Beckenham Town 0-0 Hythe Town - No one's taking us seriously in this play-off hunt so we'll keep going about our business and what will be, will be, says Hythe Town boss Steven Watt

Beckenham Town 0 – 0 Hythe Town
Location	Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3JL
Kickoff	04/03/2023 15:00

BECKENHAM TOWN  0-0  HYTHE TOWN
Isthmian League South East Division
Saturday 4 March 2023
Stephen McCartney reports from Eden Park Avenue

HYTHE TOWN manager Steven Watt believes no one is taking his side seriously in the Isthmian League South East Division play-off hunt.

The tenth-placed Cannons extended their unbeaten run to seven games and had the better goalscoring chances away to third-placed Beckenham Town, who went into this game with back-to-back defeats to Ashford United and Chichester City.

However, neither side could find the clinical touch in front of goal and 269 fans had to settle for a low-quality goal-less stalemate at Eden Park Avenue.

Jason Huntley was without the services of three centre-halves in Mudiaga Wanogho (work commitments), Rob Carter (two-match suspension) and Callum Henry (work commitments), so Nathan Paul, 36, was handed his first start of the season, and Danny Waldren had a surprise defensive partner in Freddie Cray.

Hythe Town gave debutants to substitute strikers Duane Ofori-Acheampong and Jeff Duah-Kessie, who have departed Sittingbourne and Beckenham Town respectively and lacked match sharpness.

“Two points dropped! I thought we were by far the better team, very comfortable. I don’t think Steve (Phillips) had a save to make apart from catching a few crosses,” said Watt.

“It shows you how far we’ve come that we’ve come to a place like Beckenham and we’re disappointed not to come away with three points.  I thought we dominated large parts of it.

“We didn’t start well.  I thought Beckenham started the game really well but we grew into the game and I thought by the end of the first half the goal was a matter of time and Nick Blue made three or four outstanding saves.

“When you come to places like this and their keeper is probably man-of-the-match, it tells you everything you need to know really, so I’m proud of the boys.  It's another point on the board, another clean sheet.  Beckenham is a difficult place to come to, they’ve only lost two here (in the league) all season and we’re disappointed to only come away with a point.”

Beckenham Town assistant manager Billy Walton added: “Disappointed really because I thought we had the majority of the game.  I thought the only way they were going to score was from a set-play or a long throw to be honest with you.  I couldn’t see them scoring from open play.

“I don’t think Nick Blue’s made a save, in all fairness to their goalkeeper, I don’t think we’ve really tested him and made him make a save.  Everything we did was either at him or we got into good positions and our final ball wasn’t clinical enough to pick someone out to tap it into the net, which was disappointing.

“We got into good areas, very good areas in the penalty area where we beat their full-backs and we was in but we didn’t really make those opportunities count.

“Hythe are a difficult side to play against, they’re the in-form side. I suppose getting a draw is not the end of the world.

“It’s two points dropped massively, two points dropped against a team like that. They’ve got a style of play that I’m not over keen on but that’s the way their manager likes them to play.”

Beckenham Town started the game on the front foot with Jamarie Brissett driving forward and feeding striker Alfie Bloomfield, who took two touches before hitting a left-footed deflected drive flashing past the far post from 25-yards after only 93 seconds.

George Goodwin delivered a deep corner from the left and Waldren’s header at the far post from a tight angle was comfortably plucked out of the air by Steven Phillips at his near post.

Hythe Town should have grabbed an eighth minute lead through a header from holding midfielder Frannie Collin.

Jack Steventon’s first of seven long throws was flicked on by Liam Smith at the near-post and Collin steered his looping header over the crossbar from 10-yards, aiming for the top left-hand corner.

“Fran’s been doing that role, a bit deep this season. Fran’s knowledge of the game and he’s streetwise being in that four (holding midfielder role),” explained Watt.

“He allows you to free up other players to be higher and be a bit more expansive because you have that experience in the middle of the park.

“It was a great chance from Frannie. It came from a long throw. We’ve set up how we do and Fran’s tried to put it on target the best he can but it’s always going to be hard to score from there.”

Referee Fadi Mansour – who was being observed by Graeme Ions – failed to award Hythe Town a clear-cut penalty in the 18^th minute when Paul clipped Hythe Town’s 14-goal striker Johan Caney-Bryan inside the penalty area.

“You feel let down by the referee. I think he’s the only person in the whole ground you didn’t think it was a penalty,” said a furious Watt.

“It’s just a clear-cut penalty. If it was in our box, I’ll be saying exactly the same thing.  I don’t know how the ref’s tried to justify it.  I haven’t even been bothered to ask him because there’s no point, you can’t talk to him.

“Johan’s running for the ball and you can even hear the clip, he gets tripped.  I have no idea why he’s not given the penalty.”

Walton, meanwhile, agreed it was a penalty.

“What’s funny about that, if the referee doesn’t think it’s a penalty, he’s got to book him for diving and he didn’t give a penalty and he didn’t book the lad for diving,” said Walton.

“To be honest with you, yes, I thought it was a penalty. It was one of them, when the guy cut in front of him and it’s accidental. He hit the back of his foot, hit Nathan’s leg and he tripped himself up sort of thing but yes, if it was at the other end, I’ll be going mad, so I thought it was a penalty.”

Steventon’s long throw was cleared back out to him and the central midfielder took a touch before putting in a poor cross which was met at the far post by Caney-Bryan, who steered his header past the near post from a tight angle after Cray opened the gate.

Hythe Town were to be denied a deserved lead in the 24^th minute, courtesy of a fine save from Nick Blue.

With everyone expecting Steventon to launch a long throw into the box from the right, he threw the ball short to Sam Itauma and he whipped in a cross towards the near post where centre-half Liam Smith glanced a diving header across Blue towards the bottom far corner, only for the goalkeeper to dive to his right to tip the ball around the post.

“Outstanding save! Nick Blue is having a great career. He’s getting on a bit but he was outstanding today,” said Watt.

“Some of the saves he made, that one particularly, I thought that was in because I thought he saw it late but how he got across, I don’t know.  You’ve got to take your hat off to him, it was an outstanding save.”

Walton added: “That was one of their one and only chances, I thought, in the game.  Nick’s made a good save, like he normally does.”

A clearance from Blue, just 176 seconds later, went to Collin inside the Cannons half and his through ball released Caney-Bryan in behind Paul and his right-footed angled drive was comfortably tipped around the far post by Blue, diving to his right.

“More of a half-chance that one, I would say,” added Watt.

“It was good play from us. We got Yohan down the side and if that goes in, Blue would be disappointed with it himself, but good play from us, another chance, a shot on target.”

Walton added: “I didn’t think that was a threat on goal. I think he got though and Bluey quiet easily covered that, so I don’t think that was an actual chance at goal.”

Beckenham Town created a half-chance on the hour-mark after Goodwin’s ball along the deck released 23-goal talisman Louie Theophanous, who cut in from the left and into the box and Phillips smothered the ball at his near post.

Hythe Town arrived here with 32 goals to their name and 28 goals conceded and Watt, a retired centre-half, is pleased with his side’s defending.

“We’re one of the best defensive teams in the league for a reason.  Teams don’t usually get many chances against us and it’s something we pride ourselves on,” said the Aberdeen born Watt.

“That’s 28 goals conceded in 29 games, six of those have been in one game so the other 28 games we’ve only conceded 22, so it’s something that we’re very good at and we’re proud off and something we’ve worked on and something we have to be with the resources we have and what we’re working with.

“We have to be resolute and we have to be difficult to beat and that’s what we are.  I know the threats that Beckenham have and the goals they’ve scored this season (47) but I knew it was a really tough game coming here, but I knew they knew how tough it was going to be for them and the boys proved that today.

“I can’t remember Steve Phillips making a save baring catching so that’s testament to the team.  It makes us a difficult outfit to play against. It’s a DNA of our team and it’s something the boys, myself and the club and the staff are very proud off.”

Walton wasn’t pleased with his side’s slow first half tempo.

He said: “We didn’t shift the ball quickly enough and our movement wasn’t good enough. We got lulled into their style of play, (with Hythe) just trying to get it forward through route one, instead of playing through the thirds and cutting them open.

“I just thought if we moved the ball quickly and moved them around, they’re a slow and ponderous team.  I seem to be talking about them, the way they play.  They will argue the case that we didn’t beat them and they beat us 3-0 at their ground and we didn’t beat them here so their style obviously works.”

With each side winning five corners apiece, Beckenham’s third flag-kick was swung in from the left by Goodwin and Waldren’s header at the far post bounced off Steventon and was comfortably caught by Phillips at his near post.

Hythe Town were shading the first half stalemate but had to go into the interval on level terms.

Watt demanded more composure from his players in the final third.

He said: “I felt we needed that little bit of composure to find a goal.  I thought the goal was coming if I’m honest.

“It just needed a little bit of composure from us in the final third, be it a pass, a touch, whatever that was, we needed.  That was very much the message at half-time.”

Walton added: “We were really annoyed at half-time because of the way we set about our urgency and our pace that we’ve got in our team and the way we should be shifting the ball around, moving them about, so we were really annoyed.

“We told them to move the ball around a little bit more quickly from left-to-right and up to the front players and get runners going off the front players, just our general movement and I think we came out second half, you might correct me here, I don’t think they had a shot in the second half. It was basically all of us in the second half.”

The Cannons should have taken the lead inside the opening four minutes of the second half.

Centre-half Jason Fregene – who was solid alongside Lex Allan and Liam Smith – drove forward with the ball at his feet and linked up well with striker Ethan Smith, who stroked his left-footed angled drive across Blue and past the far post from 12-yards.

Watt admitted the former Gillingham man lacked composure that he called for with that chance.

“He’s got to square it! Yohan’s stood in the middle of the box and no one near him and he picks the wrong option.

“It was great play from Jason, coming through, a great bit of play, so good, but the final product, if he just rolls it across the goal, Johan taps it in the empty net.

“Those were the key moments in games when you need that little bit of composure and little bit of quality.

“Ethan’s gone for the goal, if it goes in, you’re staying it’s a great finish but unfortunately he chose the wrong option and that times and we could’ve, should’ve gone 1-0 up there.”

Hythe Town’s left-wing-back Marcus Goldsmith was hooked for big-target-man Ofori-Acheampong after 61 minutes and Watt changed formation with Liam Smith switching to left-back, Fregene partnering Steventon in the heart of defence with Allan switching over to right-back, with Ofori-Acheampong partnering Caney-Bryan, and then Duah-Kessie for the final 13 minutes.

Beckenham Town should have done better with an opening on the hour-mark but Goodwin steered his left-footed shot harmlessly past the right-hand post from 25-yards, as space opened up in front of him.

“It fell on his wrong side, fell on his left-foot and it was a bit of a scuffed effort really. George normally hits the target on his right-foot,” added Walton.

Referee Fadi Mansour booked Watt 16 minutes after the controversial penalty incident and in the 66^th minute, Beckenham Town substitute Nick Curran was booked, as well as assistant manager Peter Sweeney.

“I know I’m not the quietest on the sideline, I know that, I understand that. I’m very passionate and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I don’t want to come here and shout at referee’s,” said Watt.

“The linesman (Ahmad Rafique) took so long talking to me and Peter Sweeney about not being allowed on the grass and we had to stay on the concrete (in front of the dug-outs).

“We know referee’s have got a difficult job, however…”

Walton revealed: “Nick Curran was booked for doing his stretching!  How can you get booked for warming up?  Peter good booked for talking to him ‘to be quiet’.  Nick’s standing down there doing his stretching, minding his own business.  Why on earth would you call the referee over to book him? He’s not doing nothing apart from doing his stretching. It’s absolutely ridiculous!”

Brissett sprung into life after shrugging past Ethan Smith down the right and reaching the by-line but targetman Bloomfield lacked a clinical finish with his near-post header and the ball dropped kindly for Phillips, who comfortably gathered, stepping to his right.

“We got into those areas quite a few times in the second half, where we got in behind their full backs and we was in and you’ve got to have the ability, you’ve got to have the movement as a forward to get in,” said Walton.

“Then, the guy passing the ball has got to be good enough on the ball, just to pass it to you and then give you a tap in.  We did it about three times in the second half where we got in and we just passed it to them.”

The Cannons should have claimed the victory following their penultimate corner.

Collin’s right-wing flag kick was hit deep, Fregene flicked the ball on.  Allan played the ball back across goal, which was flicked away by Blue and fell for Liam Smith at the far post who smashed his first-time drive past the near post from six-yards.

“I think it’s another great save from Nick Blue. I thought it was going in and he claws it out and it falls to Liam and he then puts it past the post,” said Watt.

“Liam’s got to score, he knows that, he’s in (the dressing room) and he’s got his head in his hands and he’s disappointed because he knows it’s a free shot from six-yards out and he doesn’t hit the target.

“I thought it was in but it’s another chance that goes begging and you can’t come to places like this and not take the chance.”

Walton said: “I’m glad you said that, they had a chance from a corner. That’s the only chances they do have, from corners and long throws.  They don’t have a chance from open play, not unless you count throwing the ball from the halfway line to the penalty area.

“Playing the ball more than 20 yards (from a throw) should be outlawed from the game.  Do people really pay their £10 to watch someone throw the ball 50-60 yards?  I don’t want to swear, it absolutely drives me mad!  I thought the idea was to play the ball on the floor and pass the ball and move around?”

Collin’s fifth corner came in from the right and Duah-Kessie knocked the ball down at the far post and Ofori-Acheampong’s spectacular overhead kick sailed over the crowd of players’ and past the far post.

“Something we’ve not had all season is support for Johan. He’s done that role himself so we always knew we needed some nine’s (strikers) to come in,” explained Watt.

“We’ve been able to get those boys in.  You can see they haven’t played for a few weeks and they were a little bit rusty when they came on but as the game’s come they’ll get stronger and stronger and be a big threat for us in the run-in.”

Beckenham Town created an opening too when Cray’s deep cross came in from the left and was met by the shoulder of right-wing-back Harvey Brand, which was comfortably caught by the untroubled visiting keeper as both sides had to settle for a point, as the Cannons kept their 13^th clean sheet of the season.

Walton said: “We had enough chances there to win the game.  Unfortunately you hope it to fall for you and you get a little scrappy goal, or a tap in. It just didn’t fall our way but that’s the way it goes.

“In saying that, you’ve got to give them credit, they threw themselves in the way of shots and they’ve blocked most of our efforts so fair play to them. Defending is part of the game as well.”

Watt added: “I was worried, as the game went on, they might nick a goal because when you’ve had chances that we’ve had today and not taken them, you always know that sucker punch maybe down the line but luckily enough for us, we defended brilliantly.”

Ramsgate remain at the summit with 59 points from 30 (of 38 games), while the play-off places contain Chatham Town (57 points from 29), Beckenham Town (53 points from 30), Whitehawk (52 points from 29) and Sevenoaks Town (51 points from 30 games).

Ashford United (50 points from 30), Cray Valley (47 points from 29), Chichester City (46 points from 29), Sheppey United (46 points from 30) and Hythe Town (46 points from 29) are all involved in the race.

Watt, meanwhile, takes his side to thirteenth-placed side East Grinstead Town – who lost 4-1 at Sheppey United today – Jack Midson’s side bouncing back from their 4-1 defeat at Three Bridges in midweek.

“Must win, I think. That’s how I look at it.  If you want to stay in that pack, it’s your game in hand, you’ve got to go there and win,” said Watt.

“If you do win, you go two points off the play-offs again.  I think it’s a big game.  We’ve got to go there and win and keeps us pretty much in the hunt.

“I don’t think Beckenham are out of reach either.  It’s seven points but it’s a couple of results, that’s all it is.  If we go there on Tuesday and win, you put yourself four points off third, so that’s very much what we’re looking and the mentality within the group.

“We need to go to East Grinstead on Tuesday and we need to win to give ourselves a chance to be in this play-off hunt.

“We’ll do everything we possibly can as a team, as a management team, as a squad to try to get in these play-offs.  Look, if we fall short, we fall short but we can hold our hands up high what we’ve achieved this year and the position we’ve put ourselves in because when you started the season everyone put us down as relegation favourites.

“Even now, no one’s taking us seriously in this play-off hunt, so we’ll keep going about our business and what will be, will be.”

Beckenham Town, meanwhile, welcome eleventh-placed Littlehampton Town here next Saturday.

“Eight games to go, we’ve got to win as many games as we can,” said Walton.

“Listen, the whole club has done remarkably well this season. We’re third in the league, fair play to all those boys in there. They’ve worked their socks off from game one down in Lancing to today.

“It’s a difficult league, it’s very difficult. The travelling has caught us out a bit in terms of night games and long distances that as a club we’ve never had to experience before and it’s caught us out a bit but we’ll learn from that and hopefully we can move on.

“The good thing is it’s up for grabs and we’re one of them, simple as that. No one gave us a  hope in hell at the start of the season so we are one of them and I’m pretty sure most of the teams in the top half of the table would bite our hand off to be in our position especially with the money that they’re spending compared to what we spend.

“It’s been a remarkable season and I hope we can continue with the next eight games and finish in the play-offs and have a go at it that way.”

Beckenham Town: Nick Blue, Harvey Brand, Archie Johnson, Danny Waldren, Freddie Cray, Nathan Paul, Yahaya Kamara (Nick Curran 86), George Goodwin (Steven Townsend 81), Louie Theophanous, Alfie Bloomfield (Freddie Nyhus 87), Jamarie Brissett.
Subs: Stefan Cox, Gassimu Jalloh

Booked: Freddie Cray 5, Nick Curran 66, Peter Sweeney 67 (assistant manager)

Hythe Town: Steven Phillips,  Sam Itauma, Marcus Goldsmith (Duane Ofori-Acheampong 61), Lex Allan, Jason Fregene, Liam Smith, Shad Ngandu (Josh Stirman 90), Frannie Collin, Johan Caney-Bryan (Jeff Duah-Kessie 77), Ethan Smith, Jack Steventon.
Subs: Charles Noyelle, Toby Bancroft

Booked: Steven Watt 34 (manager), Jack Steventon 42

Attendance: 269
Referee: Mr Fadi Mansour
Assistants: Mr Ahmad Rafique & Mr Thomas Healy