Thamesmead Town 1-1 Potters Bar Town - Last minute goals draw little comfort for McMahon

New-boys Thamesmead suffered in the 90^th minute on the opening day of the season, going down 2-1 at favourites Ware, and were on course to win this boring game.

A crowd of just 89 braved the wet conditions to watch their first ever Ryman League Division One North home game, but they had to wait until the 83^rd minute for Pedro Knight’s first goal of the season before Potters Bar equalised through Shane Mangodza.

The Mead made just one change to the side that played at Wodson Park on Saturday with Nick Smith, a summer signing from Erith & Belvedere, relegating Richard Dimmock to the bench.

Potters Bar Town, who are managed by former Dover Athletic manager Steve Browne, also lost their opening game of the new season, losing 2-0 at home to Leyton, a club that finished rock bottom of the Ryman Premier League last season.

Unfortunately, both sides couldn’t string a run of three passes together and real goalscoring chances were at a premium.

Potters Bar Town’s goalkeeper Ashlee Jones did make a comfortable save early on, from James Brown’s glancing header, after right-back Lew Watts’ arrowed in a free-kick from inside his own half.

Mead goalkeeper Chris Conneally was called into action after 24 minutes, making a brave low save at the feet of Serge Maioko, after Junior Luke whipped in a cross from the right.

But the home side responded quickly with midfield dynamo Scot Mulholland drilling his 25-yard shot past the far post.

The first half proved to be a tight affair, with play confined to the middle third of the pitch.

Nick Smith almost woke up the crowd in the 38^th minute when his left-footed shot skidded wide after Brown delivered the ball into the box.

Potters Bar’s central midfielder Milton Elelnge cracked a right-footed shot from distance, which skied high over Conneally’s crossbar, and at the other end, Nick Smith’s header looped over following Mulholland’s right-wing free-kick.

But the hosts created a good chance to break the stalemate eleven minutes into the second half.

Mulholland and Cable linked up well down the left-hand side, which resulted in Mulholland unleashing a left-footed drive from the edge of the box, which bounced agonisingly wide.

Then, within a minute, Cable, who scored at Ware, cleared the crossbar with a shot from a similar position.

Conneally made a comfortable save to prevent Elenge scoring with a right-footed shot, which he attempted to curl into the top right-hand corner, instead it bounced into the goalkeeper’s arms.

Mangodza cracked an angled right-footed volley, which flew out of the ground at the flyover end, after the ball fell into his path after Alex Bolt’s thirty-yard free-kick looped off Peter Smith, in a three man wall.

Former Dover Athletic striker Paul Armstrong had penalty claims turned down after 65 minutes, but he still managed to get a shot on goal, which brought a smart low save from Conneally.

The Kent League double winners finally called Jones into action two minutes later.

A run from left-back Danny Moore resulted in the former Greenwich Borough man setting up Peter Smith with a square pass along the eighteen-yard line.

Smith cracked a right-footed shot, which was flying towards the top right-hand corner, but Jones flew to his left to tip over.

By the time Thamesmead finally broke the deadlock, with just seven minutes remaining, McMahon had all three substitutes on the soggy pitch.

One of them, Curtis Williams, forced a free-kick down the right-hand side, and another, Robbie Tarrant whipped over the free-kick towards Knight at the far post, who struck a volley across the face of goal and was delighted when the ball crept into the far corner, through a crowd of players.

Conneally’s fine finger-tip save prevented Armstrong scoring with a deflected shot but when the unmarked Mangodza nodded just past the near post from just two-yards following Bolt’s far-post corner, that should have been enough.

But Mangodza had other ideas, when he stabbed his shot into the bottom left-hand corner after Bolt’s initial corner struck Lee Coburn’s knee and was headed off the line by team-mate Moore, but Mead failed to clear their lines and Potters Bar grabbed a deserved point.

McMahon knows his team must learn fast if they’re to climb up the table from their current position in the bottom eight.

“A bit like Ware on Saturday, I suppose,” McMahon told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards. “I thought we done everything bang on. I thought tactically we were alright, we kept it really tight.

“We made changes, got 1-0 up and really we should have just held out but fair credit to them, they deserved a draw overall as well.

“We just seemed to panic a little bit. We went 1-0 up, right at the right time and then they put balls in. We’ve scuffed a few clearances and they’ve got a few corners and we must have panicked. They had a free header at a corner and then after that we panicked a little bit.

“The ball came off Lee Coburn’s knee and went towards the goal and Danny Moore’s headed it off the line and that’s what he’s there for.

“But really we should have held out but that’s something they’ve got to learn.”

When asked whether he thought the game was disappointing for the supporters who braved the wet weather, McMahon admitted the contest was “tactical.”

“I thought they were a good side, I thought we were as well,” he said. “There weren’t loads of chances, it was quite a tactical game.

“The conditions, the ball was zipping off (the wet pitch) as well, so I wasn’t disappointed with the game.

“I thought it was a better game than Saturday against Ware but we tried to play.

“I just said to some of the lads and some of my staff, you just don’t turn up thinking you’re going to beat these sides, you’ve got to be patient and both sides were I thought.

“They both cancelled each other out and in the end, maybe a fair result.”

McMahon has learnt plenty about Ryman League football during their first week.

When asked what he’s learnt, McMahon replied: “Switch on until the end. We’ve let in a goal in the last minute in both games and got nothing out on Saturday and drew today.

“I’ve just said to the players, you need to concentrate for the full ninety minutes plus and not just parts of the game.

“It’s not going to be easy, we knew that, but we’re good enough to get results and it’ll take a little while to get on our feet, but we’ll be alright.

“We’ve shown that we can compete at this level as well, both games. It’s not just us, other sides are that we’ve seen.

“Two ninety minute goals are always sucker punches but they’ll normally even themselves out.”

Thamesmead Town: Chris Conneally, Lew Watts, Danny Moore, James Brown (Robbie Tarrant 79), Dean Kearley, Lee Coburn, Scot Mulholland, Pedro Knight, Nick Smith (Richard Dimmock 79), Rikki Cable, Peter Smith (Curtis Williams 71).
Subs: Junior Baker, Harbingi Grant.

Goal: Pedro Knight 83

Booked: Rikki Cable 53

Potters Bar Town: Ashlee Jones, Junior Luke, James Nash, Sean Bennett-Johnson (Slyvan Dousou 69), Theo Daniels, Shane Mangodza, Serge Maioko, Milton Eleinge, Paul Armstrong (Aaron Brown 87), Alex Bolt, Andre Humphrey (Sam Adejokn 73).
Subs: Daniel Berg, Ricky Geralhty.

Goal: Shane Mangodza 90

Attendance: 89
Referee: Mr David Buck (Istead Rise)
Assistants: Mr Anthony Rawlings (Bromley) & Mr M O’Keefe (Sevenoaks)