Potters Bar Town 4-1 Thamesmead Town - It's time for a few to move on, says Mead boss Keith McMahon

Tuesday 15th February 2011

POTTERS BAR TOWN 4-1 THAMESMEAD TOWN
Ryman League Division One North
Tuesday 15th February 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Parkfield Stadium

THAMESMEAD TOWN manager Keith McMahon has threatened to wield the axe after his side’s sorry second half capitulation made it an awful night on an awful pitch in Potters Bar tonight.

Andy Constable, who had ended a sorry run of eight games without a win by scoring the only goal of a drab home game against Waltham Forest at the weekend, gave the Kent side a first half lead with a sweet strike but they ran out of ideas and lacked desire during a one-sided second half as lone striker Jose Espinoza netted a brace and Tom Pett and Chris Doyle made it a night to forget for Thamesmead.

“It was awful! Second half, especially,” bemoaned McMahon after he emerged from the away dressing room.

“First half, I thought we done ok. We were a lot tighter, worked quite well. We went 1-0 up, they had one chance that went off the bar. I didn’t think they caused us too many problems. It was a half decent away performance.

“But second half, appalling! Not going anywhere! We were terrible! We’ve given people instructions what they should be doing. We’ve got the ball in their half and we’ve kicked it straight to them when we could’ve set some one else. We gave the ball away cheaply and they scored and the second goal was again just a couple of powderpuff tackles. The third one, I think Motty’s made two great saves and people just stood and watched him and that’s what’s going on at the moment.”

Constable partnered Gabriel Momodu up front until late on. Club officials confirmed that striker Sol Bohner-Patterson had secured a £150 per week deal to play Ryman League Division One South football with Leatherhead.

Potters Bar played a negative 4-5-1 formation, whilst Thamesmead set up with Richard Avery, James Campbell and Nick Davis at the back, Ashley Probets and Marcus Perona as wing-backs, a three man central midfield and two up top.

With rain falling right up to kick-off the sticky pitch was not conducive to attractive football, but players adapted to the appalling conditions, but a packed midfield ensured it was a battle and numerous balls were over hit as both sides lacked width.

Potters Bar keeper Shane MacWeeney caught a looping effort from Scot Mulholland, who tired his luck with a fierce right-footed deflected drive, after Constable cut the ball back after nine minutes.

Thamesmead Town keeper Sam Mott made his first save of the game halfway through the half when he dived low to his right to thwart Pett, who smashed an angled low right-footed drive towards the near post following a slick move down the left flank involving Matt Clifford, Doyle and Elvis Balic.

Potters Bar stepped up a gear and following James Edgerley’s in swinging corner from the left, which was flicked on by Dan Odamo, the ball dropped to Espinzo at the far post but his shot from six-yards brought a fine reflex near post block from Mott.

But the dominant Hertfordshire side squandered a gilt-edged chance to break the deadlock in the 27th minute.

Pett slipped the ball through the heart of the Thamesmead defence for Epinoza to latch on to and with only Mott to beat the striker unselfishly laid the ball off to his right for long-haired Edgerley, who inexplicably smashed a right-footed shot against the top of the crossbar with an open goal gaping.

Mott was relieved to see long-range efforts from right-back Ashley Harrison-Barker and left-midfielder Doyle flash just wide.

But Thamesmead Town grabbed the lead - against the run of play - ten minutes before half-time in what was their only highlight of the night.

Left wing-back Ashley Probets, who was inside his own half, cut open the two Potters Bar central defenders (Odamo and Dennis Paratusic) to release Constable through on goal and the 32-year-old striker bent a low right-footed drive past the despairing outstretched right arm of goalkeeper Shane MacWeeney to find the bottom near corner.

Reflecting on Constable’s tenth goal of the season, McMahon said: “Apart from that, I don’t think we done anything else, so we got what we deserved!”

Probets then swung in a teasing left-footed free-kick, which was met by a diving header from Davis, but the ball bounced wide of the far post.

The first half ended with tricky striker Epinoza clearing the Thamesmead crossbar with a half-volley, after Josh Urquhart clipped the ball to the edge of the penalty area.

Reflecting on the first half, McMahon said: “I thought we started really brightly and had a couple of little half chances ourselves. Yes, we know what they’ve got. They created chances and they didn’t take it and we went up the other end and scored.

“First half there was nothing in it, they didn’t have any shots on goal, neither did we. Our goal and their miss and everything was going to plan.

“The conditions were very hard but we battled and I haven’t got a problem with that.

“Second half we didn’t battle, we didn’t pass and got what we deserved.”

But although the first half wasn’t great, the second half was just embarrassing as the Kent side lacked passion, desire and goalscoring chances.

Davis was penalised for pulling back Espinoza and Edgerley stepped up to scuff a low curling left-footed free-kick around the four man wall from 30-yards, which was well held by Mott.

But things went from bad to worse as Potters Bar levelled in the 61st minute.

Balic’s cross was well trapped by Espinoza on the edge of the Thamesmead penalty area and after Pett and Balic were causing havoc in a crowded penalty area the ball trickled to Espinoza who slammed a low shot to Mott’s right to equalise, taking his goalscoring tally to thirteen.

Potters Bar took the lead just four minutes later when Espinoza shrugged off half-hearted challenges from Campbell and Avery to burst down the right flank and his excellent cross picked out Pett who swept a right-footed shot on the turn, which bounced across Mott and crept in at the left hand corner to also score his thirteenth goal of the season.

Edgerley managed to get a right-footed drive away from underneath his feet, which was saved low down by Mott, who pulled off the save of the game, tipping the number nine’s left-footed curler from 30-yards over his crossbar.

But he couldn’t prevent Potters Bar going 3-1 in front in the 75th minute when Edgerley’s corner from the left was cleared out to Doyle, who cracked a left-footed screamer into the net from 25-yards.

Mott was desperately unlucky when The Scholars wrapped up the victory in the final nine minutes as the former Ramsgate keeper made a fine double save to deny Pett and Edgerley, but no-one in a yellow shirt reacted to the loose ball and Espinoza fired a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner.

Out-played Thamesmead almost grabbed a goal back at the death when following Probet’s in-swinging corner from the right, substitute Kery Kazade was denied by a goal-line clearance from Pett.

McMahon has seen enough and will take action following his side’s seventh league defeat in 2011, which has seen his side slump down to fourteenth place in the Ryman League Division One North table.

“We need a big clearout, a big clearout of some players,” he fumed.

“We’ve got some really good players, but they’re not performing and they’re either taking the Mick out of me and the club. I just don’t know what to say really. I’m just absolutely gutted. We need to get some fresh blood in.”

But when you look at the calibre of players listed on the teamsheet, Thamesmead shouldn’t be getting thrashed in this manner.

“That’s maybe the problem,” added McMahon. “As a club we’ve always get people who always wanted to play for the club and worked hard and (who haven’t got) loads of experience and we’ve always fought and been solid. At the moment we’re not and that could be one of the issues.

“I stick by the players all the time but second half there was nothing there. No flight, didn’t get close enough. I said to them on Saturday, ‘Potters Bar are a decent side, you need to get close and tight and stop them playing.’

“I thought we did first half. We stopped them playing. We done the hard work. Second half we didn’t do anything hard.”

McMahon added: “I’m not interested in what people have done, won or gone through (in the past). I just want people who can fight and do what they’re told and give the club 110% and some players aren’t giving the club 110%.

“They’ve let me down, they’ve let the whole club down!

“They’re good players, as you’ve just said, and I don’t know why they’re performing like they are.

“I’ve looked at myself and I’ve had a chat with the committee about myself and they’re all 100% happy in that way and they can see that I’m trying everything 100%, well 200% to get them playing but they’re (the players) not listening to what they’re being told. Simple as that.”

McMahon feels some players should hold their hands up and admit it’s time to move on.

He said: “Sometimes they’ve been at a club a long time - it’s time for maybe a few to move on and look for pastures new. They might need to get a bit of hunger back in their football if they can’t get it here.

“They might have things comfortable, who knows? We might be doing too much for them.

“We’re doing tests on them for dehydration, we’ve done everything possible. Maybe we’re doing too much for them. Maybe we should go back to letting them get the kit out of the bag on a Sunday morning and show the same effort and commitment that they’re showing but that’s not in my nature or my backroom staff.”

McMahon insists his players don’t deserve to pick up their wages following tonight’s spineless display.

He said: “I feel sorry for my committee and backroom staff who do this for absolutely nothing and I mean nothing, people who do four-five-six days a week. Alright we’re not on big money, we’re only on expenses but they don’t deserve nothing the way they’re showing at the moment. That’s what we’ve got to look at.”

Potters Bar Town: Shane MacWeeney, Ashley Harrison-Barker, Matt Clifford, Dan Odamo, Dennis Paratusic, Josh Urquhart, Tom Pett, Elvis Balic, James Edgerley (Luke Croll 86), Jose Espinoza, Chris Doyle (George Saunders 86).

Subs: Louis Collins, Cole Penney, Marlon Beresford

Goals: Jose Espinoza 61, 81, Tom Pett 65, Chris Doyle 75

Thamesmead Town: Sam Mott, Marcus Perona (Raphael Momodu 80), Ashley Probets, Nick Davis, James Campbell, Richard Avery, Scot Mulholland (Kery Kazade 83), Jake Burman, Andy Constable, Gabriel Momodu, Ryan Briggs (Lea Dawson 71).

Subs: Danny Moore, Peter Deadman

Goal: Andy Constable 35

Booked: Kery Kazade 84, Andy Constable 86

Attendance: 46

Referee: Mr David Rock (Hertford, Hertfordshire)

Assistants: Mr Russell Endacott (Bedford, Bedfordshire) & Mr Sam Lewis (Flitwick, Bedfordshire)