The Road To Wembley

Here are some match reports from Saturday’s FA Cup (Sponsored by E.ON) First Qualifying Round ties….

THAMESMEAD TOWN 2-4 CARSHALTON ATHLETIC
By Kevin White

After an emphatic 5-1 victory against Sporting Bengal in midweek to send Thamesmead top of the Kent League, it was on to FA Cup competition on Saturday.

However, goals from Rikki Cable and Richard Dimmock were not enough as Mead were beaten 4-2 after a closely fought contest containing more than it's share of controversial decisions.

Rikki Cable opened the scoring with the first shot of the game on 11 minutes after going round a defender to then fire past Carshalton keeper, Howe.

Five minutes later Cable should have made it 2-0 after he managed to create himself a one-on-one opportunity with Howe. Cable tried to place his effort goalwards but only managed steer his shot in to the Carshalton keeper.

Fontana then grabbed the equalliser for Carshalton after a quick break down the right found the Mead defence flat at the back, for the ball to be played across the area to be fired home low at the far post.

Disaster struck on 19 minutes, as a Lew Watts own goal gave Carsalton the lead despite a forward pass that saw a Carshalton forward looking to be obviously offside by a long way.

Only five minutes later Carshalton made it three when Fontana struck from close range after Rob Tarrent failed to clear from defence.

Controversy reared its head again on 26 minutes when Richard Dimmock was bundled over in the Carsalton area, only for he referee to wave play on.

Carshalton seemed happy to defend and Thamesmead were looking sharp from the start of the second half, once again playing some good passing football and hungry for goals.

On the 55th minute, Cable’s strike from the edge of the area deflected off a defender and in to the path of Dimmock who smashed the ball home from just outside the six yard box.

Mead dominated possession with Scot Mulholland hitting the frame of the goal with a long range effort and Rob Tarrent having an effort on goal cleared off the line late on.

With just a minute to go, Mead were still pushing for an equaliser. However, this wasn't to be when Dimock was once again hauled to the ground only for the referee to again refuse to penalise what seemed to be obvious foul play.

With Thamesmead incensed with injustice and the ineptitude of a referee who appeared never to be in full control of the game, Carshalton broke upfield to settle the tie with a fourth goal, Fontana scoring his hatrick.

The following protests lead to Dimmock, who seemed hard done by the referee all match, being shown the red card for dissent.

A disappointing defeat after Keith McMahon’s side controlled much of the game. The Mead now travel to Kent County League side Lewisham Borough in the London Senior Cup on Wednesday night.

Thamesmead Town: Kemp, Watts, Tarrent, Brown, Coburn, Gallagher (Charm), Mulholland, Knight, Dimmock, Cable, Williams. Subs: Chapman, Masabe, Dawson, Woodwood.


MAIDSTONE UNITED 3-0 ERITH & BELVEDERE
By Thomas Hawes

Erith & Belvedere missed out on a place in the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Cup after a disappointing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Ryman Premier League basement boys Maidstone United.

The Stones came into the game with six defeats out of seven, including a record 7-0 defeat to Chelmsford City and this gave the Deres great hope of causing an upset at Bourne Park.

Erith had shown that they were capable of keeping a clean sheet against higher league opposition in the 2-0 triumph over Ashford Town in the previous round, but against Maidstone the defence failed to hold firm.

It took the home side only eight minutes to break the deadlock. A cross from the left was chested down by the unmarked Andy Martin who had the easiest of tasks to volley past Grant Wallis from just six yards out.

Maidstone dominated the rest of the half against a Deres side that was clearly struggling to adapt to the big game atmosphere against the boisterously supported Stones.

Erith cleared the ball off the line after 19 minutes, but ten minutes later the home side got the crucial second goal.

After a scrappy exchange between the two sides, the ball eventually fell to Lynden Rowland, who did well to hook the ball over his shoulder and into the back of the net.

Maidstone clearly took their foot off the pedal in the second half and this allowed Erith to come into the game more and on another day they may have snatched a goal back.

The Deres best chance came after 66 minutes when Adrian Deane played Nick Smith in on goal. The ball just wouldn’t sit up for Smith on a terrible pitch and the Maidstone defence managed to get back to prevent a goal.

Smith was left ruing the missed chance as two minutes later United put the result beyond any doubt. After another goalmouth scramble it was Mo Takaloo who found the back of the net from six yards out.

Although Erith had their chances in the second half, Maidstone were the better side and deservedly take their place in the Second Qualifying Round draw.

ERITH & BELVEDERE: Wallis, Bedford (Perifimou 82), Hardie, Maycock, Gross, Morgan, Deane, Crawley (Johnson 65), McKenna (White 65), Smith, Nougher.
Subs: Button, Dunkley

Attendance: 351


FOLKESTONE INVICTA 1-1 HORSHAM YMCA
By Richard Murrill

Folkestone Invicta’s poor home record continued on Saturday afternoon when they needed a 76^th minute equaliser from Mark Saunders to keep their FA Cup dreams alive against Ryman League Division One South side Horsham YMCA at a sunny Buzzlines Stadium.

The visitors had opened the scoring through Joe Keehan just before half time and held onto their lead deep into the second half after Kevin Watson missed a penalty for the home side.

As Invicta threw players forward as they went in search of an equaliser, Saunders was moved up to centre forward when Ben Sly replaced the injured Leigh Bremner. And it was the player-coach who headed home when James Everitt played the ball across following a good run down the left hand side of the box in a move started by Watson.

Watson had himself moved from right back into left midfield as Invicta went three at the back for the closing stages and the late introduction of striker Ellis Remy gave Neil Cugley’s side added attacking impetus.

But the home side survived a late scare when Roland Edge had to clear off the line from substitute Dan Taylor deep into stoppage time when Steve Davies was sent clear and squared the ball across goal as Horsham YMCA seemed set to snatch victory. Davies had been given on-side after an assistant referee had dropped his flag!

Centre half Liam Friend had missed Invicta’s best chance of a late winner from close range at the far post when Remy met Watson’s 83^rd minute free kick from the left.

Edge then got up to head over a Sly corner from the right hand side after 88 minutes before Taylor’s later chance for the visitors.

After three consecutive league defeats at the Buzzlines Stadium so far this season, this was an afternoon during which Invicta had been expected to finally give home supporters something to cheer.

And the home side came close to scoring within the opening minute when Saunders got into the penalty area to head at goalkeeper Chris May from Bremner’s ball in from the right.

There was another aerial chance in the third minute when Bremner himself got up in the middle but could not get sufficient power on his header.

But the visitors held their own and Invicta goalkeeper Kieron Mann had to race out to beat Matt Percival to the ball in the eighth minute and striker Davies then lobbed wide of the post from the right hand side of the box following a 15^th minute ball over the defence.

Horsham YMCA threatened again when Mann dropped a 19^th minute cross and both Matt Russell and Glen Woodburn tried in vain to force the ball over the line as the visitors won the game’s first corner.

A solo run from Bremner took the Invicta striker through the visitors’ defence after 24 minutes, but May was out to block and James Everitt could not quite force the ball past the goalkeeper as the ball came back out.

There were key moments at both ends in the run up to half time as one-time Invicta goalkeeper May made a superb 43^rd minute tip over to keep out James Everitt’s far post header following an inviting Damian Abel cross from the left.

And that save became even more significant when Keehan put the visitors ahead with a looping header which found the corner of the net after captain Tim White had played the ball into the penalty area as Invicta again looked vulnerable to crosses.

The visitors started the second half strongly as Andy Ottley ran through the middle and saw his shot dip just over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area.

Invicta captain Edge then became the game’s only booking for a 52^nd minute foul on Davies as the home side’s frustration grew.

But Invicta were to dominate the second half, with James Everitt going close from virtually on the goal line after 52 minutes when Ryan Briggs played in a dangerous ball from the left hand side.

May made another important save, this time with his feet from Bremner after 59 minutes, when the striker shot on the turn after James Everitt had played the ball over from the left to Abel on the right hand side of the penalty area.

You sensed that it was not going to be Invicta’s day when Watson’s penalty went over the crossbar after Russell was penalised for a challenge on James Everitt. And May came out to claim the ball when James Everitt played a low ball through to Abel after 67 minutes.

The versatile Everitt had been played in a forward role in this game, though by the end of the match the home side had numerous bodies in attack.

But they could not find a winner and managed to survive that stoppage time scare when the visitors threatened to pile on the misery.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA: Mann, Watson, Edge, Chappell, Friend, Saunders, M. Everitt, J. Everitt, Bremner (Sly 68), Abel, Briggs (Remy 80).
Subs:: Okikiolu, Dickson, Stonebridge.

HORSHAM YMCA: May, Duffield, Ottley, Keehan, Woodburn, Percival (Carden 30), Russell, White, Death (Taylor 71), Davies, Simpson (Kezemi 88 mins).
Subs: Carter, Keaney.

Attendance: 289.

CHATHAM TOWN 0-3 MARGATE
By Neil Sanders

Margate booked their place in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup with victory at Maidstone Road on Saturday.

Margate started well with James Pinnock and Charley Side showing good movement to keep the Chatham defence on the back foot.

The opening goal came after just three minutes with Pinnock playing a neat one two to open up space in the box, and although his shot was heading wide, Side was on the spot to slide the ball home from 6 yards.

Chats thought they had equalised in the 21^st minute when Dominic Elmes found the net with a volley, following a corner.

However, after a belated conversation between the referee and his assistant, the effort was ruled out for offside. The subsequent explanation did nothing to clarify the decision.

Chatham had another effort ruled out for offside shortly afterwards when Mark Brooks ran clear to finish well.

In fact Chats looked the more likely scorers throughout the latter stages of the half, as Brooks pace continued to trouble the visitors defence.

Further chances were created at both ends after the interval with Steve Best, Stuart Vahid and Brooks going close for Chatham and Justin Skinner forcing a fine save from John Whitehouse for Margate.

The clinching goal came after 78 minutes when Mark Watson finished at the far post, amid shouts of handball from a number of Chats players.

Justin Skinner netted the visitors third in the final minute with an excellent 25 yard free kick to make the final score appear unreasonably one-sided.

Chatham’s performance deserved a much better result than this against Ryman Premier League opponents.

Chatham Town: Whitehouse, James, Groombridge (King 70), Larkin, Goodger, Best, Solly, Brooks (Murison 73), Vahid, Elmes (White 90), Govey. Unused subs: Boots, Oravec.


CRAY WANDERERS 2-6 AFC WIMBLEDON (Sunday)
By Jerry Dowlen

Sharpshooting by AFC Wimbledon took the game away from the Wands at the close of an action-packed second half that was not unlike watching Twenty20 cricket!

It was a huge contrast to the dull first half, when Cray for the first forty minutes seemed to be in awe of their Ryman Premier visitors, and instead of trying to build any attacking moves through midfield, they played a long-ball game that got them absolutely nowhere.

Dons grabbed the lead on 7 minutes when Hatton’s inswinging corner-kick hit the underside of the bar and the ball dropped invitingly for Leberl to stab it over the line.

Dons’ lively forwards found early gaps in the Cray defence, and the home side were indebted to Jamie Kempster for a saving tackle on Beckford and to Ryan Royston for clearing Hatton’s close-range header at an empty net.

Then on 43 and 44 minutes came the first indications that Cray could possibly breach the Dons defence if they remembered to pass the ball along the ground.

After good interplay by the Wood brothers down the left, Ross Lover bisected the Dons defence with a pass to the unmarked David Hall, but his cross-shot went disappointingly wide.

Kempster, covering every blade of grass on the pitch, started another fine move that ended with Lewis Wood wriggling through and shooting into the side netting.

The second half began quietly but soon burst into life as Beckford raced away to shoot wide with the goal at his mercy.

Cray’s reprieve lasted just one minute, for Beckford shot home with ease after Finn nodded down a right-wing cross from the mobile Butler on 52 minutes.

Aaron Day then made a dramatic clearance off the line as Dons threatened to run riot.

Cray gambled on chasing the game with all-out attack, replacing injured central defender Mark Willy with forward George Fenwick after 58 minutes.

Beckford again went close with a cross-shot, but Cray suddenly forced their way back into the game when Jamie Wood, making his 350th appearance for the Wands, made a zig-zag run up and across the field, finally releasing Lover for a powerful surge into the box and a neatly-placed low shot past Little.

That was on 63 minutes and it was only the linesman’s flag that prevented the score becoming 2-2 when Fenwick powered in a header from Cray’s next attack.

Losing the ball from their own quickly-taken free-kick, Cray were instantly punished when Finn shot home on 71 minutes.

There was barely time to write 1-3 in the notebook before Junior Baker took a through pass and gleefully smashed the ball past Little in the 72^nd minute.

Exasperatingly for Cray supporters, their team lost concentration again and Webb skipped through to touch the ball past Glen Knight for 2-4 in the 73^rd minute.

There was no let-up in the end-to-end action, with Dons forcing three consecutive corner-kicks that Cray cleared with great difficulty, while at the other end Jamie Wood carved out two shots that went just off target and Leberl kicked away a goal-laden low cross from Lover.

Ryan Royston’s firm header at the far post was taken by Little as Cray refused to give up, but finely-taken late goals by Beckford and Finn on 85 and 86 minutes exploited the inevitable gaps that Cray left at the back.

It was a rather unkind sting in the tail for Cray to end up beaten by 2-6 but, with the sun shining and the ice-cream van doing a roaring trade, there can be few complaints from the 933 spectators at the afternoon’s entertainment value, even though this was the Wands’ first home defeat in the F A Cup for 17 years!

Cray Wanderers: Knight, Day, Luckett, J Wood, Willy (Fenwick 58), Royston, Lover, Kempster, Baker, L Wood, Hall. Subs not used: Sterling, Curnow, Whelan, Jenkins.

Attendance 933

Supporters’ MOM: Jamie Kempster.