Kentish Football

Sittingbourne 3-1 Whyteleafe - Our poor home record has cost us, admits Abbott

Saturday 18th April 2009

SITTINGBOURNE 3-1 WHYTELEAFE
Ryman League Division One South  
Saturday 18th April 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Bourne Park

SITTINGBOURNE boss Gary Abbott admitted his side’s poor home form has cost his side a place in the Ryman League Division One South play-off’s on Tuesday week.

Despite today’s comfortable 3-1 win over a poor Whyteleafe side that rued the loss of five suspended players, this was only the club’s seventh home win of the season and with Metropolitan Police winning 2-0 at struggling Burgess Hill Town, the Brickies boss was full of disappointment at the final whistle.
 
“I thought we done what we came here to do today, to get three points,” Abbott told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.
 
“You’ve obviously got the pressure to obviously get the three points, but we knew they would be fighting for their lives as well, but we done our job.
 
“You can’t say nothing about their goal, it was a wonder goal.  It either goes over the stand, or it goes in and it just went in.
 
“We’ve done everything that we had to do. We shouldn’t be relying on other results really.  We know we’ve done it (failed to get into play-off’s) ourselves, our home form has lost us a place in the play-off’s.”
 
Sittingbourne had the better of a dull opening half at a sunny, but windy, Bourne Park.
 
The Kent side created a couple of decent chances after 21 minutes, following two Colin Richmond corners.
 
The 19-year-old who later scooped FOUR player awards, swung in a corner from the left, which was headed out to midfielder Joe Horlock, whose left-footed volley from just outside the box deflected wide.
 
And from Richmond’s resulting corner, Nick Reeves came up from his defensive duties to crash a fierce volley, with the outside of his right boot, high into the side netting at the far post.
 
But Sittingbourne broke the deadlock after 28 minutes, through Hicham Akhazzan’s tenth goal of the season.
 
He was released through the heart of the Whyteleafe defence and as goalkeeper Gavin Dilley advanced off his line, Ahazzan delicately chipped the ball over the goalkeeper and into an empty net with his right-foot from 16-yards.
 
Whyteleafe, who went into the game just two places and four points clear of relegation, were a very poor side, as Sittingbourne goalkeeper Matt Reed didn’t have a save to make.
 
But when news filtered through that Metropolitan Police had scored their first of two goals at Burgess Hill, all Sittingbourne’s efforts were in vain.
 
Dilley made his one and only real save after 65 minutes, diving to his right to keep out Akhazzan’s fierce drive, following a cross from substitute Mark Green from the left caused panic.
 
Reeves picked up the ball some 35-yards out and unleashed a right-footed drive, which flashed wide, before Sittingbourne doubled their lead after 69 minutes.
 
Akhazzan cut the ball back to America bound Mark De Bolla, who cracked a right-footed 25-yard half-volley on the right, which gave Dilley no chance as it flew into the back of the net.
 
That goal proved vital as Whyteleafe scored the best goal of the match, despite it being their one and only shot on target, just four minutes later.
 
Michael Harney’s cross from the left was headed away by Reeves and Whyteleafe striker Ricardo Williams cracked a stunning right-footed volley from 25-yards, from the inside left channel, which gave Reed no chance as it flew across him and into the top far corner.
 
Sittingbourne substitute Elie Kayembe, meanwhile, sealed the victory in the 76th minute, as the former Ilford striker scored his fourth goal of the season.
 
Star man Richmond released the striker, who shrugged off his marker to race into the penalty area before taking his time to slam a right-footed low drive into the net.
 
Kayembe was unlucky three minutes later when, after beating two defenders, he was denied by the far post. 
 
Moments later, Richmond’s dipping right-footed curler from 25-yards was plucked out of the air by Dilley as the ball was destined to dart over him.
 
And Akhazzan was denied by a goal-line clearance from Whyteleafe midfielder Ellis Conroy after the nippy attacker had rounded the goalkeeper late on.
 
Before today’s win, Sittingbourne – and tenants Maidstone United - had only won six – and drawn six – of their home games this season.
 
And Abbott knows this – and the injuries to strikers Richard Brady (18 goals) and Tom Bradbrook (13), led to their downfall.
 
“The pitch is massive, we know that, I suppose it’s the same for both teams, but we definitely lost it on our home form,” admitted Abbott.
 
“You look at our away record (12 wins, 7 draws and 1 defeat), not a problem.
 
“We’re good enough to get into the play-off’s without a doubt, we’re good enough to go and win the play-off’s but we haven’t got there.
 
“I don’t know what to say really, I’m so gutted!
 
“If you’d have said we’d get seventy points you might’ve got into the play-off’s, I’m happy. 
 
“We’ve had a lot of changes, it took us three or four months to get the team I wanted.  Perhaps if we had this team at the start of the season it may have been all different.
 
“I don’t want to keep making excuses, we’ve not got there, we haven’t got enough points, simple as that!
 
“We’ve messed it up ourselves, we can’t rely on other people to keep losing.  It wasn’t to be.  We’ve just trying to keep the squad together now for next season and we know we’ll be up there again.”
 
Sittingbourne:  Matt Reed, Ryan Andrews, Joe Dowley, Matt Bourne, Nick Reeves, Rio Alderton, Joe Horlock (Mark Green 65), Mark De Bolla, Jon Neal (Elie Kayembe 68), Colin Richmond, Hicham Akhazzan.
Subs: Billy Manners, Richard Brady, Bradley Spice.
 
Goals: Hicham Akhazzan 28, Mark De Bolla 69, Elie Kayembe 76
 
Whyteleafe:  Gavin Dilley, Asher Hudson, Michael Harney, Denva McKenzie (Stuart Massey 82), Daniel Aldous, Dean Eaton, Ellis Conroy, Ryan Gray, Ricardo Williams, Sean Rivers, Mark Hammond (Hugo Sikaude 57).
 
Goal:  Ricardo Williams 73
 
Booked:  Sean Rivers 53
 
Attendance: 174
Referee: Mr Lee Wood (Dagenham, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Harry Hill (Dartford) & Mr Adam Bakalarz (Bromley)








 

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