Holmesdale 1-1 Stansfeld - We deserved a little bit of luck to go out way and we got it tonight, admits Stansfeld joint-manager Jamie Phipps

Holmesdale 1 – 1 Stansfeld
Location	68 Oakley Road, Bromley, Kent BR2 8HQ
Kickoff	09/10/2019 19:45

HOLMESDALE  1-1  STANSFELD
(Stansfeld win 4-2 on penalties)
Hospitals Charity Cup First Round
Wednesday 9 October 2019
Stephen McCartney reports from Oakley Road

STANSFELD joint-manager Jamie Phipps admits his side deserved a little bit of luck to go their way after beating Holmesdale on penalties to reach the Quarter-Finals of the Hospitals Charity Cup.

Both sides made six changes each for this First Round tie at Oakley Road, as Bromley based Holmesdale went into the game sitting in fifth-place in the Southern Counties East Football League First Division table with 16 points from nine games, while Stansfeld were in thirteenth-place with nine points from eight league outings.

Stansfeld grabbed the lead in the 50^th minute through Sam Ryan’s thunderbolt but their lead was short lived as Holmesdale equalised through Nathan Palmer’s finish.

Stansfeld keeper Charlie Cottrell was the hero in the penalty shoot-out as he pulled off two saves to deny James Hawkins and James Jewers as Stansfeld sealed a home tie against Kent County League Division One West side Crockenhill in the next round by winning 4-2 after eight penalties in the shoot-out.

“I thought we deserved it overall,” said Phipps, 49, who has been at Stansfeld since the age of 17 and is a one-club man.

“We had the better chances in the game. Disappointed with the goal that we conceded so soon after scoring. We switched off from a set-piece, which we’re generally quite good at defending but overall I thought we got what we deserved.”

Holmesdale manager Lee Roots added: “Obviously disappointed to lose the end result on penalties. It was a cup competition tonight and we rotated some lads in. I was quite happy with their performance on 90 minutes.

“It would’ve been nice to have won the game in 90 so yes listen it’s never good to lose a game of football but I thought we played quite well tonight and when you go to penalties it’s pot luck, it’s 50-50.”

Holmesdale had more of the ball over 90 minutes but Stansfeld had the better chances.

Roots said: “I think that’s a fair reflection. We had a hell of a lot of the ball, whether that was their tactic or not, I would say clear-cut chances were few and far between for both sides. I’d say towards the end we created quite a few open chances but they were getting very tired at that point so yes it’s a fair reflection.”

Phipps said: “Yes, that’s fair but they didn’t break us down so we were quite comfortable letting that happen because we knew set-pieces were a good route for us so we were quite happy for them to have the ball and break us down, which they didn’t do too often.”

Holmesdale created their first opening after only two and a half minutes when James Jewers pinged a diagonal pass which should have been cut out by Stansfeld’s left-back Greg Summersby, but he let in Ben Lockett in behind him before he cut the ball back for striker Germaine Jeannoel, who poked his left-footed shot across the keeper and past the far post from 10-yards.

“A good start, we try to start well and we look to play on the front foot,” said Roots.

“Funnily enough, the lads said at half-time that their left-midfielder wasn’t tracking back and we clocked that straight away.

“Listen if Germaine catches that like a rocket the keeper can’t stop it. He should hit the target. It was a nice move, a good shot.”

Stansfeld were a threat from set-pieces and they called Holmesdale keeper Dillon Green into action with less than six minutes on the clock.

Right-back Joe Borland, who threw the ball long into the Dalers box on seven occasions, threw the ball into Billy Shinners feet, who held off his marker on the edge of the penalty area down the right before sweeping the ball over to the centre for Freddie Cray, whose shot on the turn from 20-yards drew a fine save from Green, dicing to his right to push the ball around the post.

“To be fair their keeper made some good saves,” said Phipps.

“You expect a bit better from Freddie. He had a chance a bit later on. He’s normally got better quality in front of goal but he’s just coming back from a long-term injury as well so he’s still trying to find his fitness.”

Roots added: “That’s Dillon’s first appearance competitively for the club. We signed him in pre-season from Erith & Belvedere and he’s been out on loan with Farnborough Old Boys Guild (in the Kent County League Premier Division) on Saturday’s and he’s playing regularly midweek for our under 23s so we wanted to give him a competition.

“Our number one at the moment, Nathan Edwards, is in fantastic form in the league. I think we’ve got the best defence (conceding six league goals).

“It was a good start for Dillon. As a keeper to actually have some action and have something to do, especially when you’re making your debut, so it was a good save.”

Stansfeld went close following their second of nine corners, swung in from the left by Joe Minter, met at the near post by Red Jenkins, whose header whistled past the far post.

Holmesdale won four corners on the night and forced Cottrell into making a comfortable save when Jamie Rawsthorne floated in a corner from the left and centre-half Tom Jewers came up from the back but planted his towering header straight at the keeper from 12-yards.

Stansfeld almost grabbed the lead on the half-hour mark when Minter’s hung in a corner, which was palmed away by the flapping keeper underneath his crossbar and the ball came out to Cray, who drove a shot straight through a crowd of players, the ball bouncing off a Holmesdale defender and trickling past the right-hand post.

Holmesdale keeper Green pulled off an impressive save in the 35^th minute when Borland pinged a diagonal pass over to Jenkins, who easily skipped past Lockett before cracking a left-footed drive towards the top left-hand corner from 25-yards, which was palmed towards safety by the keeper, stepping to his right.

“It was a 25-yard toe poke,” admitted Phipps, who runs the side alongside Billy Hamlin.

“He’s got a hole in his boot now where he hit it with his toe! It was a good save again by the keeper. It looked like it was going in. It was a snap-shot that caused the keeper some problems.”

Roots said: “I thought that was a fantastic hit by the lad. I said to Dillon at half-time, not only did he get his body shape right but he palmed it away from the goal with quite a distance. He probably maybe had two or three big saves to make, a couple of punches and that was the best one by far that was probably the best chance of the first half as well.”

Holmesdale were a threat with their pacey forward line but clear-cut chances were at a premium for the home side, who need to work on their finishing as most of their attempts sailed over.

Centre-half James Shield played the ball out from the back and played the ball into Palmer’s feet outside the box and he played in striker Jeannole, who twisted and turned his way towards the edge of the box before flicking the ball over the crossbar with the outside of his right-boot.

Roots said: “We had lots of pace. We set up that way.  Edson Oliviera was making his first start, Alvin Turyatemba’s just come back from injury, hasn’t played for us for five or six games and they’re all pacey, pacey players. Nathan Palmer is electric.

“Germaine, I actually think he could’ve got an easier shot with the inside of his right foot but he’s been rushed back with his outside and it actually wasn’t that far away. It would’ve been easier to take a shot with his left-foot but Germaine hasn’t started many games.  Ryan Golding has taken that mantle and he’s in good form. If Germaine played more games could he have scored it? Possibly but it was a good chance.”

Phipps added: “They were lively up front. They had pace up front, which we knew so were happy to sit deep and let them shoot from distance.

“Charlie is a very good goalkeeper as well. We’re lucky. Jack Bradshaw wasn’t available tonight through work. Charlie has come from our reserves and we had another very good goalkeeper (Liam Rankin) on the bench so we’re always confident in letting other teams shoot from distance because of the quality of our goalkeeper’s.”

Both managers were asked their thoughts at the break.

Roots said: “I just felt we was a little bit slow in regards to our build-up play and everything was just in front of them a little bit too much and they could see the game. We wanted them turned a bit quicker and stretch them a little bit more to create a bit more space in the final third.

“We needed to increase the work-rate and stay on top of their threats which was Billy Shinners and Joe Minter.  We had to make sure if Shinners’ wasn’t winning the first header we were picking up the second pieces so it was a cause of continuing what they were doing but two or three tweaks that we needed to try to change the game.”

Phipps said: “Just continue in the same vein! Let them have the ball, keep your shape, let them break us down and we knew we’d get chances, especially from set-pieces.

“We were quite happy at the break. We were very relaxed in the changing room. A good bit of banter was going on. We’ve got a really good changing room at the moment, it’s a good atmosphere.”

Stansfeld opened the scoring with four minutes and 22 seconds on the clock, following their ninth and final corner.

Minter’s delivered the ball in from the left, which was cleared out to Ryan, who smashed his first time right-footed drive screaming over a crowded penalty area into the top left-hand corner from 20-yards.

“It was a bit of a copy-cat of a chance that we had in the first half to be honest when their guy kicked it off the line and it was a good chance,” said Phipps.

“It was a carbon copy so I was a little bit surprised that lightening did actually strike twice!”

Roots said: “I’ve got to be honest, I’m quite disappointed by that one!  Even though it’s not come from a direct delivery from a corner, we’ve worked quite hard in being compact as a side and we don’t concede many but I think we’ve won the first ball and it’s come out and we haven’t quite dealt with it on the second one and the lads bent it on.

“If you get two chances to clear the ball in your 18-yard box you should, so I’m a little bit disappointed with that but don’t take anything from the finish, it was a great goal!”

Stansfeld’s lead, however, was short lived, as Holmesdale also scored from a set-piece, timed at seven minutes and 58 seconds.

Rawsthorne floated in a corner from the right, the ball was flicked on by James Jewers in the middle and the ball fell nicely for Palmer, whose angled drive from a tight angle flashed across the keeper to nestle into the bottom far corner.

Roots said: “Our coping strategy in our model of play when we go behind is go and attack the next five minutes because you’re most likely to concede once you’ve scored.

“I thought Jamie Rawsthorne had a fantastic game all evening and his quality was shown on the corner.  James Jewers beats the guy. I thought Nathan Palmer showed real composure to take it in his path the way he did and it was an excellent finish.

“It was his third game and he’s scored two goals in three so it was a great reaction because it's really important when you go a goal behind to go and attack it and get back on track.”

Phipps added: “Disappointed, really, really disappointed to concede from a set-piece and also so soon after scoring. We back ourselves at set-pieces because we’ve got Lennie Wise and Billy Shinners, all very good boys in the air. We just switched off, lost the first header and then ball watched a little bit and they had men over at the far post so very disappointed with that.”

Holmesdale were the better side for the remainder of the game as Stansfeld were content to sit back and soak up all the pressure that the home side threw at them.

“It’s a Cup game so we were always to look for the win. We weren’t going to sit on a draw and take it to penalties by choice and I thought we played some really, really nice football in that period as well as making changes to strengthen and better us in the game,” added Holmesdale’s manager.

Jeannoel worked the left-channel before his cross was cleared out to Palmer, who took a touch on the edge of the penalty area before hitting his right-footed drive just over the crossbar.

Six-goal striker Ryan Golding came off the Holmesdale bench in the 58^th minute and was to be denied with 20 minutes of the game remaining.

Golding cut in from the left into the Stansfeld box on a jinking run and Cottrell rushed off his line and pulled off a vital save by using his chest to deny Holmesdale’s goal-machine.

“He done brilliantly there Golds because he hit it like a rocket and he’s beaten maybe two or three men, rolled the guy as well and put it on his strong foot. It’s a fantastic save. None of us knew what he used? His hand? His elbow? His arm? His chin? But it was an incredible shot, an incredible save.

“Golds has got that all day long. He’s in rich form for us at the moment. He’s had a little bit of food poisoning from Sunday so we just rested a few players.

“I thought their keeper made a couple of good individual saves like that, which the margins go our way we go 2-1 up and I think we win that game.”

Phipps added:  “I think he’s still coughing now where it hit him to be fair.

“Charlie’s a very good goalkeeper. He’s been out for probably the last four or five weeks with injury so to call him in for his first game and perform the way he did, is fantastic.”

Lockett threw the ball to Palmer, who cracked a 30-yard volley which flew straight into the midriff of the visiting keeper.

Holmesdale kept pressing and knocking on the door as they went in search of a late winner that their attacking play deserved.

Substitute Callum O’Shea played the ball inside to Lockett, who skipped past Stansfeld’s 18-year-old substitute Billy Hook and his right-footed drive from a central position some 30-yards from goal dipped just over the crossbar.

Dominant Holmesdale were guilty of a glaring miss with 42 minutes and 18 seconds on the clock when James Jewers lacked composure when he needed it the most.

Substitute winger James Hawkins played in a cross from the left and fell at an unmarked James Jewers feet at around penalty spot distance and he tried to hit a rasping drive into the top right-hand corner. Instead he lashed his shot over the crossbar and Holmesdale paid the penalty.

“We had a similar chance just before that when Nathan Palmer’s taken his time and just put it over the bar,” said Roots.

“That was James Jewers’ only third game. He’s the twin brother of Tom, who was our captain tonight. James is just finding his feet. That was his best game. He was really impressive and I back hm to score. He’s played at a real high level and he’s just put a little bit too much source on the shot and he’s just put it over the bar.

“It must have been marginally close. I think if we score in that period, even though it’s probably disappointing for them, we probably deserve it. 

“Listen, you have to take your chances when they’re there!”

Phipps knew it was a massive let-off for Stansfeld.

“He was going for the glory goal rather than just hit the target.  If he hit the target he had every chance of scoring.  We haven’t had a lot of luck so we deserved a little bit of luck to go our way and we got it tonight,” he said.

Stansfeld almost committed a smash-and-grab as their next chance came three minutes and 33 seconds into time added on when an unmarked Minter stroked a right-footed angled drive from 35-yards, which was comfortably held by Green in his midriff at his near post.

“The keeper took his hat off and threw it over it. I kicked the dog harder than he kicked that. It never looked like it was going in,” admitted Phipps.

Roots added: “Minter’s class! Anyone who knows Minter, he’s got top, top quality, set-pieces, on the ball, he’s got a good football brain.  I’ve actually played against Joe for many years as well as managed against him so you have to be careful in and around Joe and I back him to score in the first minute or the 90^th so you can’t give free chances to Joe Minter, no chance!”

With no extra-time in this competition, the tie was settled by eight penalties.

Stansfeld went first and Minter sent goalkeeper Green the wrong way by slotting his low right-footed penalty just right of centre.

Rawsthorne had a short run-up before placing his right-footed penalty into the right-corner, past the diving keeper.

Stansfeld goalscorer Ryan also scored from the spot to give his side a 2-1 lead. His right-footed free-kick was drilled into the top left-hand corner with the keeper well beaten.

Holmesdale centre-half Shield received a slice of luck when Cottrell bounced up and down on his line, punched the crossbar, before he dived to his left and got a hand to the right-footed penalty, which only just found the right-hand corner, halfway up.

Stansfeld held the advantage by leading 3-2 when substitute Michael McKenna sent the keeper the wrong way as the ball nestled into the bottom left-hand corner with a right-footed spot-kick.

Left-footed players should NEVER take a penalty in the shoot-out as they tend to miss them.  Hawkins stroked his penalty and Cottrell flew to his left to push the ball away.

Watched by his father Ian Jenkins, who by the way is looking to get back into football management, the best penalty was scored by Red Jenkins, rifling his right-footed penalty into the top left-hand corner to put Stansfeld on the brink.

Cottrell went down low to his left to save from James Jewers’ right-footed penalty as Stansfeld progressed with a 4-2 shoot-out success.

“Penalties? Yes, everyone’s favourite, apart from the managers,” said Phipps.

“Four great penalties from our boys.  All we said to them was pick your spot, don’t change your mind and I don’t think the keeper got near any of them!

“Charlie got a hand to their first one, then saved the second and the third one so we were always confident with penalties. We’ve got every confidence in the three goalkeepers that we’ve got at the club.”

Looking ahead to welcoming Crockenhill in the next round, Phipps said: “Have we? Oh right.  I didn’t know that. I never looked beyond the game that we’ve got in front of us.

“We fancy our chances against anyone on our day. We can compete with anyone so it’s good to get a home draw but we won’t take anything for granted.”

Roots said: “It’s the first time we’ve been involved in a penalty shoot-out as a group so we didn’t really have any thought about penalties, only with five minutes to go did we think about penalty takers.

“I allowed them to pick their own one-to-five and then we pick the sixth, seventh and eighth (taker).  I think the first two penalties go in for both teams. We missed the third and the fourth.

“The two lads who missed our penalties are top quality players and if you miss a penalty it’s part and parcel of football. If the keeper guesses the right way nine times out of 10 he saves it.

“But I hate penalties. I actually hate it.  It’s an anti-climax to football to end the game but it’s the only way to make a winner.

“No disrespect to Stansfeld, credit to them. They took the win on penalties. They stuck in for 90 minutes but for me it’s a game we should’ve won and our performance deserved a win.”

Stansfeld are without a game on Saturday but they travel to third-placed Premier Division side Corinthian next Tuesday, 15 October in the Challenge Cup First Round.

Holmesdale welcome bottom-four side Greenways to Oakley Road in the First Division on Saturday. 

Holmesdale: Dillon Green, Ben Lockett (Samuel Adenola 85), Ryan Watts (Callum O’Shea 80), Jamie Rawsthorne, Tom Jewers, James Shield, Edson Oliviera (James Hawkins 54), James Jewers, Germaine Jeannoel (Ryan Golding 58), Nathan Palmer, Alvin Turyatemba (James Teodorescu 67).

Goal: Nathan Palmer 53

Booked: James Jewers 62

Stansfeld: Charlie Cottrell, Joe Borland, Greg Summersby (Billy Hook 77), Sam Ryan, Lennie Wise, Charlie Burgess, Joe Minter, Ben Holland (Michael McKenna 64), Billy Shinners, Freddie Cray, Red Jenkins.
Subs: Billy Jolley, Rob Hughes, Liam Rankin

Goal: Sam Ryan 50

Attendance: 37
Referee: Mr Danny Roberts (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr Steve Goldup (Maidstone) & Mr Dave Newby (Swanley)