Ide Hill 1-4 Ightham - This team can go on and dominate the Sevenoaks League, says Ightham boss

IDE HILL  1-4  IGHTHAM
Sevenoaks Senior Charity Cup Final
Tuesday 21^st May 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Otford Recreation Ground

IGHTHAM manager Gary McAuliffe says he wants his treble winning side to dominate the Sevenoaks & District League again next season before they even think about promotion to the Haart of Kent County League.

The I’s have clinched the Sevenoaks & District Premier League title by six points in McAuliffe’s first season in charge and they also picked up the Smiths Senior Cup by beating Nomads 3-2 at Otford United on 9 May.

Ightham thrashed Haart of Kent County League Division Two West outfit Ide Hill to comfortably win the Sevenoaks Senior Charity Cup in front of 121 people at Otford United this evening.

Ide Hill, who under joint-managers Wally Paxton and Kevin McGinn finished their campaign in sixth-place, 27 points behind champions Peckham Town.

And they took the lead through Dunton Green bound striker Jack Edmeads after 27 minutes, before Ightham equalised through Sam Smith’s quality finish.

Ightham took the lead when James Barden scored his 32^nd goal of the season, but Westerham-based Ide Hill faced an uphill struggle when central midfielder Craig Jackson was sent-off for picking up two bookings.

Ightham finished strongly and increased their lead when Chris Smith scored his 28^th goal of the season, before striker Josh Brown, 20, scored his 50^th goal of the season to wrap up the treble, both scoring on the break.

McAuliffe said he was very happy after completing such a remarkable achievement in his first season in charge of the club.

“It’s my first season as manager,” he said.  “I’ve been watching them for five years’ and I’ve played at a serious level.

“They’ve asked me a couple of times, but you’ve got to have 18 interested players and we’ve had 18 players who would do and die for the club. We’ve got a great team ethos, we’re together, everyone achieves more. They’ve listened, they’ve learnt. They’re not spongers and they want to learn.

“We’ve still got a Cup Final again on Saturday to do the four. They’re a good bunch of guys. They’re good to work with. We’re really pleased with the result.”

Ide Hill were shown up by a Ightham side that wouldn’t look out of place in the Haart of Kent County League.

Joint-manager Paxton revealed his side were feeling the effects of a three-day jolly-up in Newcastle.

He said: “I think they were the better finishers than us, simple as that.

“When we were battling in the game and we just didn’t capitalise on our chances.

“We were playing far better through the week. We’ve just had three days on tour in Newcastle at the weekend, which doesn’t help, but that’s down to the fixtures being changed because of the weather, so there’s nothing we could do about that, but otherwise I think on the 90, we were the better side.”

Ide Hill created the game’s first chance inside the opening nine minutes when a poor ball across goal from Ightham’s central defender Ben Mills gifted the ball to Nick Capon, but the striker stroked a first time shot with his left foot which rolled into Adam Ford’s gloves to make a comfortable save.

Ide Hill created a decent chance again when George Kensell played a neat one-two with Edmeads before flashing his right-footed shot wide of the near post.

Ightham striker Brown issued Ide Hill a 13^th minute warning when he cracked a right-footed shot on the turn from 25-yards, which bounced into Mike Murgatroyd’s gloves to make a comfortable save, before attempting a right-footed angled drive which he stroked wide of the far post after Ightham quickly played the ball forward.

Ightham were desperately unlucky in the 20^th minute when Barden clipped the ball forward and Chris Smith flicked the ball up over Ide Hill’s right-back Callum Heath before waiting the ball to drop over his shoulder before cracking a right-footed volley, which caressed the top of the crossbar and dropped behind for a goal-kick.

Ide Hill squandered an excellent chance when Kensell beat Ightham’s left-back Aaron Parsons as he sped forward before cutting the ball back to Edmeads, who played the ball across goal to an unmarked Collumb Grant, who skied his left-footed shot over the bar from 12-yards when he only had the keeper to beat.

“We did have chances,” said Paxton.  “We had trouble finishing in the Kent (County) League all through the season. We’ve had a respectable season in respect of goals tally. It could’ve been at least double.”

But Ide Hill did not rue that glaring miss because they took the lead following a 27^th minute corner.

Capon cut a low corner in from the right and Grant’s first time shot was diverted into the top left-hand corner by Edmeads’ instinctive right-foot from six-yards.

Paxton said: “It was a bit more of a reaction more than anything else. It came to him and he hit it first time, but we should’ve moved on from there. We had a couple of chances and we didn’t put our chances away, simple as that!”

McAuliffe added: The lads’ have played half a season in the last two months. In eight weeks we’ve been playing three or four times a week!

“To keep that concentration and keep the work-rate is immense.  Yes, the second ball dropped and that’s what we sorted out at half-time. The first balls out and we’re a zonal defence but the second ball wasn’t being attacked. When the ball bounces in your area and you don’t clear it, I’m expecting them to finish it!”

Ide Hill created a couple more chances to increase their lead but Jackson flashed a left-footed angled drive wide of the far post from 25-yards, following a clever flick from Capon down the left, before Heath played the ball inside to Jackson, who struck a first time right-footed half-volley from 25-yards, which bounced once into Ford’s gloves.

But Ightham levelled courtesy of a piece of individual brilliance in the 34^th minute.

Parsons pumped a free-kick forward from inside the Ightham half and Brown laid the ball back to Sam Smith, who with the outside of his right boot scored a quality goal from 30-yards.

Murgatroyd was grasping thin air as he dived to his left but the Ide Hill keeper couldn’t prevent the screamer sailing into the top right-hand corner.

McAuliffe used little words to describe his side’s equaliser and said: “He’s been threatening to do that for the last three or four weeks and I’m so pleased for him, that it’s gone in the top corner. What a goal to grace a Cup Final!”

Paxton added: “Very good goal, but we didn’t close down the bloke who set that one up. We stood off their forward who was able to lay it back without any opposition.”

Ightham almost hit Ide Hill on the counter when Barden played a header from the middle of the park out to Sam Smith on the right, who released Barden through on goal and his right-footed drive took a deflection before Murgatroyd made a comfortable save.

Ide Hill were guilty of their second glaring miss in the 38^th minute when Kensell latched onto a ball over the top and Ford advanced to the edge of his penalty area to make a fine block.  The loose ball, however, fell at Edmeads, who lost his composure and lashed his first time right-footed shot over from 20-yards.

Paxton revealed Edmeads was playing his last game for the club.

He said: “Unfortunately he’s signing for Dunton Green next year. We’re sorry to lose him.”

Ightham should have gone into half-time in the lead when Stuart Abbott whipped in a cross from the right for Barden to ghost into the box unmarked to poke his right-footed shot past the advancing keeper only for the ball to bounce narrowly wide of the foot of the near post.

Ightham went back inside the dressing rooms at the break, whilst Ide Hill remained outside.

McAuliffe said: “We were doing ok, but there was a lot of gaps in the middle. We changed because I know Ide Hill thought we’d play 4-4-2 as they’ve seen us a couple of times previous, so we changed it to 4-2-3-1. It didn’t really work. They were finding gaps in the middle so we tried to close it and made it a 4-4-2 and it works.”

Paxton added: “It was still there for us. We thought we’d keep the ball short and pass it on the bottom. That’s our strength but we played too long.”

Ightham called Murgatroyd into action inside the opening four minutes of the second half following their first of two corners.

Chris Smith floated the ball in from the left and central defender Tom Bray peeled away from his marker to head down from 12-yards to force the keeper to dive to his left and save at the second attempt.

Ide Hill launched a long throw into the box from James Phillips and the ball was cleared out to Capon, who hooked a left-footed shot wide of the left-hand post from fifteen-yards.

But after Brown squandered a hat-trick of decent opportunities when he lost his composure in the penalty area, he made amends by setting up Ightham’s second goal in the 59^th minute.

Brown was freed down the left and the pacy striker reached the by-line before he cut the ball back across goal and the unmarked Barden drove a first time right-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner from ten-yards.

McAuliffe said: “Josh Brown was unlucky today. He could’ve had three or four, but I think that was his (Brown’s) 50^th goal of the season that he scored, but the assists that he does is as important.  I would probably saw he’s assisted 20 or 30 this season.

“James Barden and Chris Smith have all scored goals this season and that’s the difference. We’ve scored 77 goals and only conceded 23 in the league and that’s the difference.”

Paxton added: “We should’ve cleared it. We should’ve cleared that before it got to him. We were just dwelling on the ball too long at the back.”

Ide Hill faced an uphill struggle when referee Ray Perry showed Jackson a second yellow card, followed by a red-card after the midfielder kicked Parsons close to the corner flag and in front of assistant referee Chris Hadlow.

McAuliffe said: “The two bookings. I think he had to go.  Both challengers were a little rash. It’s a shame but then again two other players’ could’ve gone off, one for us and one for them.  The referee decided in the last few minutes not to send them off, which is pleasing and common sense. I think we were lucky not to lose someone as well so Keith (McGinn) might be upset with the ref but we were better winners today and we deserved the game.”

Paxton added: “Both times he was booked because he was fouled and because the foul wasn’t given against him he then reacted. Had the fouls been given immediately against him, he wouldn’t have kicked out.”

Chris Smith went close after he cut in from the left before cracking a right-footed angled drive which narrowly missed the Ide Hill crossbar from 25-yards.

Paxton felt his main goalscoring threat Edmeads should have equalised halfway through the second half when he sent a right-footed over-head bicycle kick straight at keeper Ford, who jumped up to tip the ball over his crossbar.

He said: “Any side of the keeper that would’ve went in, but that was straight down the keeper’s throat that was!”

Chris Smith delivered Ightham’s last corner of the game, which was met at the far post by Barden, who sent his right-footed hooked volley into the ground and the ball bounced up and over the bar.

Ide Hill squandered another excellent chance to claw themselves back into the game when a run from substitute Shaun Boyle saw him clip the ball to the far post to Heath, who cut the ball back from the by-line and Edmeads was denied by Ford’s fingertips.

McAuliffe paid tribute to his back-four for restricting higher-league opposition to just the one goal.

He said: “We’ve tightened up and only conceded 23 goals in the league and that’s what’s won us the title. The defence has tightened up and all credit to them.  We knew we were conceding goals last season before I arrived and my main job was not to concede.  We knew that we could score goals freely in this league. It’s just a matter of keeping tight.”

Ightham raced into a 3-1 lead with thirteen minutes remaining when a long ball out of defence released Chris Smith through on goal and he slotted his left-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner.

“It was a great goal,” hailed McAuliffe.  “He’s a great player and he’s been doing it all season and I can’t praise the boys enough up front. They’ve scored goals freely this season as they did last season.”

Paxton disagreed that Ightham’s third goal was the one that killed off his side.

“I disagree that the game was over,” he said.  “We still had plenty of time to score two goals in this standard.  We were forced by the sending off. We had to force people to play out of position and they capitalised on it.”

Ightham wrapped up the victory five minutes later when Brown picked the ball up on the half-way line and used his pace to burst into the penalty area before stroking his left-footed shot into the bottom near corner.

Paxton said: “We committed everybody forward. We had no choice with the clock running down and once again he finished well.”

McAuliffe defended his side’s long ball game and said: “That’s what he does! You’ve got to play the game. Yes, it wasn’t so much pretty football. If was sometimes long but if you play in their part of the field then it helps. We’ve got pace and that was devastating today. I think they couldn’t handle the pace of Josh. 

“To score his 50^th goal in a Cup Final, when you’ve won the treble, I think it says it all.”

The Ightham manager revealed the unusual background of his 20-year-old prolific striker.

He said: “He’s Kent’s tenth best long jumper in the country! He spoke to me last season and said he was interested in joining football just to see and he came to Ightham halfway through last season and scored 35 goals and found it easy so this season he’s decided to concentrate on football, but he’s going back to long jumping in the summer.

“Hopefully we can keep him next year. There is interest from (this season’s Haart of Kent County League Premier champions) Hildenborough and other teams so hopefully he’ll spend another year to learn his trade.”

Man-of-the-match Brown was then released down the left again and this time he cut the ball back to an unmarked Chris Smith who sliced his shot when he had the Ide Hill goal at his mercy.

Despite their excellent campaign, McAuliffe revealed the club have not applied for promotion into the Haart of Kent County League.

“The amount of games that we’ve played in the last eight weeks, the lads are still showing the passion and the desire, the heart and are still listening to what we’ve got to say and that’s important,” he said.

“It’s important that we work together as a team because there’s no individuals there. We work together and you have to have sixteen strong minded players who are playing for the shirt and playing for the club and we’ve got a great club ethos and long may it happen.

“I asked at the start of the season that I wanted to trial this season to get my feet under the table and next year we would top the league and that’s still not changed because I still want to win the league next year.

“The future is next year that we have a new clubhouse, which is going through planning permission now and our pitch is very slopey. It’s an uphill struggle to play at Ightham, but it’s a very old club. It’s been there for years and hopefully in about 18 months the new clubhouse, new changing rooms will be done. The earth will be put onto the pitch and hopefully with the parish council’s blessing, which they have been really good with support, if we dominate next year then we’ll think about it, but this year is my first year as a manager, apart from doing the Sevenoaks elite squad which I’ve done for the last couple of years when we never lost.

“The plan was to get my feet under the table and second year to win the (Sevenoaks & District) League and my ideas have not changed. 

“I still want to win the league within two years. I’ve won it once. We want to dominate and we want to see if we can keep this going and I don’t see no problem. We need to bring in a couple of players but I can’t fault the squad that’s been there this year so we look forward to go on and dominate. That’s what we want to do.”

When asked what the club needs to take a position in the Haart of Kent County League, McAuliffe replied, “A good ground. I’ve got to have sixteen players that want to go into the Kent County League. We have a lot of people in the team that are ITV producers and have got jobs that are demanding. Some of them could play Kent (County) League but chose not to travel all over the place and to play for us and that’s worked. 

“We’ve got no divas. It’s a team ethos and that’s what we want to do. This team can go and dominate next year and I can’t see why we can’t go in the Kent County League the following year.”

Meanwhile, Paxton reflected on a good season for his club, having collected 10 wins and 5 draws from their 25 league outings and congratulated Ightham on their treble.

“We’re very happy with the Kent County League,” he said.  “We were happy with the cup runs because of all the postponements we’ve had.

“We’ve had our tour at the weekend up at Newcastle and added with that it was a game too far I suppose. We didn’t play as well as we can do.

“You can’t take anything away from them. They were a very strong, physical side. Fair play to them. Well done to them.

“We were knocking on the door last year. We got one of the three and come runners-up and got to the semi-finals and I know exactly what it takes to achieve that.”


Ide Hill: Mike Murgatroyd, Callum Heath (James Phillips 90), Charlie James, Craig Holder, James Phillips (Nick Capon 80), George Kensell (Matt Paxman-Hughes 81), Craig Jackson, Alex Daly, Collumb Grant (Dave Lansley 72), Jack Edmeads, Nick Capon (Shaun Boyle 58).
Sub: Andy Rudden

Goal:  Jack Edmeads 27

Booked: Craig Jackson 47, Dave Lansley 79

Sent Off:  Craig Jackson 62

Ightham: Adam Ford, Stuart Abbott (Martin Reardon 59), Aaron Parsons, Aaron Mannering (Scott Ferguson 75), Gary McAuliffe (junior), Tom Bray, Josh Brown, Ben Mills, James Barden, Chris Smith, Sam Smith (Russell Stewart 70).
Sub: Ant Whitehead

Goals: Sam Smith 34, James Bardon 59, Chris Smith 77, Josh Brown 82

Attendance: 121
Referee: Mr Ray Perry (Seal)
Assistants: Mr Paul Beadle (Sevenoaks) & Mr Chris Hadlow (Sevenoaks)
Fourth Official:  Mr Richard Handley (Orpington)