Match Reports:

MAIDSTONE UNITED 1-2 HARLOW TOWN
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 23^rd August 2008
Paul Parkinson reports from Bourne Park

WHEN a relegation threatened Maidstone United beat Harlow Town in April, with a last minute winner from Mark Saunders, they played football with a distinctly desperate edge.

However, four months on, eight changes to the side and for 40 minutes, the undoubted quality that the new-look Stones possess saw them play attacking football that would have had the most cynical of Stones supporters nodding their approval, as the home side took a deserved lead with a gem of a free-kick from the returning Elliot Bradbrook.

But Harlow Town hit back with a classic sucker-punch on the stroke of half-time and this blow shook the Stones‘’belief to such an extent that they never recovered their composure in the second period.

Indeed, even when Harlow were reduced to 10 men, having taken the lead through their own free-kick expert, it was the visitors who played as though they had an advantage; an advantage they held until the end.

Maidstone, on the back of an unbeaten start to the new season, settled early when a long throw from Kevin Watson was flicked on by Jay Saunders in the Harlow box to the unmarked Lloyd Blackman, only for the former Folkestone forward‘s header to drop wide of the back post.

Saunders, a constant goal threat on the afternoon, and Blackman combined again on 8 minutes from Ben Lewis’ long free-kick, but this time Blackman‘s bicycle kick from 8 yards never threatened James Hassel in the Harlow goal.

Harlow‘s only early threat came when Jamie Richards out-muscled Ian Cox to win the ball 25 yards out, but although his snapshot saw Andy Walker scramble across his goal, it ended well wide of the left hand post.

From this scare, United broke quickly with Ian Selley and Blackman combining to feed in Nathan Paul down the right wing. Paul‘s deep cross found Bradbrook closing in at the back post, but his left foot shot was fired back across the face of the goal and wide.

Andy Martin nearly made an immediate impact, having replaced migrane-victim Roland Edge. A long throw from the left by Bradbrook was flicked on by both Saunders and Blackman, and Martin, sliding in at the back post was denied by a brave block by Hassel; a challenge that left both players requiring treatment.

Welshman Martin was again central in Maidstone United‘s next attack on 19 minutes, latching onto a controlled knock-down by James Pinnock from a Selley free-kick, but his shot from 20 yards was screwed wide.

By the half-hour, Harlow‘s loyal band of 20 supporters was trying to give their team a lift, but a breakaway by Bradbrook, now filling in at left-back saw Martin fire a 20 yard drive into the arms of Hassel.

Maidstone, breaking at will, deservedly took the lead on 38 minutes. Good play in the middle by Saunders released Martin away down the right. His cross-shot struck Pinnock and as it rebounded, Selley was fouled on the edge of the box.

Bradbrook stepped forward to hit a gem of a left foot drive into the top left corner of the Harlow net, with Hassel rooted to the spot.

However, in stoppage time at the end of the half, Harlow hit back with a classic counter-attack. Jordan Fowler was fed into the right hand corner, before laying the ball back to full-back Taylor. His left foot cross evaded Ben Lewis and was glanced past the advancing Walker by Jamie Richards.

After the break, Maidstone failed to get back into the game, and early pressure by Harlow saw two desperate clearances by Cox, before the ball fell to Fowler, whose left foot shot from 25 yards never threatened the goal.

On 50 minutes, Walker had an early warning about the danger that Mark Taylor could provide from free-kicks following a Lewis foul on James Bunn.

Taylor‘s right foot curler was arrowing towards the top corner, but Walker was able to push the ball over. Walker had to repeat this save from Akers‘ in-swinging corner immediately after.

Maidstone thought they had retaken the lead on 55 when Selley‘s free-kick caused panic in the Harlow defence. Pinnock rose with Hassel and managed to head the ball goalbound, but the assistant‘s flag denied the forward his first Maidstone goal.

On 57, Mr Linden spotted a foul on Richards by Cox at the edge of the area. This time, Taylor’s precise free-kick evaded the wall, and with Walker unsighted, it flew into the top left corner of the net to give Harlow a 2-1 lead.

The management duo of Hume and Walker then made their final two changes, pushing Martin up front alongside new signing Meshach Nugent to see if they could work a way back into the game.

But it was Taylor who threatened again from another free-kick, this time curling the ball round the end of the Maidstone wall into the side-netting.

On 70 minutes, Walker released Paul down the left wing and having outpaced Taylor and Akers, the full-back curled a pinpoint cross perfectly into the path of the late-run from Saunders, but his powerful header back across goal dropped agonisingly wide.

Five minutes later, Nugent had a chance to make himself a crowd-favourite, but his header from Selley‘s corner brushed the top of the Harlow net.

On 79 minutes, Maidstone appeared to gain an advantage when, with the referee‘s attention drawn by a tackle by Akers on Ben Lewis, his assistant spotted a clash between midfielder Leon Lalite and Bradbrook. Mr Linden produced a straight red card for Lalite.

Unfortunately, the dismissal seemed to galvanise the visitors and for the last 10 minutes of the match it was they who produced the more positive football, albeit with only a weaving run by Danny Green, that took him past three stationary defenders to show.

As Maidstone became increasingly desperate to find a way back into the game, Harlow‘s indiscipline saw a further four yellow cards being issued, making six in all along with Lalite‘s red; something that would disappoint manager Ryan Kirby, who joined the fray in stoppage time.

After the game, manager Lloyd Hume, speaking to Mike Green from Radio Kent, said that the number of chances his side had created in comparison to the home game against Canvey encouraged him, and that Monday‘s game at Pilot Field against Hastings United had taken on extra significance to get the season back on track.

Maidstone United: Andy Walker, Nathan Paul, Roland Edge (Andy Martin 14), Ben Lewis, Ian Cox, Kevin Watson, Ian Selley, Jay Saunders, James Pinnock (Meshach Nugent 62), Lloyd Blackman (Aaron Lacy 62), Elliot Bradbrook.
Subs not used : John Wilfort, Steve Northwood

Goal : Elliot Bradbrook 38

Booked : Jay Saunders 46

Harlow Town: James Hassel, Mark Taylor (Harrison Tague 71), Beckett Hollenbach, Danny Chapman, Paul Kerr, Clark Akers (Clyde Roberts 79), Leon Lalite, Jordan Fowler, Jamie Richards, James Bunn (Ryan Kirby 90), Danny Green
Subs:Shaun Glidden, Daniel Francis

Goals : Jamie Richards 45, Mark Taylor 57

Booked : Clark Akers 41, Paul Kerr 54, Jamie Richards 82, Harrison Tague 83, Clyde Roberts 86, Danny Chapman 86

Sent Off : Leon Lalite 79

Referee : Mr W Linden
Assistants : Me S Hourigan and Mr G Robathan

Attendance : 365


THAMESMEAD TOWN 2-2 GREAT WAKERING ROVERS
Ryman League Division One North
Saturday 23^rd August 2008
Kevin White reports from Bayliss Avenue

THAMESMEAD TOWN put in a more confident display to come away with a point at home to Great Wakering Rovers.

Thamesmead got off to a great start when Rikki Cable opened the scoring on 14 minutes. Gathering the ball from the halfway line, he ran to the edge of the area in plenty of space, where he went round the defender to fire his shot home, hard and low.

Chris Conneally was called up on to make a splendid save on 25 minutes. He turned a well struck free kick around the post, with a quick dive low to his right.

With few chances in the first half, it was looking as if Mead would go in at half time with their lead intact. However, a long ball over the top of the Mead defence on the 44th minute, put Rovers forward Dan Smith through on goal, where he lobbed the advancing Conneally from the edge of the area for the equalliser.

Rovers went in to the lead on 65 minutes, when Mead yet again failed to stop the ball coming across their own area where Nikki Beale was able to pounce from close range.

Thamesmead responded almost immediately, with the equalising goal coming just 90 seconds later.

In a similar fashion to Rovers second goal, it was Richard Dimmock who was on hand to convert a low cross from close range past McKinney.

From here, Mead pressed with their three man attach against a Rovers side who seemed content to defend.

Nick Smith saw a driving shot blocked while Dimmock nearly doubled his goal tally, when McKinney pulled off a world class save from point blank range, to send Dimmocks shot over the bar.

Rovers did cause a scare with six minutes to go when Dan Trenkles cross cum shot, drifted just over Conneally’s crossbar.

In the end, both sides had to settle for a point each and Thamesmead can travel to Averley on Monday once again confident of their attacking ability, but still with work to improve upon.

Thamesmead Town’s manager Keith McMahon admits his side have to adapt to Ryman League football.

“To be fair, the lads have played well,” he told www.thamesmeadtownfc.co.uk.  “But we need to still adapt and get used to this level of football.

“We have two points from a possible nine, but there are 42 league games this season and there’s a long way to go.”

Watch highlights and the full interview with Keith McMahon on Thamesmead TV at www.thamesmeadtownfc.co.uk.

Thamesmead Town: Chris Conneally, Lee Coburn, Danny Moore, James Brown (Peter Smith 86), Dean Kearley, Lew Watts (Curtis Williams 60), Scot Mulholland, Pedro Knight, Richard Dimmock, Rikki Cable, Nick Smith (Harbingi Grant 76).
Subs: Junior Baker, Robbie Tarrent

Booked: Rikki Cable, Nick Smith, Danny Moore

Attendance: 76

FOLKESTONE INVICTA 1-2 WALTON & HERSHAM
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 23^rd August 2008
Richard Murrill reports from Buzzlines Stadium

FOLKESTONE INVICTA’S 100% record came to an end as they were beaten by two late goals scored by Walton & Hersham substitute Zak Graham after the home side had led by a James Dryden goal going into the final 15 minutes.

Both clubs had won their opening two Ryman League Division One South fixtures of the season, but it was the Swans who emerged with three more maximum points at the Buzzlines Stadium.

It had all been looking so good for Invicta as the club’s record goalscorer Dryden scored his first competitive goal since rejoining the club from Dover Athletic during the summer.

Dryden opened the scoring by heading home at the second attempt in the 49^th minute after goalkeeper Antony Hall had touched his initial header onto the crossbar after a Liam Friend cross.

But the visitors will feel that they enjoyed enough of the game to justify taking something from it and Graham equalised in the 77^th minute when his shot on the turn went in off the post after a cross from the right hand side.

And it was Graham who struck again to grab the winner in the 80^th minute with a looping header which rounded off a well-worked exchange of passes from the visitors.

There was to be no way back for Invicta and defender Nick Humphrey had to make a saving tackle during stoppage time to prevent Graham from closing in on a hat-trick.

Invicta had kept faith with the same starting line up which had excited home supporters in midweek against Chipstead, but they could have fallen behind early on when Jack Watkins shot over from close range in the seventh minute.

At the other end, a James Corbett header was touched round the post for the game’s first corner by goalkeeper Hall after Lee Gledhill’s 11^th minute cross from the right.

Home goalkeeper Charlie Mitten saved a 28^th minute Matt Elverson shot from the left hand side of the penalty area after Adam Moriarty’s corner on the right and Jordan Cheadle tried his luck from 30 yards six minutes later.

Invicta’s Jimmy Jackson’s stoppage time free kick was deflected onto the crossbar via a defender’s heel at the end of the first half.

But the home side did not have to wait long to go ahead as they scored at the start of the second half just as they had done against Chipstead.

The visitors made an immediate response and Corbett had to get back and tackle at the expense of a corner when Moriarty played the ball in to Barry Moore.

Invicta defender Friend blocked from Cheadle when Craig Dunne played the in as the visitors chased an equaliser in the 63^rd minute and substitute Phil Cramp could not get enough power on his far post header a minute later when Cheadle nodded on a cross from the right.

Mitten had to get down to save Moriarty’s 71^st minute shot when an Adrian Stone cross from the left was touched back to the edge of the penalty area.

And substitute Graham then turned the game completely around.

Folkestone Invicta: Mitten, Gledhill, Green, Friend, Bourne (Walker 81 mins), M. Everitt, Corbett, Pugh, Dryden, Humphrey, Jackson (J. Everitt 72).
Subs: Dickson, Burchell, Jevons.

Walton & Hersham: Hall, Boswell, Hassell, Dunne, Nowacki, Elverson, Moriarty, Moore, Stone (Graham 71), Watkins (Cramp 58 , Cheadle.
Subs: Booth, Clark, Carter.

Attendance: 277

ERITH & BELVEDERE 2-1 FAVERSHAM TOWN
Bulmers Cider Kent League
Saturday 23^rd August 2008
Thomas Hawes reports from Park View Road

AIDEN PURSGLOVE scored twice for the second game running as the prolific striker guided the Deres to their first league win of the season, following their awful opening day defeat to Slade Green.

Faversham had beaten newcomers Norton Sports in their opening league game and are tipped by many to be outsiders for the Kent League title, but today they were edged out by a Deres side who themselves were not at their best.

The FA’s new Respect Campaign, which hopes to increase dwindling official numbers, was implemented too late for Deres midfielder Richie Radbourne, who was the second linesman after only two officials turned up at Park View Road.

After an uneventful opening quarter of an hour in which both sides had their fair share of possession and territory, the breakthrough came on 22 minutes.

Returning to the Deres after an unsuccessful trial with Dagenham & Redbridge, Matt Johnson showed what the Daggers are missing out on as he latched onto a ball out wide, eased his way past a defender before laying the ball to Pursglove on the 6-yard line.

Instead of spooning the ball over the bar or wide with a first time attempt, Pursglove took a touch and slid the ball under Kevin Readings – the Deres first league goal of the season.

The Deres continued to press and Sam Prett came close to doubling the home side’s lead. With 27 minutes on the clock, Prett blasted over the bar, but a better chance came on the half hour.