Lordswood 3-0 Southend Manor - Everyone is buzzing around the place, says Jason Lillis

LORDSWOOD  3-0  SOUTHEND MANOR
The FA Carlsberg Vase Third Round
Saturday 8^th December 2012
Paul Parkinson reports from Martyn Grove

JUBILIANT Lordswood manager Jason Lillis called this the biggest result in the club’s history, after seeing his side advance to an uncharted fourth round of the FA Carlsberg Vase with a 3-0 victory over Essex Senior League Southend Manor.
 


Lee Maskell and two goals from full-back Joe Kane saw the Lords clinically overcome their Essex opponents, despite not performing to the standards demanded by their manager.

Lillis admitted: “I expected them to play with three up front, but they never really troubled us. Today was about what we did; we didn’t play great but when you don’t play well and still win comfortably, we could maybe have got four or five, it was a good win.

“That’s what we are about. All through the team there is a good work ethic and I knew they would pull together. They knew the importance of this game, and maybe we started slowly because of the big crowd here, some of them haven’t played in front of those numbers before, so maybe we can take this confidence through to play in the next round.”

“Everyone is buzzing around the place. Let’s just enjoy this moment, everyone has got a smile on their face, which is great.””

Maybe, as Lillis said, Lordswood’s largest crowd for a number of years had an effect on his team as Southend Manor settled into their football quicker, but despite playing the better and more attractive football, the visitors only occasionally produced a threatening ball.

Their first effort didn’t arrive until the 12th minute as Terry Griffiths latched onto Jamie Salmon’s diagonal ball, but his header wasn’t strong enough to trouble the Lordswood defence.

Eddie Hart, easily Southend’s most dangerous player, set up strike partner Gary Paterson on 20 minutes, whose early cross from the right found Bradley Williams in space inside the box, but his weak shot was easily claimed by Matt Byott.

Within a minute though, Lordswood were ahead as Jordan Wells swung a low ball into the box, and Kane popped up, swivelling and hitting a right foot volley beyond Adam Seal, who was rooted to the spot.

Most of the Lordswood supporters were shocked to see the defender that far advanced in open play, as was Lillis, but the Lordswood boss explained, “We knew that their left-sided player runs all over the place, so it was up to Joe to go and play how he sees fit. When he sees a gap, you’ll never stop him from running.”

Paterson tested Byott with a drive from 30 yards after a misplaced header from Gary Cook, but the young keeper did well to field a ball that bounced awkwardly in front of him.

While at the other end, Richard Dimmock hooked over from inside the 6-yard box, after Peter Huggens had been allowed to challenge Seal for a Maskell corner.

Maskell had two chances from 25 yard free-kicks in the first half, but saw both curl over without testing the visiting keeper.

Early in the second half, Williams fired a shot wide, having broken into the Lordswood area through a crowd of defenders, and veteran Dimmock received the only caution of the game, for alleged simulation, after a collision on the edge of the area.

But despite the slow start, Lordswood doubled their lead on 55 minutes, as Kane found himself free in the box to head Adam Hooper’s right wing corner into the corner of the net.

Maskell and Dimmock combined ten minutes later to set Maskell free, but having turned Griffiths inside out, Maskell saw his shot blocked by Seal, who was quickly off his line, and Dimmock fired the rebound high over the bar.

With Dimmock replaced by Mark Murison, Maskell found himself pushed further forward and will be the only person who knows how he didn’t extend the lead.

Kane exchanged passes with Murison from a quick throw, and whipped a lovely cross to the back post, where Maskell somehow missed his header from four-yards out.

Hart and Salmon both curled shots over the Lordswood bar as Southend Manor’s attacks became more and more desperate, and Byott had to be alert to tip a 25-yarder from Salmon over.

Maskell though settled matters with seven minutes remaining, as Imran Englefield broke the visitors’ disjointed offside trap, drove into the box and dinked a ball back into the middle, where Maskell, arriving late, had time to place his shot into the corner.

With seconds remaining, Salmon saw another free kick effort sail over, but although Southend Manor played the better football, it was Lordswood’s determination that won the day; a point that Jason Lillis wanted to emphasise at both ends of the pitch.

The Lords’ boss praised his players, saying. “Keeping a clean sheet was an achievement for Matty-boy (Byott) because the kid has been phenomenal for us and it is nice for him to come away with no goals in the bag.

“But when you have boys who are on form like Kano, who is always looking to score goals; he’s my right-back and almost leading goalscorer in the Vase. I’ll take the clinical side, the clean sheet, I’ll take the whole lot.”

When asked about the Fourth Round (last 32) draw on Monday, Lillis joked: “I don’t know about the draw, I’d better ask the chairman”, then added, after speaking to Ron Constantine “he says Guernsey (who host Erith & Belvedere on Sunday) will do, but he’d better go to the bank first!””

Lordswood:  Matt Byott, Joe Kane, Adam Hooper, Gary Cook, Peter Huggens, Dan Wells, Jordan Wells (Tyler Norbert 75), Lee Maskell, Richard Dimmock (Mark Murison 68), Richard Styles (Stephen Read 83), Imran Englefield.
Subs: Luke Fewsdale, Sam Hallett

Goals:  Joe Kane 21, 55, Lee Maskell 83

Booked:  Richard Dimmock 51

Southend Manor:  Adam Seal, Robert Goff, Mark Baptist, Bradley Vaughan, Terry Griffiths, Jamie Salmon, Jay Smith, Chris Baddeley (Mark Sisson 85), Eddie Hart, Gary Paterson, Bradley Williams (Adam Vyse 68).
Subs: Yaw Danso, David Tubbs, Brad Hooper

Attendance: 220
Referee:  Mr Gary Evetts (Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire)
Assistants:  Mr Daniel Richardson (Enfield, Middlesex) & Mr Lee Kill (Enfield, Middlesex)