Stansfeld 0-3 Erith Town - It's great winning cups but unless we get promotion it's a failed season in my eyes, says Erith Town boss Adam Woodward

Stansfeld 0 – 3 Erith Town
Location	Foxbury Avenue, off Perry Street, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 6SD
Kickoff	09/04/2024 19:45

STANSFELD  0-3  ERITH TOWN
Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division
Tuesday 9 April 2024
Stephen McCartney reports from Foxbury Avenue

STANSFELD manager Billy Shinners says the passing of coach and family friend Dave Mehmet, aged 63, earlier today is devastating and has hit him and everybody at the club hard.

Tributes were made during the course of the day for the former Millwall, Charlton Athletic and Gillingham midfielder, who played for a number of non-league clubs including Fisher Athletic and Stansfeld, and managed Fisher Athletic, Croydon and Beckenham Town before joining Stansfeld’s management team and playing a key role in guiding the amateur club to the ninth-tier of English football, without a playing budget.

There was a minutes applause ahead of this Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division fixture, which was watched by a crowd of 124 at Foxbury Avenue in Chislehurst.

“I’ve known him all my life really. He was my dad’s mate when he played for Fisher, so I’ve known him a very long time,” said Shinners, who is the son of Fisher Athletic legend Bob Shinners.

“It’s quite shocking really. It’s all really quite shocking. It’s hit us hard. It’s hit me personally very hard.  He was a good guy to me.  He has helped me a lot in my first season (in management). It happened so quickly, which is shocking.

“He’s only 63 years old, he’s no age really. It has hit me personally very hard. It’s hit the club hard and it’s hit the boys very hard because he was a good guy. He was down to earth, one of us kind of guy.

“Especially this season I spoke to him nearly every day. He’s helped guide me and started me off (in management), so it’s a big, big loss, devastating really.”

Erith Town consolidated their place in the play-offs with a comfortable 3-0 victory, to make it three wins on the spin and unbeaten in five games.

The fifth-placed Dockers had to wait until the 38^th minute to break the deadlock, with holding midfielder George Goodwin scrambling in a corner, before left-winger Jake Lovell headed in his seventh goal of the season just three minutes later.

Erith Town were awarded a soft penalty, which was converted by central midfielder James Miles, who joined Lovell on seven goals for the season, which leaves Stansfeld deep in relegation trouble as this was their seventh defeat on the spin.

“Disappointing, really disappointing.  Obviously we’re down the bottom so when you’re down the bottom, you don’t really get the rub of the green,” admitted Shinners, who picked up a yellow card from the referee in the aftermath of Erith Town scoring from the penalty spot.

“Ultimately, we didn’t look like we were going to score, so if you don’t look like you’re going to score, you’re not going to win a game of football.

“The second goal killed us.  They’ve scored the second goal literally just before half-time and at the moment the boys are struggling to score goals, so once they scored that second goal it was a very, very uphill challenge after that, which was very difficult to get anywhere close.

“I think the commitment was good. The boys were good.  They are down the bottom and we’re not getting any luck of the green at the moment and we’ve got to just keep going and ultimately get a point, three points, whatever it may be from the remaining three games.”

Erith Town manager Adam Woodward added: “I think first 20-25 minutes it was a terrible game of football.  We wasn’t very good on the ball. They kept giving it back to us and then we kept giving it back to them. We just needed a little bit of quality.

“We made a little tactical change. We moved James Miles and Ladic Melconian around and I think once we done that, Milo went into the eight, we had a little bit more quality on the ball and we got on it and once we broke the deadlock and scored, we looked comfortable after that.”

Deal Town will claim their first league title for 24 years' should they beat Scott Porter's Lydd Town at home on Saturday, as Steve King’s side have picked up 83 points from their 35 of 40 league outings.

Glebe (74 points with three games remaining), Corinthian (73 points with four games remaining), Faversham Town (71 points with four games remaining) and Erith Town (71 points with four games remaining) are still in the play-off zone, with Whitstable Town in sixth-place with 64 points with three games remaining.

Down at the bottom, Kennington (27 points with four games remaining), Sutton Athletic (23 points with four games remaining), Stansfeld (22 points with three games remaining) and Rusthall (20 points with three games remaining) are outside the drop zone, while Welling Town (18 points with five games remaining) are in danger of dropping down to the First Division.

The game started in a very cagey manner and Stansfeld failed to test visiting goalkeeper Mackenzie Foley in the 18^th minute with the first goalscoring opportunity.

Erith Town’s left-back Jack Holland fouled striker Tommy Whitnell but attacker Jack Mahon drilled a rather poor left-footed free-kick over the five man wall and high over the crossbar from 25-yards.

Shinners said: “We’ve lost our top goalscorer (with nine goals) Mayowa Olufeko, he’s out for if not the whole of this season and next season. He’s done his Achillies and we’ve got Reiss Skeen as well, he’s been scoring goals (four) but unfortunately, he’s been away on holiday.

“We just lacked real quality in the final third.  We were in the game especially the first 30 minutes.”

The home side took just the one corner, compared to Erith Town’s eight, and Stansfeld came close to grabbing the lead.

Diminutive holding midfielder Harrison English whipped the ball in from the right towards the back post where the unmarked Mahon knocked the ball back into a crowd of players and the ball deflected into Foley’s grateful arms.

Erith Town took 24 minutes to create their first opening.

Right-back Tom Ash launched a long ball out of defence up to lone striker Harry Taylor, who jumped up to flick the ball over to right-winger Harrison Carnegie, who cut in from within the channel before dinking the ball back into the box for Taylor, whose towering header was clawed out by Stansfeld goalkeeper Charlie Cottrell, high to his left.

“I think that was the first bit of quality we’ve had for most of the night,” admitted Woodward.

Woodward demanded a higher tempo from his sluggish side and Lovell cut in from the left wing but lacked composure on the edge of the penalty area as his angled shot from 22-yards rolled into Cottrell’s gloves at his near-post.

“I tell you what, Jake Lovell’s been really good for the last couple of games,” said Woodward.

“He was quite fortunate to come in to the side at Rusthall. He got his chance then and he hasn’t really looked back. He was really good at Rusthall. He was exceptional on Saturday (during our 2-1 home win over) VCD Athletic and I thought tonight he was really good on the wing.”

Miles won a free-kick on the left of the centre circle after being fouled by English and floated the resulting right-footed free-kick into the Stansfeld box for 31-goal striker Taylor to glance his header straight into Cottrell’s hands for a comfortable catch.

Erith Town took the lead with 37 minutes and 28 seconds on the clock following their first corner.

Miles played the ball in from the right into a crowd of players and Goodwin emerged from the crowd to poke his shot into the bottom right-hand corner.

Woodward said: “It was a good corner. They were claiming a foul but I felt that the goalkeeper made initial contact with our player and was trying to push him out of the way.  I think we just stood our ground and obviously we’ve bundled it over the line.

“I was pleased with the lead. We never really looked in danger with them going forward but as I said to the boys, with Stansfeld sides they’re always going to come at you and try and win tackles and win headers and they’ve always got a chance in them.”

Shinners insisted the goal should have been ruled out for a foul.

“The referee, I don’t know what he’s seen.  He said our goalkeeper’s trying to barge their player out of the way but why would a goalkeeper do that?  Goalkeeper’s don’t need to do that, they’ve got their hands.

“We were a bit lightweight in there as well, which I don’t like especially my teams, if I can help it.”

The Dockers doubled their lead following their second corner, with 40 minutes and 7 seconds on the clock.

Miles’ delivery was cleared back out to him and he cut in before putting in a cross back into the penalty area from the right.  Towering Taylor knocked the ball back across goal with his head and an unmarked Lovell headed the ball past Cottrell into the right-hand corner of the net from inside the six-yard box.

Woodward said: “He did good for Jake to score.  Harry to be involved, Milo again with an assist, which is good, so positive for Jake to get a goal. I think he should’ve had three or four to be honest. He missed a couple of chances as well. It is good to get the quick-fire goals to try to seal the game at half-time.”

Shinners added: “A lack of concentration. It could so easily be headed back to our goalkeeper, or Charlie could get something.  We miss-kicked it, it goes off for a corner and it leads to the goal.

“I don’t know the minutes between the first and the second goal, it wasn’t a lot and the second goal was close to half-time, so ultimately it changes the whole mind-set, whole nature of the game really, going in 2-0 down at half-time.  We’ve got so many injuries in the attacking front.”

Erith Town squandered a glorious chance to increase their lead just before the break when Goodwin launched a long ball over the top of the two centre-halves (Ibrahim Barrie and Vanadiny Mendes) but Lovell clipped his right-footed chip over Cottrell’s head only for the ball to drop just over the crossbar.

“I think he should score. He knows he should’ve scored as well. Jake’s an honest lad and he reckons he should’ve scored but he’s getting opportunities, which is good,” added the Erith Town boss.

Both managers were asked their thoughts during the half-time interval.

Shinners said: “I was trying to rally the boys, how can we get a reaction.  Every game is a cup final now. If we can get any point possible, we need to get it to stay up in this league.  I’m trying to make the boys release who they’re playing for and what they’re about and go from there.”

Woodward added: “Just to stay calm. Make sure that we don’t do anything silly and as long as we keep a clean-sheet, we’ll win the game.”

Stansfeld were toothless in attack, as Dockers’ centre-halves Ryan Mahal and Jerome Jayaguru often locked the door shut.

The home side were forced to shoot from distance a couple of times in the second half, with striker Mahon hitting a speculative left-footed half-volley from 35-yards, which was comfortably gathered by Foley in the 48^th minute.

Ollie Andrews then cracked a right-footed free-kick from 35-yards, which bounced once and was gathered comfortably by Foley, dropping down to his knees and gathering in his midriff.

“We didn’t trouble the keeper all night if I’m being honest,” admitted Shinners.

“I can moan about the first and the third goal but essentially we didn’t trouble their keeper all night.

“We’ve got a couple of players coming back on Saturday, hopefully it will make us more of an attacking threat.

“I don’t remember the keeper making too much off a save.  When it went in the box, it didn’t really drop to us. It kind of dropped to them and they cleared their lines well.”

Woodward added: “Long range efforts was what we kept them too tonight, which was good.  I thought we looked really, really good defensively, really solid.

“We’ve got four proper defenders in there. Add Calum McGeehan to that, he’s a proper defender as well.  I’m over the moon with a clean-sheet and that’s what we need. We need to keep clean-sheets. It’s important.”

The Stansfeld keeper was called into making a diving save in the 65^th minute, following a clever well-worked Erith Town free-kick.

Mayal played a free-kick down the line to Lovell, who raced to the by-line down the right before putting over a deep cross towards former Stansfeld winger Ollie Milton, who cut the ball back to Miles, who drilled a right-footed shot from just inside the corner of the box, forcing Cottrell to dive to his right to push away.

Woodward said: “We sped the game up.  We managed to open up a little bit more and we need to play with a little bit more of a tempo and we said that again at half-time.

“Once we picked the tempo up, it was good, for us to get in there. It’s another opportunity that we’re creating.”

Shinners added: “Charlie’s a good lad. He’s one of us. It must be tough for him at the moment generally because it just feels it’s all on him.  I wish I could take the pressure away from him.  Charlie is one of us and I’m sure he’ll stick with us for the remainder of the season.”

Holland drilled in a hooked volley from close to the by-line which found its way to Lovell at the far post and his shot from inside the Stansfeld box was held by Cottrell, low to his right, at the halfway stage.

“It was important that we kept putting the pressure on. We were trying to add to the scoreline, so another chance that we had, another one we should’ve really put away,” added Woodward.

Mahal launched a long ball over the top of a static Stansfeld defence and the unmarked Taylor guided his header just past the left-hand post with only Cottrell to beat.

Erith Town sealed the deal by scoring their third goal of the night following a soft penalty awarded by referee Kenny Agboola with 33:46 on the clock.

Andrews was adjudged by the referee to have fouled Ladic Melconian inside the penalty area and goalkeeper Cottrell was sent the wrong way by Miles’ right-footed penalty, which nestled into the back of the net, right of centre.

“He’s been exceptional, the last three games,” Woodward said of Miles.

“I’m James Miles’ biggest critic, biggest critic, biggest critic and I think he’s stepped up the last three games.

“I’ve got a massive headache for Sunday, who’s going to start in that centre-midfield.  James Dyer was on the bench resting tonight, didn’t get on, so he’s going to try to get himself back in, so there’s going to be some upset people on Sunday.”

When asked whether he knows his starting 11 for the Kent Senior Trophy Final, Woodward replied: “Yes! Do you want it?  Listen, I don’t know yet. I’ve got a squad to pick, not just a team. It’s going to be tough but that’s what’s being a manager is about.”

Shinners added: “I didn’t actually see that to be honest but I got told by team around me that it was a shocking decision!

“It was like a coming together. I can’t comment on that but my team around me said it was a very, very light penalty but essentially the game was dead by then.

“We didn’t look like we were going to score, so the game was dead.”

Stansfeld kept plugging away, creating a couple of openings in the final seven minutes.

Cottrell played a free-kick into the feet of substitute Red Jenkins (the son of former Cray Wanderers and Greenwich Borough manager Ian Jenkins), who hooked a cross into the Erith Town penalty area but centre-half Mendes sent his header over the crossbar from within a crowd of players.

Stansfeld substitute striker Chibueze Echem opted to shoot from 35-yards with a left-footed effort, which was comfortably held by Foley, to his right.

Stansfeld welcome sixth-placed Whitstable Town here on Saturday, before hosting Sutton Athletic in a relegation six-pointer (20 April), before travelling to champions-elect Deal Town on the final day of the season.

“I keep saying to the boys, essentially we definitely don’t want to be going down to Deal looking for a result, we need to get a result as soon as possible,” said Shinners.

“We beat Whitstable (3-1 away on 6 January) earlier on in the year and Sutton seems like a six-pointer as time goes on.

“It is in our hands because we’re four points clear of Welling, two points from Rusthall. I think we’re level on games with Rusthall now (until they play Corinthian tomorrow night).

“We just need to crawl over the line, however that is, three points, whatever it may be.  We need to crawl over it together as soon as possible.”

Reflecting on his first season in management, striker Shinners admitted: “It’s tough. It’s not how I wanted it to go. In certain situations, it’s like four seasons in one really, difficult situations, players leaving, trying to rebuild, finally getting some good players in and losing them to long-term injuries. 

“This club means a lot to me. I’ve been here 12 years, 13 years maybe. It means everything to me, so it’s been tough but also I don’t give in. I keep going.

“We don’t pay no money so we’re always going to be like a team down near the bottom, so keeping them up in my first year with the circumstances around it, would be a massive achievement.

“Ultimately, we’re not there yet, we’re not there yet.  We’ve got to go again on Saturday and try to crawl over the line, however that happens, it happens kind of thing.”

Erith Town need two more wins from their last four games to confirm their place in the promotion play-off lottery.

“It’s not done yet. I still think we’re a couple of wins away maybe. I don’t think it’s over. I think we’re going to need more points and I’ve said that to the boys,” said Woodward.

“We’ve just got to keep focused now on Sunday and then we’ll focus on Tunbridge Wells away next Wednesday, which is never easy. They beat Sutton Athletic 5-0 tonight and I’m not looking forward to going down there next week but we’ve just got to make sure now we recover on Thursday and get ready for the game on Sunday.”

Erith Town, meanwhile, beat Corinthian on penalties (after a 1-1 draw) to land the Challenge Cup on Good Friday, 29 March and can achieve a cup double on Sunday when they play sixth-placed First Division outfit Croydon in the Kent Senior Trophy Final on Sunday (14:00 at Maidstone United FC).

“Being favourites, it always adds pressure but we do the right things, we worry about us, I’m pretty sure we can win the game. If we do all of the right things but look there’s been some massive cup upsets. Maidstone have had some upsets this season and Cray Valley had a few upsets as well.

“It wouldn’t be a massive upset if Croydon won on Sunday, so we’ve got to make sure we do the right things and if we do that, I’m sure we’ll be ok.

“Two cups and a play-off will be great but the aim of the game is there’s no point winning those two cups and getting in the play-offs and losing them.  We want to be promoted. We want to be Step Four (Isthmian League South East Division).

“Look, it’s great winning cups but unless we get promotion, it’s a failed season in my eyes.”

Woodward revealed after picking up the club’s first piece of silverware in 13 years’ that he will speak to his wife about his future in football management and he was asked for an update here tonight.

“We’ve had discussions.  We went to France last week. We’ve had a conversation.  It’s another conversation we need to have but there will be no shocks.  I’m happy at Erith but it’s a conversation I need to have a little bit more with.

“Tonight she’s at home with two under two’s and they’re hard work.  I’ve had them for three hours today and I’m tired but it’s a conversation I’ll have with her going forward.

“But I want to stay at Erith.  If I don’t do football, it’s not I’m going to go somewhere else. It will be I have to stop for family reasons but I love it here. I love the club. I love the chair lady, I love her husband as well, they’re great to me and my family.

“I love everyone within the club and we’re trying to build something massive where we are now.  Family has to come first sometime but I don’t know what I’m doing yet.”

Stansfeld: Charlie Cottrell, Frank McCormack, Greg Summersby (Red Jenkins 67), Harrison English (Chinueze Echem 59), Ibrahim Barrie, Vanadiny Mendes, Jack Mahon (Finlay Boyce 67), Louis Birch, Tommy Whitnell (Oliver Wright 80), Robert Hughes, Ollie Andrews (Charlie Gray 80).

Booked: Billy Shinners 80 (manager)

Erith Town: Mackenzie Foley, Tom Ash (Teddy Green 89), Jack Holland, George Goodwin, Ryan Mahal, Jerome Jayaguru, Jake Lovell (Bradley Ryan 72), James Miles, Harry Taylor (Calum McGeehan 89), Ladic Melconian, Harrison Carnegie (Ollie Milton 60).
Sub: James Dyer

Goals: George Goodwin 38, Jake Lovell 41, James Miles 79 (penalty)

Attendance: 124
Referee: Mr Kenny Agboola
Assistants: Mr Michael Dye & Mr Martin Bullock
Observer:  Mr Valentine Anekwe