Thamesmead Town 4-5 Cheshunt - McMahon slams amateurish defending

Still needing five points to mathematically maintain their Ryman League status, a stunning hat-trick from striker Rikki Cable, taking his tally to eighteen for the season, was not enough as McMahon rued some poor play at the back.

Goalkeeper Tony Kessell, who suffered a knee injury during the first half, was at fault for two of Cheshunt’s goals, in what proved to be an exciting game for the 37 spectators that turned their back on England’s World Cup Qualifier.

This extraordinary game took just 72 seconds to spring into life, as Thamesmead Town scored the first of the nine goals.

Steve Cant, watched by father Cliff, the Tonbridge Angels assistant manager, whipped in a cross from the left, and this was knocked down by Dean Holness, and Cable lashed a right-footed drive over goalkeeper Ashley Harris and into the roof of the net.

But Holness squandered an excellent chance to double the home side’s lead after eleven minutes.

Lee Dawson, who evaded the attentions of visiting defender Jerome Boyce down the right, cut the ball back to Holness, but the striker blazed over with the goal at his mercy, from only six-yards out.

They were made to pay for that glaring miss as Cheshunt equalised after nineteen minutes.

Julian Edwards was released behind a back four that fluffed their lines when trying to catch the striker offside, and he clinically drilled his shot across the former Dartford goalkeeper and into the bottom far corner.

The impressive Olla Akinnawa, a thorn in Mead’s side all night before going off injured late on, was denied by a fine diving save from Kessell and Thamesmead were thankful to right-back David Hall for getting back on the goal-line to prevent Marc Clerver finding the net after sliding the ball underneath the goalkeeper.

Kessell denied the impressive Akinnawa for the second time when he turned the driven shot around his near post after Glen Parry’s floated free-kick from midfield was knocked down to him.

But Kessell never recovered from Ashley Taylor-Forbes’ challenge, which resulted in the goalkeeper receiving three stud marks all the way down his knee.

Cheshunt took full advantage of this knock, and they took a deserved lead just two minutes to go before the break.

A mix-up between substitute Danny Chapman, who was playing at the heart of Mead’s defence, and Kessell allowed Akinnawa to nip in between the pair and the pacy right-sided midfielder slotted the ball into an empty net from an acute angle.

The start of the second half, meanwhile, was unbelievable, and despite Holness firing the ball into the Cheshunt net after just 34 seconds, the goal being ruled out for offside - the 16^th of 22 offside decisions for both sides on the night - Thamesmead turned the game on its head, scoring twice in the space of just 109 seconds.

Hall whipped in an excellent cross from the right flank and this was met by a stunning left-footed volley by Cable at the far post, and visiting goalkeeper Harris did his best to try to keep out at his near post, but couldn’t stop the ball crashing into the net.

Then, left-back Danny Moore turned his marker inside the Cheshunt box and slammed the ball under Harris with a lethal left-footed drive.

Thamesmead really should have made the score 4-2 in their favour in the 56^th minute.

Cable’s deep corner from the right was met by a thumping header from James Brown, which agonisingly crashed off the near post.

But Kessell’s first blunder gifted Cheshunt an equaliser just one minute later.

Charlie Simpson cut the ball back to Akinnawa, who was lurking on the edge of the Thamesmead penalty area, and the impressive winger drilled a right-footed shot through a crowded area and Kessell could do nothing about the ball sliding through his legs, as he bowed to pick the ball up, and wanted the ground to swallow him up as the ball rolled into the net behind him.

Cheshunt went 4-3 up ten minutes later, with yet another stunning strike.

Poor defending from Moore let in Akinnawa down the right and his cut back was finished beautifully by Edwards, whose left-footed half-volley gave Kessell no chance as the ball screamed into the top left-hand corner.

But Moore quickly made amends and within a minute his excellent deep cross was met by a peach of a volley at the far post by Cable, who cracked a stunning left-footed volley, which rocketed into the roof of the net, across the goalkeeper. A fine way to complete his hat-trick.

Kessell’s second blunder, however, proved to be costly as it handed Cheshunt the points with fifteen minutes of this exciting game remaining.

The ball was swung in from the right and Kessell appeared to have everything under control as the ball was destined to land into his grateful arms on the edge of the box.

But a miss-understanding with defender Brown saw the goalkeeper drop the ball and after the paid collided, Ashley Taylor-Forbes executed an excellent lob, which dropped in, just underneath the crossbar.

Harris pulled off his first save of the night to prevent Cable scoring his fourth and from the resulting corner, Cant’s powerful header was headed off the line by Boyce.

Sadly, the final whistle brought no appreciation from the 37 supporters that actually bothered to turn up, and McMahon was clearly an angry man, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards, as his side scored four goals in a game for the first time this season, only to lose the game.

“Yes, you do (expect to win, having scored four goals),unless you defend like we did tonight, which was absolutely embarrassing,” fumed McMahon.

“I’m absolutely gutted. I’m a bit embarrassed to be honest with you, because going forward we looked good, defending, we looked awful.

“It was a complete turnaround to the last four or five goals, where we’ve looked solid at the back and struggling to score goals.

“To say I’m pretty peeved off is an understatement!”

Despite Kessell having a rare off-day, McMahon backed his number one.

“He’s took a huge wack in the first half,” said McMahon. “He’s had, to be fair, if you look at his knee, he’s got three stud marks all the way down his knee.

“He couldn’t come off his line, he was struggling to run. The first one, he said he didn’t see it. I thought he may have kicked it or whatever, I don’t know. It’s come through some players. A goalkeeper of his quality will tell you that anyway. I think he knows, he don’t need me saying.

“And the other one, there’s no talking between him and Brownie (James Brown) and he catches it, he (Brown) hooks it and they both bump into each other and the geezer’s rolled one into an empty net.

“It was comical, embarrassing, but I’m not going to have a dig at Kess, because he’s been absolutely immense for us all year and I still think he’s one of the best goalkeeper’s in the league and he will always will be so I’ve not got a problem with that.”

When asked how he will pick his players up ahead of Saturday’s home game against Tilbury, McMahon replied, “I don’t know! I’ve got to pick myself up first to be honest with you!

But he added, “We look at the positives, we’ve scored some goals. (It’ll be) hard. That’s not the worst we’ve played but to be honest with you, (but) all the hard work we’ve done over the last three or four months making us solid, that’s like a Sunday morning park football game wasn’t it?

“Both team’s can’t defend, it’s embarrassing!

“We’ve scored some very good finishes, but I can’t remember then scoring a decent goal. We gave them every single goal.”

McMahon demands a reaction against Tilbury on Saturday, to make sure the club will be playing at this level again next term.

“If we had won tonight, that would’ve put us safe,” he said. “That was a big enough incentive as it was , even though where we are in the league I still don’t think we’re going to go down because Witham have got to win every game and we’ve got to lose every game.”

He added, “I want a reaction now! The lads have been super all year and anyone who could have watched us for the first time tonight will go away (thinking) we’re an absolute Sunday football side and that’s the downside.”

As this game was a thrilling encounter, we must end by praising Dartford based referee Darren Blunden, who did a fine job - unlike both side’s defences!

Thamesmead Town: Tony Kessell, David Hall, Danny Moore, James Brown, Lew Watts, Lee Dawson, Scot Mulholland, Sam Keevill (Danny Chapman 35), Dean Holness (Chris Borchescu 84), Rikki Cable, Steve Cant.
Subs: Peter Deadman, Jack Hopkins.

Goals: Rikki Cable 2, 50, 68, Danny Moore 51

Booked: Steve Cant 59

Cheshunt: Ashley Harris, Tom McGowan (Bradley Harrison 71), Glen Parry, Michael Pelly, Marc Clerver, Jerome Boyce, Olla Akinnawa (Tom Tresaden 87), Aaron Churchouse (David Pigden 62), Julian Edwards, Ashley Taylor-Forbes, Charlie Simpson.
Subs: Daniel O’Connor, Gary Schillaci.

Goals: Julian Edwards 19, 67, Olla Akinnawa 43, 57, Ashley Taylor-Forbes 75

Attendance: 37
Referee: Mr Darren Blunden (Dartford)
Assistants: Mr Tim Burman (Greenhithe) & Mr John Barnard (Erith)