Margate 2 Staines Town 5 - INCLUDES SATURDAY'S RESULTS

Saturday 14th January 2006

MARGATE 2
Danny Hockton 45 (pen)
Alexis Charalambous 89

STAINES TOWN 5
Jamie Guy 3, 60
Marien Ifura 6
Ali Chaaban 30
Robbie King 74

Stephen McCartney reports from Hartsdown Park
Ryman Premier League

Margate manager Chris Kinnear slammed his defenders for leaking five goals as his side crashed to their highest defeat of the season against clinical Staines Town at Hartsdown Park today.The long serving manager handed debuts to two players today. Although striker Danny Hockton, who joined from Billericay Town on Thursday netted from the penalty spot on the stroke of half time, goalkeeper Billy McMahon, whose on loan from Nationwide Conference South club Thurrock, endured a nightmare.

McMahon was stretchered off just before the break and was taken to hospital with a suspected dislocated knee, having leaked two goals after just six minutes in front of a stunned Hartsdown Park faithful.

In fact it took Staines only 209 seconds to open the scoring, when the impressive Jamie Guy’s wind-assisted 30-yard shot sailed over the new goalkeeper and dropped underneath the crossbar.

Worse was to follow from the visitors’ first corner of the game after six minutes. Margate’s defence didn’t deal with Robbie King’s delivery and central defender Marien Ifura fired past McMahon from eight-yards.

The shell-shocked Thanet side, however, enjoyed plenty of possession and twice went close with headers from Bill Edwards and Hockton following Bertie Brayley corners.

Margate had a mountain to climb when they fell further behind on the half-hour mark when Ali Chaaban’s shot was blocked by McMahon but the former Leatherhead player slammed the ball inside the right post from close range.

Alexis Charalambous’ slipped a through ball for Ian Hillaire but he was brought down by Michael Murphy, who escaped with a yellow card.

From the resulting free-kick, Greg Oates’ squared the ball short to Brayley, but the skipper blazed over from 25-yards.

With the ball in the Staines half of the field, the Margate faithful shouted out for their players to kick the ball out of play as McMahon was lying in agony on the edge of his penalty area and following treatment was stretchered off the pitch.

Small midfielder Hasim Deen, who played as a goalkeeper when he was younger, took over in goal and every time he made a save this brought ironic cheers from the home fans. Maybe they were thinking the Peckham based 22-year-old was doing better than their third goalkeeper of the season?

“I really thought I could make a difference,” said Deen after the game. “I used to play as a goalkeeper when I was young but I got discouraged because of my height.

“I thought I could make a difference and I showed myself when I went in goal.”

Staines were reduced to ten-men inside stoppage time following Andre Scarlett’s handball on the line, and Hockton fired the penalty inside the left corner to open his account for his new club.

“We felt we let ourselves down,” said Deen, the former Fisher Athletic midfielder. “But at half-time all of us were ready to play well to get back in to the game.”

Margate hit the woodwork three times during the second half, with Brayley’s header striking the crossbar from Oates’ free kick from the left early in the second half.

Staines’ top-scorer Michael Currie’s drive from the edge of the penalty box was comfortably saved by Deen, who then kept his eye on the ball as King’s drive took a wicked bounce.

But Deen could do nothing about Staines’ fourth goal on the hour when James Donovan failed to cut out a through ball and Guy slotted home.

Former Bromley striker Adolph Amoako almost made an instant impact with his first touch of the ball. The substitute latched onto Brayley’s pass but the advancing Shaun Allaway pushed his shot around the far post.

Promotion chasing Staines, however, added a fifth goal with 16 minutes left when King curled a quickly taken right-footed free kick into the far corner of the net with Deen rooted to the spot.

Hockton’s shot clipped the top of the left upright as Allaway advanced and when Brayley headed against the crossbar moments later, Charalambous was on hand to score his first goal of the season.

Kinnear, however, rued his decision to rest his number two goalkeeper, Paul Egan.

He said: “We’re trying to rest Paul to be fair. I mean that’s something’s law now isn’t it!

“Paul’s had a bad back, personal problems as well - we thought give him a rest. He’ll be allright for Monday and have a bit of a run out.”

Kinnear admitted: “Defensively it wasn’t very good was it. Allright the first one was a fluke and could have happened to anybody. But the rest we have not defended very well to be honest.”

Kinnear takes his side to his former club, Dover Athletic on Monday night in a friendly, which gives a couple of players a chance to regain their match fitness.

Pat Gradley, who came off the bench after 42 minutes following McMahon’s sending off, having only played the first two games of the season due to injury, Kola Okikiolu and goalkeeper Paul Egan will take part.

Kinnear revealed his seeing “two or three players a night in the last two games” as he looks to add to his squad before next Saturday’s game against Slough Town at Windsor & Eton’s Stag Meadow ground.

“We’re talking to other players at the moment, hopefully we’ll get another player or two in,“ revealed Kinnear. “Last two days I’ve been seeing two or three players a night.”

“Maybe we need to look for another defender, which was somebody I was talking too, but we need to get one or two strong characters.”

With Colin Luckett’s penalty helping Bromley to secure a 1-0 win against Walton & Hersham at Hayes Lane today - their first win in ten games - Margate have dropped to fifth from bottom.

“There’s a long way to go yet’’ said Kinnear. “We’ll just keep adding to the squad and I’m sure by the end of the season we’ll have won quite a few games. I know we’ll be up there.

“We’re thinking can we get a squad together so we haven’t got to sign many in the summer so that’s why we‘ve got Danny Hockton now.

“Let’s go and get a few players now so that we can hit the ground running next season.”

Deen praised the Margate faithful for their tremendous support throughout the entire game.

“The Margate fans are fantastic,” he said. “They’re doing a good job for us. It’s just that we’re not getting the results. I really appreciate the way they’re supporting us no matter that the situation. All their support is 100%.”
Margate: Billy McMahon (Pat Gradley 42), Greg Oates, Osman Sesay, Bill Edwards, James Donovan, Hasim Deen, John Keister, Bertie Brayley (Capt), Ian Hilaire (Adolph Amoako 67), Danny Hockton, Alexis Charalambous. Subs: Dean Standen, Laurence Yiga, Kola Okikolu

Staines Town: Shaun Allaway, Joe Devera, Michael Murphy, Danny Gordon (Capt), Marien Ifura (Andre De Lisser 80), Robbie King, Michael Currie (Jake Newton 57), Andre Scarlett, Jamie Guy, Ali Chaaban (Garry Sippetts 72), Zelijko Popovic.
Sub: Craig Maskell

Sent off: Andre Scarlett 45

Attendance: 593
Referee: Mr Ian Gosling
Assistants: Mr C Clarke & Mr M Staveley

TODAYS SCORES AROUND THE COUNTY

Coca-Cola League One

Gillingham 3-0 Swindon Town

FA Trophy Second Round

Boreham Wood 3-1 Gravesend & Northfleet

Blyth Spartans 1-3 Welling United

Ryman Premier League

Billericay Town 2-0 Folkestone Invicta

Bromley 1-0 Walton & Hersham

Margate 2-5 Staines Town

Ryman League Division One

Dover Athletic 0-0 Horsham

Metropolitan Police 1-0 Cray Wanderers

Tonbridge Angels 1-0 Banstead Athletic

Tooting & Mitcham United 1-1 Ramsgate

Whyteleafe 3-2 Ashford Town

Southern League Division One East

Berkhamsted Town 1-0 Chatham Town

Dartford 3-0 Wivenhoe Town

Kentish Observer League Premier Division

Deal Town 5-1 Erith Town

Maidstone United 5-2 Hythe Town

Sevenoaks Town 0-3 Thamesmead Town

Slade Green 2-5 Whitstable Town

Sporting Bengal 4-1 Greenwich Borough

Tunbridge Wells 1-2 Erith & Belvedere

VCD Athletic 0-2 Beckenham Town

Kent Intermediate Cup - Quarter Final

West Wickham L-L Gravesend & Northfleet 1.30 p.m.

London Intermediate Cup - Semi Final

Corinthian Casuals 4-1 Cray Wanderers

Kentish Observer League Reserve Division Cup First Round

Erith Town 3-3 Ashford Town (aet, Ashford won 5-4 on penalties)

Kentish Observer League Division One

Bromley 3-1 Erith & Belvedere

Dartford 3-0 Deal Town

Herne Bay 1-1 Thamesmead Town

Maidstone United 0-2 Ramsgate

Kentish Observer League Division Two

Chatham Town 4-0 Greenwich Borough

Folkestone Invicta 2-0 Tilbury

Hythe Town 3-2 VCD Athletic

Kentish Observer League Floodlight Trophy

Lordswood 3-5 Sittingbourne