Sheppey United 2-0 Lancing - We've already achieved a lot this year and to get in that play-off position to where we were before Christmas, that in itself is a massive achievement, says Sheppey United player-manager Jack Midson

Sheppey United 2 – 0 Lancing
Location	Holm Park, St Peters Close, Queenborough Road, Halfway, Sheerness, Kent ME12 3BD
Kickoff	15/04/2023 15:00

SHEPPEY UNITED  2-0  LANCING
Isthmian League South East Division
Saturday 15 April 2023
Stephen McCartney reports from Holm Park

SHEPPEY UNITED player-manager Jack Midson says it will be a massive achievement for the club if they are to retain their place in this exciting Isthmian League South East Division play-off race within the last seven days of the season.

Sheppey United climbed up a couple of places into fourth-place in the table with 64 points from their 37 games.

Late goals from substitute central midfielder Bradley Schafer and striker Warren Mfula’s 27^th goal of the season gave the home side a flattering 2-0 win over Lancing.

Dean Cox’s side were a hard outfit to break down but Sheppey United’s goals were timed at 41:50 and 45:30 at the end of the second half, watched by a crowd of 735 inside Holm Park.

“Nervy, I think, especially first half, where we were so confident. We looked a little bit nervy. We had key players giving the ball away cheaply and we haven’t done that for a long time,” said Midson, whose side have climbed from the relegation zone after match day nine to having a shot of promotion.

“You do forget we do have a young squad, a big crowd and I wasn’t happy first half.

“Lancing are not a bad side and they got on us but second half we were much better.  We chose the time to take a touch and make a pass to feet or put it in to a good area and we done that better second half and we were getting chances.

“It came down to that final ball.  Their keeper is good, he had good hands but we kept crossing it into the six-yard box and he kept gathering everything. The first cross that we stand it up back post and we score and it just shows those fine lines, just changes the game.”

Kevin Hake’s Chatham Town celebrated winning the league title (76 points from 37 games) with a 2-1 home win over Cray Valley (Paper Mills) this afternoon.

Chatham Town finished as runners-up to Sheppey United in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division last season on 100 and 102 points respectively.

Second-placed Ramsgate were held to their 12^th draw of the season by Whitehawk in a 1-1 draw, while Hythe Town are making a late dash towards the play-offs with a 2-1 win at VCD Athletic.

Beckenham Town slipped out of the play-off zone after being held to a 1-1 draw by East Grinstead Town at Eden Park Avenue.

Ramsgate (69 points), Whitehawk (68), Sheppey United (64) and Hythe Town (64) are currently sitting in the play-off zone.

However, Beckenham Town (64) and Cray Valley (62) have a game in hand on their rivals and are at home to Faversham Town and VCD Athletic respectively on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, towards the bottom, Lancing are in 15^th place with 40 points, followed by Burgess Hill Town on 38 but with a game in hand (away to Sittingbourne on Tuesday night).

VCD Athletic (37 points, a game in hand) and Haywards Heath Town (36) are both in the relegation play-off zone, while Faversham Town (28, a game in hand) and Corinthian (27) were both relegated on Easter Monday.

Both Sheppey United and Lancing often played out from the back and kept the ball on the deck but there was a lack of quality within the final third and both sides often cancelled each other out.

Lancing were a threat down the left with left-back Mahamadou Juwara often playing like a wing-back and linked up well with Marcel Powell.  Modou Lamin Jemmeh, playing in the 10 role, linked up well and striker Tommy Blennerhassett often pressed the Sheppey United defence and goalkeeper Aiden Prall.

“Lancing came at us, no disrespect to them, they’ve got nothing really to play for but I thought they moved it quite well. They’ve got some good players and switched the ball quite well,” said Midson.

“I remember that from the last game.  They’ve got some good players down the sides and we kept giving the ball away cheaply and it gives them a bit of impetus.”

Sheppey United created their first real chance in the 20^th minute.

Left-back Frankie Morgan threw the ball into the channel for Eddie Allsopp, who put in a low cross, which was cleared out to holding midfielder Josh Wisson, who fizzed a first time right-footed drive flashing past the foot of the right-hand post from 16-yards.

Lancing central midfielder Finn Daniels-Yeomans played the ball out to Powell on the left and he cut towards the edge of the Sheppey United box before curling his right-footed drive over the top of the far post from 25-yards.

Sheppey United won the corner-count by 5-2 and their first one came at the half-way point of the first half.

Allsopp’s left-wing delivery went a long way and the ball bounced off right-back Connor Wilkins at the far post and bounced past the near-post.

Wilkins wears the number eight shirt and is a central midfielder but has been deployed at right-back for most of the season and Midson explained why.

“Connor’s the best right-back we’ve got.  He’s fantastic in the air, he runs, he tackles, he’s got all the attributes to play at right-back.

“I think at the time when he came in, he came in ideally to play in midfield and there was a vacancy at right-back. I didn’t plan to put him in there and keep him in there but he’s been so solid.

“He can play anywhere, he’s a great player, he’s got all the attributes to score goals, he gets forward, he can do anything but at this time and the time we needed him he went right-back and he’s kept his shirt.”

Sheppey United went direct in the 28^th minute when goalkeeper Prall rolled the ball to Frankie Del Morgan and the left-back launched a long ball down the channel.

Mfula won a foot-race against Lancing centre-half Marcus Allen, and his first touch took him wide but he had a second bite of the cherry and drilled a right-footed angled drive towards the near post, which was beaten away by Lancing goalkeeper Alieu Secka.

“Warren’s a great threat, he’s our top scorer.  We know he’s got goals in him and sometimes I tell him to stay higher up but if he’s not getting the ball he wants, he comes deep to try to get on it,” said Midson.

“I thought at times he was really mature today and he held the ball up and normally he’s just running off the shoulder.  When he’s on the shoulder he’ll run past any defender and he causes havoc.  I think his hard work paid off and he got his deserved goal at the end.”

Sheppey United’s second holding midfielder, Richard Hamill, played a 20-yard square pass inside to Allsopp, who stepped inside Darius Goldsmith, before drilling a right-footed shot just past the foot of the left-hand post from 25-yards.

Midson said: “We had a lot of moments when we were nearly and we were pushing and we were nearly there.  Last week we could’ve been three or four-nil up, we didn’t take our chances and I thought it was going to be another one of those days.”

The Ites beat Three Bridges (3-2) and Ashford United (1-0) over Easter.

Lancing produced a well-worked move and went close to grabbing the lead 96 seconds into stoppage time.

Goldsmith and Blennerhassett linked up inside the final third, seven-goal right-winger Reece Hallard cut in from the right before Goldsmith fed the ball to Lamin Jemmeh, who swept his right-footed shot just past the right-hand post from inside the D, although Prall had it covered as he dropped down to his knees.

“I’ve watched him (Lamin Jemmeh) play a few times and he’s a very good player. He goes a bit unnoticed but he’s clever and he runs off the shoulders and he get the ball and he’s got on the ball and he can score goals so if you don’t track players like that, you’re in trouble,” added Midson.

At half-time, Midson added: “I had to tell them, I weren’t happy and it’s been like that for a while. There’s been certain moments where we get away with it and we didn’t look like a team that were chasing the play-offs.  We didn’t look like that team that really wanted it.

“We’re a young squad and maybe the nerves did show a little bit. We’ve got to be better than that next week and potentially the following week after that.”

The second half proved to be a chess match, with both sides often cancelling each other out for large parts.

Wilkins and Leonard were more of a threat for the home side during the second half and the pair linked up well to create a half-chance inside the opening eight minutes.

Prall’s big kick was superbly controlled by Leonard within the right channel and he tried to get the better off left-back Juward.

Wilkins then overlapped and ghosted past Juward and Powell before cutting the ball back for Leonard, who whipped in a cross, which was cleared out to Wilkins, whose header from 15-yards bounced into the gloves of the Lancing goalkeeper.

“Danny Leonard is a great threat down the wing and you want him to be our outlet but you don’t want to be relying on just that one side because he gets defenders doubling up on him,” said Midson.

“Danny can get at feet and run at people and his pace and his touch is unbelievable. It was just that final ball that was lacking in the first half and second half he listened and he clipped the ball up back stick and he assisted the goal, so he’s a great asset to have.

“Danny had a couple of knocks early on, it’s so easy to come off with a knock like that but he cracked on like a trooper and got us through for the team.”

Lancing goalkeeper Secka was the busier of the two goalkeepers and often failed to collect crosses at the first attempt.

Sheppey United started to up their tempo, desire and urgency levels during a dominant final 20 minutes.

Shafer set the tone when he picked the ball up close to the centre circle inside his own half, drove with the ball straight down the middle, skipped past Goldsmith’s challenge but lacked composure some 25-yards from goal and lashed his shot over the crossbar.

However, decisions from the dug-out won and lost this stalemate.

Lancing boss Cox decided that Juwara’s race was run (he wasn’t a threat in the second half) and on came Mohamed Joumaa Zabadne to slot in at right-back, so right-back William Berry switched over to left-back.

Wilkins calves were playing him up so off he went in the 81^st minute to be replaced by attacker Jake Embery and Midson switched from a back four to  three at the back and the move paid dividends.

“I’m normally really calm but I think all of that hard work, I didn’t want it to go to waste today, it’s sort of stick or twist really,” added Midson.

“I don’t particularly like going threw at the back when you don’t have to but after taking off a great asset like Connor Wilkins, his calves were cramping up slightly, he’s got tight calves so it makes sense to go three at the back and bring another striker on and go for it and it paid off.

“Another day you don’t do that but you think one point is not really enough, we needed to go for three points and we went for it and got it.”

Hamill played a 20-yard pass along the deck into Allsopp, whose left-footed drive deflected off the pressing Daniels-Yeomans and behind for the home side’s fifth corner of the game.

Allsopp’s delivery was knocked back across goal by centre-half Olamilekan Majoyegbe at the back post and pacey substitute left-winger Matthew MacArthur kept the ball alive by playing it back to Hamill, who played the ball down the 18-yard line back to Allsopp and his cross was spilt by Secka, who grabbed hold of the bouncing ball at his near post.

It was looking like Lancing centre-halves Allen and Tom Butler had done their job and came away from here with a deserved point.

“We were knocking on the door.  Their defence was good, they were clearing their lines but we just had to keep knocking on that door and not give up – and we got two goals,” added Midson.

However, Sheppey United kept knocking on the door and were rewarded.

An unmarked Majoyegbe hit a long ball down the right and into the channel and Leonard’s sublime first touch brought the ball under control.

He twisted and turned Berry and hung over a cross towards a crowd of players at the far post and Schafer buried his header into the top left-hand corner from inside the six-yard box to score his fifth goal for Sheppey this season.

Midson said: “Danny Leonard is a great threat. Sometimes he likes to cut in on his left but his prominently right-footed. If he can push it past people, that one touch, that one cross we kept away from the goalie and we scored.

“We have to work on that, you can’t have the perfect slide across the box every time and we’re getting bodies in the box so fair play to Brad. We probably had three queuing up to head that in at the end.”

Sheppey United’s second goal was flattering and Zabadne made it too easy for Mfula.

Morgan hit a long ball out of defence into the left wing and Zabadne looked like he was going to get to the ball first as it rolled towards the touchline.

Mfula barged into the right-back some 30-yards from goal and referee Jake Woodman surprisingly didn’t blow his whistle and Mfula kept composed to charge into the box before slotting the ball past Secka into the bottom far corner in a one-v-one situation.

“Warren’s hard work paid off. Potentially it could’ve been a foul on their player but it’s up to the ref to give it,” said Midson.

“He went through, it’s one of them, as a striker, you know you’ve got so much time, sometimes it’s too much time but I could see him he just calmed himself down. He slowed down, he had a little shimmy to put the goalie on his left-foot and stuck it into the far post, so fair play to him. He worked so hard and deserved his goal.”

Midson added: “It’s a great day for the football club. We’re trying to do deals to get kids’ and parents in. We know it’s hard to attend and come to games but it’s a great day out.

“I’m in charge of loads of soccer schools, the kids’ are coming to watch and they are the future.  If they can see these lads’ are putting on the shirt with pride and they’ve got someone to look up to so I’m hoping we’re creating that.”

Expect more twists and turns as this exciting play-off race reaches its conclusion this week, with six club’s all vying for those four positions.

Midson takes his side to Eltham next Saturday to lock horns with Tommy Osborne’s Cray Valley.

“We’re not expected to get in the play-offs, we’re not expected to go up but we’re there and there abouts, we’re in it,” said Midson.

“If you look before Christmas it was not doom and gloom but lots of people had their heads down moaning and groaning. I certainly wasn’t. I knew we would be good. I signed a few extra players to believe in how I wanted to play with belief, energy and honesty and it’s been paying off since Christmas.”

When asked about the promotion picture, Midson said: “First of all, well down to Chatham.  They’re very consistent, they’ve probably had some tough games and they’ve just got over the line. They kept going to the end and they thoroughly deserve it.

“I know Ramsgate will be slightly disappointed. They’re one of the strongest teams in the play-offs.  Between us and Whitehawk, no one really wants to play each other, on their day, anyone can beat each other. It’s still not done for us.

“Cray Valley will probably go and win on Tuesday, they’re good enough and strong enough. It could go into that last game next week, us against them.

“Beckenham drew today, they’re still strong. Fair play to Hythe, they’ve really come on.  They looked at us sort of creeping up and they’ve been on our tails and I think they’re level on points and they’ve done a great job and it may even come down to goal-difference so I’m glad we got two goals today and not one.

“What a position to be in, not just us as a football club but for the League. You’ve got six teams in there that all could get in there.

“We said it at Christmas, if we had something to play for right up until that last game of the season it would be a brilliant achievement and we’ve achieved that, so whatever happens after that, it happens but what a position to put ourselves in.

“Cray Valley are a good team.  Cray were one of the better teams that we’ve played.  We had me, Billy (Bennett) and Richard (Hamill) in midfield and they ran rings around us. We’ll watch the video and see what they’re like now.

“I’m expecting them to be the same. We need to set up not defensive, but we need to condense the pitch down but higher up the pitch and not drop deep.  We know we can get forward and get chances and score goals with our midfielders and our front line but we need to be solid at the back, give them no easy chances and give ourselves a chance.”

When asked what it would mean to reach the play-offs – at the end of their maiden season in the Isthmian League, Midson replied: “It will be amazing. I always say we do have a healthy budget but we’re not with the big dogs (Chatham Town and Ramsgate) at the top.  We’ve only been in this league for one year and Chatham have done it and maybe got slightly better resources than we have.  It does help to some extent.

“What the lads have achieved, the belief and we are one of the youngest squads, it will be a great achievement.  We’ve already achieved a lot this year to get in that position to where we were before Christmas, that in itself is a massive achievement.  Whatever happens after that happens but I hope we give ourselves a good account of ourselves next week and just go from there.”

Sheppey United: Aiden Prall, Connor Wilkins (Jake Embery 81), Frankie Del Morgan, Josh Wisson (Bradley Schafer 56), Olamilekan Majoyegbe, Sam Gale, Mamadou Diallo (Matthew MacArthur 61), Richard Hamill, Warren Mfula, Eddie Allsopp, Danny Leonard.
Subs: Jack Midson, Benjamin Beard

Goals: Bradley Schafer 87, Warren Mfula 90

Booked: Eddie Allsopp 90

Lancing: Alieu Secka, William Berry, Mahamadou Juwara (Mohamed Joumaa Zabadne 81), Finn Daniels-Yeomans, Marcus Allen, Tom Butler, Marcel Powell, Darius Goldsmith (Charles Lewis Towning 83), Tommy Blennerhassett, Modou Lamin Jemmeh (Kane Louis 58), Reece Hallard.

Booked: Darius Goldsmith 77

Attendance: 735
Referee: Mr Jake Woodman
Assistants: Mr Christopher Stobart & Mr Nicholas Monkman