Seven Acre & Sidcup 2-1 Tudor Sports - We've done everything we wanted to do, says Danny Frost

SEVEN ACRE & SIDCUP 2-1 TUDOR SPORTS
Beckenham Hospital Invitation Charity Cup Final
Wednesday 22^nd May 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Beaverwood Road

SEVEN ACRE & SIDCUP assistant manager Danny Frost says he pleased that their marathon campaign has been topped off by a piece of silverware.

The Oxford Road club completed their Kent Invicta League campaign in fifth-place and they won the 110^th Beckenham Hospital Invitation Charity Cup Final by coming from behind to beat Tudor Sports’ third team at Beaverwood Sports Ground in Chislehurst.

Seven Acre & Sidcup went down to a 2-0 defeat to their league rivals Meridian in the Hospitals Charity Cup Final at Park View Road on 9 May, but they weren’t going to let Haart of Kent County League outfit Tudor Sports inflict more misery on them.

The New Eltham based outfit opened the scoring courtesy of a brilliant 22-yard free-kick from central midfielder Sam Ryan, but Seven Acre & Sidcup scored two second half goals through central midfielder Peter Smith and a 40-yard wonder-goal from winger James Hawkins to avoid losing to their South London Alliance opponents.

Frost was sent out for the post-match interviews and admitted he was pleased that their marathon campaign has ended on a high note.

He said: “It’s the longest season I’ve ever been involved in – ever!

“We’ve really enjoyed it, all the management team.  It’s been a good experience for us. Hopefully, next season we can do better.

“We wanted to play our strongest side because when we played in the other cup two weeks ago against Meridian we lost that so we wanted a bit of silverware.  That was our aim at the start of the season and that’s what we ended up doing.”

Tudor Sports manager Gary Wright, meanwhile, admitted his side’s lack of fitness told in the end.

He said: “Fair result really.  We was on top in the first half and scored a good goal. They came back at us. They’re a much higher side than us, much higher league and the writing was on the wall in the end. Our fitness let us down a little bit in the end and we were struggling and that’s it. Well done them!”

This game was watched by 80 people at Beaverwood Sports Ground, who offered their facilities for this historic competition free of charge.

Anerley Swifts were to become the first winners of one of the oldest Cup competitions in the United Kingdom when they beat Beckenham Rovers 2-1 to win the 1903 Final.

And Tudor Sports put in a decent first half performance and they looked the more likely to join the long list of successful clubs, including current Kent League club Cray Valley (Paper Mills), who won the trophy as recently as 2009.

Tudor Sports created the first chance of the game with only 81 seconds on the clock.

Right-back Danny Speed threw the ball into the penalty area for striker Stefan Moore to hook his first time left-footed volley over the bar from 20-yards.

Seven Acre & Sidcup squandered an excellent chance to draw first blood, following their second of nine corners.

Hawkins swung in the ball with his dangerous left-foot, which sailed through everybody but the ball landed at Smith’s feet at the far post but he failed to hit the target after drilling a right-footed shot back across goal and out for a goal-kick from a tight angle.

A Tudor Sports clearance was brought under control by Smith, who clipped the ball forward to Lewis Wood and the Kent League double winner with Erith & Belvedere cracked a left-footed volley on the turn across the stranded keeper and the ball dropped just wide of the far post.

Jason Dolby, who played Ryman League Division One South football for Sittingbourne last year, was a midfield enforcer for Tudor Sports and the central midfielder failed to trouble Seven Acre & Sidcup keeper Stuart Harvey after dribbling the ball forward before his daisy-cutter from 30-yards rolled to the keeper.

Wright said of Dolby’s enforcer role: “That’s his game. He’s played like that all his life. I’ve known him since he was fourteen.”

Frost added: “He put his tackles about. Some of them were tackles anyway. He calmed down after a while, when he got booked!”

Tudor Sports’ large goalkeeper Danny Skinner made a fine save to prevent Seven Acre & Sidcup from taking a 24^th minute lead.

Tony Ecuyer played the ball into Wood and Jake Burman had two bites of the cherry outside of the box, before the ball fell to Troy Copeland, who cracked a right-footed drive on the turn and Skinner dived to his right and stuck out a strong right hand to palm the ball away before gathering.

Frost, whose brother Dean is on the Welling United coaching staff, revealed Copeland has been recommended to the club by Wings player-manager Jamie Day.

He said: “He got recommended by Jamie Day and he’s played about five or six games and he’s going to have a big future I think.  Not for us, but a higher level.  He’s only just turned eighteen. He’s played six games in men’s football. He’s just playing for Cambridge United’s Academy, which Jamie Day runs.”

Left-winger Marlon Thomas then beat Speed for pace before sweeping his left-footed shot across Skinner and trickled past the far post.

Tudor Sports’ midfielder Alfie Esqulant rode a sliding challenge from Drew Watkins before flashing a left-footed drive wide of the far post from 30-yards.

But Tudor Sports grabbed a 38^th minute after Dolby was brought down by Burman on the edge of the D.

Ryan stepped up and sent his beautiful right-footed 22-yard free-kick over the four-man wall and Harvey dived to his left but failed to prevent the ball to dip into the left-hand corner of the goal.

Wright hailed the goal and said: “Fantastic!  I mean I think that’s about the third one he’s done getting us into the Cup. We had no chance at the beginning of the season.  We’re a South London Alliance side playing a Kent Invicta League side, so I didn’t expect much out of it but in the end the way we was playing in the first half I thought we could get something here!”

Frost added: “I don’t think the keeper was going to stop it!  We’re glad they didn’t score from open play. It was just a set-piece. They never really hurt us to be fair.”

Tudor Sports went agonisingly close to putting the game beyond their opponents reach before the break.

Ryan was given time and space to unleash his second excellent strike, this time his right-footed swerving drive from 35-yards clipped the top of the right-hand post with Harvey well beaten.

Wright rued the coat of paint that cost his side cup glory.

“Very agonising! If that goes in then we would’ve just dug in. We were just going to bore them out the game.”

Both were asked what was said out on the pitch during the shortened half-time interval.

Wright said: “I said you’ve got to come out this half, they’re going to come back at you and where they play at a higher standard, their fitness is going to show and it did.”

Frost added: “Basically we said that they wanted it more and it looked like, it showed they wanted it more.  We said be a bit more patient and just keep playing football like we was because we knew the goal was going to come.

“We made a couple of changes five minutes in, Brady Powell and Bob Hanley.  Brady made a big difference on the left and it proved right.

“We played a lot better second half. I think we had most percentage of play. They didn’t look like they were going to hurt us.”


Tudor Sports created the first chance of the second half when Dolby played a precise ball over the top to release Moore, who lacked composure and his chip lacked power and allowed Harvey to catch the ball to his right.

Wright’s worst fears, however, materialised when Seven Acre & Sidcup restored parity in the 51^st minute.

Central defender Lee Craig played the ball inside to Burman and the son of Dartford manager Tony Burman was given time and space to unleash a fierce right-footed low drive from 30-yards.  The shot forced Skinner to get his large frame down low to his right to parry, but he couldn’t prevent Smith tucking his right-footed rebound across him to find the bottom far corner from eight-yards.

Wright said: “We should’ve cleared it. He should’ve jumped on it.  But as I said we was a bit tired, that’s all.”

Frost said: “It got us back in it. We looked like we were going to get back in it anyway! We were putting the pressure on straight after half-time and it looked like it was going to come and it came!”

The introduction of left-winger Brady Powell gave Tudor Sports’ an extra headache as the pace from both wingers was instrumental in Chris Tuley’s side going on to win.

Any higher-league clubs looking for two pacy wingers should offer Hawkins and Powell a pre-season trial because the pair of them have the ability to terrify full-backs.

Burman was once again given space to float a cross into the penalty area and the unmarked Powell glanced his header narrowly wide of the post from 12-yards.

Seven Acre & Sidcup scored the winning goal in the 69^th minute and the final game of the 2012-2013 season in Kent produced arguably the best goal of the season.

Wood swept the ball out wide to Hawkins, who cut in from the touchline by some five-yards before turning and cracking a stunning left-footed shot from 40-yards, which sailed high over the flapping goalkeeper’s right shoulder and the ball dipped into the top far corner.

Frost was asked whether the former Erith Town winger meant it and naturally replied, “I always have a joke with him. He’s scored three goals like that this season but that one I think he actually meant it, but the other two he scored were definitely crosses, but that one was no fluke!

Wright was right behind it and said: “They had a wonder goal at the end! Was it a goal? Was it a cross?  When I’m in the bar, I’ll ask him?!

He added: “A fluke! I will call it a fluke but it was a great goal!  As it left his foot, I thought that’s gone in and I could see because I was right next to him.”

Powerhouse Dolby’s first time right-footed drive from 25-yards brought a comfortable save from Harvey, before Seven Acre & Sidcup came agonisingly close to increasing their lead following a sweeping move.

Copeland played the ball to Hawkins, who dinked the ball through to Wood, who pulled the ball back on to his left-foot and from the corner of the six-yard box tried to curl his shot into the far corner, only just missing the target from a tight angle.

Ryan failed to produce his earlier brilliance when he received a square pass from Esqulant but shinned his 30-yard shot into the trees behind the goal.

Seven Acre & Sidcup hit Tudor Sports on the counter attack after Dolby’s cross from the right was headed away and seconds later Hawkins played the ball to Wood further up the pitch and the diminutive striker beat Scott Butler before his right-footed drive forced Skinner to dive to his left, which took the pace out of the shot before he gathered at the second attempt before the ball spun towards the goal-line.

But Tudor Sports squandered an excellent chance to force extra time with just over three minutes remaining.

Target-man Martin Giltinane received the ball inside his opponents’ penalty area before cutting the ball back to substitute striker Steve Axam, who sliced his right-footed shot agonisingly wide of the near post from 12-yards.

Wright said: “He tried to hit it too sweet. If he had not hit it so sweet it would’ve gone in the back of the net. He tried to power it right in.”

Frost added: “They put three men up top last ten minutes so they were always going to put pressure on in the last ten minutes but apart from that we looked comfortable.”

Seven Acre & Sidcup’s two best players were involved in their final chance when Hawkins touched a free-kick to Powell, whose left-footed drive sailed over from 25-yards.

Seven Acre & Sidcup stopper Harvey comfortably pushed away Giltinane’s right-footed chip from 30-yards and dived on to the ball as time ran out for plucky Tudor Sports.

Frost is proud that Seven Acre & Sidcup have put their name on a competition that is still going strong after 110 years.

“We wanted silverware at the start of the season and that’s what we’ve got,” said Frost.

“We know it’s been going 110 years, a lot of local clubs in it and we’re glad we’ve won it.”

When asked about next season’s targets, Frost wants to improve on their top-five finish.

“Yes, our aim was top six finish. We’ve finished fifth. We wanted silverware so everything we wanted to do, we’ve done.  Hopefully next year is going to be a bit better and maybe finish higher and another couple of cups.

“Hopefully top three, hopefully. It’s hard to say we’re going to win it because there’s other bigger clubs out there, people paying money. We ain’t got no budget.  Players’ pay us to play.

“It’s a hard league to get out of but hopefully the next three to four years we get out of it.

“If you look at Phoenix’s side this year, they’ve all played at a higher level and they got them out of the league. That’s all you have to try and do, get players with experience, players who have played at a higher level and I think they’re the players that get you out of this league, mixed with a few youngsters and a few up and coming players and hopefully things will change and you can get out of this league.”

Frost revealed it won’t be too long before the Sidcup-based club are reporting back for pre-season training.

“We’ve got four weeks and we’re back pre-season so not much of a holiday.  It will be good to get all of the players back in on the 24^th June and then start again, hopefully a few new faces and give it another go.”

Tudor Sports’ manager Wright, meanwhile, took the positives out of their defeat.

“Of course, we can only get positives out of these sorts of games,” he said. “We shouldn’t be in these Cup finals really.  We’re the third team. It’s not my first or second team. It’s purely the third team in our club so we’ve done well.”

When asked about the competition’s 110^th season, Wright recalled: “I’ve only ever got to the semi-finals 20 years’ ago when I used to manage the Co-Op and that was it. I think they won it in the end but I wasn’t manager then!”

Reflecting on the first-team’s eighth-placed finish in the Haart of Kent County League Premier, with 9 wins, 11 draws and 6 defeats, Wright admitted: “If you look at the results it’s the draws that’s done it!  We’ve had 11 draws and if you only have to have four wins then that would’ve done better than the 11 draws.”

Seven Acre & Sidcup:  Stuart Harvey, Drew Watkins, Tony Ecuyer (Bobby Hanley 52), Jake Burman, Lee Craig, Tom Dennington, James Hawkins, Peter Smith, Lewis Wood, Troy Copeland, Marlon Thomas (Brady Powell 52).
Subs: Jermaine Brown, Danny Frost, Charlie Martin

Goals:  Peter Smith 51, James Hawkins 69

Tudor Sports:  Danny Skinner, Danny Speed, Scott Butler, Elliott Wright (Steve Axam 84), Connor McInally, Sam Ryan, Lewis Wright, Jason Dolby, Stefan Moore (Jack Tatlock 77), Martin Giltinane, Alfie Esqulant (Phillip Rogan 81).
Sub:  Gary Moss

Goal:  Sam Ryan 38

Booked:  Eliott Wright 54, Jason Dolby 67

Attendance: 80
Referee:  Mr John Ratcliffe (Eltham, London SE9)
Assistants: Mr Costin Florescu (Harrow, Middlesex) & Mr Adam Clayton (Orpington)
Fourth Official:  Mr Fred Eltham (Beckenham)