Holmesdale 0-1 Faversham Town - We're punching above our weight, admits Hughes

The Bromley based side needed to win to move to within just one point of Bulmers Cider Kent League leaders Hythe Town, but they were undone by Damian Abel’s clinical 28^th minute finish - his 23^rd goal of the season.

“We looked very nervous and it comes with experience,” Hughes told www.kentishfootball.co.uk  afterwards. “There’s a few of them in there, even though they’ve played at a higher level, a couple of them, I don’t think they’ve been involved in challenging for the league.

“You could see the nerves when they started, we tried to calm them down.” The former number two at Beckenham Town added, “Holmesdale winning the league seems unbelievable! But I would say one thing, if we weren’t where we are this year, it’ll be a poor, boring league!”

Faversham Town, starting the game in fifth place, six points behind the second placed Dalers’, and as a result of tonight's victory climbed up one spot to fourth.

Faversham started the game attacking their hosts, and called goalkeeper Danny Harwood into action inside the opening minute.

Central midfielder Dave Botterill swung in a free-kick from the right, some 35-yards out, and the 35-year-old goalkeeper did well to tip the curling ball over his crossbar.

Holmesdale striker Joel Greaves squandered a hat-full of chances to add to his 22-goals for the season.

His first, after eight minutes, saw him bring Serge Musungu’s cut back down with his chest, before cracking a right-footed volley high over the crossbar.

But Holmesdale should have scored, against the run of play, halfway through the first half.

Musungu, a recent capture from Ryman League Division One South side Leatherhead, looped a cross over the Faversham defence from the left by-line, but Greaves powered a header agonisingly across goal and past the far post when it seemed easier to score from just three yards out.

Holmesdale were to rue that gilt-edged chance, as Faversham scored the 28^th minute winner.

A ball was played over the top of a flat-footed Holmesdale back four and Abel allowed the ball to run across him before the striker unleashed a right-footed angled drive from 20-yards, across Harwood and into the bottom far corner.

Abel should have immediately doubled Faversham’s lead, when he latched onto Dave Soutan’s pass, but after out-muscling his marker, his right-footed lob drifted just past the far post, with Harwood beaten.

Holmesdale almost grabbed an injury time leveller, through the quiet Anthony Morrison.

Recently returned from his spell at Ryman One South Merstham, the left-sided winger cut in from the left and then cracked a right-footed drive from 35-yards, which was destined to fly into the top corner, but Faversham goalkeeper Carl Hodgson stuck out his right arm, whilst diving, to palm the ball around the post.

After play was held up for almost two minutes due to a lack of footballs, Holmesdale almost capitalised on Faversham switching off, as in the 48^th minute, Greaves latched onto a high ball over the top to beat defender Ashley Brown and goalkeeper Hodgson to the ball, but his rolling left-footed shot, from an acute angle, was hacked off the line by Kris Richardson.

Greaves was the fall guy again when he was set up by yet another Musungu cut back from the by-line, but his shot looped agonisingly wide of the near post, at the second attempt, from just eight-yards.

And the striker failed to punish Liam Wybraniec’s poor headed clearance when he brought the ball down with his chest again, and similarly to earlier, skied his shot high out of the ground.

Faversham’s shooting was also poor as Dane Luchford twice blasted high and wide when moves looked promising.

But they had a couple of late chances to increase their lead.

Abel flicked the ball on to his strike partner Craig Thompson who played the ball to an unmarked Chris Oyebanjo at the far post, but the winger’s shot was smothered by the advancing Harwood.

And inside stoppage time, Faversham defender Lee Shearer thumped a clearance up field and Harwood, who was at least 15 yards outside of his box, headed the ball towards the touch-line, but Abel picked up the loose ball and swept a 35-yard shot towards goal, but Harwood recovered to comfortably pluck the ball out of the air at his near post.

Despite ending the game with an attacking formation, Holmesdale couldn’t prevent Faversham stretching their winning run to five games.

“I thought it was a hard game,” admitted Clive Walker, Faversham’s assistant manager, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“Difficult conditions, windy, bouncy pitch, against a very good side actually. Our organisation was first rate. I think we deserved it.”

Hughes, meanwhile, was disappointed with his side’s poor finishing, something that helped towards their sixth league defeat of the season.

“We must have created double figured chances at least,” he complained. “But we miss-fired again in front of goal.

“I don’t think we played well at all if I’m honest but I don’t think they (Faversham) were great. I don’t want to put them down, they’ve come away with three points, fair play to them, but they weren’t great.

“We’ve missed too many opportunities. When you create that many chances in a game, you’ve got to take them.”

Despite sitting in second place, Hughes, meanwhile, has played down his side’s chances of clinching the title - it wasn’t their objective at the start of the season.

“We never spoke about winning the league title,” he said. “If it weren’t for Holmesdale this year I’d think it would be pretty boring.

“We’ve been up there and we’ve been punching above our weight for a long time now and fair enough, the Hythe’s, sorry the VCD’s and Herne Bay’s have come up and made it a bit interesting, otherwise Hythe would’ve walked away with it months ago.”

Walker, who, in recent years has managed at Dover Athletic and Ashford Town, says he is enjoying being involved at Kent League level.

“If our home record over recent months would have been a bit better, we would’ve been really in there with a chance to be honest,” he said.

“We had a spell where we lost a couple of players who were vital to us. We’ve now set them up on a better formation, I think it’s put us in good stead, we’ve won our last five games.”

Reflecting on the standard of Kent League football, Walker added, “It’s been alright, no problem, no problem with me. I’ve enjoyed it.

“Some of the teams are a good standard, better standard than I thought it was, some of it.”

When asked whether he was looking at returning to a higher level of football, he added, “I’m just doing what I’m doing at this present time. I’ll see what happens.”

Holmesdale, meanwhile, are in talks with Greenwich Borough about a groundshare deal at Oakley Road for next season - more on this later.

Holmesdale: Danny Harwood, Christos Nicoli, Roland Duo, Frank Bunani, Tom McQuade (Ben Chick 84), Paul Springett (Jason Thompson 77), Daniel Westerman (James Dadson 58), Paul Semakula, Joel Greaves, Serge Musungu, Anthony Morrison.
Subs: Charlie Corneille, Russell Bedford.

Faversham Town: Carl Hodgson, Liam Wybraniec, Kris Richardson, Dave Botterill, Ashley Brown, Lee Shearer, Dane Luchford, Damian Abel, Craig Thompson, Dave Soutan, Chris Oyebanjo.
Subs: Sam Parter, Ray Turner, Craig Preston, Rob Hudson.

Goal: Damian Abel 28

Attendance:  52
Referee: Mr Martin Peck (West Malling)
Assistants: Mr Mark Heads (Bearsted) & Mr Peter Ward (Sevenoaks)