Rochester United 3-1 Bridon Ropes - It's a tall order but I believe you win every game, you will get in the play-offs, says stepping down Rochester United manager Matt Hume

Rochester United 3 – 1 Bridon Ropes
Location	Rede Court Road, Strood, Rochester, Kent ME2 3TU
Kickoff	01/04/2025 19:45

ROCHESTER UNITED  3-1  BRIDON ROPES
Presence & Co Southern Counties East Football League First Division
Tuesday 1 April 2025
Stephen McCartney reports from Rede Court Road

ROCHESTER UNITED manager Matt Hume says he is stepping down from the role to hand the job to his assistant manager Michael Betts so he can concentrate on his chairman off-the-field commitments at Rede Court Road.

The 55-year-old oversaw his final game in charge, for now, of his beloved Rochester United, winning an error-strewn Southern Counties East Football League First Division encounter between two out-of-form sides.

The Spartans went into this cagey affair on a run of one win in 10 in all competitions, while Lee Roots’ men made the trip from Charlton to Medway on a run of one win in their last nine outings.

Bridon Ropes grabbed the lead four minutes before the break when left-winger Paris Jackson’s low cross was turned into his own goal by Spartans’ centre-half William Currie at the back post.

However, Rochester United’s attacking midfielder Mack Reilly notched his 25^th goal of the season to restore parity.

Rochester United took the lead just 18 seconds into the second half through central midfielder Harrison Hume’s effort before striker Jack Nelson scored his ninth goal of the season inside stoppage time.

“A thoroughly deserved performance. I think we deserved the result in the end,” said Hume.

“We haven’t been playing well recently. We’ve had a good month and a half when we haven’t played as well, we played quite well in games but we haven’t played as well as we should’ve done.

“The last couple of games, particularly Saturday we did win (2-0 away to our tenants Greenways), didn’t play well but I thought today our shape was good, our desire was good and I felt overall we thoroughly deserved the win.

“It was a tightly-fought game. I though they’re a good side, they’ve got some good players in their team. I thought if you got a chance, you had to take it today and I felt like there wasn’t many chances we missed.”

Bridon Ropes assistant manager Adam Groom added: “Well first half, I thought we were well in it. I thought we deserve the lead before they got the equaliser just before the break.

“Second half, we were walking out of the changing room, me and Rootsy and they scored the second goal. I don’t really know what happened, maybe you can tell me in a minute?

“Second half I thought it was a bit scrappy as well. Both teams were trying to get it down in the second half, we tried to play as much as we could and I think the third goal always comes as a sucker-punch when you’re trying to go for the game anyway, so we didn’t settle for the 2-1.  They wanted to try to get a goal back.  We had a couple of chances, half-chances but it wasn’t to be.”

A crowd of 82 were treated to a drab game in the tenth-tier of English football, with goalscoring chances few and far between on a bobbly playing surface, not conducive to free-flowing football, as both sides treated the football like a hot potato and kept giving it away.

Groom said: “I think in the first half we limited our errors compared to theirs. I think they struggled. Rochester are quite a direct side.  Second half, when you are trying to chase things, you’re not always prepared to get the ball down.

“I think the pitch is hard to play on. It’s a really bouncy pitch out there and that will create errors for both sides but I don’t think we made as many errors as made out to do.”

Bridon Ropes’ holding midfielder Harry Towner – a playmaker – launched the fourth of his nine long throws into the Rochester United penalty area and the ball was cleared out to centre-half Jamie Thuillier, who spanked a right-footed volley high, high over the bar from 20-yards, in the 16^th minute.

“Harry’s got a really good throw and we try to use that as much as possible,” added Groom.

“We always know that Rochester at the back have got old school centre-halves that are going to head it away. Maybe we could’ve done a little bit better but we tried our best to try to create carnage.

“We like to think that throw in is like a corner for us as well, where you try to get as many numbers in the box – but it wasn’t to be.”

Rochester United nearly scored from their only corner of the game with 20:20 on the clock.

Harrison Hume floated the ball in from the right, the ball was cleared out to diminutive right-winger Liam Wilkins, who cracked a right-footed volley flashing t through a crowd of players and past the foot of the right-hand post from 22-yards.

Groom said: “We did limit them to chances. We looked ok in the first half. I thought we had control of the first half and like you say maybe there wasn’t as many chances but our job was to come here and try to limit their attacks because they’re not bad at going forward and they try to go direct and we had to try to limit that as well.”

The away side produced a well-worked move in the 39^th minute when Thuillier pinged a 60-yard diagonal out of defence over to winger Patrick Da Lomba, who released right-back Stanislaw Abyszkin on the overlap.  The ball was worked to Towner, who lacked composure and drilled a first-time right-footed drive high over the crossbar from 30-yards, which summed up the poor quality on show.

But Bridon Ropes smashed the stalemate by taking the lead with 40 minutes and 56 seconds on the clock.

Central midfielder Kian Houston rode a tackle from Lucas Payne close to the touchline and half-way line on the left before sending winger Jackson on his way.  Goalkeeper Ben Spiers came off his line and Jackson’s left-footed cross flashed towards the back post and Currie turned the ball into his own goal from close to the goal-line.

“I think fair play to Paris for the goal. He scored one the other week,” said Groom.

“He took his chance well. I think he put it in quite well. I think it was a great ball from Kian. Kian’s been instrumental in that midfield, works hard in there and put that ball through and Paris is direct. Paris has played it across the middle and I think he places it quite well into the bottom corner.”

Hume added: “To be fair, the player (Jackson) done really well. They were always tricky out on the wings.  That was definitely a threat of theirs.

“I think we had three players though. It was disappointing from us not to deal with it better but I think you’ve got to give credit to the lad out wide. He done very well and got a good ball across.   Let’s not blame him (Currie) though.

“There wasn’t many chances both ends. I thought it was very tight in the first half. I thought we were just getting on top a little bit before they scored, nothing drastic but I thought we started well.

“I wouldn’t say it was against-the-run-of-play but I thought it was always going to be a game, if they get a chance at either end, it would be the difference.

“I think we could’ve dealt with it better and we was disappointed but I was pleased with the reaction from the lads because it wasn’t long after that that we bounced back and got a goal.”

Rochester United showed great character to respond in a positive manner and Reilly took a touch before drilling a 30-yarder screaming past the diving goalkeeper and just past the top of the left-hand post (43:05).

“That was closer that most people might’ve thought. From our side, we could see that weren’t far away. That was a good shot that, we’ve seen them go in from him as well,” added the Rochester owner.

Rochester United went into the interval on level terms, scoring their equaliser with 43 minutes and 44 seconds on the clock.

Bridon Ropes right-back Abyszkin allowed Nelson time and space to deliver a deep cross from the left towards the back post and no one had picked up Reilly.  His free-header was superbly clawed out by goalkeeper Cemal Osman high to his left but the ball dropped for Reilly to clip his left-footed shot over the goalkeeper and into the top right-hand corner from inside the six-yard box.

“They’re the sort of goals we haven’t been scoring lately,” revealed Hume.

“In a lot of games that we haven’t won or we’ve drawn and dropped points, we’ve got into those areas and we haven’t actually had the rub of the green and it bounced up for us and I thought today you have to really work hard to get wins and goals like that and fortunately today things fell our way a little bit.

“It was good to see Mack get on the scoresheet again because he’s been good this year – 25 goals is very good.”

Groom admitted: “I don’t think we managed it property, especially just scoring. If we get into the half, it obviously changes the team-talk for us in there.

“Cemal has made a brilliant first save. He’s been unbelievable in goal. I don’t think he’s had to make many saves out there tonight really and he’s made that first one and we’ve not followed it up and the bloke’s put it in, which is disappointing from our half because you go 1-0 up in a game like that, you think that will be alright into half-time but it wasn’t to be but maybe we could’ve defended it a little bit better.”

Both were asked their thoughts going into the interval.

Hume said: “We know on our ground there’s a hill there, it’s not a big hill but it’s a slight hill and it makes a big difference and the pitch was bobbly.

“I worked on the fact that if we don’t over-push it, don’t try to do anything too much more different to what we were doing and make sure we get our press right – Bridon wanted to play out from the back quite a lot and I knew on that pitch it was bobbly and it was hard to play out off and I know how hard it was for us in the first half to play out.

“I said if we are patient and keep our shape and press correctly and press really quickly, I’m sure something will come of it and that’s exactly how the next goal came.”

Groom added: “I actually said to the boys, the same as the gaffer as well, is that we thought we done well first half. They’ll obviously will always have a go being at home in the second half.”

Rochester United took only 18 seconds to score their second goal of the game.

Wilkins put the ball in from the right and Thuillier almost scored an own goal when his clearance clipped his own post. There were two Rochester players ready to pounce and Wilkins ran away claiming the goal, although it was Harrison Hume that stabbed the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.

“It came soon after the whistle blew for the start of the second half and Jack Nelson pressed really quickly, they got caught on the ball and then we counter-attacked really quickly and pretty much my half-time team-talk was do exactly what you’ve done in the first half and keep the shape right, work hard as a unit and let them make mistakes and capitalise on it because the pitch was always going to encourage that and that’s what we did,” said Hume.

“That was a goal that came from desire to get in those area and get across.  Harrison gambled on that ball being there and worked really hard to get in front and go and get it.”

Groom added: “To concede it like that, especially coming from our kick-off as well, we shouldn’t really be turning the ball over as cheaply as that! It’s disappointing but then you still think after that we can still possibly get back into the game but then it becomes a bit of a scrappy affair. We have to do better with the second goal, especially from kick-off.

“We’ll watch it back on the Veo and see what had happened in regard to that but should we have followed our men better?  There’s two people at the back stick there but it’s a transition. We don’t like to lose things on transitions but we’ve done it.

“It’s a massive, massive blow especially that early in the second half. It’s the same at Faversham Strike Force the other day (2-1 defeat). We were really good in the first half and then two sucker-punch goals in that as well.”

Referee Nicholas Monkman red carded Roots in the 59^th minute and visited both dug-outs several times during the second half, returning to the Bridon Ropes dug-out to red card Groom in the 71^st minute.

“I won’t comment on the referee’s performance tonight. He was, I felt not really up to it especially in the second half. Better said, I won’t be saying anything on that one Steve,” came Groom’s reply when asked about the two red-cards.

Towner looked up and hit a sublime diagonal pass over the top of Rochester’s left-back Ben Wyness to release Da Lomba, who cut into the box before hitting a left-footed angled drive, which flew straight down the throat of Spiers at his near-post, the goalkeeper gathering at the second attempt at the half-way point.

“Patrick’s a young lad, come in from (Isthmian League South East Division) Herne bay this year,” said Groom.

“It’s maybe a half-chance but I thought the two wide lads, especially in the first half were creating quite a lot of carnage and trying to get at them.  We tried to build it up but it’s obviously not fallen.”

The away side brought on Raheem Sterling-Parker, who offered no impact on proceedings after his 67^th minute introduction, responding to comments from a couple of home fans standing beside the perimeter fencing at the corner of the main stand and the striker was also warned by the referee for back-chat towards assistant referee Jeffrey Franklin.

Bridon Ropes had a couple of late chances to snatch a point, when Da Lomba cut onto his left-foot and his 25-yard drive was pushed away by Spiers, diving to his left and just 11 seconds later, the ball fell to Joe Quinnear who flashed a left-footed drive from similar distance past the right-hand post.

“I thought we tried to have a go as much as we could in that second half, tried to create as much as we could, obviously they’re half-chances,” added Groom.

“We were still trying to build-up when we can. The gaffer’s got the philosophy that we’ll try to brand ourselves as a passing side, try to get it into those wide areas but second half it weren’t to be for us.”

Hume added: “An important save then because 86 minutes, we knew they’d be a fair bit of extra time (six minutes and 16 seconds).  I thought we looked solid. I can’t sing enough praises about our team today. I thought they done really, really well and knowing that we haven’t been playing well, it was nice to not just get a win but actually, in my opinion, deserve the win and play really well as a team.”

Rochester United sealed the deal by scoring their third goal with 46 minutes and 47 seconds on the clock.

Visiting goalkeeper Osman advanced outside his penalty area to clear the ball and the ball was hit on the volley by Harrison Hume and Tom Loynes drove forward down the side of the penalty area on the left and put in a deep low cross towards the back post for Nelson to hit a right-footed volley across the keeper and nestling inside the bottom far corner from 10-yards with a clinical strike.

“That was a great finish as well from Jack. I mean for me he was man-of-the-match today with his work-rate, his desire. He was a constant threat up there and I’m really pleased for him that he scored that goal at the end because he deserved that, that was brilliant,” added Hume.

Groom added: “We said to the boys in there though, when you are chasing games, Cemal’s kicked it, when the kick was played, I felt we could have reacted better as a side to then clear it to avoid the goal.

“But when you’re chasing games like that, it’s always going to happen, especially that late on. We’re trying to push numbers, trying to squeeze up, try to change a little bit of shape there. It is going to happen at times like that but the third goal will come especially when you’re trying to chase games.”

Forest Hill Park remain at the summit with 59 points from 29 (of 34) games.

The next four are Faversham Strike Force (54 points from 28 games), relegated Canterbury City (53 points from 30 games), Croydon (51 points from 29 games) and Soul Tower Hamlets (51 points from 29 games).

Sheppey Sports are in sixth-place with 50 points from 29 games, followed by Clapton Community (45 points from 30 games), Rochester United (44 points – 13 wins, five draws and 10 defeats), Bridon Ropes (44 points – 12 wins, eight draws and 10 defeats) and Sporting Club Thamesmead (40 points from 29 games) make up the top 10.

Betts will take charge of Rochester United for the first time for Saturday’s home game against London Senior Trophy winners Tooting Bec.

“The main reason for it is, I personally need to spend more time doing stuff off the pitch,” revealed Hume.

“There’s a bar that we’ve put in planning for and we’re getting problems with it at the minute. We just want to work hard and getting that done.

“I’ve worked with Bettsy for three years now and when I first took the job over it was only do it for a few weeks just to get ourselves back on track again.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it and I still enjoy it but I know that my time has been split up between family, work and other stuff with the club that I’ve got to get sorted.

“I know Bettsy is ready and I think it will be an injustice for me to keep splitting myself as much as I can for the club’s sake and focus on other things and let Bettsy take it on now. 

“There’s a lot of good work we’ve achieved over the last three years and I think we’re a really, good side.

“I’m disappointed that we’re not higher in the league than where we are but I want to give Bettsy – I always intended on giving up at the end of the year (season) but I’ve decided with a few games to go (to step down from the role again).

“I’m still about and I’m still there to help if I need to. I may well need to jump in the dug-out for the Elmstead game because Betty’s got some personal things to deal with.

“This is all about growing from within. Our team’s built on players that have been here a long time. I wanted the management to come from within the club. They understand how the club works.  I’ve got a lot of time for Bettsy, he’s a great lad and I think rather than wait until the end of the year, which is what I intended on doing, let him have a few games towards the end of the season now with the players can treat him like the gaffer and also we can start looking at what he wants to do ready for next year.

“I know as a manger a lot of work goes into now. People are already talking about next year, people are already talking about other players that they might want to get in and it gives him the best chance to sort that out ready for next year.

“I’m chairman and owner and I won’t be going away anywhere. I’ll be there to support Bettsy in every way we can.”

If the League/FA gives sixth-place a stab at the end-of-season play-offs following Canterbury City’s voluntary relegation over not having a ground to play at next season, then Hume hasn’t ruled out closing the six point gap on Sheppey Sports during their last six league outings.

Hume said: “All I keep saying to the lads recently – that was another part of my decision – obviously where we’ve sort of dropped out of the play-off zone a month and a half ago, I’ve said to the boys in there, just take each game as it comes and keep winning and keep putting pressure on the teams above.

“It’s a tall order but I believe you win every game, you will get in the play-offs but that’s a big ask.  The teams in the top five are not all outwardly winning every week, they’re all beating each other, so I think anyone who puts a run together could end up in that play-off.

“Based on tonight’s performance, I would’ve said two weeks ago, we’re not playing anywhere near getting in to the play-offs but I think based on tonight’s performance, if they can kick on from that and keep doing what we’ve done tonight, there’s every chance it could happen.

“Bettsy can just concentrate on that (Tooting Bec) game and if he gets a win he’s putting more pressure on other teams around him.  We haven’t really got any pressure now because we’re out, it’s down to other people to slip up and I’ve just said let’s enjoy it and just make sure that we finish it the best we can.”

Bridon Ropes, meanwhile, host fourth-from-bottom Halls Athletic on Saturday, on a run of five without a win.

“We’ve just got to get the winning mentality back again.  The boys have been tremendous this season – they have – and we knocked in and around the play-offs,” said Groom.

“We’ve just said it to them in there again, we’ve been good this season.  The last four games of the season, let’s play like we started at the start of the year and went on a nice run throughout from November to February and we’ve just got to get that positive feeling back in the camp and hopefully something will come from it.

“They will if they play like the first half like they did tonight and Saturday against Faversham Strike Force.  We need to put a 60–70-minute performance together and the results will come.

“We played Halls earlier in the season and beat them, played well down there.  The boys will recover, come into training and hopefully we’ll get it right for that.

“There’s 15 points to play for now, so you can only just win the games and see where it takes you after that.

“Canterbury’s relegation does open up that position now. We’re not given up the ghost at all. We’re just going to keep digging away.

“Obviously the teams in there now, there’s more pressure on them. We’ve still got to play Forest Hill Park, who are going for the title. We’ve got to play Soul Tower Hamlets last game, Meridian which is the local derby, but we’ve got to pick up as many points as we can now and we’ll see where we go from there, but we’re definably still going for it as much as we can.”

Dan Lawrence has announced his departure from Canterbury City at the end of the season and his squad will break up and find new clubs, while the homeless club return to the City and play within the Amateur ranks.

“Sad for them really. I don’t know what’s really going on behind the scenes there. We really like their management team down there, Dan, they are really nice people and they’ve done such a good job there,” said Groom.

“For them to step down to (the Kent County League Premier Division) when you’re third in the table and was top for a bit of the season as well, it’s really sad for them.

“I know their manager has just gone now as well. It’s a disappointing one but you don’t want to be losing club’s like that in the League.”

When asked about Canterbury City’s plight, Hume replied: “A real shame, it’s a real shame because I know what goes into club’s behind the scenes. I know that Canterbury have worked tirelessly for years to find a ground and I know they’re good people at Canterbury and it’s a lot of work that goes into it. They’ve spent a lot of money groundsharing over this time.

“I’m really disappointed really that it hasn’t happened for them. Even when I was playing years’ and years’ ago, they were a good club. I think they went out of the League in my own time. I can’t remember how far back that was but it’s a shame that they haven’t got themselves a ground and I feel really sorry for them.”

Rochester United: Ben Spiers, Harrison Byford, Ben Wyness, Lucas Payne, Tony Whitaker, William Currie, Tom Loynes, Harrison Hume, Jack Nelson, Mack Reilly (Luis Dos Santos 88), Liam Wilkins.
Subs: Sebastian Paling, Max Morgan, Matt McHugh, Harvey Brown

Goals: Mack Reilly 44, Harrison Hume 46, Jack Nelson 90

Booked: Jack Nelson 63

Bridon Ropes: Cemal Osman, Stanislaw Abyszkin, Veron Nzinga (Emmanuel Bestman 84), Harry Towner, Jamie Thuillier, Finlay Chambers, Paris Jackson, Kian Houston (Joe Jamal 80), Patrick Ward (Raheem Sterling-Parker 67), Joe Quinnear (John Woodcock 90), Patrick Da Lomba.
Sub: Jack Goyns

Goal: William Currie 41 (own goal)

Booked: Paris Jackson 54

Sent Off:  Lee Roots 59 (manager), Adam Groom 71 (assistant manager)

Attendance: 82
Referee: Mr Nicholas Monkman
Assistants: Mr Matthew Burchett & Mr Jeffrey Franklin  
Observer: Mr Brian Smith