Match Report
F.A. Vase - First Round
| Maidstone United 3 Sinden 12 Lacy 57 Marshall 80 |
Horsham YMCA 1 Jarvand 62 |
Date:19th October 2003 Location:Bourne Park
Source Richard Bryne, West Sussex County Times
A SILLY swing aimed by YM's David Oakes at Maidstone's Aaron Lacy cost his side dearly when the midfielder was sent off in the 32nd minute.
The visitors' were already trailing to Richard Sinden's 12th minute opener when Oakes chased the blond haired Lacy and floored him. The midfielder lay on the pitch receiving treatment while referee Mr Cottee went to consult his linesman. After a long deliberation and loud promptings from the vocal home fans the referee called Oakes over and sent him off.
Lacy recovered as soon as the card was brandished, and was lucky to escape unpunished after initiating the clash when he tangled with the YM midfielder seconds before the incident.
The dismissal changed the course of the match just as YM were finding their way after their poor start. Stones started the second half playing with the wind and Lacy put them two up just before the hour, enraging the visitors' bench with a particularly stupid goal celebration.
But YM's ten men did not give up and substitute Ramin Jarvand beautifully converted Joel O'Hara's left wing cross with a brave diving header to give the visitors some hope. However, Marshall netted the home side's third ten minutes from time to settle the tie.
"I have no complaints about the sending off," said YM manager John Suter. "David didn't do himself or us any favours. I told the players it was going to be a physical game and you've just got to get on with it.
"It made it much more difficult but strangely we played better with ten men – everyone found another ten per cent. I still felt at half-time we could get something out of it."
However, Suter was understandably niggled by the combination of a poor pitch, strong wind and weak refereeing that made their task that much harder against a side who had only just lost to Bishops Stortford in the FA Cup but looked unimpressive on the afternoon.
He went into the game with a long injury list and although skipper Matt Duffield passed a pre-match fitness test, Suter started with three centre-backs, Phil Churchill and Joel O'Hara as wing-backs and Dean Carden in a three man midfield alongside Duffield and Oakes. Young keeper James Plumley also had his dad Ian on the bench.
Even when YM went down to ten men Suter persisted with two up front but was not helped when striker Steve Davies had to go off at half-time with a dead leg.
"I had just shouted to Matt to change it back to 4-4-2 when Oakesy was sent off but when you're 1-0 down there's nothing to lose," summed up Suter.
This season Stones are playing their home games at Sittingbourne Town. Bourne Park, which is plonked in the middle of an industrial estate, has all the warmth of a boot camp with its corrugated fencing and half-built stand, and the rock hard, dusty pitch and strong wind hardly added to its appeal
YM started tentatively and went behind after just 12 minutes. Stones whipped in a near post corner from the right and Scott Appleton hooked the ball towards goal. Oakes cleared off the line as the home fans shouted for a goal but Sinden saved the referee the need to make a decision when he headed the rebound into the roof of the net.
Both teams were struggling to find any fluency in the conditions but YM were enjoying more possession before Oakes and Lacy clashed on the far touchline. The home crowd chanted 'off, off, off' as soon as Lacy hit the deck and after a long delay they got their wish.
But YM settled quickly, worked hard and rarely looked troubled at the back despite only having ten men. Davies worked hard up front despite being persistently fouled by Stones' big, bald skipper Paul Fowley. After yet another free-kick Mr Cottee stopped to move the ball about a foot, which summed up his approach to the game, but Paul Young smacked the free-kick straight at Kevin Hudson.
Peter Durrant had another good game at the back, stopping Steve Marshall in the box with a perfectly timed tackle. "Just like Bobby Moore," uttered one of the older home fans.
The closest Stones came to extending their lead was when Sinden raced down the right, cut in to shoot, but Plumley came out bravely to save.
YM waited for the home charge as Stones turned round with the wind and the home fans behind them. The hosts enjoyed most of the possession but their shooting was woeful.
Plumley had little to do until Elliott Bradbrook's crossfield ball gave Lacy the space to sneak in behind the YM defence and his crisp cross shot gave the keeper no chance.
Lacy milked the goal for all it was worth with his ridiculous donkey riding impressions and if he'd been playing 20 years ago would have been lucky to walk off the pitch he so incensed the visitors.
But YM hit back within four minutes with the best goal of the game after a lightning move down the left. Young's quick throw released O'Hara who escaped another Foley lunge.
The midfielder whipped in a superb low cross that beat the outstretched arm of Hudson and Jarvand launched himself at the ball and headed home.
Hudson, who caught Jason Barton's boot as he went for the cross, had to leave the field with a cut face and defender Ross Edwards took over in goal but most of the action was at the other end.
With ten minutes left Plumley brilliantly tipped over Paul Lamb's scorching 35-yard strike. But from the resulting corner Steve Marshall lashed home the rebound after Churchill had cleared Bradbrook's volley off the line.
But YM finished well and several times got in behind the home defence but their final ball let them down, typified by Churchill's attempt to beat Edwards at the near post rather than pull the ball back across goal.
The home fans were happy at the final whistle but Suter and his squad were left to contemplate a frustrating afternoon as they sat in their coach in the traffic on the M25 on the way home.
Team:Plumley; Durrant, Lutwyche, Sleat; Churchill, Carden, Duffield, Oakes, O'Hara (Alafandi 83); Davies (Jarvand 45), Young.