Thamesmead Town 1-0 Tunbridge Wells - Cable's class proves to be difference - EXCLUSIVE

Shea, Tunbridge Wells’ seventeen-year-old defender, had Cable in his pocket for the majority of these two ties between the two Kent League clubs.

But in the 80^th minute on Saturday, Cable pulled the trigger, scoring the equaliser that kept Thamesmead Town in the competition, salvaging a 2-2 draw in what was a poor performance from the current league leaders during 120 minutes of football at Culverden Stadium.

And tonight’s tight affair was heading towards another stint of extra time, until Cable netted his ninth goal of the season, with 43:43 second half minutes on the clock.

Cable wriggled his way away from marker Shea and drilled a left-footed shot past Matt Bromby, who until that point kept the Mead at bay, into the bottom left-hand corner, from 12-yards.

Cable, who had a pre-season trial with Ryman League Division One North Dartford, was pleased that he managed to lose Shea to earn a second round home tie against their local rivals on 17^th November.

“I’m just glad we’ve got through to the next round really,” he said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“They just played ten men behind the ball and it’s hard to break them down.

“I got man-marked and I found it hard, got away from him in the end and scored, so I’m glad.”

Thamesmead Town made a couple of changes from the side that salvaged a 2-2 draw in Saturday’s match.

Midfielder Pedro Knight and striker Dean Burns came in for Lee Coburn (ankle) and Bradley Killick, who had college commitments.

Tunbridge Wells, meanwhile, kept faith with the same eleven players that showed true grit and determination on home soil.

Tonight’s Bayliss Avenue clash was one of just three football matches that took place in the Garden of England, as wet weather battered the county during the course of the day.

It was a shame that only 62 fans bothered to watch this FA Vase replay.

As expected, Thamesmead Town, a side that’s lost only one competitive game since the start of the season, went in search for an early opener.

Shaven-headed central midfielder, Scot Mulholland chose to shoot from distance inside the opening two minutes, his right-footed drive skidding off the luscious turf and flashing past the near-post.

And after skipping past Wells’ defender Andy Boyle, Burns’s right-footed chip from 25-yards sailed just over Bromby’s bar soon after.

And Burns had a second chance when he nodded Mulholland’s excellent whipped in cross from the right, wide of the near post, with the game still not seven minutes old.

Curtis Williams, meanwhile, was denied by Bromby in the 19^th minute, after latching onto a kick from Chris Conneally. The former Tonbridge Angels shot-stopper spread himself at the near-post to deny one of Mead’s three strikers.

You had to wait until the 24^th minute for Tunbridge Wells to carve open their first chance - from their first corner of the game.

That was taken by raven haired midfielder Sam Phillips and his out-swinging corner was met by a shot from Joe Fuller, which was blocked, and combative midfielder Dave Forster drove his second shot just past the foot of the near-post.

Bromby was called into action just past the half-hour mark when he made a comfortable save from Burns’ flick towards goal following a move from Mulholland and Peter Deadman.

Veteran left-back Deadman tried his luck from distance with a right-footed drive from 35-yards, which sailed over Bromby’s crossbar after 32 minutes.

Wells’ striker, Aaron Shade, who was sent off after 85 minutes on Saturday, wasted two excellent opportunities on either side of half-time.

Shade blazed over with a right-footed free-kick from 22-yards in the 41^st minute, but he will be regretting his gilt-edged miss inside the opening two minutes and 29 seconds of the second half.

Latching onto Jason Bourne’s ball over the top of the Thamesmead defence, Shade only had goalkeeper Chris Conneally to beat, but he rolled his shot agonisingly past the foot of the left-post.

Seven minutes into the second half, Cable’s right-footed curling free-kick was, however, tipped around the post by Bromby.

This save, however, galvanised the visitors and it’s hard to believe - on these two performances - that Tunbridge Wells are a side that’s languishing in the bottom four of the Kent League.

Midfielder Gary Clark’s right-footed curling free-kick from 30-yards, which was heading towards the bottom near-corner, was tipped around the post by Conneally.

At the other end, Bromby made a comfortable save after Burns drove a shot from a wide angle on the edge of the box.

Tunbridge Wells created a trio of chances with Shade blazing over from ten-yards and Forster and Boyle driving long-range efforts past the posts.

But they had skipper Bourne to thank for chesting Williams’ shot off the line beside the left-post after Bromby had denied Mulholland with ten minutes remaining.

Knight thought he had scored with a right-footed drive from thirty-yards, which Bromby, diving low to his right, managed to get fingertips to, as the ball flashed agonisingly past the foot of the far-post.

Tunbridge Wells almost grabbed the victory with four minutes remaining, but Thamesmead’s James Brown, who dropped back into the back three tonight, was a lucky man.

In trying to clear Shade’s driven low cross from the right, Brown kicked the ball against his own post, and Forster wasn’t able to react to the rebound as Wells' luck deserted them.

But Bromby was picking the ball out of the net just 111 seconds (including stoppage time) before his side’s FA Vase dream ended.

“I’m not relieved, obviously to get through is always good but I thought we deserved it in the end to be honest with you,” said Keith McMahon, the victorious Thamesmead Town manager, when speaking EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“It was tight, it was close, we always knew that. They’re a good side, they made it difficult for us but I thought we were better tonight. Not at our best but we were a little bit better than we were Saturday.

“I thought they made it difficult for us but on chances, alight a little bit of a heart-stopped at the end when James kicked the ball against the post, but to be fair, their man-of-the-match was the keeper, he made three or four tremendous saves.

“Pleased to go through, again, another clean-sheet (and) we looked fairly solid at the back.

“It wasn’t vintage us but it was better than Saturday and like I said they’re a good side.”

McMahon was full of praise for Tunbridge Wells for taking them to the wire in both games.

He said: “If anyone thinks they’re not a good side, they’re going to struggle because Martin (Farnie) done a lot of work there and they’re a very hardworking side. They all work together.

“Credit to them, they’ve got to take a lot of credit as well as they’ve played us three times now this year and they’ve gave us a game in all three.”

Despite going out to a Kent League side for the third successive season, Tunbridge Wells boss Martin Farnie was proud of his team for their displays against the Mead this week.

“I’m devastated to be honest,” he said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after conceeding a last-gasp goal.

But he added: “I’m really proud of the boys, I thought they were excellent again tonight.

“I thought Saturday was superb, tonight we was right on the money all night long.

“I’m just disappointed for my lads that we’ve come away with nothing really.

“We were the better side over the two legs, I don’t care what anyone said, we were the better side.”

Farnie was delighted that University bound Shea kept tabs on Cable during the two games - but admitted Cable’s quality was the difference.

He said: “He (Cable) hasn’t had a sniff all game. We haven’t given him a kick.

“Young Justin, my lad, he was unbelievable tonight. He hasn’t given him a sniff for two games and he’s wriggled away and got, not a lucky goal, it was a good goal on their part. It’s just disappointing.

“He’s just got away for that one split second and scored. That’s their quality that shone through in the end, slightly.”

Thamesmead Town: Chris Conneally, Lew Watts, Peter Deadman, James Brown, Dean Kearley, Robbie Tarrant, Scot Mulholland, Pedro Knight, Dean Burns (Tony Potts 71), Rikki Cable, Curtis Williams.
Subs: Danny Chapman, Kieron Collins, Danny Kemp, Lee Loveridge.

Goal: Rikki Cable 89

Booked: Lew Watts 50, Rikki Cable 74

Tunbridge Wells: Matt Bromby, Jason Bourne, Andy Garrett, Justin Shea, Andy Boyle, Gary Clark, Aaron Shade, Dave Forster, Ben Starkey (Mike Lord 85), Joe Fuller, Sam Phillips.
Subs: Dan McGahan, Andy Mills, Dan Hunwick, Alan Rogers.

Attendance: 62
Referee: Mr Tony Goddard (Dagenham, Essex)
Assistants:  Mr Kevin Greenwood (Bexleyheath, Kent) & Mr Godfrey Cooke (Mitcham, Surrey)