Otford United 0-5 University of Kent - I wish more of them were demonstrating in London, says Leigh

Wednesday 09th November 2011

OTFORD UNITED 0-5 UNIVERSITY OF KENT
Haart of Kent County League Division One
Wednesday 9^th November 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Otford Recreation Ground

OTFORD UNITED manager Denis Leigh says he wished the students who played against his side tonight had taken part in the London protests as they gave his players' a footballing lesson.

The Canterbury-based students raced into a three-goal lead within the half-hour mark and sealed their third league win of the season to leapfrog two places above Otford United into tenth place in the Haart of Kent County League Division One table with ten points from six games, but as their campaign started towards the end of September, they have games in hand on all of their fourteen rivals.

University of Kent sealed a comfortable victory courtesy of a fine hat-trick from lone striker Julian Messent, one from team captain Daniel Smith and a strike from substitute Charles Jaquet and if it wasn’t for the heroics of Otford goalkeeper Jordan Busby then the student’s would have scored at least ten as Otford lost their third successive Wednesday night game.

University of Kent’s main priority is competing in the BUCS League (British University College Sports League – www.bucs.org.uk) and they are currently at the summit of League 2A, which has six teams, courtesy of a 100% record from their opening three games, without conceding a goal.

The second and third teams compete in the Canterbury & District League and the club have an unusual feat of a chairman that plays for its first team.

Matt Harris, a quality left-back, 22, said: “Basically we’ve got a committee of eight players, a chairman, vice-chairman, treasurer and then all the captains of the three teams and basically it’s run by the chairman, he delegates out to the captains.

“We all organise our own funding, our own sponsorship and get all the boys training, sort out all of the trials.

“We’ve got about 70 players’ this year, we all pay subs of about £80 per player a year, that brings in a certain amount across the club. We bring in sponsorship, we’ve got about four sponsors’ this year, which brings in approx. two thousand pounds so we’ve got a budget of six thousand pounds and will last for the whole season across all three teams.”

Team captain, Smith, 20, who scored the third goal tonight, picks the team.

He added: “We’ve doubled the coaches in the past and we’ve split the responsibility between us but at the moment it’s down to me.”

But he did have a familiar face guiding the team towards their joint-highest victory of the season, Hythe Town defender Tom Parkinson, 20, who is out injured, currently nursing a foot injury.

Tom, who is studying a Financial Maths course at university, looks to be following in the footsteps of older brother Jack, 22, who plays for Welling United and is a highly-rated coach.

And he was delighted with the side’s performance in his first game coaching the Kent County League side.

“I was delighted tonight,” said Tom afterwards. “You always come down to these sort of leagues and you never know what to expect. The boys’ put in a great shift tonight. Five goals, it could’ve been a few more and I’m delighted with the way the boys’ played tonight.

“It probably would’ve been (double figures). He (the Otford goalkeeper) did have a good game but to be fair I’d take 5-0 at the start of the night.”

For Otford boss Leigh, who was without five key players, he was expecting a better showing after his side thrashed basement side Milton & Fulston United 4-0 last Saturday.

“No excuses! I said before the game we’re a bit short but no excuses,” said Leigh after his side’s seventh league defeat of the season left them in the bottom four after picking up only ten points from their eleven league outings.

“It’s always a case with the Uni side, you never going to know what they’re going to turn up with. All that you know is they’re going to be young, fit, they’re going to be well organised, technically strong.”

Leigh admitted his side were second best.

“We spoke about it before the game that their intension was to apply pressure on us from minute one and we had to be better organised to actually cope with that, which we failed miserably to do. We didn’t show for each other, we allowed the pressure to get on top of us.

“They were an excellent football side, I won’t take anything away from them, a superb little side.

“You never see the same side with the Uni boys’ but you know they’ll always be well drilled, technically good and really up for a game.

“They didn’t give me a football lesson, but I think they gave my side a football lesson without a doubt.

“I wished more of them we’re demonstrating in London, which might have weakened their side a wee bit. They seem to have a pot full of players’, but good luck to them!”

Otford squandered an excellent chance to score against the run of play within the opening seven minutes – a miss that they were to later regret.

A poor clearance from visiting goalkeeper Adam Ball gifted possession to striker Mark Lampard inside the penalty area, who swept a right-footed shot across the face of goal and past the far post from an acute angle.

“We had a chance in the first fifteen minutes, all he had to do was roll it in but he had the Hollywood swipe at it and missed the target and we went backwards from that point in,” bemoaned Leigh.

Otford goalkeeper Busby pulled off three excellent saves all within the space of a minute as the students’ ran riot.

Smith released Messent through on goal, leaving flat-footed defenders Sebastian Christophers and Sean Ellis flagging behind, and his left-footed low shot was blocked by the goalkeeper at the near post.

Busby showed agility to get swiftly up to tip the rebound, a left-footed drive from left-winger Elliot O’Reilly, over his crossbar.

And within a minute of that breathtaking double save, Busby dived low to his left to thwart O’Reilly again, this time a right-footed drive.

Leigh added: “Week in, week out, he’s doing what he’s doing and yet it could’ve been a different kettle of fish if he didn’t pull off them saves.

“I don’t think outside of the first chance we had, we had a couple in the second half, but if you count the amount of corners we had, we never got out of our own half. They camped in our half for 85% of the game.”

But Busby’s resilience was broken as University of Kent deservedly opened the scoring after 16 minutes.

Harris’ throw wasn’t cleared by the Otford defence (right-back Christophers) and Messent cracked a stunning left-footed volley across Busby to find the far corner.

Parkinson said: “The first one was a volley, that was a great strike. Julian’s caught it well and he’s smashed it into the far corner. You won’t see a better strike all season!”

The students’ doubled their lead in the 23^rd minute when the excellent Harris played a sublime through ball for Messent to latch on to and his initial right-footed shot was blocked by Busby and the ball looped up and Smith smashed a low right-footed volley past Ellis on the goal-line.

Things started to go downhill fast for Otford as they fell three-goals behind just three minutes later.

Stefan Woolf released Messent through on goal and he slid his low shot towards goal, which deflected off the goalkeeper and was helped in by Ellis on the goal-line, but Messent was awarded the goal for his endeavour throughout this one-sided contest.

Busby prevented further embarrassment as University of Kent ripped open the home side’s defence again when Smith’s flick put through Jack Stingemore, but Busby advanced swiftly off his line to block his above his head.

But goal number four arrived just 121 seconds into the second half when Messent netted a well-deserved hat-trick.

Harris whipped in an excellent cross from the left to pick out Messent at the near post, who couldn’t miss with a close range header from a couple of yards from goal.

Parkinson said: “To be fair to him, he’s been struggling for a few goals this year but I can’t knock him for tonight. He stuck the ball away three times, probably could’ve had five or six.”

Busby made his fifth save in the 56^th minute, when he dived to his left to parry a low right-footed drive from substitute Daniel Sakal.

Otford’s second chance finally arrived in the 70^th minute when central defender Ryan Lee cracked a low right-footed drive from 30-yards, which skimmed off the slick surface and forced visiting keeper Ball into diving low to his left and the ball trickled agonisingly past the foot of the near post and out for a corner.

A quality ball down the line from left-back Harris resulted in substitute Sheldon Sellars cutting a deflected ball back into Jacquet’s path, who volleyed a right-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner to make it 5-0 in the 76^th minute.

Otford, who lost the corner count by two-to-six, went close from a flag-kick six minutes later when Terry Masher’s left-wing delivery was glanced wide at the far post by skipper Callum Hill.

Orpington-based referee, Keith Wenham, 59, who kept his cards in his pocket, obviously felt sorry for outclassed Otford United as he brought the second half to a halt with 39:23 on the clock.

Parkinson added: “We worked as a unit tonight, we were a few players’ short. We pressed them high up the pitch and we got our just rewards tonight. It justifies the way we played tonight.”

The youngster was also pleased that his side restricted Otford in front of goal.

He said: “We’ve been working in training on some defensive stuff and we haven’t conceded in our BUCS League this year in our first three games and tonight we’ve carried it on.

“As we’re at University we go back a bit later than everyone else and we have exams and stuff like that so we’re always playing catch up towards the end of the season.”

Parkinson, who has pencilled in his return from his foot injury for Hythe Town’s home Kent Senior Cup tie against Erith Town on 22 November, was impressed with his side’s performance.

“Last year I didn’t really play (for University of Kent) so I’ve only just started (coaching the side) and the man who was in charge resigned on Saturday so I’ve been put in as head coach of the University which I’m delighted because it helps me doing my coaching like my older brother who has got his A Licence, I’ve got my B Licence, so it’s nice to be able to use it and help some of my mates out.

“I do a financial maths course at University. I love coaching, I love football and it’s a way of trying helping a few of the boys’.

“We’ve got six or seven in there who could easily play Ryman League football and it’s about trying to progress them into those sort of clubs.”

Parkinson added: “Otford are nowhere near the worst team we’re going to play this year and tonight I thought we made them look ordinary.

“We’ve got some quality in our side. Sometimes in this league we get kicked about a little bit and it doesn’t always helps up. Most of our lads’ are under 21, we’ve got a couple a little bit older but the majority of our side are 18-19-year-old’s and it’s a big thing playing against adults but they’re learning and they’re learning quite quick.”

Meanwhile, Leigh, admits the dark clouds are hovering above the village side.

“We’ve been one step forward, two steps back all season. It just seems to have the mockers all over it this season. I wouldn’t blame it all on you (coverage of three Otford games have ended in three home defeats!) There’s a lot of players’ in there that need to be questioned, perhaps the next time we meet it will be a little bit more positive!

“It’s a bit doom and gloom at the minute!”

Otford United: Jordan Busby, Sebastian Christophers, Mark Moyce, Sean Ellis, Ryan Lee, Terry Masher, Micky Moore (Andrew Knight 34), Callum Hill, Mark Lampard, Alex Daley, Jamie Knight.
Sub: Martin Cooley

University of Kent: Adam Ball, Dan Cleaver (Daniel Sakal 30), Matt Harris, Jon Ward, Jacob Barnes, Stephen Purcell, Jack Stingemore, Stefan Wolf, Julian Messent, Daniel Smith (Charles Jaquet 72), Elliot O’Reilly (Sheldon Sellars 34).

Goals: Julian Messent 16, 26, 48, Daniel Smith 23, Charles Jaquet 72

Attendance: 33
Referee: Mr Keith Wenham (Orpington)