enough work on the ball or off the ball and that ain’t us.”

Barrington cut into the penalty area on a 20-yard run and was to be denied by Russell’s legs in a one-v-one-situation as Russell kept his side in the game going into the final 10 minutes.

“Marcel got in a great position. We said to him many times use his left-foot and many times he’s cutting back. I love the fact that he went with his left, hit it well and the keeper’s had to save it, so that was good.

“To bring in Marcel in a game like that when it’s stretched and open is a really good sign of our strength-in-depth,” added Smith.

O’Brien said: “We’re chasing the game, they caught us in behind and he’ll probably be gutted that he didn’t score but we’re really lucky to have Jacob. He’s kept us in games, he’s made fantastic saves and he just gets on with it.”

Ashford United’s two wingers, Diallo and Stephen Okoh offered nothing in attack and their supply into strikers Burdon and Nikaj was woeful.

Diallo did play a short pass in from the left touchline into Burdon, whose right-footed speculative drive from 35-yards was comfortably caught in Perrin’s midriff.

Herne Bay created the final chance when Ramadan got back to help out in the left-back position and gave the ball away to Henry-Saunders and substitute right-winger Rory Smith’s left-footed drive flashed just past the foot of the near post.

Smith was delighted with his side’s first clean sheet of the season (eight games).

“Definitely, especially after when you go and concede four, you want a clean sheet in the next game don’t you?

“We defended properly today and I thought the boys at the back deserved that.  There’s been games this year where we’ve played really well and conceded late on and it’s been not really the back four’s fault.  They deserve a bit more so I’m pleased for them that they got a clean sheet and hopefully that continues.”

Looking ahead to The FA Cup Third Qualifying Round for the first time since Herne Bay lost 2-0 at Margate under John Embery and Jermaine Darlington (now managing Faversham Town), Smith said: “We’ll see who we’ll get and we’ll judge it from there really.  The FA Cup means everything to the supporters and I want all of the players to experience it, experience the journey.

“I said at the start of the season that since I’ve been here we ain’t had a Cup run.  I’ve had good Cup runs in the past (leading Canterbury City to The FA Vase Semi-Finals), come here and we’ve not had a Cup run so it was really good to get a Cup run for the fans really more than anything. It will be nice to have a televised game.”

Both sides are back in league action in midweek.

Herne Bay are expected to play third-placed Hornchurch back at home at Winch’s Field on Tuesday night.  The club are just waiting for their new pitch to be signed off by the contractors and the Isthmian League to give the go-ahead and that is expected to be finalised either tomorrow or Tuesday morning.

O’Brien, meanwhile, demands a reaction when Ashford United travel to second-from-bottom Corinthian on Wednesday night.

Corinthian may have just the single point to their name but Michael Golding will have his side up for it, especially at Gay Dawn Farm.

“We’ve said if you think you’re going to go there and just sort of swan around and think you can just pass the ball and it will be nice, that’s not the place to go,” warned O’Brien.

“Corinthian is a tough, tough side.  I think they’ve lost 13 players from last season but they’ve still got another side that will compete so they’re doing a great job down there just getting players out and working.

“If you think you can turn up there and get on with it without working, there’s something wrong with you! So we just got to hope on Wednesday night, like Herne Bay got today, a reaction from their players and hopefully we’ll be able to get another win under our belts.”

Herne Bay: Jordan Perrin, Keano Robinson, Jack Parter, Bode Anidugbe, Daniel Johnson, Lexus Beeden, Kieron Campbell (Mason Henry-Saunders 73), Hamilton Antonio, Zak Ansah (Marcel Barrington 73), Michael West, Kymani Thomas (Rory Smith 83).
Subs: Laurence Harvey, Chris Edwards, Monty Saunders, Hassan Jalloh

Goals: Kieron Campbell 53, Jack Parter 68

Booked: Jack Parter 65

Ashford United: Jacob Russell, Bradley Simms, Charlie Dickens (Louis Yamfam 50), Josh Wisson (Robert Saunders 69), Liam Friend, Ryan Sawyer, Mamadou Diallo, Adem Ramadan, Luke Burdon, George Nikaj, Stephen Okoh (Lauric Diakiesse 69).
Subs: Sam Hignett, Clark Woodcock, Gus Barnes, Fynley Rutherford

Booked: Mamadou Diallo 42, Josh Wisson 47, Luke Burdon 87, Adem Ramadan 88

Attendance: 270
Referee: Mr Daniel D’Urso
Assistants: Mr Piotr Zachwieja & Mr Max Edwards