Erith Town 2-1 Beckenham Town - The desire to win wasn't quite there, says Tony Russell

ERITH TOWN  2-1  BECKENHAM TOWN
(after extra time – Erith Town win 4-3 on aggregate)
Macron Kent League Cup Preliminary Round Second Leg
Monday 1^st October 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Erith Sports Stadium

ERITH TOWN boss Tony Russell says his players went through the motions after they needed extra-time to knock Beckenham Town out of the Macron Kent League Cup in the Preliminary Round.

The Dockers took the lead after only 67 seconds through winger Aaron Williams, before Beckenham Town striker Ben Slade equalised after five whirlwind minutes. 

Erith Town missed an eighth minute penalty when midfielder Liam Burgess hit the bar – the first of three times that the home side struck the woodwork.  They also had a couple of goals ruled out for offside, before striker Tyrus Gordon sealed victory in the 119^th minute when he punished a mistake from visiting keeper Nick Blue to book their place in the First Round with a two-legged affair with Cray Valley (Paper Mills).

Russell’s side stretched their unbeaten run to ten-games following this game but Russell wasn’t pleased with his side’s attitude.

He said: “We were shocking first half.  Razor (Ray Powell) called it. I mean we made a few changes.  We played Saturday and he came in and said they’re flat as.  They were just going through the motions during the warm-up.

“Before the game I was saying ‘this is a game that we’ve got to win.’  It wasn’t about the Cup.  It’s about having an attitude of winning every game you go into.

“The desire to win a game of football wasn’t quite there and I want them to keep a winning habit so whatever side we put out they’re good enough players so they should be able to.”

It could have been such a different story had Beckenham Town opened the scoring with only 29 seconds on the clock.

With the game level at 2-2 following the first leg at Eden Park Avenue last Tuesday, Jamie Turner put Slade through on goal but the striker dragged his shot across James Tedder and wide of the far post.

That proved to be a crucial miss as Tedder launched the resulting goal-kick high up the field and Malik Fofana allowed the ball to sail over his head and keeper Blue came out but failed to keep hold of the ball and Williams swept his right-footed shot from 12-yards into the empty net to score his third goal of the season.

Russell said: “It’s kind of an un-Erith sort of goal really.   It’s like our noisy neighbours sort of goal.  James Tedder can absolute dig a ball out. The boy has got caught underneath it and I’ve been moaning at Aaron because he hasn’t scored enough goals for us and he took it well.”

However, Beckenham Town responded immediately and they were level with four minutes and 33 seconds on the clock.

Nick Curran played a reverse ball from the edge of the box to put Slade through on goal and this time he made no mistake, slotting a right-footed angled drive underneath the big frame of Tedder and into the bottom far corner.

Russell praised Slade, who scored his second goal of the season tonight.

He said: “He’s a good player. He’s a really good player. We played against him in the first leg and he done really well against us. He’s only a young kid but he’s got good movement and he’s strong and I thought he took it well.”

Tedder was forced into making a fine save to deny Danny McKone, who picked up the ball following Curran’s pass, before cracking a fierce right-footed drive from 30-yards, which swerved and Tedder punched the ball up in the air.

But Erith Town squandered an excellent chance to put the game to bed in the eighth minute when referee Christopher Myatt spotted Billy Eves handball after Marcus Cassius crossed the ball into the Beckenham Town penalty area.

Burgess stepped up and smashed his right-footed penalty against the underside of the crossbar high to Blue’s left, which was a relief to the Beckenham central defender who had pulled his shirt over his head in embarrassment moments before.

Russell felt his prized-asset was too casual and paid the price.

He said: “I just think to be fair – he said it as well – he was in that casual mode and it was a casual penalty. It was a stroll up, lean back and I’m going to put it in the top corner to show everybody what a good player I am.

“I dug him out. He’s got to earn the right as a midfielder and to me he didn’t want to pick up or win headers.  I said to him good players earn the right before they start doing that and you’ve got to do the ugly bits as well and I didn’t think he did that but second half, credit to him, he did!”

Peter Smith, who was soon to be forced off through illness, cut the ball back to Burgess, who played a fine diagonal pass to release Cassius down the right and the winger sent over a cross which was parried by Blue at his near post and Chris Walker looped his header over from close range.

Beckenham Town lost Danny Tipple through injury (and Eves later on in the game) and Tipple’s replacement, Jeremy Funes, was denied a goal following his first touch, as his 25-yard drive bounced into Tedder’s gloves.

A quickly-taken Burgess free-kick released Gordon down the right and with Beckenham left-back Byron Beard caught ball-watching the ball was cut-back to Cassius, who looped his right-footed shot over from 12-yards.

But Beckenham Town ditched their passing game and created a decent chance to take the lead in the 29^th minute.

Keeper Blue launched the ball down the middle of the pitch and Curran flicked the ball into Slade’s path and his low shot was blocked by Tedder’s legs at his near post.

Shortly afterwards, Harry Draper got to the ball before a charging Calum Comerford and slid the ball to Curran, who curled a right-footed shot over from the edge of the Erith Town box.

Danny McKone stroked a right-footed shot straight at Tedder when he went for goal from 18-yards, during a good spell from the visiting team.

And on the stroke of half-time Slade’s right-footed drive stung Tedder’s fingers after Turner played the ball across the face of the penalty area.

Russell reflected on his side’s first half performance.

“We felt we could just turn up and do a couple of fancy passes and we are going to do it. Beckenham are a good side. They’re not going to have that and rightly so. They snapped at us and they were on us and we couldn’t play and then we got ourselves in a bit of a tizz and then we scored, got a penalty and missed.  It was carnage, absolute carnage. Our shape was all over the place. We were getting rattled.  They were doing brilliantly Beckenham to be fair because we were going through the motions.  We got caught into a game we shouldn’t have got caught up in.”

The start of the second half mirrored the first, although all that was missing was the goals.

Beckenham Town created the first chance, after only 33 seconds, when Beard clipped the ball into the penalty area but Slade’s downward header was easily gathered by Tedder.

The ball went immediately straight up to the other end of the pitch and Comerford’s through ball set up a chance for Gordon, who shot straight at Blue.

Beckenham Town wasted another gilt-edged chance after 75 seconds when Akers’ ball into McKone saw him lay the ball off to substitute Funes, who flashed a right-footed half-volley wide of the post.

Erith Town then began to dominate and create the better goalscoring chances.

Walker played the ball into Gordon’s path in the 51^st minute and his angled right-footed drive was pushed away by Blue, who dived low to his right, but Cassius steered the follow-up shot wide of the near post.

Another chance came Erith Town’s way when Ray Powell threw the ball to Burgess, who clipped the ball over the Beckenham defence to put Gordon through on goal and Blue needed treatment after using his face to ensure the ball bounced wide.

Burgess then played the ball forward to Walker, who went on a mazy 30-yard run before he played Gordon in behind again but the lone striker sliced his right-footed shot wide from ten-yards.

Russell felt it was one of those nights for Gordon, saying, “I think sometimes when you’re a striker as soon as you miss a couple you end up getting a bit anxious and snapping and you take that extra touch and he’s trying a cheeky lob and usually he doesn’t do that.

“I just said to him afterwards it’s just one of those games where we had loads of chances and it just didn’t happen and people get anxious.”

Erith Town missed another chance half-way through the second half when Walker skied a right-footed volley over the Beckenham crossbar from eight-yards after good play from Cassius down the left and a cross that should have been tucked away.

Beckenham Town pressed forward and went close with fourteen minutes of normal time remaining when Turner ‘s corner from the right sailed over to Funes at the far post and he nodded the ball across goal for Eves to nod wide of the near post from two-yards out.

Funes then flashed a right-footed drive wide of the same post from 25-yards, before a lay-off from substitute Joe Jackson carved a chance for Turner, who stung Tedder’s fingers with a right-footed drive from 35-yards out.

Blue made yet another fine save with seven minutes of normal time remaining when he tipped over Comerford’s right-footed drive from 25-yards after the Erith Town substitute played a one-two with Walker.

Blue thwarted Comerford again, using his outstretched legs to deny the home side from scoring with a sweeping move, which involved Burgess, Walker and Gordon.

Erith Town felt they had won it inside injury time but Williams was adjudged to have been offside when he latched onto Comerford’s pass and slammed the ball past Blue.

Russell added: “I try not to scream at linesmen if I can’t see it.  It just drives me mad when managers from the other end of the pitch seem to know their players are definitely onside. I don’t know.  He said he was onside, but he’s a striker, he’s going to say it, but I couldn’t give you a definite yes or no.”

Erith Town smacked a second shot against Blue’s crossbar after just 43 seconds into extra-time.

Harry Montgomery skipped past Jackson and cut into the penalty area and the ball bounced off a couple of Beckenham defenders and Williams smashed his right-footed shot against the underside of the crossbar from 12-yards.

An ever-growing frustrated Russell said: “That’s when I started to think this is not going to be our night.  Just chance after chance after chance.  He’s probably hit it too well. You’ve just got to take a little bit off it. The bar nearly snapped!”

Another penetrating run from Beckenham midfielder Curran saw him unleash a right-footed drive from 25-yards, which clearly deflected wide but a goal-kick was given.

Gordon turned provider half-way through the first period as he released Walker through on goal and he took the ball around the advancing Blue but he dwelled on the ball and allowed Blue to get back to make a fine low block.

Gordon was then seen punching the ground in frustration when he sent his right-footed chip over the bar after being put through on goal by Walker’s precise hooked pass. 

Erith Town substitute right-back Powell then sent a left-footed hooked volley whistling just wide of the far post from fourteen-yards after meeting Comerford’s throw into the box.

Erith Town clearly scored a goal within the opening four minutes into the second period – but assistant referee Christopher Dodd failed to notice the ball cross the line.

Jackson fouled Gordon on the very edge of the Beckenham penalty area and Burgess got the ball over the wall with his right-footed free-kick and the ball smacked the crossbar and appeared to swiftly bounce against the stanchion behind the goal before bouncing down in play.

Russell bemoaned: “I’m right behind it. It’s over!  It’s hit the stanchion bit but what can you do?  I felt a little bit slack myself.  I just stood there and shook my head. I don’t know. It just summed our night up!”

And Erith Town had a second goal ruled out for offside when Montgomery cut the ball back to Comerford, who slammed a low right-footed drive past Blue from eighteen-yards but Mr Dodd had raised his offside flag and the goal was ruled out.

“I wouldn’t mind you explaining that one, even their bench was cracking up,” said Russell.

“I didn’t think the officials’ were that bad tonight. I try not to get on their back but it’s a strange one!”

Beckenham Town pushed men forward in search of the winning goal but once again they had to rely on Blue for keeping them in the game.  The former Orpington keeper dived full-length to his left to claw behind Gordon’s fierce right-footed angled drive, which was destined to bulge the back of the net.

However, Blue turned hero to zero as his glaring mistake, gave Erith Town the deserved victory, with less than two minutes remaining.

Blue sliced his clearance straight to Gordon, who was struggling with a tight hamstring, and he accepted the gift by taking a touch before slotting his right-footed shot into the middle of an empty net from twenty-yards.

Russell said: “I thought Bluey was brilliant.  He pulled off some unbelievable saves.  He was just pulling off save-after-save. That’s the thing with goalkeepers. You can be brilliant all night. You make one mistake then it’s a goal and people will look at him but I can assure you he kept them in it. He was their man-of-the-match. He was absolutely brilliant, so it’s just unfortunate for him but fortunate for us.”

But Beckenham Town almost snatched another equaliser – which would have forced a penalty shoot-out – when Turner grazed the top of the crossbar with a speculative right-footed shot from 40-yards.

Russell calls for more urgency from his players when they take on Cray Valley (Paper Mills) in the next round of the competition the club won in 2008.

He said: “It’s the first time this year that I’ve gone mad at them. I just thought they were disrespectful.  I just think people were taking the mick for the first time. They’re a brilliant bunch but today they were a little disrespectful. Razor dug them out in the warm-up and said it wasn’t good enough and they took it onto the pitch.

“I said if you want to do things we try and want to do things at this club.   Youv’ve got to buy into it otherwise if you just think Cup games are just a nothing game, then you’re at the wrong club because every single game, every team I put out, I believe it’s good enough to win.”

Russell went into this Cup tie on the back of a 5-1 away win at Cray Valley at the weekend.

“We played them Saturday. It was a good game. They’re a good side. It’s a lovely set-up down there as well, really nice.  It’s local. Brilliant!  I thought knowing my luck I’d get Deal or something!”

Beckenham Town assistant manager Michael Marks declined a request for an interview, saying he had to get his boys back home.


Erith Town: James Tedder, Dean Morris, Lee Craig, Cory Walters-Wright (Ray Powell 50), Ben Payne, Peter Smith (Calum Comerford 33), Liam Burgess, Chris Walker, Tyrus Gordon, Aaron Williams, Marcus Cassius (Harry Montgomery 87).
Subs: David Noel, Peter Afolayan

Goals: Aaron Williams 2, Tyrus Gordon 119

Booked: Ray Powell 86, Ben Payne 115

Beckenham Town: Nick Blue, Danny Akers, Byron Beard, Billy Eves (Joe Jackson 77), Malik Fofana, Nick Curran, Jamie Turner, Harry Draper, Ben Slade, Danny McKone, Danny Tipple (Jeremy Funes 22).
Subs: Jean Francis, Jason Clews, Jason Rose

Goal:  Ben Slade 5

Booked: Danny Akers 37, Byron Beard 112

Attendance: 51
Referee: Mr Christopher Myatt (Dartford)
Assistants: Miss Louise Saunders (Rochester) & Mr Christopher Dodd (Eltham, London SE9)