Herne Bay 0-3 Faversham Town - I think we will start to get more recognition, says Ray Turner

HERNE BAY  0-3  FAVERSHAM TOWN
Ryman League Division One South
Wednesday 19^th December 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Winch’s Field

FAVERSHAM TOWN boss Ray Turner says his side will now have to handle the pressure of being in fourth-place in the Ryman League Division One South table following their comfortable 3-0 win at local rivals Herne Bay.

The Lilywhites leapfrogged over Crawley Down Gatwick, Sittingbourne and Burgess Hill Town in the table on 32 points from eighteen games, four points behind leaders Maidstone United, who have a couple games in hand.

Faversham Town opened the scoring after only 64 seconds when Kieran Oliver found the far corner and Luke Harvey scored two goals against his former club to take his goalscoring tally to 12 goals for the season.

Turner was pleased with his side’s seventh league win on the road.  Faversham Town’s only league defeat on their travels was their 2-0 loss at Ramsgate back on 21 August.

“I’m delighted with everyone tonight,” said Turner.  “We’ve got a small close nit squad and everyone’s contributing at the moment.

“Our away record is fantastic. I thought we pretty much dominated proceedings from start to finish.  They had little spells but I just think on a very difficult surface the players made really good decisions.  We played in the right areas and we scored three goals and kept a clean sheet against a side we knew we’re going to be difficult.”

Turner is proud with his side’s impressive away record.

“It’s been well documented I want to improve our home form so it’s important we follow up tonight’s result and get another one on Saturday against Tooting, which won’t be easy.

“Our away record has been fantastic.   I’m disappointed that we didn’t get anything out from the Ramsgate game looking back on it but it’s a long time ago now. We’ve moved on and we’ve taken an opportunity tonight. I wanted the boys’ to take an opportunity of getting ourselves in a decent position in the league with no other midweek games going on and that’s what we’ve done.”

Herne Bay boss Simon Halsey is suffering from his first period of struggle in three years’ at the club as this was his side’s seventh game without a win and as a result remain in fifteenth-place in the table, on 23 points from 19 games.

He said: “Of course it is a massive concern.  I’ll take it on the chin.  It’s a learning curve for me and it’s a learning curve for the club and I’ve got to somehow get us out of it.

“I’ve got to go home and mull it over and think about it and go from there. We need to pick up points. We’re at home (to Eastbourne Town) on Saturday if it’s playable but I can’t see it then we go Whitstable away (on Boxing Day) which we play on away pitches so it will suit us.”

Referee Oliver Jackson was happy with the playing surface when he inspected the pitch around 90 minutes before kick-off, but Faversham Town adapted to playing on the muddy pitch better than their hosts.

Halsey admitted his side struggled to play on a poor playing surface.

“It’s not a Herne Bay pitch at all this year.  We hate playing here. We can’t play at home for some strange reason.  Last year it was a fortress and the year before. This year we’re not good at home. We travel away and we’re half decent.  We’re no good at the moment. We’ve got to adapt to it.”

Faversham Town took the lead with only 64 seconds on the clock as they took advantage of Herne Bay’s influential central defender and captain James Campbell pulling up with a hamstring injury in the build-up.

Right-back Aidan Sherlock clipped the ball down the right channel for Harvey to latch on to and after cutting inside the struggling Campbell his low centre wasn’t cleared by Dan Wisker and Oliver stroked his left-footed shot across Dan Eason to find the far corner.

Turner said: “He’s one we’ve had earmarked for a whole now to come through the youth ranks.  It’s always great to have a young player coming through. With Renford (Tenyue) not being available for a few weeks it’s an ideal opportunity to give him a run out in the side.

“I thought you saw tonight what he can do and what he is very good at when he’s in front of goal, he’s very composed. 

“They’ve worked the situation really well between Aidan and Luke.  Luke was immense all night but once Kieran got the ball he didn’t panic, he just slotted the ball nicely. That’s what impressed me most about him.”

Halsey added: “Hard to come back from the first ten minutes really.  One of their many long balls knocked long, Camps has gone for it, he’s hamstrings gone, their players gone away, bang, crossed it, scored! There’s nothing we can do about that!

“The second goal was a foul on Lloydy, they go away and score and we’re 2-0 down and chasing the game after eighteen minutes.

“The third goal we’re chasing the game so I’m not worried about the third goal.”

Stand-in captain Eason was forced to make a fine diving save to thwart Harvey from scoring with a left-footed 20-yard drive after he was put through on goal.

Herne Bay striker Byron Walker, who was playing out wide on the right, cut inside before his left-footed shot on the run deflected past the post after thirteen minutes, before Faversham’s impressive wide-man Oliver raced 40-yards to reach the by-line and his cut back to Toby Ashmore looped over.

Faversham Town doubled their lead after eighteen minutes when Sherlock clipped another ball over the top and Harvey clipped the heels of central defender (substitute) Steven Lloyd, who fell to the ground and Harvey went on to drill a right-footed shot across his former team-mate into the far corner.

Turner said: “We couldn’t have wished for a better start.  We was looking at the pitch before the game and I think the officials’ did a great job, which is worth mentioning, keeping the game going.   Once we got into that position it was a case of being very professional and I think we did that.

“Luke muscled his way in all night and he’s got behind their back line all night and he’s put his foot right behind it and he’s taken his goals really well.”

Herne Bay called visiting keeper Simon Overland into making a comfortable save in the 26^th minute when former VCD Athletic midfielder Billy Bennett struck a speculative right-footed drive from 35-yards, which had the Faversham stopper making a comfortable save low to his right.

Yet another long ball from Sherlock released former Herne Bay winger Dan Lawrence through on goal (capitalising on a mistake from Herne Bay’s left-back Tom Bryant), but he lashed his right-footed drive high into the side netting.

Herne Bay rallied towards the end of the first half.  Sam Bewick – a recent signing from Maidstone United – whipped in a free-kick from the right and Wisker looped his header harmlessly wide.

But their best chance arrived in the 36^th minute when Aaron Millbank – a youngster who made his debut having arrived on loan from League Two side Gillingham – played the ball into Walker’s feet and he cut the ball back for Bewick to crack a first time right-footed drive from 25-yards, which forced Overland to stick out his left hand to push the shot around the post.

“I thought Byron had a good game,” said Halsey.  “I thought Byron got on to the ball, had most of the ball as he has all season. He didn’t have an end product but lots of ball.

“Aaron Millbank came in on loan from Gillingham and looked good, neat and tidy, played the ball well and tried to get himself into the box but we didn’t put anything in there for him.”

Halsey added: “We’re having a lot of the ball and getting into that final third and not creating anything at the moment. It’s a flaw for us at the moment and it’s something that I’ve got to rectify very quickly.”

Bryant should have done better when he met Bewick’s free-kick with a miss-directed header after rising high above the yellow-shirted Faversham defence.

Faversham Town turned defence into a swift counter attack within the opening three minutes of the second half. 

Ashley Brown stole the ball off Walker after the Herne Bay attacker cut inside the penalty area and his long ball over the top released Harvey, who raced forward before playing the ball inside to Lawrence, who laid the ball off to David Botterill, whose first time left-footed drive from 35-yard sailed over.

Faversham Town almost sealed their deserved victory in the 61^st minute when Darren Marsden got his right-footed free-kick from 25-yards up and over the wall and the ball was destined to curl into the top near corner but for Eason’s right hand to push over the crossbar.

Turner said: “Again, he was one of many tonight Marzo.  I thought he contributed to the game on a difficult surface. Some of his close ball control and the way he manipulated the ball, I think he was fantastic in there tonight.

“They all put so much into it. I ended up taking Marzo and Luke off but they contributed fully as did everyone else.”

Another long ball, this time from Harvey, picked out Lawrence out on the right and he cut the ball back to the advancing Sherlock, but his first time shot bounced wide.

Botterill then whipped in a free-kick from the right and Lawrence’s looping shot bounced on top of the crossbar after 65 minutes.

Both keeper’s then made comfortable saves – Overland caught Bryant’s curling free-kick high above his head before Botterill – whose yellow shirt was caked in mud – steered his low left-footed shot from 20-yards into Eason’s gloves at the other end.

Faversham Town went close again when Lawrence played a sublime daisycutter pass to put Marsden through on goal but Lloyd stuck with his man and made a vital block as the shot came in.

But Faversham Town sealed a deserved victory with nine minutes remaining.  Another long ball put Harvey through on goal after winning his second foot race with Lloyd before clinically driving his left-footed shot across Eason to find the bottom far corner.

Turner said: “It’s just a nice touch at the end to get the extra goal. He deserved it and it just secured the victory with nine minutes to go. The boys’ were able to relax a bit more. It was a job well done tonight.”

But Harvey was denied a hat-trick within two minutes when he latched onto a long ball but Eason made a fine block with his legs.

A cut-back from Lawrence presented Faversham substitute Wayne Wilson with a late chance but his hooked shot sailed over.

Herne Bay’s fourth home defeat in nine games is causing concern for the man who guided the club out of the Kent League as champions last season.

Halsey said: “We’re not creating enough chances up top really. We’re not getting strikes on goal and we’re not doing enough.

“We’re playing to feet and the level of defenders we’re coming up against at this level perhaps we just need to start turning them but I haven’t got the players like that and we have to work a way around it.”

Turner hopes the rest of the league will now stand up and take notice of his side.

“I think it’s still very early. I’m just delighted putting the club and Faversham Town on the map in respect of getting in the position we are.  I think we will start to get more recognition and the players will have to deal with the pressure of being a bit higher in the league.

“I’ve insisted all along we’re not pretenders in any way, shape or form and we’ve still got a long way to go but the boys impressed me tonight.”

When asked his thoughts about being dark horses, Turner replied, “Yes, it certainly suits us to just keep ticking along and I think we’re playing well at the moment. We’ve got players in form. We’re just looking forward to playing the next game.”

Herne Bay: Dan Eason, Gary Sayer, Tom Bryant, Calum McGeehan, James Campbell (Steven Lloyd 3), Dan Wisker (Jordan Agbajae 72), Billy Bennett, Sam Bewick, Byron Walker, Aaron Millbank, Rhys Lawson.
Subs: Michael Jenner, Josh Seageant, Dean Grant

Booked: Gary Sayer 18, Tom Bryant 19, Sam Bewick 88

Faversham Town: Simon Overland, Aidan Sherlock, Jamie Maxted, David Botterill, Matthew Bourne, Ashley Brown, Dan Lawrence, Toby Ashmore, Darren Marsden (Wayne Wilson 77), Luke Harvey (Adrian Stone 84), Kieran Oliver (James Peacock 70).
Subs: Aaron Lacy, Dan Ellis

Goals: Kieran Oliver 2, Luke Harvey 18, 81

Booked: David Botterill 40, Jamie Maxted 66, James Peacock 86

Attendance: 202
Referee: Mr Oliver Jackson (Sittingbourne)
Assistants: Mr David Smart (Maidstone) & Mr Stephen Brown (Ashford)