Thamesmead Town 1 Hythe Town 1

Saturday 15 December, 2007

Kent Premier Division

Thamesmead Town 1 Hythe Town 1

By Mead reporter Stewart Erridge

A freezing cold mid December afternoon saw Thamesmead take on high flyer's Hythe Town at Bayliss avenue. If the away team were to win coupled with winning their games in hand over the Mead, they would leapfrog the Mead in the race for the title.

It was Hythe who had the better of the opening ten minutes of the game, creating three chances all of which gave easy catches for Conneally in the Mead goal, Hythe also had a free kick from 25 yards out but again failed to trouble the man between the sticks.

The real battle was taking part in the middle of the park with both teams playing some good passing football, but finding it hard to convert possession into chances.

Rikki Cable had the Mead's first real effort on goal twenty minutes into the game. Richard Dimmock fed the ball to Cable who twisted and turned round a defender before firing his shot at the goal from deep inside the six yard box, forcing a good flying save from Hythe keeper Paul Hyde to win Thamesmead a corner kick, which the defence duly cleared away.

Curtis Williams also went close for the Mead. Williams made a run with the ball down the right flank before cutting inside and getting his shot away, again Hyde was equal to it in the Hythe goal and managed to palm the ball away for another corner. Robbie Tarrant went across to take the kick and James Brown was unlucky to see his resulting header cleared off the line and away up field.

Thamesmead were beginning to become frustrated with referee Mr. Albert who appeared to be blowing his whistle for everything and not letting the game flow, with most of his decisions going against the home side, some unjustifiably so.

Thamesmead found themselves a goal behind after 35 minutes when Hythe Town forward and Kent league top scorer Mike Smissen grabbed his 19th goal of the season, the ball was crossed in from the right hand side of the box to the back post where Smissen rose highest to meet the ball with a flying header placing it into the middle of the net to continue his fine goal scoring record.

It was Rikki Cable who went closest to finding an equaliser for the Mead before the break again making a good run into the box before getting his shot away, Cable's effort took a deflection off a defender taking the edge of the shot and making it easy for Hyde to slide down and collect the ball.

Thamesmead continued to push forward, with Cable making some great twisting and turning runs and when the whistle blew for half time the Mead could feel unlucky to be heading down the tunnel a goal down, in a game which for the neutral must have been very exciting.

Thamesmead came out for the second half with all guns blazing forcing a corner very early on. Cable continued where he left off in the first half making some good runs, he was unlucky not to set up a goal when he put the ball across the box from a run down the right but the defence did well to clear before the advancing Curtis Williams could get to it. It was Williams who would next go closest firing his shot just over the bar after being played in by a superb knockdown from James Brown.

Thamesmead won a free kick on the half way line just before the hour mark which was put long into the box by Peter Deadman, the ball bounced up and hit a Hythe defender on the hand, the referee blew his whistle and Thamesmead were expecting to be awarded a penalty. Mr. Albert ran over and spoke to his assistant on the far side before returning to award the Mead a free kick right on the edge of the box, a shocking decision as the hand ball had clearly taken place inside the area. Dimmock stepped up to take the free kick but put his effort over the bar. He again went close shortly after forcing a good flying punched clearance from the keeper.

Thamesmead were again frustrated by the referee when Curtis Williams was felled just outside the box, the referee's assistant raised his flag to indicate the foul but the referee failed to spot it and play continued. Cable and Dimmock both went close with efforts but the Hythe defence were doing their job well and keeping the score line in their favour.

Curtis Williams made way for new signing Harbingi Grant with twenty minutes to go and Thamesmead continued to search for an equaliser. The Mead again could feel hard done by the referee when, from a corner, captain Dean Kearley brought the ball down only to see it again hand balled in the box, the referee waved play on denying them a penalty for the second time in the game. Thamesmead must have been getting the feeling it was just going to be one of those days, but if they did they certainly wasn't showing it and continued to push forward searching for the goal their performance deserved.

Pedro Knight replaced Lee Coburn with two minutes to go as Thamesmead went to playing three at the back. Robbie Tarrant saw a shot dip just over the bar and Richard Dimmock forced a corner for the Mead that Tarrant swung in forcing Hyde to punch behind for another corner.

It was from the corner that Thamesmead grabbed the equaliser that they had been looking for. Tarrant again put the ball in to the box which was initially cleared away, taking a deflection the ball then fell to James Brown who ran to the edge of the six yard box. Brown chipped the ball high over a defenders head to the back post where Harbingi Grant jumped highest to thunder his header into the back of the net and level the scores on his debut. Thamesmead sensed the game was there to be won in injury time and continued to push forward with Rikki Cable still looking lively. Cable had the ball in the back of the net in the final seconds of the game but was judged to have been in and offside position.

So Thamesmead would have to settle for a draw but could count themselves very unlucky not to have taken all three points with some very dodgy refereeing decisions going against them during the game.

Thamesmead line-up (with player ratings)

Conneally 7, Watts 7, Deadman 8, Brown 7, Kearley 7, Coburn 7 (Knight 6), Mulholland 7, Tarrant 8, Dimmock 7, Cable 8, Williams 7 (Grant 7)

Subs not used : Button, L.Collins,Loveridge

Next match at Bayliss Avenue

Thurs 17th July 2008

Pre-season friendly

Thamesmead Town

Vs Welling United XI

K.O. 7.45PM