Sevenoaks Town 2-2 Sporing Bengal - We played like a pub side, admits Sevenoaks boss Keith Levett

The east Londoners arrived at Greatness Park at least 45 minutes before kick-off and were on the back of six straight league defeats, with only three wins and one draw in 20 league games, but Sevenoaks put in an embarrassing performance and were lucky to get away with a draw.

The home faithful, who braved the wet conditions, thought their side would rack up a cricket score when midfielder Joe Minter converted after only 75 seconds, before Sporting Bengal dominated and they deservedly levelled when striker Shiblu Miah’s blasted the ball into the roof of an open net after 37 minutes.

The first of three penalties arrived in the 65th minute but Sporting Bengal’s best player, right-sided midfielder Yasser Rashid struck the foot of the left-post but Richard Stevens showed him the way, smashing his penalty into the roof of the net to give Sevenoaks the lead with seventeen minutes left.

The visitors’ had a goal ruled out for offside before referee Jamie Broughton awarded Sevenoaks a penalty with five minutes left when visiting goalkeeper Alfie Brincatt was adjudged by the referee for pushing Stevens after Sam Eastgate swung in a corner from the left.

But Stevens skied the resulting penalty over the crossbar and Sporting Bengal duly levelled late on through substitute Prince Pippim.

“Very difficult to summarise the game really,” said Levett, after emerging from the home dressing room.

“From our point of view, defensively we weren’t very good.  

“We scored early and I thought we would settle down but we didn’t!  If anything they dominated the first 25 minutes of the game and we weren’t sure what we were doing with the ball as a side.

“We try to tell them we have to play in the right areas but we don’t do it and we invite problems for ourselves, so I think on the balance of play we can count ourselves a little fortunate to come away with a draw really.  Even though we have a penalty, if that goes in we go 3-1 up but on the balance of play you’ve got to say they definitely deserved a point.”

The outcome could have been so different had Levett’s side built on their excellent start.

Striker Stevens was released down the right and his cross looped over Brincatt but right-back Dave Taylor leapt to head the ball off the line.  The ball fell to Rob Quinn, who swept the ball to Minter, who drilled a low right-footed drive into the bottom near corner.

“I thought we would go on and win the game,” admitted Levett, following Minter’s third goal of the season.

“When you score early it’s quite demoralising for the opposition.  That didn’t happen.  We didn’t play in the right areas. We changed it today, we went 4-4-2, it didn’t work and we changed it a little bit and had a bit more and we had a little bit more success.”

Sporting Bengal were not going to turn up just to make up the numbers and a ball over the top was cracked on a hooked right-footed volley by the impressive Rashid, which flew into the arms of Sevenoaks keeper Dan Bygraves.

One home supporter shouted “you’re making them look good!”  On this display, Sporting Bengal didn’t look like a side that went into the game having leaked 70 goals and are the perennial Kent League whipping boys.

Sevenoaks were sloppy throughout and an example of this was evident in the 19th minute when Rashid’s mazy run took him past several defenders and after exchanging a one-two with Vassell Sopoliski, his centre from the left was sliced onto his own crossbar by defender Twinn at the near post and he was relieved that his goalkeeper caught the ball before the ball crossed the line.

Sevenoaks called Brincatt into action, following a short corner routine involving Eastgate and Minter.

Eastgate’s cross found Jon Lord lurking unmarked at the near post, and after exchanging passes with Stevens, Lord’s angled drive was saved low down by the talkative visiting goalkeeper.

With the rain pelting down, which made conditions difficult, Sporting Bengal dominated proceedings and they should have levelled in the 32nd minute, but a diving Bygraves stuck out a strong right hand to turn Rashid’s right-footed drive around the post.

Sevenoaks striker, Adam Marsh, cut inside right-back Dave Taylor and central defender Abdul Bari, and his right-footed angled drive was spilt by Brincatt, before Sporting Bengal deservedly levelled eight minutes before the break.

Miah’s mazy run through the heart of the Sevenoaks defence saw him beat Twinn and after rounding goalkeeper Bygraves the striker was almost guilty of the miss-of-the-season, shanking a right-footed shot high into the roof of an open net from only two yards out.

As soon as the ball left his foot, there were cries of “his going to miss that!” but the Sporting striker was relieved to fly in just underneath the crossbar.

Levett said: “Apparently he shanked it!  He shanked it!  I spoke to the keeper, he actually miss-kicked it in but listen they had enough chances to score more than two goals so we’ve got to say we were fortunate to still be in the game really.”

Sevenoaks were clearly missing play-maker Lee Hales, who was on a stag-do, as they failed to keep possession and were made to look very poor indeed.

Sevenoaks midfielder, Rob Quinn, who has played at a much higher level of football, including Welling United and Cray Wanderers, slipped down to the level of his team-mates and the central midfielder was guilty of giving the ball to release Forbes, who teed up Miah, but Bygraves flung himself to his left to pluck the ball out of the air in the 48th minute.

Two efforts from distance from Minter and Mark Axcell flashed wide, before striker Marsh’s ambitious right-footed half-volley from 35-yards was saved at the second attempt by Brincatt.

But referee Mr Jamie Broughton awarded the first of three penalties in the 65th minute - which Sporting Bengal missed.

Miah cut in from the right and floated over a cross which the referee adjudged to have glanced Twinn’s right-arm and pointed to the spot.

The diminutive south London based referee then noticed that Thomas Vandepeer had raised his flag and after a discussion with his assistant, confirmed it was a penalty.

Twinn said something out of turn and Mr Broughton issued him a yellow card, whilst Rashid waited patiently and the longer time went on, the doubt crept in to the penalty taker’s mind.

It was no surprise when Rashid stepped up and struck the foot of the left-hand post with his right-footed penalty and Sevenoaks immediately went up field and Axcell’s right-footed effort was caught by Brincatt.

Reflecting on the decision, Levett wasn’t pleased.

He said: “To me, a bit harsh I thought.  I couldn’t really see from where I was whether it hit his hand or not.  If it’s hit his hand the referee’s given it.

“The standard of refereeing is not good but then we’re playing low level football down here.  We get the young lads’ coming through and we get the old ones, who’ve never been good enough and that’s what we get.

“We get referee’s like that who are simply way out of his depth who shouldn’t be refereeing and we get the young lads who could possibly be good referees, who are learning their trade.  It just results in performances like that but then again it’s the same for both sides.”

Sevenoaks substitute Dean Elliott was released down the right and after cutting inside Pippim, his low left-footed drive on the angle was turned around the post by the diving Brincatt.

But Sevenoaks grabbed a 73rd minute lead -  against the run of play - with a clear cut penalty.

A sliding Brincatt raced out of his penalty area to chest the ball away and substitute Tom Andrews swept a looping right-footed shot towards goal from 35-yards, which dropped down and was headed off the line by Bari.

Brincatt brought down Stevens in an attempt to pick up the loose ball, but Stevens got up and blasted his resulting right-footed spot-kick into the roof of the net, despite Brincatt guessing the right way.

Sporting Bengal played the ball over the top of the sluggish Sevenoaks defence and Miah was denied by a diving Bygraves and the ball fell for substitute Chris Montano, who fired the ball into the near corner, but he was flagged for offside following Miah’s lay-off.

Miah was then released down the right and after cutting inside he fluffed his lines by scuffing a low shot straight at Bygraves, before another farcical penalty decision.

Eastgate swung a corner in from the left and the referee pointed to the spot as his eagle-eyes spotted Brincatt had pushed Stevens in a crowded goal-mouth.

Brincatt,  Bari and Pippim were all booked for protesting, but they were all relieved when Stevens stepped up to balloon the 84th minute spot-kick over the crossbar.

“I was sitting there when we had the penalty (to make it) 3-1 and I turned to one of the players (on the bench) and said ‘I think he’s going to miss it and this game’s not over.’

“It went way over and I knew at that point it was game on and I did fancy them to get back in.”

Everyone in the ground were baffled as to the reason to give the home side a second penalty - including the Sevenoaks manager.

“I thought our penalty was a little bit harsh,” said Levett.

“I thought it was a joke!  How can he give a penalty for that?  I have no idea but we take it.  It’s obscured! If I was their manager I’ll be jumping up and down like a lunatic!

“Pushing and shoving always goes on in penalty areas!  I’ve never seen a penalty given for it!  I can’t remember the last time a penalty was given for a bit of pushing and shoving as the ball’s coming in but he gave it - we take it - we didn’t put it away!”

Sporting Bengal’s most famous player, Pippim issued the hosts a warning when he was released through on goal, but was denied by the Sevenoaks keeper, but he bounced back from that disappointment and sealed a point in the 89th minute when he turned in the box and stroked a right-footed shot past the diving Bygraves to find the bottom corner.

Levett admitted his players allowed complacency to creep in.

He said: “Maybe that crept into their heads a little bit but you only have to look at them today and they’ve got some decent footballers out there.  They were a pretty good side and I think they can count themselves unlucky to come away with just a point.

Levett added: “Defensively we were all over the place today, even more experienced players.  When you put good players or experienced players and they play poorly, alongside a young side as well, around them it’s a recipe for problems.  We made our own problems today.

“I mean 2-1 up with 5-10 minutes to go we should be able to see that game out.  We never looked like seeing the game out and they still looked in the game and we were stretched after 15 minutes.”

When asked whether it was a point gained or two dropped, Levett replied, “Well it’s a point gained on the basis of that!  I thought we were going to come here and pick up and get three points.  If you ask me honestly after that, it’s a point gained.”

Levett revealed they couldn’t train last Wednesday due to a waterlogged Greatness Park and played today’s game “off the cuff” - something that Sporting Bengal do on a regular basis.

“When you don’t train you border on a pub side,”  was Levett’s harsh assessment on his side’s shocking display.

“We played like a side that doesn’t train, comes together and plays off the cuff, doesn’t do what we ask them to do, does what they want to do and play with a naivety, immaturity but then we are young and immature.”

Levett added: “We’ve had a heart-to-heart afterwards and we said to each other ‘that’s not good enough!’

“The performance was poor and I was embarrassed to see it.  In the last ten minutes I just wanted to get away from it.  It was that bad!  It was awful!  

“We can only improve because we can’t play much worse than that!

“We were poor today but we’ll put our hands up.  We won’t make any excuses.  We can’t justify that performance.”

Sevenoaks Town: Dan Bygraves, Chris Davis, Sam Eastgate, Mark Axcell, Danny Twinn (Tom Andrews 68), John Lord, Joe Minter (Dean Elliott 46), Rob Quinn, Richard Stevens, Adam Marsh (Harry Stanhope 80), Jack Gibbons

Goals: Joe Minter 2, Richard Stevens 73 (pen)

Booked: Joe Minter 9, Danny Twinn 64, Rob Quinn 90

Sporting Bengal United: Alfie Brincatt, Dave Taylor, Zaman Liton, Arron Hutchings, Abdul Bari, Luise Adjei, Yasser Rashid, Javier Riveira, Shiblu Miah, Stepen Forbes (Prince Pippim 59), Vassell Sopoliski.

Subs:  Shamimuz Zamun, Tanjeem Choudhrui, Ashraf Amear

Goals: Shiblu Miah 37, Prince Pippim 89

Booked: Arron Hutchings 52, Luise Adjei 56, Alfie Brincatt 83, Abdul Bari 83, Prince Pippim 83

Attendance:  36

Referee:  Mr Jamie Broughton (Deptford, London SE8)

Assistants: Mr David Summers (Gillingham) & Mr Thomas Vandepeer (Gillingham)