Sutton Common Rovers 3-2 Beckenham Town - It’s a game where we should’ve won, could’ve won but we should be in the draw for the next round - but we’re not, admits Beckenham Town coach Jason Clews

Sutton Common Rovers 3 – 2 Beckenham Town
Location	Borough Sports Ground, Gander Green Lane, Sutton, Surrey SM1 2EY
Kickoff	20/11/2015 19:30

SUTTON COMMON ROVERS  3-2  BECKENHAM TOWN
The FA Vase Second Round
Friday 20^th November 2015
Stephen McCartney reports from Gander Green Lane

BECKENHAM TOWN coach Jason Clews says he wants a reaction from his players after a lack of discipline on and off the pitch sent the club crashing out of The FA Vase.

Sutton Common Rovers – sitting in the bottom six in the Cherry Red Records Combined Counties League Premier Division on 17 points from 15 games – booked their place in the Third Round for the very first time.

Beckenham Town – sitting in fourth-place in the Southern Counties East Football League on 26 points from 14 games – lost their four match unbeaten run on the 3G pitch at Sutton United’s Gander Green Lane on the coldest night of the season so far.

Jason Huntley’s side took an early lead through Jamie Turner’s brilliant free-kick and Sutton Common Rovers’ direct style of play didn’t cause Beckenham Town many problems during the first half.

But Sutton Common Rovers’ manager Darren Salmon ditched his side’s direct style during the early stages of the second half and Beckenham Town had no answer to their impressive play.

Sutton Common Rovers equalised through Francois Gabbidon’s 12^th goal of the season, before the home side turned the game on its head through Hamilton Antonio’s leveller on the hour mark.

Sutton Common Rovers were reduced to ten-men with sixteen minutes remaining when Richard Monan picked up a second yellow card.

Beckenham Town grabbed an equaliser with 49:56 on the clock through left-back Andrew Whormes, but Sutton Common Rovers snatched victory with 51:26 on the clock through Richard Smith’s fifth goal of the campaign.

Turner, who had been substituted and unused Sutton Common Rovers substitute Danny Fernandez were then red-carded following an ugly technical area bust-up as both sets celebrated their last-gasp goals like they had just won The FA Vase at Wembley Stadium.

“It’s heartbreaking really, it’s heartbreaking, losing,” admitted Clews after the game.

“We got back in the final minute, you get back into the game, they’re down to ten men and you could see from there if we got back in it, I think we would’ve gone on (and won) in extra-time.

“I think we would’ve closed the game out but just an individual mistake at the back (by Aziz Kanu) in the last dying minutes, dying seconds really, instead of just clearing your lines – we didn’t.

“If he hits the ball out -the referee’s blowing up for the final whistle and then we take it into extra-time - but he’s dwelled on the ball and he’s got caught.  There were a few mistakes all over the pitch – we’re just not putting it down to one person – so we’ve just got to learn from it.”

Beckenham Town missed their front-pairing of Jamie Humphries (illness) and Richmond Kissi (who was watching in the stands serving his suspension). The pair have scored 28 goals between them and Huntley decided to play Marvin Alebiosu as the lone striker with James Marshall just behind.

Beckenham Town created the opening chance with only 106 seconds on the clock.

Captain Adam Allen, who played out wide on the right during the first half and out wide on the left during the second half, before going up front towards the end, made a crossfield run before playing the ball inside to Harry Draper, who cut the ball back for Frankie Warren to hit his right-footed drive over the bar from 25-yards.

Turner was then positioned on the half-way line to hit a deep cross into the Sutton Common Rovers penalty area, which was cleared away by their right-back Aaron Bogle and the ball fell at Warren’s feet, who sliced his right-footed shot past the right-hand post from 20-yards.

Beckenham Town had claims for a penalty turned down when Alebiosu did well to cut past Nehemiah Adams before being fouled what appeared to be just inside the box.

Referee Stephen Hughes awarded Beckenham a free-kick right on the line of the penalty box on the left-hand side and booked the Sutton Common Rovers’ central defender, the right decision.

Up stepped Turner, who whipped his right-footed free-kick over the wall and curling into the roof of the net to give Beckenham Town a deserved lead with nine and a half minutes on the clock.

“Just on the edge of the box, the referee thought, but looking at it, it looks like it was inside the box,” said Clews.

“We got the free-kick, alright we scored from it, but he’s in on goal as well. 

“Over the wall, again it was a good free-kick from Turner. He’s hit it with a lot of pace, with a bit of curl on it. 

“To be fair, I thought the keeper’s made a bit of a mistake. He’s not even gone for it and he’s sort of started off middle, to the other side of the goal. Great free-kick from Turner, taking nothing away from him, he’s hit the ball really well.

“I thought we started off very well in the first 10-15 minutes. We passed it around, zipped it around, especially on that surface because we like to play and then we stopped after sort of 15-20 minutes, then individual mistakes crept in and that’s it.”

An example of the home side’s direct play came in the 15^th minute when left-back Anson Cousins clipped a ball from the left-hand side of the centre circle sailing over Whormes’ head for the unmarked Liam Holden to smash his volley past the near post from the right-hand corner of the penalty area.

Beckenham Town’s right-back Turner then clipped another free-kick from similar range into the penalty area, but Marshall’s near post header glanced into the hands of keeper Leigh Bowden.

Sutton Common Rovers’ best chance to equalise arrived halfway through the first half.

Skipper Holden was released down the right and he put over a deep cross which was retrieved by Antonio, who played the ball into Smith, who cut into the penalty area. 

Smith played a one-two with Gabbidon (who then made an untracked run towards the penalty spot) before Smith floated over a cross for Gabbidon to smash his powerful volley high over the bar.

“They were very direct. I thought they started off with the same sort of formation that we did in the first half, which was 4-5-1,” said Clews.

“We went that way because we lost two of our strikers. They were sort of direct, hitting it up to the top man, which to be fair, I thought we dealt with until the second half.

“Towards the middle and the end of the first half, they had a couple of chances, which I thought was caused by our mistakes at the back.  Not one of them dropped off (from the long-ball up) to cover round and that’s where they got their chances from.”

Adams then launched a long throw into the Beckenham box for Holden to hook his left-footed volley on the turn over the bar.

This brought a flurry of chances at both ends.

A long ball out of defence by Sutton Common Rovers’ Bogle released Gabbidon who steered his shot past the near post from 20-yards.

And a big kick down the middle by Bowden was flicked on by Holden but Gabbidon stabbed his shot straight at Beckenham keeper Lewis Moore, who advanced off his line, on the half-hour mark.

Another big kick from Bowden was missed by Aziz Kanu and Gabbidon wasted the chance by lashing his shot wide from 12-yards.

Beckenham Town weathered the storm and went close to doubling their lead when Allen fed Warren, who cut inside and curled his right-footed shot agonisingly around the far post from 20-yards.

Beckenham Town were to be denied a second goal by a curious offside flag just two minutes before half-time.

Turner produced another one of his excellent crosses from the right, which skipped off the artificial pitch and it appeared that Sutton Common Rovers’ central defender David Burton had sliced his clearance into the bottom near corner of his net.

A puzzled Clews said: “Can’t see why it was offside really? I didn’t really speak to the referee after or the reasons why he gave the offside, but it came off their bloke!

“Whether there was a player offside from the actual start of the cross, but it was hard to see from our angle.

“I think we should’ve appealed it a bit more, but it’s been given and you have to move on and carry on.”

Beckenham Town went in at the break with a comfortable 1-0 lead, but it started to go quickly downhill for the Kent side.

Clews knew exactly what was coming, when speaking to his players at the break.

“We said they’re going to have a 10-15 minute spell where they’re going to come back at us because they’re at home and we have to deal with that.

“We sort of sat back, stopped doing what we was doing and then they hit us.  They got their goal back, you could see they got their backs up then and they got another quick goal straight after. Yes, it sort of knocked us back a bit then.”

Sutton Common Rovers decided to play football on the deck and with it they looked an impressive side to the one during the first half that bypassed their entire midfield.

Clews added: “We noticed that, when they scored the goal they started to play some football and they had a good 10-15 minute spell when they passed it around and they played some good football.

“They got the second goal and then they had a man sent off and that’s when they stopped playing the football and they were just trying to knock it long again and we didn’t take the opportunity, the advantage of ten men.”

The home side equalised after 54 minutes, through a slice of luck.

Antonio raced forward with the ball and released Gabbidon down the left.  The home side’s main threat cut inside and powered his right-footed shot from 25-yards, which took a wicked deflection off Kanu (who was attempting to close down the shot) and the ball looped into the top left-hand corner, past the wrong-footed Moore.

“It’s one of those things,” said Clews.

“You try to close him down, it’s got a wicked deflection and looped in.

“Again, probably could’ve closed down a bit quicker on the edge of the box, I think there and on the second one as well because that was quite a long range effort.

“I think once they got the first goal our heads had gone a little bit and we dropped off and we didn’t close down as quick as we did and that’s when the shot came in for the second one.”

Beckenham Town received a slice of luck only 119 seconds later when an unmarked Holden stroked his left-footed drive against the left-hand post from 25-yards.

Clews added: “Again, they’re on the front foot once they got the equaliser and we stopped doing what we told them to do at half-time. They had a few chances after that, a good 10 minutes.”

Monan played a sublime through ball to put Gabbidon through on goal but he placed his right-footed shot past the foot of the right-hand post from the edge of the Beckenham penalty area.

Clews added: “Again, just mistakes, not tracking back. Jamie Turner, I think, got caught on that side. There was Turner and Harry Draper doing little dinks and flicks in the middle of the park and that’s where we lost the ball and it came from silly mistakes like that, doing the intricate little chip, dink it around the corner and they broke away.”

Sutton Common Rovers were now looking like a completely different side and they deservedly took the lead on the hour-mark.

Man-of-the-match Gabbidon was released down the left and he cut the ball back to Antonio, who powered his right-footed drive across keeper Moore from 20-yards, the ball nestling into the bottom left-hand corner.

Clews said: “That’s the one, it’s come back out to the 10 and we haven’t closed him down!  He’s a good 25-yards out and he’s hit the ball, it’s gone straight through a crowd and into the bottom corner but we haven’t closed him down so it’s something we should’ve done.”

Shell-shocked Beckenham Town created a chance in the 65^th minute.

Warren laid the ball inside to Marshall, whose right-footed drive from 25-yards was parried by Bowden at his near post, before grabbing hold off the ball at the second attempt.

“He’s (the goalkeeper) fumbled it in front of him, we haven’t chased it down. There the things you have to do on this sort of surface as well, is follow the ball in and we haven’t done it and he’s managed to get back up and get on the ball.”

Good defending from Beckenham Town’s central defender Tamar Bilal prevented Gabbidon’s shot finding the far corner of the net.  The ball ran loose across the penalty area and Holden’s first time shot was drilled into the foot of the side netting from a tight angle.

Beckenham Town squandered a great chance to equalise when Marshall’s ball over the top that put Alebiosu through on goal but Bowden rushed off his line and used his chest to deny the striker.

You kind of felt that if Humphris of Kissi was in that position the ball would have ended up in the back of the net.

“That’s a big, big miss for us, strikers who are scoring goals. Marvin, don’t get me wrong, he’ done a good job for us coming in and he’s scored (one goal) for us this season.

“It’s a big blow. The formation has changed because of that. That’s why we had to go with the 4-5-1 formation. I think with 4-3-3- we could’ve gone with, we would’ve had a bit more job and created a lot more chances but that’s how it goes.”

Sutton Common Rovers were reduced to ten-men when Monan picked up his second yellow card for a challenge on former team-mate Warren, but Beckenham Town just didn’t know how to deal with facing ten-men, as was the case in the last round against AFC Croydon Athletic.

“What I’ve been told Monan’s ex Greenwich Borough and a few other teams. It’s not a straight red card but it’s definitely a second yellow for a foul on Frankie Warren. I think they were old team-mates, they used to play with each other so they know each other.

“No arguments with the second yellow, that’s when we have to take advantage and we probably didn’t!

“We stuck another forward up, Adam Allen, just to try to help Marvin out there. We changed the formation to a 4-4-2 formation. We had a few chances from it but we were just trying to get Marvin a little bit more help up the top there from Adam, so that’s the way we went about it.

“Frankie Warren hit it over the bar. We created some chances but it was not to be our night.”

Kanu pumped a long free-kick from inside the Beckenham Town half of the pitch into the Sutton Common Rovers’ penalty area. Goalkeeper Bowden dropped the ball and Warren was off balanced when he hooked his volley over the bar.

Warren then turned provider by clipping the ball into the penalty area but a stretching Alebiosu poked his shot past the post.

Beckenham Town were then forced to shoot from at least 35-yards when Turner’s throw ran across Justin Hemmings, the central midfielder drilling his right-footed drive screaming past the far post with five minutes remaining.

Some of the home fans need to purchase watches as they were continuingly calling out at referee Stephen Hughes to blow the final whistle – despite there being at least five minutes left to play.

Turner whipped in a cross into the Sutton Common Rovers’ penalty area and Adams’ back-header looped just over the crossbar and behind for a corner, as Beckenham Town pressed.

Sutton Common Rovers went up the other end and Holden was unlucky when his right-footed drive from 30-yards crashed back down off the underside of the crossbar.

A long throw into the Sutton Common Rovers box by Kanu was met by Allen’s near post header, which was turned around the post by Bowden, who had dived to his right.

With whistles coming from the home fans and appeals for the full-time whistle, Beckenham Town snatched the equaliser through Whormes’ first goal of the season.

Marlon Patterson, who only had just come on for Turner, swung in the corner from the left, goalkeeper Bowden flapped at the ball and the ball came out to Whormes, who steered his low drive through a crowd of players to find the bottom right-hand corner from 15-yards.

Clews added: “To be honest, it was crowded, I didn’t actually see who actually stuck it in, in the end there but I wasn’t too bothered who put it in!”

This sparked wild celebrations from the entire Beckenham Town substitutes bench and they gestured to their rivals on the opposite side and tempers started to fray.

Clews held his hands up and said: “We celebrated. We came out of our technical area a bit and celebrated because the crowd were giving us a bit of stick, obviously with the time added on but I think that was right because there was a fella that got injured and he was down for a good five or six minutes.

“I don’t think they’ve got any problems with that.  They shouldn’t be moaning about that. We celebrated, glad to get back in there and try to take it to extra time.”

Beckenham Town would have been favourites to go on and win the game in extra-time had they maintained composure on and off the pitch, but they were left broken hearted as Sutton Common Rovers went up the other end to snatch the win.

Holden played the ball across the penalty area from the right hand side towards the far post to Smith, who cut inside and drilled his shot on the turn into the bottom near corner from 10-yards.

This time, Sutton Common Rovers’ bench and supporters celebrated wildly, and Beckenham Town lost it and confronted their rivals, causing an ugly scene.

Referee Mr Hughes sent off hat-wearing unused substitute Fernandez and Turner and play continued for nearly another minute before Beckenham Town’s FA Vase run finished.

Clews said: “That’s when the mistakes been made and they’ve scored straight away.  We should’ve seen the game out for the last minute.

“Clews claimed: “They’ve celebrated, done exactly what we’ve done but this time one of their substitutes (believed to be Fernandez), I think, thrown a can in our dug-out. He was the one who threw the can into the dug-out. I think it was a can of coke or something like that or a bottle of coke or a plastic bottle, which obviously upset a few players.

“We’ve sort of encroached their area celebrating and they was right to do the same but taking a little step further by throwing things in the dug-out which was not right.

“The incident on Jamie Turner, the can hit him or the bottle, the plastic bottle hit him, so it was half-full, so it wasn’t a heavy object but it sort of upset him.

“We celebrated our goal and that’s what caused it a little bit and they’ve done the same but there’s no need to throw stuff at us in the technical area so that’s why he’s retaliated a bit and he’s got the red card for it.”

Beckenham Town will be training on Tuesday night ahead of the visit of Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League leaders Glebe in the Kent Reliance Senior Trophy Second Round next Saturday.

Clews said: “It’s a bonus, The FA Vase, we’re sort of concentrating on the league but we wanted to go a little bit further in the competition but that’s not happened now, so we’ve got a training session on Tuesday, which we can work on a few things and then we can see just how the players’ react.

“We’ve told them to just put the game behind them, have a think about their performances and what they’ve done wrong and if they’ve done enough.  Hopefully we can put that right Tuesday in the training session, work on a few things.

“Very disappointing. It’s a game where we should’ve won, could’ve won but we should be in the draw for the next round but we’re not – so we have to take it on the chin.”

Sutton Common Rovers: Leigh Bowden, Aaron Bogle, Anson Cousins, David Burton, Nehemiah Adams, Sam Blowers, Liam Holden, Richard Monan, Francois Gabbidon, Hamilton Antonio, Richard Smith.
Subs: Todd Sullivan, Harry Smart, Arnold Okiror, Danny Fernandez, Hardy Antonio

Goals: Francois Gabbidon 54, Hamilton Antonio 60, Richard Smith 90

Booked: Nehemiah Adams 9, Richard Monan 45, Sam Blowers 76

Sent Off: Richard Monan 74, Danny Fernandez 90

Beckenham Town: Lewis Moore, Jamie Turner (Marlon Patterson 90), Andrew Whormes, Justin Hemmings, Tamar Bilal, Aziz Khan, Adam Allen, James Marshall (Jonathon Louis 69), Marvin Alebiosu, Harry Draper (Adam Wadmore 89), Frankie Warren.
Subs: Sam O’Keefe, Lazandier Ritcy

Goals: Jamie Turner 10, Andrew Whormes 90

Booked: Marvin Alebiosu 45, Adam Wadmore 90

Sent Off: Jamie Turner 90

Attendance: 103
Referee: Mr Stephen Hughes (Brighton, East Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Collin Mallow (Burgess Hill, West Sussex) & Mr Daniel Hague (Crawley, West Sussex)