VCD Athletic 2-2 Croydon

VCD ATHLETIC 2-2 CROYDON
Thursday 28^th September 2006
Kent League
Stephen McCartney reports from The Oakwood

After eight years in exile and groundsharing at Thamesmead Town, Lordswood and Greenwich Borough, football finally came back home to the Oakwood, Old Road in Crayford tonight.

A crowd of 336 flocked through the turnstiles for the club’s Kent League encounter with Surrey side Croydon.

The game, played on a wet lush playing surface, produced four goals although it was spoilt with two red cards.

VCD Athletic, or Vickers Crayford Dartford Athletic, the club’s full title, got off to a dream start, taking the lead after just 350 seconds of their homecoming at the £150,000+ revamped ground.

Striker Danny Penny, 25, headed down and past former Erith & Belvedere and Bromley star goalkeeper Danny Harwood, following Kevin Spriggs’ hanging cross from the right.

But Rochester referee Mr Steve Rowden was forced to brandish two red cards inside the first sixteen minutes of a game, which was played by two good sides.

First to go was Croydon’s Ray Freeman after throwing a punch, reacting wildly to a two-footed lunge from Kevin Winchcombe, which sparked a melee. Winchcombe, however, was sent off some three minutes after the Croydon offender.

In-form Croydon, however, tried their luck from distance at every opportunity and

Emmanuel Quarshie drilled a shot from 35-yards, which was comfortably saved by Grant Wallis, making his first appearance after missing their last five games after his holiday.

VCD Athletic came close to doubling their lead after 37 minutes when Ashley Probets delivered a trade mark cross with his left foot towards the far post, but Stuart Abbott, who was stretching, volleyed past the right upright.

Wallis’ spilled Quarshie’s glancing header out for a corner, and from the resulting flag kick the ball came out to Danny Bennett, whose shot sailed over.

Harwood made a comfortable save from Kevin Spriggs’ left-footed long range effort on the stroke of half-time before the Trams levelled after just 120 seconds into the second half.

Midfielder Tim Murdoch sent a right-footed free-kick into the left hand corner of the net, past Wallis’ dive, from a central position some 25-yards from goal.

Croydon dominated proceedings during the early parts of the second half, which saw former Bromley midfielders Chris Hill and Murdoch bringing comfortable saves from the raven haired goalkeeper.

But VCD created a superb chance to steal the lead after 71 minutes when Penny’s diving header, following Probets’ cross from the left, flew agonisingly over the bar.

You could, however, hear a pin drop when Croydon deservedly took the lead with just four minutes of their homecoming left.

Substitute Terry Davis rifled a shot towards goal, which produced a fine fingertip save by Wallis, and the ball bounced off the top of the right post.

But fellow substitute Neil John reacted the quickest, nodding the rebound into the corner of the net.

Penny went close again within a minute when his left-footed drive flashed just past the post and teenage striker, substitute Juan Ramirez was booked when he punched the ball into the far corner of the net.

But Vickers snatched a point at the death when Ramirez netted his third career goal for the Crayford side.

Probets’ free-kick was flicked on by skipper Paul Foley and Ramirez was on hand to stab the ball past Harwood.

“We knew it was going to be a battle and an akward game tonight,” proud Vickers boss Martin Ford said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk  “We knew it was going to be hard for us.

“We was a little under the cosh I thought during early periods of the second half but we came through it and showed great character at the end and maybe a draw was a fair result.”

Ford, whose the longest serving manager at one Kent club - 14 years - was full of praise of his opponents.

He said: “Croydon have come down here tonight and showed since Dickson Gill’s taken over that they can play.

“They can knock the ball around, a good movement about them, got a little bit of pace when they need it and I just thought looking at the circumstances of the injuries we’ve had during the game maybe it was a good point.”

But having spent over £150,000 on bringing the club back to it’s roots, Ford can now settle down to what he’s good at when Sevenoaks Town visit on Saturday.

“It was very hard to concentrate managing the side tonight,” he admitted. “There was a lot going on around the dug-outs and around the pitch and bits and pieces.

“The people have been fantastic, I think everyone was excited but it was very hard to concentrate on formations and getting people right. Hopefully that will settle down now.

“Saturday will be a test to see what crowd we’ll get and maybe we can get back to footballing matters and start looking at the league table and chomping away.”

Croydon’s manager/chairman Dickson Gill, meanwhile, felt the referee had no option but to send off Freeman and Winchcombe.

He said: “Their number seven committed the foul and started it off from there and our boy followed up and pushing him with both hands.

“You can’t put your hands up on people. It’s not allowed and I told him.”

But Gill feels his side should have spoilt VCD’s party tonight, by collecting all three points.

“A bit disappointed really. We’ve done allright today but you can’t get carried away but I feel we should have got at least a win.”