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Thamesmead Town 2 Beckenham Town 0

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Mead lift Kent Senior Trophy

Sunday 13 April 2008

Kent Senior Trophy Final

Thamesmead Town 2 Beckenham Town 0

By Stephen McCartney of www.kentishfootball.co.uk


THAMESMEAD TOWN are on the verge of completing a Kent League and Cup double after defeating NINE-MAN Beckenham Town to lift the Kent Senior Trophy for the third time in six years.

Beckenham goalkeeper Grant Hall was sent off with only 50 SECONDS on the clock after rushing off his line to bring down striker Richard Dimmock a yard outside his box and central defender John Maloney followed after 32 minutes for a sliding challenge on Mead skipper James Brown.

Brown bravely soldiered on until the 77th minute following the challenge, leaving the former VCD Athletic player with a shocking gash across his lower back/backside.

But first half goals from Pedro Knight and Junior Baker ensured that the silverware was coming back to Bayliss Avenue for the first time in three years, leaving Beckenham waiting for their first major honour, having suffered defeat to both Fisher Athletic (1982) and Thamesmead (2005).

This game was to be billed as a Cup Final between two of the best passing sides in the Kent League.

However, 45 minutes before the start of the game, a big bang of thunder resulted in a downpour, which soaked both sets of players during their warm-ups and drenched what is normally a pristine playing surface at Welling United’s Park View Road.

There were concerns that the game was going to be called off late but despite there being numerous puddles across the pitch, the game went ahead.

And Gillingham referee Mr Paul Kelly quickly pulled the red card out of his pocket after Hall sent Dimmock flying to the ground on the left hand side of the D. The challenge was made after just 45 seconds and five seconds later Beckenham were down to ten men.

The stunned former Cray Wanderers goalkeeper through his yellow jersey down beside the post and took the walk of shame down the tunnel.

Stocky midfielder Danny Ward, meanwhile, took on the responsibility of facing Rikki Cable’s 19-yard free-kick which deflected past the post.

But Thamesmead scored from Crable’s resulting corner as Pedro Knight stabbed the ball into the bottom left-hand corner following a scramble to score from four-yards with only 281 seconds on the clock.

Knight squandered an excellent chance to double Thamesmead’s lead after 15 minutes, latching onto Curtis Williams’ pass, but Knight drilled his right-footed shot from fifteen-yards agonisingly past the far post.

Beckenham striker Joe Healey should have found the target when presented with a headed chance from six-yards but he sent his header over the crossbar from six-yards out.

Knowing that their opponents didn’t have a recognised goalkeeper in between the sticks, Knight and Dimmock both unleashed long-range shots at Ward from over thirty-yards out, which were dealt with comfortably, and Baker then sent a long range shot just over the bar.

Healey’s right-footed shot from fifteen-yards flashed past the far post as he latched onto a poor defensive header.

But Beckenham faced an uphill task when Brown came off worst as he and Maloney slid in to contest the ball in midfield, which resulted in Maloney being shown a straight red card, which resulted in Beckenham manager Jason Huntley storming onto the pitch in protest, having to be held back by the fourth official, Mr Babatunde Adebayo.

But Thamesmead had one hand on the trophy when Baker sent a looping header over Ward and into the top left-hand corner from six-yards out - with the goal being timed at 34 minutes and 31 seconds.

Durrant Jemmott drilled a right-footed shot past the far post from sixteen-yards before Healey sent his header agonisingly wide of the left post from sixteen-yards as Beckenham created a couple of injury time chances.

Despite being down to nine men, Beckenham dominated and had the chances to get back into the game as Thamesmead, needing three more points from their last two games to secure the title, were content in soaking up the pressure that came their way.

Mead goalkeeper Chris Conneally made a comfortable save from Healey’s right-footed shot from 30-yards inside the opening three minutes of the second half.

And Conneally made his best save just before the hour mark when he flew to his left to turn Healey’s right-footed free-kick from 25-yards around the post.

And from Tommy Youle’s resulting corner, the impressive Theo Fairweather cracked a left-footed volley, which sailed just over from 25-yards.

A run from Fairweather, when he got in behind the Mead defence, brought a fine smart block from Conneally at his near post, as he rushed off his line to block the poked right-footed shot from ten-yards.

Substitute Nick Curren and Reeves’ couldn’t find a way past Conneally late on so it was Brown and Dean Kearely that lifted the Kent Senior Trophy together.

Baker balancing the trophy on his head was the only celebration afterwards as Thamesmead know this is only the first part of their double - they’ve got to bag one win from their last two games before the parties can really begin.

“We need to finish the job off, maybe Saturday but the bread and butter is the league,” McMahon said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“Today was difficult. You have to give Beckenham a hell of a lot of credit. They kept coming at us, we didn’t play our best but people say who knows if they had eleven men on the pitch. We might have played a bit better as well.

“The conditions didn’t help. Fair play to the referee, I thought he was superb. He had two massive decisions to make and I thought they were both spot on.”

Speaking about the pitch that cut-up throughout the game, McMahon, whose Thamesmead side and Beckenham play on perfect pitches, said: “We had a shower about an hour before (the game). It was very firm, the pitch was very, very firm. It just sat on top then it stopped and then half hour before the heavens opened and (puddles were) everywhere.

“There were a couple of areas that the ball stuck but that’s part of playing football. You can’t all play on billiard tables every week. You’ve got to be able to play on all football pitches.

“We kept trying to play and we kept giving the ball away. Every time we got the ball forward, especially first half, we thought we were going to score but we just chose the wrong options sometimes and once we went 1-0 up they had a player sent off.

“I thought we just relaxed and thought we’d go on and win this and Beckenham didn’t sit back, they threw bodies forward and caused some problems and Chris (Conneally) had to make a couple of really good saves.

“But defensively I thought we defended very, very well as a side. I thought our shape was a little bit lacklustre, especially in the second half, our midfield didn’t really close the ball down well enough and we let them play a little bit but overall I’m not that fussed.

“The people who did watch today didn’t really see the best of Thamesmead Town.”

On not overdoing it with the celebrations, McMahon explained that their main attention turns to beating Faversham Town at Bayliss Avenue next Saturday to seal the Kent League title and with it promotion into the Ryman League.

“Everyone’s focused on next week,” said McMahon. “The league’s our priority and we didn’t even speak about the Cup Final until last Saturday.

“Everything we’ve done we’ve done things properly but the lads can enjoy their day, enjoy the evening but we know deep down the league’s our main priority.

“If we get over the line, then I think we’ll have a big celebration at the end.”

McMahon believes second placed VCD Athletic will crack under pressure at Tunbridge Wells on Tuesday night.

Vickers, under Dean Frost, had lost the title to Whitstable Town in the last week of last season at the same venue and the same thing could happen again.

If Paul Foley’s men fail to win at Culverden Stadium then Mead could be celebrating promotion without even playing.

“The pressure’s not on us, the pressure’s on VCD to win,” said McMahon. “At the end of the day we don’t have to win another game, they’ve got to win all there’s. If they lose a game, it’s all over.

“People have said we’ve been under pressure for the last 12 weeks but we’ve won 12 games out of 12 in the league so I think we’re coping with pressure.

“Even today we’ve been put under a lot of pressure but we coped, we kept a clean sheet.”

Beckenham Town: Grant Hall, Ryan Pacey (Nick Curren 56), Michael Ebanks, John Maloney, Terry Khan, Nick Reeves, Durrand Jemmott (Charlie Hawkes 71), Danny Ward, Tommy Youle, Joe Healey, Theo Fairweather (Pat Hitchin 72)

Subs: John-Paul Collier, Darren Wise.

Booked: Michael Ebanks 44

Sent Off: Grant Hall (50 seconds), John Maloney 32

Thamesmead Town: Chris Conneally, Danny Chapman (Robbie Tarrant 54), Junior Baker, James Brown (Lee Dawson 77), Lew Watts (Dean Kearley 71), Lee Coburn, Scot Mulholland, Pedro Knight, Richard Dimmock, Rikki Cable, Curtis Williams.

Subs: Peter Deadman, Adam Woodward.

Goals: Pedro Knight 5, Junior Baker 35

Booked: Curtis Williams 44

Attendance: 505

Referee: Paul Kelly (Gillingham)

Assistants: Mr Andrew Mead (Orpington) & Mr Jonathan Gooding (Ashford)

Fourth Official: Mr Babatunde Adebayo (Bexleyheath)

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Next match at Bayliss Avenue

Thurs 17th July 2008

Pre-season friendly

Thamesmead Town

Vs Welling United XI

K.O. 7.45PM

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Thamesmead Town F.C. Bayliss Avenue, Thamesmead, London, SE28 8NJ. Tel: 0208 311 4211

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