Tunbridge Wells 1-1 VCD Athletic - Rogers' heroics hands Whitstable the title - EXCLUSIVES

TUNBRIDGE WELLS 1-1 VCD ATHLETIC
Kent League Premier Division
Wednesday 25^th April 2007
Stephen McCartney reports from Culverden Stadium

Whitstable Town clinched the Kent League championship, and promotion into the Ryman League, for the very first time in their history tonight, as a spirited Tunbridge Wells side held VCD Athletic to a draw in an enthralling high-pressure clash at Culverden Stadium.

Tunbridge Wells goalkeeper Alan Rogers, 60, was amongst Sevenoaks Town’s largest crowd of the season last night to see Whitstable move six points clear of VCD Athletic with their 3-1 win at Greatness Park.

That meant Vickers needed to win tonight against a Wells side that has endured a painful campaign with only four league wins to their name.

Despite showing glimpses of promise at times throughout the season, Tunbridge Wells, second-from-bottom on 19 points, decided to put in their best performance of the season to deny Vickers a chance of stealing the title away from the Oystermen on the final day of the season.

Rogers made two breathtaking saves to thwart Juan Ramirez, 16, after 68 minutes and substitute Chris Johnston ten minutes later.

They also survived a last-gasp manic goal-mouth scramble when Vickers were denied a dramatic penalty after Andy Garrett scooped the ball off the goal-line.

Maidstone referee Mr Simon Finnigan admitted afterwards that he didn’t see the incident, with so many bodies in his way to try to stab the ball over the line.

Both teams finished the game with ten-men, with Vickers midfielder Gary Ward seeing his second yellow card as he hotly disputed that late decision, following Wells’ midfielder Sam Phillips, who was shown his second yellow with nine minutes remaining.

And within the first two minutes Andy Boyle escaped punishment when he tripped Ramirez just outside the box and Danny Penny’s resulting left-footed free-kick rolled agonisingly past the foot of the near post after deflecting off the wall.

From the resulting corner, taken by Stuart Abbott, Lee Coburn came up from his defensive duties to head into Rogers’ grateful arms.

Tunbridge Wells, who created a whole host of good chances during the game, should have scored after sixteen minutes.

Latching onto Joe Fuller’s flick, Ted Ansell drove a left-footed angled drive from 15-yards that flashed agonisingly past the foot of the near post.

Vickers highly-rated goalkeeper, Chris Conneally was called into action after 24 minutes when he made a comfortable save after Fuller tried to beat him with an eighteen-yard shot with the outside of his right-boot.

Coburn earnt himself a booking when he tripped Ansell just outside the penalty area and from Fuller’s set-piece, an unmarked Ansell planted his header past the near post from eight yards.

Rogers was called into action after 29 minutes when he comfortably saved a looping shot from 22-yards from Ramirez.

But you could sense the relief when Vickers skipper Paul Foley broke the deadlock nine minutes before the break.

Abbott’s corner, his third of the game, was met by a header from Coburn across the six-yard box and an unmarked Foley steered the ball past Rogers from six-yards.

Tunbridge Wells, belying their league position, struck the crossbar with three first half minutes remaining.

Bradley Sandeman’s free-kick was met by a towering header from Fuller, which skimmed the top of the crossbar.

And at the other end, Leroy Huggins cut the ball back to Ramirez but Rogers made a low save to prevent the quick, tiny striker from scoring with a left-footed drive from 18-yards.

Steve Hogg had replaced Mark Greatorex during the interval and the midfielder was desperately unlucky not to put the game beyond the hosts’ reach after just 40 seconds into the second half.

Huggins’ cross from the left was met with a right-footed volley from Hogg and the ball smacked against the post.

But Whitstable Town fans at home were celebrating when Abdul El-Ferdi levelled proceedings soon after.

Boyle’s long throw wasn’t dealt with by Vickers’ defence and this allowed the former Greenwich Borough midfielder to strike a right-footed effort across Conneally, which crept inside the far corner.

This goal sparked Tunbridge Wells into life and Ansell fired past the near post following a Fuller flick after 52 minutes.

And pint-sized Ansell squandered an excellent chance to give Wells a deserved lead five minutes later when he nodded wide of the left post from just two yards following a superb cross from Nick Graham.

Another Graham cross was met by a downward header from Phillips, but Conneally made a flying save to deny the raven haired midfielder.

By this time, Vickers were feeling the pressure and Foley and Adrian Hatcher were both booked for their parts during an eighteen-man melee whilst players awaited Abbott’s corner.

And after cutting inside, Ramirez, just ten-yards from goal, was thwarted by an excellent reaction save from Rogers, who got down low and quick to parry the low shot around the foot of his near post.

Vickers played with three men up front for the final seventeen minutes and were denied the winner when Rogers made his second excellent save of the night.

Hatcher allowed Johnston to nip past him and with only the fit, veteran goalkeeper to beat, Rogers narrowed the angle and using his legs, managed to divert the ball back off the top of his near post.

Phillips blotted his copy book by getting himself sent off with his second yellow of the night, and the hosts were forced back on the back-foot.

But with time ticking away, Fuller was inches away from scoring the winner when his right-footed angled drive trickled just past the far post.

The luck that has deserted Tunbridge Wells this season finally returned in their penultimate game as Garrett used his hand to prevent the ball crossing the line during a desperate goal-mouth scramble, which resulted in Ward seeing red.

“Yes, it was our best performance of the year by a long chalk,” a proud Martin Farnie said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards. “From start to finish, we played really well tonight.”

But he was at pains to explain why his side haven’t performed like they did tonight during the season.

“Don’t ask me!” a baffled Farnie added.  “Why has it taken us all season to have a bit of belief in ourselves?

“Everyone here, they’re all good players, I just don’t understand the season we’ve had.

“You’ve seen us play loads of times and we’re not rock bottom of the league are we?

“We’re ten times better than (basement team) Sporting Bengal. We’ve played some real good stuff (this season) but we’ve thrown away too many points this year.”

Farnie was quick to congratulate Marc Seager and his Whitstable Town side for winning promotion into the Ryman League for the very first time.

“I phoned Marc Seager (after the game) and I’m over the moon for him because he’s such a nice bloke,” he said.

“Whitstable are one of the nicest clubs in the Kent League and I wish them all the best.

“For Marc it’s fantastic and I will speak to him tomorrow and wish him all the best.

“He’s got a cup final in a couple of weeks time so he might win the treble like somebody else (Tommy Sampson) who got a treble in this league once.

“But I hope they do it to be honest. If I want anyone else to do it, it’s Seages because he’s a top man.”

Farnie revealed tonight that his side will be playing Whitstable in a pre-season friendly - a chance for the Oysterboys to buy hero Rogers a drink or two!

“They owe him a drink because tonight he has pulled off two great saves,” he said.

“The one down low, a goalkeeper of eighteen wouldn’t have got down there.

“He’s just experienced, he knows where to be, what to do. He’s just a top, top lad, a top, top goalkeeper and we all love him down here.”

Farnie’s assistant manager, Steve Gibbons, admitted they got lucky over the last-gasp, desperate goal-mouth scramble - and about time too!

“It’s been a bit unfair on us tonight, because it’s made it look like we’ve raised our game just for this one game,” he said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.  

“But too be honest, we’ve played like that quite a lot of times this season and not had the luck.

“It just so happens today that we had a little bit of luck when it mattered, when there was a goal-line scramble.

“Two or three months ago that would have been a goal. We would have gone in 2-1 losers and it would have been another Tunbridge Wells defeat.

“I can’t say we’ve turned the corner because we’ve only got a game to go!

“That just about summed us up. Finally we’ve got a bit of luck but it’s come way too late in the season to do anything about it.”

Dean Frost, Vickers’ caretaker-manager, praised his troops for giving their all in their pursuit of the league title.

“Obviously disappointed,” he said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the devastating draw.

“We’d like to have gone into the last Saturday of the season and just put a little but of pressure on Whitstable and see where it would have taken us - but it’s not too be.

“I can’t fault the players for the effort and the spirit they’ve shown. We’ve got two or three players with injuries and probably in an ideal situation, they wouldn’t be playing but (our squad is) depleted.”

Speaking about the Garrett handball incident during the scramble, Frost said: “Their goalkeeper has come up to one of our players and he’s said “it’s the most blatant penalty he’s never seen given!”.

“But at the end of the day, we should be winning games against the likes of Tunbridge Wells.

“Credit to them but we really should be beating sides like that - simple as that.”

Frost, 30, agrees that Whitstable Town are deserved Kent League winners this season.

He said: “Of course they do (deserve it). It’s over the course of a season. Id’ just like them to have had their little blip two or three weeks sooner but over the course of the season the league table doesn’t lie.

“I can pin-point three or four games we’re we’ve probably lost the league. I won’t go through them but we lost the league in three or four games that we should have won.”