Worthing 3-0 Faversham Town - It felt like we've been robbed today, says Faversham Town boss Ray Turner

Worthing 3 – 0 Faversham Town
Location	Woodside Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN14 7BH
Kickoff	30/04/2016 15:00

WORTHING  3-0  FAVERSHAM TOWN
Ryman League Division One South Play-Off Final
Saturday 30^th April 2016
Stephen McCartney reports from Woodside Road

FAVERSHAM TOWN manager Ray Turner says he’s feeling robbed after losing a controversial Ryman League Division One South Play-Off Final at Worthing.

Worthing are celebrating their return to the Ryman Premier League for the first time since 2007 with a 3-0 win over ten-man Faversham Town, watched by a sun-kissed crowd of 1,889 at Woodside Road.

But Faversham Town will point to Worthing’s controversial opening goal when an assistant claimed Brannon O’Neil’s in-swinging corner from the right sailed over the line when it appeared that Josh Stanford had headed the ball off the line and none of the Worthing players or supporters behind the goal were celebrating the central midfielder’s phantom goal.

Faversham Town faced an uphill struggle when they had striker Luke Harvey red-carded after 18 minutes.

Worthing doubled their lead six minutes later through joint-player-manager Gary Elphick’s close range shot before striker Jordan Maguire-Drew, 18, who is on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, scored his eighth goal in four games for Worthing, sealing promotion with a comfortable victory with 21 minutes left.

Faversham Town’s day was summed up when Charley Robertson, the hero who scored their 89^th minute winning goal in their 2-1 play-off semi-final victory at runners-up Dorking Wanderers in midweek, had his penalty saved.

Turner was close to tears after the game as the club suffered their second Ryman League Division One South Play-Off Final after also losing 3-0 away to Maidstone United in 2013.

“I’m just incredibly disappointed for the boys because I think unlike the Maidstone game we were ready for today,” said Turner, now in his fifth year in charge of The Lilywhites.

“You could see in our response with ten men we more than matched them. With 11 men even with the early goal I still fancied us to get back into it.

“Our mentality was right today, you could see in the body language we were going to get something but it felt like we’ve been robbed today.”

Folkestone Invicta claimed the league title with 114 points from 46 games, followed by Dorking Wanderers on 90 points, Worthing on 88, Hythe Town on 87 and Faversham Town on 83.

Both sides kept faith with the same side’s that won their midweek play-off games, with Worthing thrashing ten-man Hythe Town 7-0, although they were 4-0 up by the time that Nick Reeves was red-carded.

Worthing were to be denied by a brilliant save from Faversham Town keeper Will Godmon inside the opening five minutes.

Maguire-Drew whipped his right-footed free-kick towards the top right-hand corner from 28-yards, the former Maidstone United Academy keeper diving to his left to push the ball over the crossbar with his outstretched right-hand.

Faversham Town survived the resulting corner, but Worthing controversially scored with their second corner.

O’Neill swung the ball in with his left-foot which curled and sailed over Godmon’s head and Stanford appeared to have headed the ball off the line.

First impressions were that referee Garry Maskell had blown his whistle for an infringement but it soon became clear that the phantom goal was awarded to O’Neill, a big break to score his 16^th goal of the season.

It simply wasn’t a goal – because NO ONE CELEBRATED ON AND OFF THE PITCH  until the “goal” was awarded by the referee.

Turner said: “Very difficult in terms, the angel that we’ve got. All I tried to say to the officials was generally body language from the opposition gives it away!

“In a game like this you probably have nine or ten players jumping up and down. We didn’t get that at all! It looked like as much of a surprise to them as it was to us!

“To give a decision in mid-air, you’ve got to be right. I hope that they’ve got it all wrong!

“The trouble is everyone’s coming off and telling me they’ve got it on video and all three of the major decisions in their opinion are wrong.”

Faversham Town created their only chance of the first half in the 11^th minute when Robertson cut in from the right and rolled the ball out to George Monger, the central midfielder scuffing his shot past the far post from 20-yards.

O’Neill attempted to replicate his earlier feat by proving it was not a fluke, curling his third corner just around the far post.

But referee Garry Maskell pulled his red card out of his right pocket to send off Harvey in the 18^th minute.

Harvey collected the ball in the centre circle, rode Omar Bugiel’s tackle and attempted to skip past Worthing right-back Will Hendon in the final third.

The pair fell to the ground and attempting to get back onto his feet it appeared that Harvey pushed Hendon high up on his chest.

But Hendon held both of his hands on his head and rolled claiming that Harvey had pushed him in the face – when he didn’t - and with the referee close by out came the red card.  Hendon then swiftly jumped back up to his feet and picked up a yellow card, proving that he conned the referee.

Turner said: “I mean all I can go by are the comments in the stand, you get a great view here. I’m too far away but apparently all it is it’s an open hand, he’s fallen over. There’s nothing been swung, there’s no clinched fists and it’s never a sending off!”

Turner was then shown the incident on video and then added: “I’m just looking at the video now of Luke. It’s barely a yellow card. It’s unbelievable. I just hope the officials’ look at the video. It’s ridiculous!”

It effectively killed off any hope that Faversham Town had for winning promotion along with Neil Cugley’s Folkestone Invicta and Elphick headed in his fourth goal of the season in the 24^th minute to confirm that.

O’Neill whipped in another quality delivery from the right, this time a free-kick, and Omar Bugiel's bullet header towards the top left-hand corner was brilliantly clawed down by Godmon diving to his right but Elphick slid the ball into the same corner from two-yards out.

“That’s probably a goal that was generally awarded,” admitted Turner.

“I suppose you could point to the fact that we’ve got to back our goalkeeper up on that situation.”

O’Neill then floated in a free-kick from the left aimed at Elphick at the far post but the former Tonbridge Angels defender towered over John Scarborough to nod his header well wide from a tight angle.

Worthing keeper Rikki Banks was collecting well inside his penalty area as Faversham Town failed to get a shot on target during the first half.

Worthing went in at the break with a foot in the Ryman Premier League with a two goal interval lead.

Turner said: “It’s such a big task. A couple of goals behind. What pleased me we kept trying to get on the ball. Creative players, you saw Charley (Robertson) doing fantastic things, Liam King.

“The heart and soul of this team and this club and that’s the most I can say, I’m proud today.”

Faversham Town needed an early goal to get back into the game and they should have done better with a set-piece of their own after 93 seconds into the half.

Monger floated in a free-kick into the Worthing penalty area from 40-yards but Matthew Bourne came up from the back to see his back flicked header bounce just wide of the right-hand post from 12-yards.

Worthing, who played 4-4-3 on their artificial pitch, forced Scarborough into making a fine tackle inside his six-yard box at his near post.

Bugiel played the ball out to advanced left-back Steven Metcalf, who cut inside and slid the ball into the corridor of uncertainty and Scarborough tackled striker Benjamin Pope and Godmon pounced on the ball.

Worthing were keeping the ball well and were denied by a comfortable save by Godmon on the hour-mark.

Bugiel, who has scored 22 goals this season, ran forward and played the ball out to striker Zack Newton, who cut inside and drove his left-footed shot straight at the Faversham keeper from 12-yards.

Tenyue advanced down the left again and whipped in a cross towards the far post but substitute Dean Grant jumped up with Metcalf and Banks grabbed hold of the loose ball.

Hendon was given time and space to put in a cross into the Faversham box but winger Harvey Sparks’ free-header bounced across goal and Godmon comfortably collected.

An offside flag was expected to be raised in the 69^th minute when Worthing sealed promotion with their third.

The Rebels built down the right with a triangle of passes involving O’Neill, Pope and Sparks and the ball was threaded through to an unmarked Maguire-Drew who drilled his left-footed shot past Godmon from 10-yards.

Turner said: “Again, they’re telling me it’s clearly offside and it’s on video.  The trouble is what can you say to people? 

“You end up getting frustrated and end up talking about officials and what I want to talk about are the boys.”

Faversham Town failed to grab a lifeline with sixteen minutes remaining when referee Maskell pointed to the spot after Hendon fouled substitute Kieron Campbell in the box.

Robertson stepped up and his poor right-footed free-kick was saved by Banks, diving to his left.

Turner added: “It’s a shame the penalty didn’t go in because one, the side deserved it and two, there might’ve been a glimmer of something crazy going on but you know that summed the day up!”

Another cross from advanced Tenyue was met by an attempted overhead scissor kick by Grant from 12-yards out, which was caught by Worthing keeper Banks.

Monger skied a 35-yard free-kick what seemed to go 35-yards over the Worthing crossbar as Worthing played out the rest of the game in a comfortable fashion to win their first Play-Off Final to join Neil Cugley’s Folkestone Invicta in the Premier to leave Faversham heartbroken.

“We were never able to even have a chance today, that was the biggest disappointment.  We were never able to get stuck into the game, it’s been influenced by outside….,” claimed Turner.

“It’s very difficult, you feel very emotional after. There’s nothing you can say to the boys. They’re so low but again I just feel as though I wanted to play them on an even playing field.

“I feel as though we were ready. Everything was right about today and I felt that it was so different to the last (Play-Off Final against Maidstone).

“It’s difficult because you do get emotional about it as manager’s do.  I put my heart and soul into it as many people do and ten years’ of work has gone into this football club.

“I think all you can do is point to the fact of how far it’s come, consistently we out-play and out point teams with much better budgets and much more resources than us.

“All I can say is if they can retain that sort of heart and soul and If I can keep doing that then I have to dust myself down and keep coming back again.”

Faversham Town were told before the game that they had to stay out on the pitch and watch the celebrations – a hard thing to stomach when you’ve just lost a game in this manner.

For the match officials to make two or three major decisions completely wrong and in favour of the home club just feels wrong and unjust.

Turner said: “I don’t know, it feels wrong. I just hope you guys (the press) report on us in a positive manner because I don’t want to talk about mistakes that they’ve (the officials) made really.”

Turner said that his assistant manager Clive Walker will be a comfort to him but praised his players for their post-match behaviour.

“I’m daft enough to come back I think, in June.  I think Clive helps in these situations. He’s seen it and done it as he keeps telling me, sometimes football management is just about longevity and hanging in there and you’ve got to take so many disappointments.

“I’m also pleased with the way we behave. I think our behaviour is impeccable. We have to stand there and look at all the celebrations going on and we did the same at Maidstone (in 2013) and we did the same recently against Kingstonian (losing the League Cup Final 5-0).

“I just hope one day we get rewards for the things we do and the standards we set.  The standards of our behaviour have been exemplary again today.

“I’ve had plenty of messages of support from all over the county and it’s much appreciated but I’ll come back again.

“I said to the boys just promise me one thing, we’ll all have one drink together and then we’ll go on holiday.

“It’s just a case of wanting to talk positively about the group and what they’ve done today.”

Turner was speaking within spitting difference of Worthing’s celebrating dressing room and on days like this there is a burning desire to be doing the same thing in a years’ time.

Turner wants support during the club’s forthcoming seventh season in this division.

“I don’t know, we haven’t got the resources of certain clubs. Hopefully someone’s out there and sees what we have been doing and see what we’re trying to do with the club and the ground and stuff like that.

“Hopefully the supporters coming here today will come back again in the summer, in August, bring a few more people with them and that will always attract a little bit more money.

“All we can is carry on building, keep on trying to strive to improve what we’re doing.”

Worthing: Rikki Banks, Will Hendon, Steven Metcalf, Omar Bogie, Gary Elphick, Corey Heath, Jordan Maguire-Drew (Matthew Axel 76), Brannon O’Neill, Benjamin Pope (Ross Edwards 90), Zack Newton (Matthew Piper 81), Harvey Sparks.
Subs: Jack Fagan, Ryan Quirke, Ross Edwards

Goals: Brannon O’Neill 6, Gary Elphick 24, Jordan Maguire-Drew 69

Booked: Will Hendon 19, Gary Elphick 76

Faversham Town: Will Godmon, Ryan Cooper (Dean Grant 54), Renford Tenyue, Daniel Carrington, John Scarborough, Matthew Bourne, Charley Robertson, George Monger, Liam King (Ashley Brown 84), Luke Harvey, Josh Stanford (Kieron Campbell 54).
Subs: Jamie Maxted, Mobolaji Dowadu

Booked: George Monger 55, Matthew Bourne 68, Kieron Campbell 89

Sent off: Luke Harvey 18

Attendance: 1,889
Referee: Mr Garry Maskell (Greenwich, London SE10)
Assistants: Mr Christopher Potter & Mr Jonathan Walker (Eastbourne, East Sussex)
Fourth Official: Jack Packman (Margate)