Herne Bay FC Supporters' Update 39 – 24/02/2020
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Herne Bay FC Supporters’ Update 39 – 24/02/2020 Week 39 which means it is nine months since the boardroom and management changes. Ben Smith told the Kentish Gazette: “If you had said at the start of the season we would be in the play-offs, I’m sure every single person at the club would have taken it. So, looking at the bigger picture - it’s hard when you are frustrated - but I think that’s certainly something myself and the rest of the club need to be doing. We have good characters in the changing room. Our average age is around 24 but, within that, there is an awful lot of experience. I have no questions about the character in the dressing room and one or two (bad) games doesn’t change the fact that I’m really proud of how far we have come this season.” Chris Saunders has joined SCEFL Hollands & Blair on dual registration. He was sent off (two yellow cards) on his debut, a 1-1- draw with Sheppey United. Tuesday 18/02/2020 Burgess Hill Town p/p Ramsgate Sevenoaks Town 1 Whitehawk p/p Chichester City Haywards Heath Town 2 Kent Senior Cup Quarter-Final Ashford United 1 Phoenix Sports 2 Three Bridges had just two wins and one draw from their last 10 league matches and this month they handed bottom side East Grinstead Town four of their season’s tally of 10 points. 13 places and 27 points behind Herne Bay, Bridges showed that they can be a dangerous team when they went 3-0 up at home to Bay in October only for the visitors to come back with five goals in the second half. The Sussex side had sat in the lower reaches of the table all season. A straightforward win? A potential banana skin? 45 players had represented Bridges this campaign with Tom Tolfrey the top goalscorer on 10. Ben Smith: “A big one now, it’s a must win if we have ambitions this season. The play-offs are still in our hands because at the end of the day we still have to play the teams around us. It’s still well in our hands but we are going to have to get out of this little dip quickly if we are going to threaten anything. This year, or any year really, all sides have players that have real quality on their hands in this league. Three Bridges have the likes of Tom Tolfrey on their hands. He fired Dorking up the leagues, didn’t he? So we have to make sure that we are not complacent.” The Isthmian League website preview: Herne Bay, who start the day in fifth, have seen their impressive run halted by a draw and a defeat in their last two matches. They host Three Bridges, who have taken only one point from their last four matches - and only seven points out of the last thirty on offer - and who will be looking nervously over their shoulders as East Grinstead may have eight points fewer but they’ve played three games less. Saturday 22nd Three Bridges H W 2-1 Cooper 45, Ansah 67 308 February 2020 (1-1) Herne Bay: George Kamurasi, Ryan Cooper, Patrick Nzuzi, Callum Adonis-Taylor, Laurence Harvey, Danny Lawrence (Bola Dawodu 84), Tushaun-Tyreese Walters (Sam Naiwo 86), Tom Carlton, Zak Ansah, Anthony Edgar (Junior Aikhionbare 69), Keiron Campbell. Three Bridges: Kieron Thorp, Lee Hall, Hamilton Bunga, Tyrone Kirunda, Curtis Gayler, Brannon O'Neill, Tom Tolfrey, Ben Bacon (Oluwatobiloba Adekune), Charlie Towning (Billy Irving), Joe Stone, John Lansdale. There was just the one change with Bola Dawodu making way for the returning Anthony Edgar. 1 The matchday mascots were provided by Herne Bay Wanderers YFC. For the seventh consecutive match Herne Bay retained their play-off position following a hard-fought victory over Three Bridges. With the top eight sides all winning there were no favours from the other results. Three Bridges took the surprise lead, but this was cancelled out with the half-time whistle almost at the lips of referee Scott Rudd. Zak Ansah made the points safe for Bay and the biggest surprise was that there were no bookings, particularly with Tushaun-Tyreese Walters on the end of some hefty challenges. Ben Smith: “A lot of clubs are saying that it is 10-12 cup finals and that sort of scenario and it really is. Everyone won around us today and it was important that we got all three points. It keeps us up there and it gives us another few weeks where we are definitely involved in it and for us as a club, we take one step at a time. If we can keep involved with it until the last couple of weeks of the season it will be exciting times and enjoyable for us.” Tushaun-Tyreese Walters caused Bridges defender, Tyrone Kirunda, trouble all afternoon and as early as the 2nd minute he had already fouled TT three times. Walters got the better of him in the 3rd minute but keeper Kieron Thorpe saved well. Bridges had a long throw specialist in their side and from his first throw deep into the area Laurence Harvey headed away for a corner. From the corner Charlie Towning found himself totally unmarked and duly headed past George Kamusari from a yard out to give Bridges the early lead. Spurred on by this early success Bridges were closing Bay down at every opportunity but as the game progressed it was the home side who looked more and more likely to score. Tom Carlton’s shot was deflected, fell to Walters but again Thorpe saved his left foot volley. Carlton followed up with a good through ball to Ryan Cooper who fired in a low cross. Ansah met the cross and only a brilliant goal line clearance prevented a goal. Walters again got the better of his man, passed to Ansah and his low shot was going just wide of the target. Unfortunately for Bay Danny Lawrence just couldn’t get his foot to the ball at the far post. Herne Bay were so dominant it was hard to understand why they hadn’t scored. On the half hour mark, from a Carlton free kick, Ansah looped the ball over Thorpe only for the ball to again be cleared off the line. A minute later Ansah was put through behind the defender but his first- time volley was hit straight at Thorpe. 2 As the half was coming to an end Herne Bay were pinning Three Bridges in their own box. Carlton hit a shot from the edge of the area which Thorpe couldn’t hold. Walters raced in, shot but the ball was deflected away. Still Bay pressed and scored the goal which turned the game. Ansah shot from range, Thorpe saved with his fingertips turning it onto the post, but the ball rebounded out and Cooper raced in to fire a left foot volley past the keeper. This was Herne Bay’s 50th league goal of the season. Bridges started the second half strongly and it took Bay fully 15 minutes to reassert their dominance. A brilliant piece of skill in his own half from Lawrence saw him break away from two Bridges players before sending a perfect ball putting Ansah through some 35 yards out. He looked up saw Thorpe was off his line and coolly lobbed the ball over the stoppers out-stretched arms into the back of the net and Bay were ahead. Ben Smith: “Ansah’s goal, that’s just what he does, a fantastic finish. The composure made it look easy and it’s another one for his tally. We have a talisman who is going to score goals and it makes it a lot easier for everyone else.” Bay were now in full control. Walters volleyed but Thorpe saved again. How Bay didn’t increase their lead in the 76th minute as Carlton cut in from the right and struck a superb volley which Thorpe pushed onto the bar. The ball ricocheted onto the post and was cleared to safety. Substitute Junior Aikhionbare won a header to put Walters clear but it wasn’t his day as Thorpe saved again. Finally, in the closing minutes Aikhionbare got the better of the defender and raced through only to slice his effort wide as Thorpe came off his line. At the end of the day a win is a win with the three points safely tucked away. 3 Ben Smith continued: “They came down here and made it hard Man of the Match – Ryan Cooper. Presented by for us. We switched off for their goal, but nonetheless a very Barry Tracy on behalf of Match Sponsors the family of Ray good header. You can’t take anything away from them. We were Kelly banging on the door in the first half. It was frustrating, it was very frustrating for all of us because suddenly you are chasing the game. I am convinced that when I look back at that first half, we played some very good stuff and were very close on a couple of occasions to capitalise. Their keeper made some good saves. I was frustrated but pleased at half time with the performance, that’s for sure. I don’t think there is a bad team in the league this year. They’ll be some results where you see a big score now and again, but I think anyone on their day can cause problems. It was hard fought.