Sutton Athletic 0-2 Corinthian - There aren't any negatives from today, says Matt Longhurst

SUTTON ATHLETIC  0-2  CORINTHIAN
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 6^th July 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Lower Road

CORINTHIAN manager Matt Longhurst could only find positives after his side opened their pre-season campaign with a comfortable victory over Sutton Athletic.

The Fawkham-based club, who recorded their highest ever position (fourth) in the Kent League last season and were runners-up in the Macron Kent League Cup for the second successive season, waited until the second half to win the game, courtesy of strikers Peter Afolayan and the diminutive Oscar Paxton, 18.

“We played two different teams, a complete fitness exercise.  I know it’s an old cliché but we’re not interested with the result,” said Longhurst, 32, afterwards.

“I spoke to James (Collins) numerous times this week and we both knew what teams we were putting out.

“I’m over the moon with the boys’ to be honest, their attitudes and application was brilliant.  There were mistakes made in both halves of the game but that’s going to happen, it’s the first game back.

“Two good goals. We had some opportunities in the first half but our decision making in the final third should’ve been better, but overall it was definitely a good day and a worthwhile exercise.”

James Collins, 30, took charge of Sutton Athletic for the very first time after former boss Guy Eldridge guided the Hextable-based club to eighth-place in the Kent Invicta League last season.

The former Erith Town manager said: “I learnt loads and loads about the players.  I think there’s some people that are a bit further behind than others but it’s the first time that I’ve ever seen the boys in any sort of game.

“Two boys that I’ve brought with me played today. I was going to give everyone a chance. It was really, really productive for us.

“I think defensively in the first half as a unit we looked a lot better. I don’t think they created a great deal. I don’t think we created much either, but we got into good positions.

“Second half, I thought that we probably went for it a little bit more and left ourselves a little bit more open.

“First half, in terms of team shape and stuff, I thought we contained them reasonably well.”

Both sides must be congratulated for keeping the ball on the ground during the first half, but both side struggled to create many clear cut chances on a scorching hot day.

Longhurst said: “We will play like that, that’s the way we play. We’re not going to change that!  At our place the pitch is like a carpet so we can get the ball down and pass on it. 

“In fairness, most people are improving their facilities in the Kent League, or whatever the league is called now, so we’ll always play like that.  A lot of teams tend to play like this pre-season but we carry that on all the way through the season as best we can.  Some of the pitches in the league don’t allow you to play as much so that’s the aim.”

Collins added: “Corinthians are renowned for playing football and that’s what we want to try and do.  I was pleased with that aspect as well.”

Collins admitted afterwards that the game’s first chance in the 18^th minute proved to be their best opportunity in the game.

Joe Horlock floated a right-footed free-kick some 30-yards from goal towards the far post and central midfielder Mike Mills arrived unchallenged to plant his diving header from the edge of the six-yard box straight at goalkeeper Richard Stroud, who made the save at his near post.

Collins said: “It was a good free-kick, a good header!  That was probably our best chance of the game to be fair.  It was a good chance. I was more pleased with the way we played in the first half and I thought we worked really, really hard and that was pleasing.”

Despite playing their trademark passing game, Corinthian took 29 minutes to create their first opening.

Captain Ryan Johnson threaded the ball in behind the Sutton Athletic defence for striker Sam May, who swept a weak shot straight at Dean James’ legs before the keeper gathered the loose ball to his right.

Longhurst said: “I think he’s got to do better there, if I’m being honest.  I think he’s got to score!”

Sutton Athletic should have done better with their second chance in the 36^th minute.

Left-back Luke Underdown floated a cross over towards the edge of the Corinthian penalty area for lone-striker Ben Young to stab his hopeful shot towards goal but Stroud came off his line and stuck out his left hand to divert the ball away.

Collins said of Young: “Everyone keeps telling me he’s a midfielder, but I thought he held the ball up really well.  We didn’t support him. He was a bit alienated a little bit in the first half.  He showed that he could hold the ball up and he made a couple of clever runs.

“It’s about getting match fit and stuff and I think the rest will come.  Those half-chances will become chances and chances become goals and it was a really good work-out for us.”

Corinthian fashioned a four-man corner routine from the left when Jaie Nuttall played the ball short to Lee Woodyard, who cut the ball back to Jack Pallen and the former Chatham Town striker played the ball into Johnson’s feet, who swept a looping left-footed shot into the keeper’s gloves.

But Corinthian squandered their best first half chance just a couple of minutes before the break.

Josh James, who played six minutes of Maidstone United’s homecoming against Brighton & Hove Albion on 14 July 2012, pinged an excellent diagonal ball from the middle of the park to precisely pick out Pallen on the right wing.

Pallen turned his marker and cut inside before floating over a cross, which sailed over May’s head and Denzel Gayle met the ball at the far post with a right-footed volley, which he flicked over the bar from six-yards.

Longhurst said: “A great ball from Jack Pallen.  Denzel should just put his head on it and it’s a goal. I don’t know what he’s tried to do but he’s managed to put it over the bar from about a foot off the goal line!

“I just felt our decision making and our finishing could’ve been a little bit better, but I’m certainly not going to moan about that in our first pre-season game.  If we’re still making the same mistakes five games in then we’ll have a problem but I didn’t think that will be a case.”

Both managers changed their ten outfield players at the interval, leaving James and Stroud as the only players to get through 90 minutes.

Reflecting on the first half, the Corinthian manager said: “First half I felt there were three or four individuals that were very, very good.  I thought Jaie Nuttall at right back; Lee Woodyard; Denzel Gayle in particular stood out, but overall just impressed with the way that we’ve only been back in a week and I felt we looked like a team, although there was a few different people and we moved people around a little bit, but we looked like a team that’s played together and we looked fairly organised.

“But in general, mainly the fitness levels I was very impressed with the majority of the boys and some of the football was good, but in general the main exercise was the fitness levels and I was impressed with the boys in terms of their fitness at the moment.”

Collins added: “The first half team kept the ball really well, but I don’t think going forward we offered a great deal.”

Sutton Athletic, who played their part during the first half, failed to replicate their efforts after the break, as Corinthian were the stronger side.

Afolayan’s pace and close control frightened Sutton Athletic’s new-look defence during the second half and he raced towards the left by-line before cutting the ball back to Paxton, whose right-footed shot was blocked by James’ legs, inside the opening four minutes.

Paxton was then put through on goal, but lost composure when he only had the Sutton Athletic keeper to beat, this time rolling his right-footed shot into the keeper’s gloves.

Paxton whipped in an excellent cross from the right which fell at Jack Mahoney’s feet, who teed up Afolayan, whose right-footed shot forced James to dive to his left to make a fine block.

Corinthian deservedly opened their account for the new season with a quality finish in the 63^rd minute.

Matt Holder clipped a fine ball which split the Sutton Athletic defence and Afolayan picked the ball up 30-yards from goal before cutting towards the edge of the penalty area before unleashing a right-footed angled drive which flashed across the keeper and nestled into the bottom far corner.

Longhurst hopes the former Croydon Athletic, Greenwich Borough, Fisher and Erith Town striker maintains his fitness for the season ahead.

He said: “Peter’s just getting fit. We got Peter on the back of not playing really much football last year at Erith Town and he had an operation in the summer so he’s not really had a pre-season so we’re desperately keen to get Peter through a pre-season.

“He’s one of the nicest lads that I’ve met in football and he deserved that today. He’s done that in training in the last couple of sessions and we just said to him today he just needs to get a good blow out.

“Unfortunately he’s got a slight problem with his abductor muscle but he’ll be alright, so we just took him off as a precaution really because we don’t want him to pull up.

“A great finish! He’s got that in his locker Peter. He scored 20 odd goals in this league a couple of times two or three years’ ago and we’re itching to get him back to that so if we can get him fit pre-season he will be a big plus this year.”

Collins added: “He played with me at Erith. He scores goals. He’s a good player isn’t he?  I thought he had a couple of chances before that as well.  Maybe that’s the difference between the Kent League and the Kent Invicta League?  You’ve got someone who created it out of nothing, he pulled out wide, he ran at defenders and a great finish!”

Sutton Athletic didn’t have the quality during the second half to muster a single clear cut opportunity, leaving Stroud to be a spectator.

“I’m not disappointed because I thought we looked a lot more threatening without creating anything,” explained Collins.

“We looked like we tried to penetrate them a little bit more.  I thought we looked more threatening going forward.  We was a bit too eager to score and we started forcing things and we did get into good positions.

“I’m not disappointed. I’m really pleased with today.”

Paxton was released through on goal again but this time his right-footed drive was gathered by James low to his left, after the keeper initially dived the other way.

But Corinthian squandered an excellent chance to double their lead when Mahoney missed a sitter.

Goalkeeper Stroud launched a big kick forward to release Afolayan in acres of space down the right and he looked up and played the ball across to Mahoney, but the ball clearly bobbled before he struck a left-footed half-volley, which he clipped agonisingly over the left-hand post from fourteen-yards.

“Did it take a bobble?” asked Longhurst, “I don’t know!  He’s got to score but again we’ll suffer that earlier on in pre-season.  You’re going to expect mistakes, people haven’t had a lot of touches of the ball. Those mistakes happen but if that was 0-0 in a league game and he misses that we’ll be a bit disappointed but today we’re not going to worry about things.”

The injured Afolayan wasn’t risked any further with nine minutes remaining, so Woodyard re-appeared for the final exchanges and he sent a looping header over after the impressive Paxton was given time and space to whip in another cross from the right.

Paxton issued Sutton Athletic a warning when he brought the ball under control before turning and drilling a right-footed angled drive narrowly wide of the far post from eighteen-yards.

But man-of-the-match Paxton wrapped up his impressive personal second half performance when he scored a peach of a debut goal in the 89^th minute.

Woodyard clipped the ball into the penalty area and the Sutton Athletic defence seemed to stop and allowed Paxton to run onto the ball as James was slow to come off his line to pick up the pieces.

Paxton produced a dinked lob on the angle from eight-yards with his right-foot which sailed over James and dropped into the empty net to grab the headlines.

“Do you know what, I don’t know where he was last year, to be honest,” admitted Longhurst.

“Jack Mahoney spoke to me in the summer about bringing him.

“He’s a young lad, he’s only 18.  We’ve watched him in the training games that we did over at Spurs Lodge last week and we watched him Tuesday and Thursday and we just felt that he stood out in the training games and he’ll be one that’s going to push on this year hopefully and we can get him in our Suburban League (reserve) side and he can develop alongside some of our other younger players.

“It was a great little finish from the young kid as well.”

Longhurst praised the creater of the second goal and said: “Lee Woodyard has been out doing his own fitness during the summer and I think it showed today. I think he was one of our better players. He was keen to get back on so we obviously got him back on the pitch.  It was a decent ball. He’s had a couple of shots which is something that we’ve been working on with him during the course of the summer.  I’m over the moon with Lee’s attitude.”

Collins was also impressed with Corinthian’s summer find.

He said: “He looked like a good player.  Matt spoke to me about him in the week. He said he wanted to have a look at him. I thought he looked a good player.

“I said to the boys after, if I had one criticism it’s the last goal.  I thought it was por. We just switched off.  The ball’s taken a deflection, we thought it was going back to the keeper and they’ve scored.  It’s a cheap goal to concede and that can be critical when your season starts.

“They deserved to win 2-0, maybe, you can’t take that away from them but it could’ve been 1-0!  It was a real cheap goal so that’s the most disappointing thing for me, but it’s still a great finish!”

You got the impression that both managers would be happy to play each other again next summer.

Longhurst said: “Positives, the whole day, fantastic, nice place, nice people.  They’ve put out two sides that have given us a test. Fitness wise, I’m pleased with the boys’.  Attitude wise, I’m absolutely over the moon with.

“Negatives? If I’m being honest, there aren’t any from today.  I think it’s been a good day, it’s very hot.  Only plusses being taken from today.”

Collins added: “The only negative for me was the last goal.  The positives for me was I’ve learnt a lot about a lot of players that I didn’t know about.

“In the first half we’ve contained them. We tried to play football. We’ve contained a very good Kent League side. We’ve worked hard. There’s lot and lots of promise but we’ve still got seven pre-season games to go and it was what it was. It was about minutes under our belt and learning about the players.”

Meanwhile, Longhurst revealed today that absent striker Alfie May is still at the club despite interest from a number of higher league clubs.

Midfielder Chris Kinnear has gone on trial at Conference South club Dover Athletic.

Sam Groombridge (who will also be on the coaching staff) and Jack Pallen have signed for the club.

Sutton Athletic: Dean James, Alex Mann (Jack Andrews 46), Luke Underdown (Bill Palmer 46), Mike Mills (Ben Williams 46), Mark Banks (Calum Comerford 46), Alex Chapman (Chris Mirlees 46), Will Roomes (Jay Smale 46), Joe Horlock (Sean Heather 46), Ben Young (Josh Frogatt 46), Luke Newman (James Gibbons 46), Ben Millbank (Danny Ball 46).

Corinthian: Richard Stroud, Jaie Nuttall (Eric Astrom 46), Jamie Billings (Henry Goodwin 46), Josh James (Joe Wollard 46), Jack Healy (Tom Eyres 46), Sam Groombridge (Matt Holder 46), Lee Woodyard (Jamie Taylor 46), Ryan Johnson (Danny Nash 46), Denzel Gayle (Peter Afolayan 46, Lee Woodyard 81), Sam May (Oscar Paxton 46), Jack Pallen (Jack Mahoney 46).

Goals: Peter Afolayan 63, Oscar Paxton 89

Attendance: 68
Referee:  Mr Daren Rudd (Dartford)
Assistants: Mr Ian Newman (Eltham, London SE9) & Mr Bo Wang (Ashford)